Wired Magazine: iPhone Is Almost Perfect

Steven Levy, another satisfied adopter of Apple's smart phone
Wired Magazine
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/gadgetr.../16-10/ts_levy

Steven Levy: Why the iPhone Is Almost Perfect
By Steven Levy 09.22.08

My first full day with the iPhone 3G turned out to be too full. At
least as far as the iPhone was concerned. It was just two in the
afternoon when the screen displayed the most unwelcome dialog box in
mobile computing: LOW BATTERY: 20% OF BATTERY REMAINING. In my
experience, that message's real meaning is make your last call NOW,
because the lights are going out soon. Though it didn't happen
instantly, within a few minutes that gorgeous screen looked like the
closing shot of the The Sopranos finale.

I had been enjoying the iPhone 3G. The out-of-the-box price was right
— as low as $200, with a two-year contract — if you qualify for the
subsidy from AT&T. It was slimmer and sleeker than its predecessor. It
had real GPS. And, addressing my biggest problem with the original
iPhone, data loaded much faster when a 3G network was available. Most
of all, I was itching to try out loads of the intriguing applications
from the iTunes App Store, about a dozen of which I'd already
downloaded. But there's no joy in a juiceless phone.
How bad is the problem? No way around it — 3G cellular chips eat
energy. But Apple's Bob Borchers contends that the iPhone team
succeeded in extending battery life to an acceptable level. There's
evidence to back this up: The iPhone does best its 3G rivals when it
comes to run time.

Nonetheless, battery life is more of a challenge for the iPhone than
for its competitors, because Apple's multitouch darling entices you to
actually do the things that burn through your charge like a Roman
candle. It's so easy to surf the Web, play graphics-intensive games,
and geolocate your buddies that the iPhone is less likely to hang out
in your pocket in standby mode, waiting for a silly phone call.

The Bottom Line? Battery issues hinder an otherwise stellar mobile
computer.
"iPhone apps are a game changer," says Tim Westergren, founder of
Internet radio company Pandora, whose music app — an early favorite of
iPhone downloaders — perfectly illustrates the power problem. When you
listen to audio stored on the iPhone, you can indulge in 24 hours of
tunes without a recharge. But streaming Pandora will run the battery
down in maybe five or six. According to Westergren, Pandora's growth
rate doubled after the launch of the new iPhone — a phenomenon
undoubtedly mirrored on thousands of battery meters.

Part of what's happening is that we have unrealistic expectations from
tech in general. We're so used to technomagic that we routinely expect
some chemist or physicist — or clever geek at Apple — to come up with
solutions to our problems. But while computing power and storage make
advances in logarithmic scale, batteries seem to follow Not Much
More's law. It's a problem for not just phones but everything from
electric cars to hearing aids.
That said, power consumption is not a dealbreaker for the iPhone 3G.
Think of it as a chronic condition that requires monitoring and
treatment. All over the blogosphere you'll find the Apple fanboy
version of Hints From Heloise: iPhone 3G battery-extension tips.
Apple's own Web page on the subject instructs users to dive into the
Settings menu to turn off power-draining features. (The last
suggestion is "Turn off 3G," an odd request for a product whose name
includes "3G.")

But the best advice is to put expectations into perspective. "This is
as much a computer as a phone," says Matt Murphy, who heads Kleiner-
Perkins' iFund, a $100 million initiative that seeds iPhone apps. "You
don't expect a computer to last for 24 hours on one charge."
Since that first meltdown, by taking battery- extending measures like
switching off push mail, data fetch, and sometimes (sniff) 3G, I have
only occasionally had a day where I needed to break out the charger
before bedtime. One day we'll get that quantum leap in battery tech
that will obviate the annoying trade-off between functionality and
juice. Until then, it's so many apps to play with, so little time
between charges.

