Guest Post: Excuses for Excuses Sake

My friend Bryan writes:

Excuses for Excuses Sake

After reading an article by Scott Moritz earlier this morning, I came to the conclusion that people/reporters try to make a story out of anything.  I honestly have no idea how an article that doesn’t really make much sense makes it to the front page of Yahoo. In the article Mr. Moritz states 5 reasons NOT to buy the new iPhone 4. There very well may be 20 reasons not to buy the new smart phone, but these 5 reasons just don’t seem like a deal breaker.

Scott’s first point is regarding the camera. He states, “HTC, Motorola and Nokia embrace the megapixel race with 8-megapixel and 12-megapixel cameras, Apple's new iPhone keeps it cheap with a 5-megapixel model.” Is he stating that the quality of the camera is only based on the megapixels? Being a photographer, this is probably the comment that irks me the most. So using his logic, the cameras that are included in the HTC, Motorola, and Nokia phones are better than an entry-level DSLR camera (ex. Nikon D40)? Just because they have more megapixels? This is so far from the truth it’s not even funny.

Mr. Moritz’s second point of not having the “Swype” feature does not hold water in my opinion either. First of all, is this really a reason not to buy a superior phone? I say no, but that is for the consumer to decide. Plus, in all honesty, there will probably be an app for that. Along with this he makes his third point, regarding the video-calling feature. Yes, the feature limits you to only other iPhone 4 users, but that is what it is meant to do. He comments “not exactly an application of global Skype-like proportions.” Yes, he is correct, but the Skype app, will be available for those who want it. So, I don’t understand what he is complaining about.

Scott’s final two points are that there will be phone shortages, and that the iPhone is not available for Verizon. If a customer is loyal to Verizon’s service, that is their choice, but I still don’t understand all the complaints with AT&T network. Finally he states that the phone being in short supply is a blemish for the phone. Last time I checked, Americans, or people in general love rare things. Why do people buy Ferraris, Rolex, and special editions of things? They do this because they are rare, and to most, rare is sexy, and it means you’r important if you have one. Also, a couple months down the road, there won’t be a wait anymore either. So there goes that argument.

All in all there are definitely reasons not to get the new iPhone 4, however I don’t think this article show any of them.

I'm not sure that Moritz was giving five reasons not to buy the iPhone, but I certainly know that he wrote an article of complaints because complaining about the new iPhone is a great to get your story put up on digg and reddit.  One thing I want to comment on that I found puzzling when I read the article was his bizarre logic on how 1 million iPhones per month is something to complain about.  If anything, the great demand that will shorten supply only signals that this phone is worth getting.