Cell Phone Inventor Says iPhone Is Too Complicated
The inventor of the cellphone says the iPhone's ubiquitous, do-everything, jack-of-all-trades approach to applications, music and – oh yeah – phone calls, makes the Apple Computer superstar mobile device less impressive, not more.Martin Cooper, who while working at Motorola made the first cell-phone call in 1973 with a device weighing two pounds and with only 20 minutes of battery life, says that cell phones today, especially the iPhone, are too complex. Speaking at a conference in Boston, Cooper said wireless companies and cell phone makers have the wrong ideas when it comes to making products people really need. Instead, he advocates cell phones with fewer features and functions, not more. He also says cell phone reception problems and dropped calls are a major problem for the industry and could be avoided with some better technology. (Cooper serves as chairman of a company called ArrayComm, which develops software to help antenna arrays more finely pinpoint cell phone location.)
Cooper's main push is for simpler, specialized phones, such as the one his wife designed called Jitterbug, a cell phone with large buttons and extra large characters on the LCD screen for use by the elderly.
"A phone that's an Internet appliance, an MP3 player, a camera and a whole bunch of other functions doesn't make a lot of sense," he said. "You try to build a universal device that does all things for all people, and guess what? It doesn't do anything very well."
Before you start thinking Cooper may be a curmudgeon who just doesn't like the fast pace of tech advancements, though, you should take a look at this: His personal fact sheet from ArrayComm (PDF link) points out that he is always trying out the newest cell phones (on average, a new one every four to six months) and he's driven to find the "smallest and lightest handset." A gadget hound, just like us!) [From: Forbes.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
VertoX7 said 6:48PM on 10-30-2008
A phone thats everything does make a lot of sense. I kinda agree on the part that "You try to build a universal device that does all things for all people, and guess what? It doesn't do anything very well" But it seems like it's doing a pretty good job of it. I would hate to have to lug around a mp3 player, camera, laptop, phone, etc with me everyday everywhere I go, instead I love having it all in one device! Makes it a lot easier and it's always there when I need it.
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gybognarjr said 8:25PM on 10-30-2008
Thanks for the comment Mr. Cooper. Some people disagree, just take a look at the quarterly report of Apple and Motorola. It shows the amount of disagreement with you and your Company. I remember Motorola used to be in the cell phone business for profit, alas today? (Let' s hope, Andomeda may help your Company out of the rut)
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DarkLight said 9:14PM on 10-30-2008
I agree with him.
Phones should be kept phones....
If you need ultra-mobile computing, get a real micro-computer (PDA, PPC, UMPC, Pandora)
If you want to listen to music, get a small music player. (The ones with a clip that you can, well, clip in your pants, or shirt, or wherever)
If you can't carry those three things, something's seriously wrong with you.
You shouldn't be _that_ weak...
Those three things together measure and weight less than a single 1997-ish cellphone, but you will get much more functionality than with any smartphone you can think of... Not to mention the multiplied battery life, and the fact that you can go with your PDA to places where phones are not permitted, or leave everything but your cheap phone at home when going to dangerous places
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Ryan C said 11:01PM on 10-30-2008
There's PDAs and Smartphones for the high-tech and business crowd, and basic phones for those who want a phone that makes and recieves calls.
Technological convergence is a big part of the present and future, and it's not going to change.
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RICH said 11:27PM on 10-30-2008
In many ways "convergence" has already been a negative. The ubiquitous access to EVERYTHING is a huge distraction in many cases. How empty is your life if you need all this crap all the time. How about we go to work and actually do something useful instead of sending stupid e-mails back and forth. And by the way, that earpiece and your overbearing voice make you look and sound like an attention-starved idiot....sorry, but nobody is impressed. Go take a walk in the woods once in a while without your electronic pacifier appendages. Or go change the sparkplugs on your car, or paint the garage, or ANYTHING USEFUL for a change. More than 1 hour a day or so on the computer/phone/crackberry/Wii/x-box/etc. etc. turns your brain to mush and your ass to cottage cheese. Look it up on Wiki if you don't believe me.
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LuckySkier said 12:22AM on 10-31-2008
This is like saying that computers are too complex. The iPhone is simply a platform. If you wanted, you could simply develop software that offers fewer features or disable features you don't need. Apple, in particular, has mastered the concept of human interface standardization. The learning curve on Apple's products does not get steeper as you dig further into them. The level of difficulty stays constant. Thanks to Apple's approach, you won't be learning from scratch if you've experienced any other Apple product in the past. Just about any other cell phone manufacturer would make a better example of clunky, overly-complex design.
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James said 2:37PM on 11-01-2008
The iPhone does a great job at everything! Why would I carry around an ipod, cell phone, calendar, web browser, and camera all on a separate device? There are CERTAIN phones that suck, but that doesn't mean they all suck.
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