DisasterManager wrote:
> Steven Levy, another satisfied adopter of Apple's smart phone
> Wired Magazine
> http://www.wired.com/gadgets/gadgetr.../16-10/ts_levy
>
> Steven Levy: Why the iPhone Is Almost Perfect
> By Steven Levy 09.22.08
>
> My first full day with the iPhone 3G turned out to be too full. At
> least as far as the iPhone was concerned. It was just two in the
> afternoon when the screen displayed the most unwelcome dialog box in
> mobile computing: LOW BATTERY: 20% OF BATTERY REMAINING. In my
> experience, that message's real meaning is make your last call NOW,
> because the lights are going out soon. Though it didn't happen
> instantly, within a few minutes that gorgeous screen looked like the
> closing shot of the The Sopranos finale.
>
> I had been enjoying the iPhone 3G. The out-of-the-box price was right
> — as low as $200, with a two-year contract — if you qualify for the
> subsidy from AT&T. It was slimmer and sleeker than its predecessor. It
> had real GPS. And, addressing my biggest problem with the original
> iPhone, data loaded much faster when a 3G network was available. Most
> of all, I was itching to try out loads of the intriguing applications
> from the iTunes App Store, about a dozen of which I'd already
> downloaded. But there's no joy in a juiceless phone.
> How bad is the problem? No way around it — 3G cellular chips eat
> energy. But Apple's Bob Borchers contends that the iPhone team
> succeeded in extending battery life to an acceptable level. There's
> evidence to back this up: The iPhone does best its 3G rivals when it
> comes to run time.
>
> Nonetheless, battery life is more of a challenge for the iPhone than
> for its competitors, because Apple's multitouch darling entices you to
> actually do the things that burn through your charge like a Roman
> candle. It's so easy to surf the Web, play graphics-intensive games,
> and geolocate your buddies that the iPhone is less likely to hang out
> in your pocket in standby mode, waiting for a silly phone call.
>
> The Bottom Line? Battery issues hinder an otherwise stellar mobile
> computer.
> "iPhone apps are a game changer," says Tim Westergren, founder of
> Internet radio company Pandora, whose music app — an early favorite of
> iPhone downloaders — perfectly illustrates the power problem. When you
> listen to audio stored on the iPhone, you can indulge in 24 hours of
> tunes without a recharge. But streaming Pandora will run the battery
> down in maybe five or six. According to Westergren, Pandora's growth
> rate doubled after the launch of the new iPhone — a phenomenon
> undoubtedly mirrored on thousands of battery meters.
>
> Part of what's happening is that we have unrealistic expectations from
> tech in general. We're so used to technomagic that we routinely expect
> some chemist or physicist — or clever geek at Apple — to come up with
> solutions to our problems. But while computing power and storage make
> advances in logarithmic scale, batteries seem to follow Not Much
> More's law. It's a problem for not just phones but everything from
> electric cars to hearing aids.
> That said, power consumption is not a dealbreaker for the iPhone 3G.
> Think of it as a chronic condition that requires monitoring and
> treatment. All over the blogosphere you'll find the Apple fanboy
> version of Hints From Heloise: iPhone 3G battery-extension tips.
> Apple's own Web page on the subject instructs users to dive into the
> Settings menu to turn off power-draining features. (The last
> suggestion is "Turn off 3G," an odd request for a product whose name
> includes "3G.")
>
> But the best advice is to put expectations into perspective. "This is
> as much a computer as a phone," says Matt Murphy, who heads Kleiner-
> Perkins' iFund, a $100 million initiative that seeds iPhone apps. "You
> don't expect a computer to last for 24 hours on one charge."
> Since that first meltdown, by taking battery- extending measures like
> switching off push mail, data fetch, and sometimes (sniff) 3G, I have
> only occasionally had a day where I needed to break out the charger
> before bedtime. One day we'll get that quantum leap in battery tech
> that will obviate the annoying trade-off between functionality and
> juice. Until then, it's so many apps to play with, so little time
> between charges.
>
In my limited experience (I have a Touch, not an iPhone), this author is
being way too liberal with the battery issue. Opposed to his position, I
believe it to be a "deal breaker".

The iPhone (Touch) is expected to do way too much than its thin profile and
thus limited battery can provide. I find I can almost watch the battery
thermometer go down as I scroll through just a few web pages. There is
actually psychological pressure to NOT use the thing for those purposes.

Now, if the battery were user-changeable, that might make for a different
conclusion. But it's not. And please don't tell me about battery-extending
devices. I bought and own a Lenmar PowerPort. While IT is an incredible
device that seems to meet its expectations, it's not my dream system to walk
around with TWO iPhone-sized devices attached to each other via a wire. It
screams GEEK too loudly for me and is cumbersome even if my geek-esteem
issues were better.

