“Anyone listening to the tsunami of hype surrounding the launch of the iPhone would think that Apple had brought about the Second Coming,” Michael Hanlon writes for The Daily Mail.
MacDailyNews Take: We sense a bit of attitude.
Hanlon continues, “It has been so lauded that it seems Apple boss Steve Jobs has convinced everyone he actually invented the mobile phone.”
MacDailyNews Take: Do you sense it, too?
Hanlon continues, “The iPhone is the phone for the stars; Paris Hilton has apparently got one.”
MacDailyNews Take: Well, really, it was obvious from the git’s opening line.
Hanlon continues, “And now it is coming here. The God Machine, as it has become known because ‘it can do everything,’ goes on sale in Britain tomorrow from two minutes past six in the evening, precisely.”
MacDailyNews Take: Hoo boy!
Hanlon continues, “From what I have learned from the various technical reviews that have accompanied the launch of this device, the chances are that my wallet will be staying firmly closed.”
MacDailyNews Take: So, this particular Fud-spewer hasn’t even touched an iPhone. But, sure as the shit he’s slinging, that doesn’t stop him from plodding on…
Hanlon continues, “Like its cousins, the Mac computers and the ubiquitous iPod, it is a triumph of chunky sleekness.”
MacDailyNews Take: And now it’s obvious that he’s never touched a current Mac or iPod model, either.
Hanlon continues by actually writing some nice things about the iPhone (“in design terms, it is a justified hit”), but quickly recovers with, “I almost want one. But according to some specialist reviews, the iPhone isn’t quite all it is cracked up to be. For a start, it is an American mobile phone and that alone may be enough to raise suspicions.”
MacDailyNews Take: It’s Apple’s first phone. To judge the product based on where their company headquarters are located makes absolutely no sense. But, when you haven’t even touched one and you have to fill space in The Daily Mail, anything goes, it seems.
The very much non-hands-on Hanlon continues with the usual litany of talking points seemingly regurgitated from competitors’ FUD campaigns: no 3G without noting Wi-Fi, no user-replaceable battery, only 2 megapixel camera, questioning whether a single device can do multiple jobs well, blah, blah, blah.
Hanlon concludes, “Unlike everyone else in the media, I have always considered Apples to be the work of the devil, with their ‘cutesy’ styling and their bossy error messages. True, Apples are ‘cool’ and, above all, fashionable. And fashion, of course, represents the ultimate squandering of human talent. Nope, don’t think I will be getting an iPhone.”
Full article, Think Before You Click™, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Mr Skills” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: It seems like we are destined to relive the various stages of the U.S. iPhone launch as each new country comes online, including tired, FUD-laden garbage from morons with massive baggage who haven’t even touched the device, much less used one enough to write about it with any shred of authority. Oh, joy.
Contact Info:
Daily Mail Editor:
Daily Nail, is just that, a rag and a nag. Most of the Papers in UcK are commie anyway.
The only place I’ve ever heard the iPhone called the God Machine or the Jesus Phone is in crappy technology articles written by hacks.
In my most understated British accent, “Well then, let us simply let the music do the talking, shall we Michael? We’ll know how this thing will fare straight away.”
@ron
Have you actually read a newspaper in the UK? The Daily Mirror and certainly The Guardian lean to the left a bit but most of the others are firmly right wing. The Daily Mail is about as right wing as it can get without actually joining the Nazi party.
Remember the UK has a very strong mobile phone culture. A 2MB camera is poor these days for a class leading device and Edge is slow and has poor coverage when most people with a phone above the very basic models have been enjoying 3G for years.
The whole package is superb but feature for feature there are arguably better specced devices out there.
I’m waiting for the next version when I can have 3G (don’t trust O2 to deliver anywhere near 100% Edge coverage) and 16GB memory.
Daily Nail has me blocked from comments because they don’t like the truth. Lots of Limeys are knocking the phone, and they’re being published. I’m a Limey, so don’t take a fence – or somethink. That’s how most UK’ers talk.
Looks like somebody didn’t rate a review unit and isn’t happy about it. Also probably had an ugly wife as he doesn’t like cute.
Al, the conservative party in UcKland is further left than the radical lefties in the US.
The Daily Mail is a gobshite rag that loves purveying a crazed mix of health-paranoia and the twisted takes on Princess Di (well she does sell papers).
A bit of Apple-knocking fits the DM I guess, though where Hanlon gets Apple products being “a squandering of human talent” heaven knows.
The man’s a twat.
This is what really irritates me, the iPhone may have genuine problems, how many there are and how bad they are is open for debate. The iPhone won’t be for everyone, but for many all its advantages more than make up for any flaws – in the same way that the many flaws of some other phones are not offset by their longer feature list. Give an informed, honest evaluation and you overall opinion or shut up.
cool
FUD in more countries means
$$$$$$$ in more countries for
AAPL still on sale
Al,
Wouldn’t the Nazi party be on the far left and the Communist’s on the far right? Or is that reversed, let me think about it.
