What I want in my iPhone…

Alright, I’m going to succumb to the media frenzy. Here’s my list of “things that will convince me to buy an iPhone.” It’s just a little bit more concrete than my last anti-hype post on the matter:

  1. It absolutely must have fantastic voice support. I do everything by voice with my phone. When I get in my Volvo, it tells me “phone one is ready,” and I tell it “call home,” or perhaps “call John at work.” I leave my phone in my briefcase… which is in my trunk — it works just fine.
  2. It’s got to have full bluetooth device support, in stereo. From what I gather, while the iPhone does have bluetooth it’s pretty useless for using headsets and integrated car systems — because you still have to dial and hang up by hand. (Not having to plug my iPod into my car would be one feature that I’d take note of).
  3. I’m very surprised to hear it doesn’t have GPS support, which is contradictory — but if true, it’s on the list. When I’m trying to find my way around town, I don’t want to tell my phone where I am. It should know, and give me advice accordingly.
  4. It needs a good network. All accounts that I’m hearing have one thing in common: When you’re in range of a wifi network it’s fantastic; if you’re using AT&T’s EDGE network you’ll crave a 1970′s-era 3,600 baud modem because the connection is so slow, and so spotty. I’m also not too keen on the idea that I’m going to have to shell out $6.95 to get decent connectivity while I’m sitting at Starbucks (or any other rent-a-wifi locations).
  5. It has to have 3G network support. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Apple chose AT&T as a network carrier. Hopefully, by the time I get around to buying one, I’ll be able to use Verizon.

For the tech-geeks really making the pro/con list, here are a few other things that just flat out surprised me: The iPhone doesn’t support instant messaging through iChat or AOL Instant Messenger. It also doesn’t support video capture or video chat — by no means a requirement in my mind, but I had almost assumed it would be in there.

Overall, I’m disappointed that with all the hype — and the fairly hefty price tag of $500 or more — that these features are missing. These are the things that really matter when it comes down to phone service. I’ll stick with my Razr, with it’s fully hands-free operation, bluetooth support, voice response, and a GPS-based web browser to help me find my way around town. It’s not as sexy, that’s true… I’ll I’m still stuck plugging my iPod into my car… but, for what I need a phone to do, it’s pretty close to just what I need.

Disclaimer: I’m a huge Apple fan. Maybe I’m reacting more to my disappointment, having expected Apple’s first foray into the phone market to be truly revolutionary. I’ll admit, I’m eager to see iPhone 2.0… and by the time Apple announces it, I’m sure to be as hyped-up as everyone else waiting to see if it has my checklist of features.