Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 : Mobile Tech, Music

I’m not going to beat around the bush; the business of comparing Apple to Nokia is ridiculous. Reading that, and reading back, you’ll find I’m a hypocrite. Consider this though, I’ve gained a different understanding after really getting into the N-series products, and after handling and using an iPhone for a bit longer than 3 seconds.

Here’s how this works:

Apple – The creators of the iPod, Mac Book Pro, Mac OS/X, iPhone, iTunes, Air, etc. These products, minus the Mac Book Pro, are all tools for consuming media and listening to, watching, and reading what’s available to be consumed.  iTunes, in and of itself, is a great platform and a standard for buying MP3’s, the iPhone is the delivery method, and everything is happy, coordinated, easy, and simple to use.

Apple makes innovations in human interface design, the Mighty Mouse, the iPhone, the MBP’s track pad… All have their little bits of neat that make’m that much different. People get used to using those things that set them apart, and thus – “they can’t live without” and “love” those products. I think it’s great that they give people a new way to interact with and accept technology. Everyone needs to conform to our advancements in one way or another; if it’s innovations in how you interact with your devices? That’s a great start, and can even be a good place to stop, as long as you use it, abuse it, and want more of it. Progress.

Nokia – The creators of the first major cell phone with a game, Snake, the innovators and inventors for true 3G handsets with their yellow eggshell contraption concept phone from 2001, the phones you saw in the Martix, and now, the N-Series phones. N-series phones are often pointed out as having large amounts of space, high resolution cameras, loads and loads of features… but are they really necessary for the consumer? No.

Nokia’s products are targeted toward people who create, make, contribute and produce. Yes, you can blog from an iPhone, just as you can from a Nokia – that’s programming, not product. But when you consider the video, data access, plug-n-play, sync software, and slew of other things that Nokia N-series phones not only have, but display superiority over, not just the iPhone, but literally every other handset in the regular cell market? You need to wonder why on Earth you’d ever compare the iPhone with any N-series handset.

Which ones better?

Well, what do you want to do with your phone? Take calls? Send text messages? Browse the web? They all do that, dig deeper. Take pictures? Well, what for? 5 megapixels on a phone (Nokia) isn’t for everyone. Hell, people do just fine with 1.3 megapixels all the time. Do you have a little point & shoot with a good solid flash? Keep that, get the iPhone. Do you like to carry all your eggs in one basket and really want a point-and-shoot with you all the time? Pick up an N-series.

How about data… Do you need to connect your cell to your laptop/desktop at home (on travel) so you can transfer files, media, send text messages, connect via Bluetooth for a modem? Are you a road warrior? Grab an N-series. Do you come home nearly every day, have access to your home collection of iTunes on your iPod and desktop, like music, walk around town with ear buds in jamming out to your favorite tunes? Either will do, but if you don’t do the first, get an iPhone.

Size? The iPhone and N-series phones have a pretty large footprint. Smaller was thought to be better for the longest time (StarTac), and we learned that smaller isn’t bigger and badder, in fact it flat out sucks (Razor).

So what now…

Nothing. I used to sell these damn things, and used to ask people this all day:

What are you going to use the phone for, and what would you like to use the phone for?

Can’t decide? Hell, get both and be happy about it. Flip a coin… but chances are if you’re torn between the two, you should settle on the G1 and simply be disappointed all around until something absolutely excellent comes out.