"Carl" <crothman@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote in
news:48da72a1$0$4901$607ed4bc@cv.net:

> The iPhone (Touch) is expected to do way too much than its thin
> profile and thus limited battery can provide. I find I can almost
> watch the battery thermometer go down as I scroll through just a few
> web pages. There is actually psychological pressure to NOT use the
> thing for those purposes.
>
>

You can always spot a battery hog because nearby compasses spin about and
follow the device as you walk by from the expansive magnetic field all that
current from the battery tugs at them....(c;

If you've got an infrared detector, he also trails quite a vivid heat
signature. "Why is that guy so hot?" - "That's not him. He's listening to
streaming audio on his iPhone with the display on full brightness"....(c;

It's a good thing we're not still using 1.4MB floppies. Someone would put
one in their shirt pocket and their iPhone or Touch would demagnetize it by
the time they pulled them apart.....hee hee.

The current must be why I saw someone's keys stuck to the case when the
phone rang....

On Sep 24, 12:57*pm, "Carl" <croth...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote:
> Now, if the battery were user-changeable, that might make for a different
> conclusion. But it's not. And please don't tell me about battery-extending
> devices. I bought and own a Lenmar PowerPort. While IT is an incredible
> device that seems to meet its expectations, it's not my dream system to walk
> around with TWO iPhone-sized devices attached to each other via a wire. It
> screams GEEK too loudly for me and is cumbersome even if my geek-esteem
> issues were better.

Why would any reasonable person buy a battery extender for an Apple
device that uses a wire?
All the neat ones are little slim objects that clip to the bottom of
the iPhone or what ever, and add maybe two inches to its total length.
They are as cheap as $20 and make more sense then carrying extra
batteries that go inside a thicker phone where you have to remove a
battery cover to place them inside. Then you have to worry about
loosing the battery cover or breaking it and hoping there is somewhere
on the internet you can buy and expensive replacement.

The iPhone design is more like the ham radios and public safety radios
with the clip on battery packs.
Pulling a battery cover and dropping a custom battery inside is really
low end consumer crap.
There is nothing geek about the real Apple device and the real snap on
battery packs as it smacks of high end design like all rugged
commercial radios.

I don't know where you found that piece of junk for you iTouch but you
got taken, probably by someone who designs low end.

"4phun" <vic.healey@gmail.com> wrote in message news:d7a12795-5d72-4c9f-
8056-393d79b71cb4@c58g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
On Sep 24, 12:57 pm, "Carl" <croth...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote:

> Why would any reasonable person buy a battery extender for an Apple
> device that uses a wire?

For the economy and future reusability. I HATE proprietary anything, so my
external battery extenders terminate in a female USB socket, allowing me to
use it with any product that charges via USB, be it my phone, my Zunes,
iPods or anything else (with the product's regular charging cable.) When
you've moved onto the next small shiny object, and need the external
proprietary clip-on pack for it, I'll still have my good ol' external USB
charger. Most of the svelte clip on batteries (over the back, rather than
the bottom) Oxford used to flog for iPhone Mark 1 (to deflect the numerous
complaints about ITS lousy battery life) didn't even fit the 3G!

> All the neat ones are little slim objects that clip to the bottom of
> the iPhone or what ever, and add maybe two inches to its total length.

Funny how any device even 1 micron larger than the iPhone in any dimension
is a "brick"- unless, of course, it's an iPhone with an attachment. If I
had said I plugged a two-inch long battery extender to the bottom of my
WinMo phone you'd still be laughing about it!

> They are as cheap as $20 and make more sense then carrying extra
> batteries that go inside a thicker phone where you have to remove a
> battery cover to place them inside. Then you have to worry about
> loosing the battery cover or breaking it and hoping there is somewhere
> on the internet you can buy and expensive replacement.

My extra Tilt battery is thin and fits inside my wallet. I carry it just
on days when I know access to charging will be unlikely.

Changing the battery takes 20 seconds- how likely am I going to lose or
break the cover in those 20 seconds? It's not like the extra internal
battery needs it's own cover to carry with it.

And, when I've swapped the batteries, my phone is the same size as it was
before. How long does your dromedary hump pack need to be attached to
recharge the dead battery?

> The iPhone design is more like the ham radios and public safety radios
> with the clip on battery packs.

No, it isn't- those devices have a quick method to REMOVE a depleted
battery and REPLACE it with a charged one, and a cradle to charge the just-
removed depleted one while the spare is in use. The iPhone is reliant on
an external battery back (clipped or wired- it doesn't matter for this
discussion) that doesn't even power the phone directly, but instead,
inefficiently recharges the dead battery still in place! It's the
difference between a heart transplant, and sewing a healthy heart inline
with the sick one!