Ron, you should know people are laughing at you.
Three hours till I get mine . . . . at last!!
A little laughter is much better than whining about someone. Laugh on.
Ahh the good old Daily Mail, a.k.a. The Daily Fascist (on account of their almost lone support for Mosely’s Blackshirts during the 1930s) and so-called Voice of Middle England <guffaw>
This rag spews more FUD (on any topic) than the rest of Fleet Street put together. No one but retired majors and old spinsters in Tunbridge Wells read this shite. There’s more factual reporting in The Beano than there is in the Daily Snail – oy!
=:~)
People don’t have their minds made up by people like him, thankfully.
But, may he choke on his croissant as he pokes his half dead Vista PC into making up more ill-informed verbiage …
Just some thoughts:
1. MDN says, “And now it’s obvious that he’s never touched a current Mac or iPod model, either.” It is however obvious that he spends considerable time touching himself.
2. As a long time Mac user [like since the beginning of Mac time] I’m personally thrilled that Apple is even capable of creating hype beyond its established Mac user base. In other words, it just demonstrates that they finally figured out how to market stuff.
3. Yes there is lots of attitude in the article, but the more attitude the better for Apple – it doesn’t even matter what kind of attitude it is. The more people write and express their feelings about Apple products the better it goes.
he raises a flag cause it’s American made. Please… Sorry Nokia didnt come up with it and their pompus attitudes with their kiddy UI on the their phones or some Asian company that makes good products but confusing as hell to get to work.
Chunky sleekness? WTF?
MDN – GREAT take!!! Thanks for the laugh (and for the warning).
This git must use Linux then because that other OS is also American made. Oh wait, I see why he’s concerned. My bad.
Peace.
The Daily Mail is a newspaper that trys to be controversial but apeal to the masses.
It’s one of the UK’s odd-ball newspapers to be honest with the article obviously being written by some windozzzzz fan-boi.
The article holds no merit as it is the ‘reporter’s’ opinion (I use the word ‘reporter’ loosley as his probably isnt even qualified!), and everyone has their own opinion on everything so it’s a pretty worthless piece of drivel that will be tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapping paper.
If the guy wants credibility, do an honest review of the product with no political bias or opinion.
Only then is this piece of amateur journalism worth reading.
“And fashion, of course, represents the ultimate squandering of human talent. Nope, don’t think I will be getting an iPhone.”
At least there was some talent to squander. I see zero talent, skill or homework in this article.
Yes, the iPhone is just a “fashion statement”—nothing useful could ever be done with such a frivolous bauble. Anyone could throw together some glass and electronics and software and have a device as useful as the iPhone. (Oh, I forgot, MS already tried that.)
Quick! Stick a lump of coal up his ass! Free diamonds for everyone!
“The God Machine, as it has become known because ‘it can do everything”
This guy can’t even get the nickname right.
IT”S JESUS PHONE you fool.
Good.
Ask any intelligent Englishman about the Daily Mail and they’ll tell you their opinion is the exact opposite.
So anything the Daily Mail says is wrong, therefore iPhone is good.
Reviews from BBC, The Guardian or The Times are probably worth noting, but most other news sources here are Foxed to death or mainly concerned with breasts. Or both.
Honestly, I’m pretty sick of people who’ve NEVER SEEN a product writing reviews on it.
ron is very poorly.
What’s a Bossy Error Message?
It’s the “Jesus Phone,” not the “God Phone.”
Moron can’t even get than one right.
Steve’s won’t be coming out with the God phone till later.
Amazing what selective quotations can do for generating hits on this website. The article is actually far more balanced and raises some interesting comparisons with competing phones – all of which are available for free with the appropriate contract. The iPhone is certainly sexy, but feature-for-feature it is generally a generation or two behind. It all comes down to what the owner’s priorities are: a fashion statement with outstanding interface (iPhone); or a less sexy interface but better features at lower cost (the rest). Horses for courses folks. No need to get so defensive about a frigging telephone.
In a word…Asshat!
Nuff said
“The iPhone is certainly sexy, but feature-for-feature it is generally a generation or two behind. “
That’s Apple’s trademark, sexy looking but dated technology.
Some get fooled by that and become fanboys. Some don’t.
Now I know the definition of a pompous ass.
“chunky sleekness”…isn’t that an oxymoron? Speaking of morons, it seems his wallet isn’t the only thing closed…his mind is a close second.
MDN’s tenacity for declaring the iPhone began with “Wow, just wow” and advanced daily and yes, MDN does see it as changing the world.
As an owner, operator and advocate of the very good device, I like it a lot. While I enjoy using it more than any other mobile phone device (as a result of the growth in the value of my AAPL I can buy any one – or all the others – that I want but, my world hasn’t been transformed.
