Is the iPod Touch/iPhone the New Netbook?
If you caught the Apple “It’s Only Rock and Roll” event this week then you may have seen the following picture.
Photo courtesy Engadget
If you paid attention to what Phil Schiller was saying while he was on the stage, he was basically implying that the iPod Touch (and I think more so, the iPhone) is Apple’s answer to the netbook market. Sure, he didn’t come right out and say just that, but if you remember that Apple has said in the past that they have no interest in getting into the “nascent” netbook market, then this kind of makes sense as being their answer to it. The funny thing is that the answer has been there in front of us for over two years now.
So, this brings us to the question: is the iPod Touch/iPhone the new netbook?
I’m going to, for the sake of fostering discussion, answer the question with a yes.
I know it’s a little far-fetched because, while a netbook can’t compete with, say, a MacBook in terms of power, the iPhone (I’m going to use this from this point on, but most arguments will also apply to the iPod Touch, obviously. Most) similarly can’t compare to a netbook when it comes to pure horsepower. But, does it matter?
Let’s compare.
Keyboard
Unless you’re the type to need a good keyboard on your netbook, chances are decent that you’ll end up with a netbook with a keyboard that falls somewhere in between utter garbage and mediocre. Yes, they’re getting better on most netbooks, but most people aren’t me and don’t use their netbook for long writing sessions, and those netbooks have terrible keyboards (I know — I have a bunch of them).
Meanwhile, the iPhone has an on-screen keyboard that, while small, is adequate for most day-to-day activities. Need to answer a quick email, order something online, check a few websites? No problem. If you need to write a long email or do lots of writing, you’re screwed, but if you don’t, it’s fine. If you spend a little time getting used to it, you can actually type pretty quickly as well, especially once you factor in word prediction.
Winner: push (so long as you’re not writing the Great American Novel).
Screen
This one is obvious and I won’t even go into it (though the iPhone’s small screen is surprisingly usable thanks to its UI).
Winner: netbook.
Trackpad/Other Input
Much like the screen, this one is obvious. Your finger on a screen more than twice the size of the trackpad on the netbook is far more accurate and a hell of a lot easier to use.
Winner: iPhone.
Power
Even though it’s obvious the netbook is faster, has more memory and has more storage, the iPhone, especially the iPhone 3GS, is surprisingly nimble. But, we have to be realistic here.
Winner: netbook
Productivity
This is a highly subjective category, more so than the others, because productivity all comes down to what you actually do with your device. In my case, I’m mainly looking to handle email, a little web browsing, calendar, and the occasional note/to-do list in my day-to-day activities. In this case, the iPhone is perfectly suited to that task and has actually been filling that role for months now.
While I acknowledge that there are those who need to do more in their daily activities, I think the average user is adequately covered by the iPhone and the vast array of apps available for it.
Winner: push (though leaning iPhone).
Ease of use
Another highly subjective category, but I’m going to put it this way: if the netbook is running anything other than Windows 7, a highly customized linux distribution designed for netbooks or OS X, the iPhone is far, far easier to use. And if the netbook is running one of those? The iPhone is still easier — it’s always on and it’s a button push and swipe of a finger away from being ready to work.
Winner: iPhone
Connectivity
This is the one category where the iPod Touch can’t be lumped into the iPhone category, but it’s also the one category where the iPhone is going to come out on top the majority of the time. Sure, you can get a netbook with a 3G card (or other wireless data option), but my suspicion is that most people are going to buy one without such an option, especially if they already have an expensive smart phone plan. Unless you have a MiFi or something similar, the iPhone is always connected to the internet and ready to work, no need to hit a WiFi hotspot.
Winner: iPhone (iPod Touch and iPhone 2G are a push).
Portability
Now we get to the picture that started this whole ordeal. Unless you’re wearing tactical pants with a massive pocket, the iPhone wins this competition with the netbook even getting a chance to jump on the field.
Winner: iPhone.
Conclusion
If we do the math, here’s the final tally:
Netbook: 4
iPhone: 6
Yeah, I have the iPhone coming out ahead. I know there’s going to be a lot of people who don’t agree with the result and will take issue with my scoring criteria and logic, and quite frankly, even I’m a little surprised by the result.
However, it hit me when I saw that picture and that claim on Wednesday that I’ve been doing exactly what Apple has posited for the last few months, and frankly, my iPhone has been sufficient. Unless I actually need a computer with real power, I’m completely fine with using my phone because it has a damn good web browser, accesses three email accounts (and could access a lot more if I wanted to), has access to my online storage, and fits in my pocket.
On top of being able to do the usual day-to-day things, there’s the added bonus of a GPS, camera, three tons of casual games, and telephone and SMS to name a few extra options. While I could get a GPS on a netbook as well as a camera, and can certainly get better games, and can even manage to have a pseudo telephone and SMS, it’d be nowhere near as small, intuitive, or convenient as the device it outweighs and outsizes by at least a factor of three.
So there you go. Is the iPod Touch/iPhone the new netbook? I say yes.
Well every blog owner deserve a little admiration. Nice post, grazie.