> Pulling a battery cover and dropping a custom battery inside is really
> low end consumer crap.

But soldering that same custom battery in place so 90% of consumers can't
change it themselves when it wears out is high end? I'll take low-end, then,
thanks!

Just when I'm convinced you and Oxford are different people, you come out
with some delusional nonsense rationalization for a stupid design decision
that's worthy of taking the Stupid Excuse Award from Oxy's 2007 winner
"Flash Eats Batteries" in the "Reality Distortion Field" Hall of Fame.
Lost/broken battery covers? External clip on battery packs are "high end"?

I've had different cellphones and PDAs of each design, and the ability to
hot swap a low or dead battery trumps a sleek and stylish seamless case ANY
DAY, unless you use the device as a fashion accessory, and not to get any
real work done.


> There is nothing geek about the real Apple device and the real snap on
> battery packs as it smacks of high end design like all rugged
> commercial radios.

No, it smacks of a Hong Kong drop-shipped eBay kludge. Having the battery
integrated into the rear case that slides of/on as an assembly (like most
Motorola cellphones) "smacks of rugged commercial radio design." User-
replaceable battery packs in a HIGH-DRAIN device smacks of practical
design. Ever see a digital camera with a soldered in non replaceable
battery? Of course not. It works in an old iPod because they'll run 20
hours of use on a single charge- a modern-era smartphone won't.

> I don't know where you found that piece of junk for you iTouch but you
> got taken, probably by someone who designs low end.

Nice touch- finish with the snob-on-high insult. That's an Oxford line if
I ever heard one. You just need to finish with a trademark Oxford
"redemption possibility" for the insulted party, to seal the deal- like
"someday, when you understand the difference between trash and fine design,
you'll purchase the proper accessories."

Todd Allcock wrote:
> "4phun" <vic.healey@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:d7a12795-5d72-4c9f-
> 8056-393d79b71cb4@c58g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> On Sep 24, 12:57 pm, "Carl" <croth...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote:
>
>> Why would any reasonable person buy a battery extender for an Apple
>> device that uses a wire?
>
> For the economy and future reusability. I HATE proprietary anything,
> so my external battery extenders terminate in a female USB socket,
> allowing me to use it with any product that charges via USB, be it my
> phone, my Zunes, iPods or anything else (with the product's regular
> charging cable.) When you've moved onto the next small shiny object,
> and need the external proprietary clip-on pack for it, I'll still
> have my good ol' external USB charger. Most of the svelte clip on
> batteries (over the back, rather than the bottom) Oxford used to flog
> for iPhone Mark 1 (to deflect the numerous complaints about ITS lousy
> battery life) didn't even fit the 3G!
>
>> All the neat ones are little slim objects that clip to the bottom of
>> the iPhone or what ever, and add maybe two inches to its total
>> length.
>
> Funny how any device even 1 micron larger than the iPhone in any
> dimension is a "brick"- unless, of course, it's an iPhone with an
> attachment. If I had said I plugged a two-inch long battery extender
> to the bottom of my WinMo phone you'd still be laughing about it!
>
>> They are as cheap as $20 and make more sense then carrying extra
>> batteries that go inside a thicker phone where you have to remove a
>> battery cover to place them inside. Then you have to worry about
>> loosing the battery cover or breaking it and hoping there is
>> somewhere on the internet you can buy and expensive replacement.
>
> My extra Tilt battery is thin and fits inside my wallet. I carry it
> just
> on days when I know access to charging will be unlikely.
>
> Changing the battery takes 20 seconds- how likely am I going to lose
> or break the cover in those 20 seconds? It's not like the extra
> internal battery needs it's own cover to carry with it.
>
> And, when I've swapped the batteries, my phone is the same size as it
> was before. How long does your dromedary hump pack need to be
> attached to recharge the dead battery?
>
>> The iPhone design is more like the ham radios and public safety
>> radios with the clip on battery packs.
>
> No, it isn't- those devices have a quick method to REMOVE a depleted
> battery and REPLACE it with a charged one, and a cradle to charge the
> just- removed depleted one while the spare is in use. The iPhone is
> reliant on
> an external battery back (clipped or wired- it doesn't matter for this
> discussion) that doesn't even power the phone directly, but instead,
> inefficiently recharges the dead battery still in place! It's the
> difference between a heart transplant, and sewing a healthy heart
> inline with the sick one!
>
>> Pulling a battery cover and dropping a custom battery inside is
>> really low end consumer crap.
>
> But soldering that same custom battery in place so 90% of consumers
> can't change it themselves when it wears out is high end? I'll take
> low-end, then, thanks!
>
> Just when I'm convinced you and Oxford are different people, you come
> out with some delusional nonsense rationalization for a stupid design
> decision that's worthy of taking the Stupid Excuse Award from Oxy's
> 2007 winner "Flash Eats Batteries" in the "Reality Distortion Field"
> Hall of Fame. Lost/broken battery covers? External clip on battery
> packs are "high end"?
>
> I've had different cellphones and PDAs of each design, and the
> ability to hot swap a low or dead battery trumps a sleek and stylish
> seamless case ANY DAY, unless you use the device as a fashion
> accessory, and not to get any real work done.
>
>
>> There is nothing geek about the real Apple device and the real snap
>> on battery packs as it smacks of high end design like all rugged
>> commercial radios.
>
> No, it smacks of a Hong Kong drop-shipped eBay kludge. Having the
> battery integrated into the rear case that slides of/on as an
> assembly (like most Motorola cellphones) "smacks of rugged commercial
> radio design." User- replaceable battery packs in a HIGH-DRAIN device
> smacks of practical
> design. Ever see a digital camera with a soldered in non replaceable
> battery? Of course not. It works in an old iPod because they'll run
> 20 hours of use on a single charge- a modern-era smartphone won't.
>
>> I don't know where you found that piece of junk for you iTouch but
>> you got taken, probably by someone who designs low end.
>
> Nice touch- finish with the snob-on-high insult. That's an Oxford
> line if
> I ever heard one. You just need to finish with a trademark Oxford
> "redemption possibility" for the insulted party, to seal the deal-
> like "someday, when you understand the difference between trash and
> fine design, you'll purchase the proper accessories."
>
Well said as usual. All points covered- nothing left for me to say. 4phun
sounds like an 18 year old kid when he writes: they know much less than they
think they do and their brains aren't fully formed yet so their judgement is
impaired.

