iPhone's Limitations

iPhones have caught the attention of the public. And why not? The iPhone seems to have it all. It comes in a sleek looking unit with a huge 'Wow!' factor. The touch screen makes it look futuristic and fun at the same time. Plus, when you rotate the iPhone 90 degrees it knows to change its display.

The fact that it combines a cellphone, music player, camera, email client, calendar, Google maps and an internet browser seems to put the whole iPhone experience over the top. All of those things are part of its appeal, but there are some limitations and minor annoyances that you should be aware of. This information will help you make a better decision on whether or not to purchase an iPhone. Let's take a look at some of the iPhone's shortcomings.

Browsing The Web With iPhone

If you're not in a Wi-Fi hotspot you have to put up with a 14kbps dial up connection. By today's standards that is downright ancient. Critics believe this is due in part to Cingular (AT&T) being the sole provider for the cellphone part of the iPhone. In fact, having only one provider is another one of its limitations.

One of the things many people like to do online is chat. Upon its initial release the iPhone did not support instant messaging. It is possible to send and receive email, but for chat fans this is an inferior substitute.

The iPhone Battery

There have been some concerns about the battery life on the iPhone. These concerns are understandable, considering all of the different functions the iPhone combines into one unit. In reality the battery life is about what you would expect from a multi-function device. According to Apple's own website, this ranges from 6 hours when in internet mode to 24 hours for playing back audio. Their claim of 250 hours standby time has not been proven and may, or may not, be a stretch.

The real downside to the iPhone's battery is that you cannot swap it out yourself. You have to either send it to Apple or take it to an official service center. The cost for battery replacement is around $80. Make sure you back up all of your information as battery replacement can erase your data.

iPhone Audio

What about the audio on the iPhone? The included earbuds are acceptable, but are not wireless. This seems like it would have been easy enough to do. Also, the speaker phone option is not quite loud enough for the typical user. But if you have the earbuds in, the volume is fine. iPhones come with only one built in speaker so if you want stereo you will have to put in the earbuds or purchase external speakers.

Ok, so that's the short list of common complaints. So, does that mean the iPhone is useless? No. Far from it. Even with all of that an iPhone can be a device worth having. On the other hand some of these limitations may be very important to you. If that's the case you may want to wait for iPhone 2.0 to see if these shortcomings have been resolved.