Sorry, I’m confused: this article references the Daily Mail and some people (like ron) seem to think its a “newspaper”.
As I’ve said before, particularly when the outrageously stupid wing-nuts like to mention an article the DM published by a “former terrorist”, the Daily Mail is not a proper newspaper. I have a simple rule with both the Daily Mail and the Daily Express. which is that if they make a statement like “water is wet” or “polar bears are white”, it’s still a good idea to go and check the facts yourself no matter how jaw-droppingly obvious the statement might appear.
I thought the article was well balanced in its criticisms of the iPhone, some of which are very valid. Here in Asia, we’re quite used to advanced mobile phones for a long time. Things like MMS, 3G networks and suchlike are commonplace. You can watch videos, read and respond to emails, watch live online television and do other advanced stuff on mobile phones. Apple is just beginning to catch up on mobile phone functionality. No doubt after February 2008 (when the developer’s SDK is released) it might have a greater number of features and hence become a competitive phone, but for now it’s a curiosity, nothing more.
@History Being Made,
Huh?
@Hummer,
Huh?
You say that Apple is just beginning to catch up – That would imply that they’ve been in the phone game for a long time. You obviously don’t realise that the iPhone is Apple’s first offering in this product line – the very first. And objectively speaking, whether it’s the absolute, end-all-be-all smart phone or not, it’s a damn good first try and has obviously got cell phone makers on the alert – big time. Did I mention that this is Apple’s very first mobile phone offering?
What is this? Has Apple awakened a bunch of sleeping midgets?
@ Dusty
Chunky Sleekness just like:
Simply Complex
Arthritic Flexibility
Thinly Obese
Gorgeous Ugliness
Intelligently Stupid
Illiterate Writer
Rough Smoothness
Who cares what the Brits think. They are still bitter over losing the war for the colonies.
My point is that while the iPhone is the best mobile phone, it’s not going to change the world. It’s just a great phone, that’s ALL it is.
MDN goes on these rampages, posting story after story describing relatively mundane, next step events. In the end, obsession with the device is more hyperbole than reality.
“But according to some specialist reviews, the iPhone isn’t quite all it is cracked up to be. For a start, it is an American mobile phone and that alone may be enough to raise suspicions.”
He had to go to a technical review to find out that it was American? And what technical review would base anything on that fact that it is American? Is that technical?
This piece sounds like it was lifted from the “lettterbocks” page in Viz.
Except not as funny.
UK tabloids are shite, aren’t they?
What MDN ought to be spending time on is the question of whether Apple is doing all it can in changing the world with Mac – that’s where the opportunity really lies. Deciding to make Macs so Apple can claim they are better than PC boxes is not going to change the world.
My AAPL sure hasn’t gotten snappier in the last few days.
@justified,
And here’s a little perspective to go with your myopia: Neither have tech. stocks in general.
@ Mr. Peabody,
And here’s a little perspective to go with your condescension: Duh.
They censor the comments if you leave any – my comments were not posted…
CR
Calling the kettle black aren’t we? MDN is full of FUD not to mention plain old BS when it comes to Windows. Not that some of the criticisms aren’t warranted but frankly, alot of MDN’s anti-Windows rhetoric is way off-base.
If you had read the article with even the smallest hint of objectivity you might notice that he says many good things about the iPhone and makes light of some of it’s shortcomings and there are some. The piece was also a little tongue in cheek.
His only crime really is that he didn’t just slavishly praise it and bow down before the god-head.
I have to admit I had the same attitude about the iPhone when it was first announced.
Then I actually used one.
Then I bought one.
Now I wonder how the (bleep) I survived without it.
“All great truth passes through three stages:
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
– Arthur Schopenhauer
I believe It was called the Jesus phone originally because the guy at engadget, Jesus, was considered such a “fan-boy/zealot” for writing articles about an Apple product. It stuck. Now people think Apple is blasphemous… whatever.
Daily Mail communist???
Aha ha hah a hahahhhahahahaha!!!!
That POS rag picks something different every couple of days to go hating on. This article is typically wanky even by their poor standards.
I kinda like Apple’s “bossy” error messages. At least the TELL YOU what the error is, and sometimes even offer you a remedy…
Unlike that “Other OS” where error are just a cryptic failure of a cryptic “dll” or oddly named process..
Just my 4¢ (‘cuz it’s right & therefore worth twice as much)
John
I got two words for him and the rest of the morons… Fsck em!
@Ron
Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker, Plonker,
gimme a break toonie microsuck does… and the guy was writing a hit piece to probably save his dying career…i hope you get a virus from an email on your “secure” vista pos. scares u doesnt it. you know u could get one lmao. i wont so stfu.
The Daily Mail is as right-wing as it gets, even on US standards. To claim anything else would be stupid.