"Carl" <crothman@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote in
news:48db876b$0$4880$607ed4bc@cv.net:

> 4phun
> sounds like an 18 year old kid when he writes: they know much less
> than they think they do and their brains aren't fully formed yet so
> their judgement is impaired.
>

Born 1945

From his FCC ham license data. Hell, he's OLDER than I am!

Vic! When you gonna upgrade to No Code EXTRA?!!

"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9B248262B81Cnoonehomecom@208.49.80.253...
> "Carl" <crothman@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote in
> news:48db876b$0$4880$607ed4bc@cv.net:
>
>> 4phun
>> sounds like an 18 year old kid when he writes: they know much less
>> than they think they do and their brains aren't fully formed yet so
>> their judgement is impaired.
>>
>
> Born 1945
>
> From his FCC ham license data. Hell, he's OLDER than I am!
>
> Vic! When you gonna upgrade to No Code EXTRA?!!
>

If he gave you the correct lic number.

With all this cut and paste he does, we all know he sure is not doing it
from his iPhone. :)

Todd Allcock wrote:
> "4phun" <vic.healey@gmail.com> wrote in message news:d7a12795-5d72-4c9f-
> 8056-393d79b71cb4@c58g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> On Sep 24, 12:57 pm, "Carl" <croth...@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote:
>
>> Why would any reasonable person buy a battery extender for an Apple
>> device that uses a wire?
>
> For the economy and future reusability. I HATE proprietary anything, so my
> external battery extenders terminate in a female USB socket, allowing me to
> use it with any product that charges via USB, be it my phone, my Zunes,

Wow, Microsoft sold at least two Zunes.

Larry wrote:
> "Carl" <crothman@NOSPAMoptonline.net> wrote in
> news:48db876b$0$4880$607ed4bc@cv.net:
>
>> 4phun
>> sounds like an 18 year old kid when he writes: they know much less
>> than they think they do and their brains aren't fully formed yet so
>> their judgement is impaired.
>>
>
> Born 1945
>
> From his FCC ham license data. Hell, he's OLDER than I am!
>
> Vic! When you gonna upgrade to No Code EXTRA?!!
>
Ha! He's older than me too. By the way, I'm a ham too. Extra Class (WITH
code). Been a ham since about 1962. I am totally inactive now since the
demise of 2-meter fm, though I retain my position as a director on the board
of a local repeater group.