Why I'm Taking My iPhone Back
Before I get into why my iPhone is wrapped up tight, on the way back to its maker, let me first say this: I love Apple. I love, love, love everything about them. I grew up on a Macintosh, started all my companies on Macs, and came from a family that bought essentially every Apple product as early as I can remember (Yes, even the Newton — we still have two of them in boxes). I was first in line for a first generation iPod and continue to buy every first generation product before even seeing them in person. When I was old enough to buy stock, I bought all the AAPL I could get my hands on. You get the point. I’ve been an evangelist for Apple products my entire life, and will continue to be one as long as I live if they continue to innovate the way they seem to be doing on a daily — even quarterly — basis.
I used to dream about the iPhone. Seriously. I couldn’t wait for the perfect interface, the impeccable design that is Apple. When I used to dream about the iPhone, I didn’t think about what running a business (or three) would be like from one. I never really thought about how it might affect my productivity, and why I carry a smart phone around in the first place — that is until I started using one.
The lack of crucial business features slow down my day. It might sound sappy, but it’s true.
Here’s What I Need:
"¢ Mark All Read/Delete All (If you receive more than 300 messages a day, you need this.)
"¢ Blind Carbon Copy (How can I actually talk behind someone’s back without it?)
"¢ Copy and Paste (So frustrating…)
"¢ iCal invites (Accept and Send, or at LEAST see them)
"¢ Push Email (Using a BlackBerry makes me feel 15 min ahead of the iPhone population)
"¢ AT&T’s EDGE network is pitiful. (Unlock the phone and let me use it on other networks, already.)
If any 3 of the 6 requests above get fixed, I’ll gladly go back to the Apple Store and buy another iPhone the day the software update comes out.
What I’ll miss:
"¢ Multi Touch is absurdly cool, but hasn’t sped up my day yet.
"¢ Chicks love the Google Maps feature, and so do I. I can do this on my BlackBerry, it just doesn’t look as sexy.
"¢ A WiFi enabled internet browsing powerhouse and looking at the real internet. Good thing I carry a laptop everywhere.
"¢ Cover Flow on a touch screen is too much fun.
"¢ Carrying around one of the sexiest devices in the world.
The beauty of the iPhone is that updates don’t require a new device. I’m sure Apple will approach all of my above issues in a tactful and borderline ingenious way but until then, I’m back to being a BlackBerry-carrying fool, lusting after an iPhone that works well with my heavy day-to-day business needs.
