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Zach Bass (a.k.a Ernie Varitimos) is Chief Bloviator of Investor in the Wilderness. He has 30 years experience as a Tech Maven, Investor and Consultant. Zach has been using Macs since their introduction in 1984, and investing in the markets just as long. His mission is to help guide all level of investors through the Apple Ecosphere and make sense of the markets. Zach's take on Apple, the markets, and life pursuits, will keep your mind tuned.

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Wilderness Member’s Family is Apple to the Core

August 7th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

This article was posted in the Wilderness Investor Group by member Earsaver. It’s in response to the iPhone rant written by Thomas Hawk, and published by Seeking Alpha yesterday, August 7.

Good morning everyone.

My family is the happy home to two original iPhones (one still active, the other presently serving as a WiFi iPod Touch) and now three 3G iPhones. In my view, this writer makes much ado about nothing. Here’s my take on the similarities & the differences in Features. Advantages & Benefits.

The iPhone 2.01 software equalizes the playing field between both versions of the phone. Operationally, they are identical, especially in WiFi. Even my now non activated 8 GB original iPhone runs every app I’ve downloaded flawlessly.

It has become my defacto Remote Control for our AppleTV - The Battery Life is excellent, and it’s a far more functionally elegant device to use than the Remote bundled with the AppleTV. The biggest hiccup with that cute device is the desire to operate both the Mac and AppleTV simultaneously. Very irritating artifact.

The GPS feature alone in the 3G iPhone prompted my decision to upgrade. And it is a Killer Feature just waiting for the Killer App to unlock its true power.

Sure the Battery life suffers when operating in 3G. But unless you’re a power mobile platform surfer not within a WiFi Hotspot, deactivate the feature and surf via Edge. At least you have the option to be 3G or not to be 3G!!

As someone who has spent my entire professional life working with folks with severe communications disorders, sound quality is very important to me. As an acoustics specialist working in hearing science, the BlueTooth capability to work with BlueTooth enabled Hearing Devices is exceptional. When someone pays $6 to $8K for a pair of High Tech Hearing widgets, they better use the best telephony device available. If effective, productive aural communication is crucial to one’s life experience, the 3G iPhone wins Hands Down. As a normal hearing person myself, the sound quality produced by the iPod features in the 3G iPhone dramatically improve on those in the original iPhone. The built in speakers, though small and less than ideal for “Free Field” listening, are far better than any competitive products I’ve seen.

The Variety of specialized ear canal listening systems is amazing. Bose, Shure and many others produce fine insert earphones specifically targeted to the iPod/iPhone user. I’m especially partial to Etymotic Research ER6i Isolators Insert Earphones. Designed by a firm specilializing in miniature transducers for use in the hearing industry, these are by far the best products in the category. MSRP
$149 - available at buy.com routinely for $72.

As far as the cost/benefit analysis goes, are we really going cry over $10? Not me. Our family plan breaks down this way:

Primary iPhone: $80. 1400 Anytime Minute For Family Plan. Unlimited Nights & Weekends; Unlimited Mobile to Mobile; Full Role Over of Unused Minutes.

  • 3 additional active iPhones @ $9.99 Each
  • Data Plan: Three 3G @ $30 Each, 1 Edge @ $20
  • Unlimited Texting Entire Plan: $30
  • Total before taxes & other items $249.97

That works out to $62.49 per iPhone. Works for us. Next to go will be the Land Line. I currently see dimished need for maintaining that. And finally, there’s one more item that’s hard to quantify - The
“Cool” Factor. 3G iPhone has it in spades. The others? They’re just iPhone wannabees.

Have a great day!
Joe Benevides

More on this topic (What's this?)
Sorry RIMM, Apple Killed You (The Wild Investor, 12/22/08)
The End of Steve Jobs ™ (The Curious Investor, 12/18/08)
AT&T Sells Too Many iPhones (Telecom Ramblings, 10/22/08)
iPhone = Tickle Me Elmo? (The Curious Investor, 7/13/08)
Read more on IPhone, Apple at Wikinvest

Viewing 4 Comments

    • ^
    • v
    The importance of absolutely first class industrial design throughout all Apple products cannot be underestimated. Apple is fortunate in having top design people involved and Steve Jobs keeps it on track. When he was not with Apple their design standards aped the competitors. Now the competitors try to copy Apple - but fortunately never come close.
    • ^
    • v
    That is why Apple is far ahead of Sony, Dell and other consumer electronics companies. A mac is more than a computer since it becomes a home media server when coupled with the airport extreme and an apple tv. The iPhone is way more than a phone when linked to mobile me and itunes.

    The other nice thing is that since Apple builds all the hardware and creates all the software everything works together nicely. If you buy a dell pc how do you hook it to your tv. If you have a sony ericsson phone it does not do anything with your sony tv. Since none of the other companies stuff works together there is no customer loyalty issue. With apple, you get one product and then another and another. With the other stuff you keep buying stuff from other companies and you end up with stuff that does not work together at all.

    Our house 1 Macpro, 4 imacs, 2 macbooks, 4 apple tv, 1 airport extreme, 2 wireless airport boxes, 4 apple hifi speakers, 2 iphones original, and 8 ipods including the original 5gb white ipod bought on the first day sold. Still used as a firewire harddrive (battery was replaced in 2005).

    My work is also all mac. The only way to go and I can be the IT guy without having to hire an IT guy for networking, virus protection, etc. etc..
    • ^
    • v
    it's refreshing to hear an actual user experience. on one post on another site the guy was crabbing that the upgrade to the faster phone wasn't worth it because it didn't have enough new features. Here this user is thrilled that the old phones were not made obsolete by the new ones . both versions perform great! the other guy is waiting for the i-phone with the golf ball washer and electric ginzu knife and tire pump model (oh yea did i mention atomic powered!
    • ^
    • v
    I have 3 original iPhones & pay roughly $200 a month for the 1400 minute Family Plan. For me it's not worth the extra $30-50 per month for the new & faster features of the 3G. The original iPhone is still awesome, especially with the new version 2 software. I think Hawk offers a valuable perspective to help others make what will be an expensive choice. And for Zack, who I have the greatest respect for, I wouldn't characterize his article as a "rant," just a contrary point of view.
 

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