PC Magazine hands-on test of Apple iPhone: multi-touch UI ‘takes the breath away’

“A day after Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple iPhone during his MacWorld keynote on Tuesday morning, I actually got my hands on one. For all of ten minutes. Ten minutes isn’t much, but I can safely say that the iPhone is even more impressive than it appeared during the Jobs keyote. And that’s saying something,” Cade Metz reports for PC Magazine.

Metz reports, “For the most, it was an absolute revelation. Seeing the device in action is one thing—but actually using it is another. Each application is impressive in its own right, from photo-management software to the Safari Web browser, but it’s the overall touch-screen interface that takes the breath away. The only thing I had trouble using was the onscreen keyboard—it’s obviously the sort of thing that takes some practice—but it was impressive nonetheless.”

Metz reports, “My guess is that after some practice, you could get pretty efficient with two thumbs. But the keyboard is obviously something that takes some time to get used to. The rest of the interface requires no practice whatsoever… It’s the new interface that really caught the attention this week—and it’s everything Jobs says it is.”

Full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Island Girl” for the heads up.]

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37 Comments

  1. I have a feeling it’s going to be out before June. I think they’re gonna pull another Intel switch on us and bring it out in a couple of months. At least I hope they can do it. That way, while the WinCE slaves and all the rest trip all over them selves to downplay iPhone and figure out how to copy it, Apple can launch a sneak attack and bring it to market before RIM and Moto and Palm can even hold a brainstorming meeting. =) I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch this.
    {munches popcorn}

    -c

    MW: ‘choice’ (is not what customers want. They want the best)

  2. My wife and I are planning on dropping our current wireless provider soon anyway (Verizon). But I’ve heard such bad things about Cingular and AT&T service that I really have some doubts about this. I love the iPhone, though, so I might (maybe) be willing to get one, sign up for the Cingular deal, break the deal, pay the $200 penalty, hack to unlock the iPhone and sign-up for T-Mobile plan. And I’m typically technically lazy, so that shows you how much I’d love having the device. I just hope something changes on the service side between now and June.

  3. The rumor is on Digg.com that the Zune 2.0 is supposed to be pretty impressive. That being said, people are assuming that Microsoft will actually make a 2.0 version of Zune after taking it in the shorts ever since it was announced. I cannot tell you how tired I am of hearing about the Zune from radio and tv personalities, but they had to do their jobs since Microsoft was paying for the ad spots.

    I wouldn’t touch a Zune with a 10 foot pole, but I was able to get 10 inches from the glass to view the Apple Phone, and that was friggin’ awesome.

    When it is all said and done, Microsoft’s losses will be in the hundreds of millions when they pull the plug on Zune (marketing, manufacturing and development). Go Apple.

  4. I have Cingular, my contract expired last year, I’ve been waiting for this. Might not buy, but at least I have the option ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

    MDN Magic Word “reached” – the goal of the iPhone will soon be reached.

  5. The beautiful thing about this, moreso than the iPod halo effect, is that essentially anyone who uses the iPhone will be using a Mac and becoming more familair with the MacOS. Exposure to this is going to be great for removing barriers to switching.

  6. I am currently on hold with Sprint, trying to return my Treo 700p, unopened.

    I bought the 700 because I really wasn’t expecting to be wowed by the Apple phone as much as I was, and my Treo 600 is starting to show its age. Suddenly, the Treo seems as dated as my old Kaypro computer (the “hip” computer before the Mac).

    Like the Beach Boys said, “Can’t wait till June!”

  7. “The rumor is on Digg.com that the Zune 2.0 is supposed to be pretty impressive.”

    Now there’s FUD at it’s classic.

    “Hey, you think that iPhone is cool? Wait ’til you see Zune 2.0! Don’t buy that iPhone until you see Zune 2.0! No! Don’t do it! You’ll be sorry! Zune 2.0 will totally knock your socks off!”

    Yeah, right.

  8. Who agrees with me that this is the Mac of the future? I mean, isn’t this a “phone” for now (so it’ll instantly be accepted), and when the time is right (after a few revisions), a portable Mac that you plug into a monitor, keyboard, and mouse wherever you go?

    That would mean it could be docked like a laptop. Which means, that OS X just won the platform wars.

  9. All this talk about how bad Cingular is is surprising to me. I live is SoCal and have used just about all the carriers at one time or another: Sprint, LA Cellular, Verizon, T-Mobile and Cingular. They all have their flaws. They all have a particular geographic area in which the excel. As it turns out, Cingular is the best provider in my particular neck of the woods, so I am not put out by the Cingular exclusivity. However, I can see how this is a problem with many others. Let’s face it, Apple had to make a call on how supply the network–this was their best option, while imperfect.

  10. Yeah, i too was thinking the keyboard in landscape mode would make for larger keys.

    But Apple also has a patent for a totally different kind of keyboard besides QWERTY, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see various keyboard options available as a preference (if not at launch, then eventually).

  11. I have Cingular and a fairly new Razr; Cingular works fine. The Razr replaced my 5 year old Motorola cel phone. Had to finally use OnSync to get my Address Book “Phone” group into the phone.
    I’m going to happily trade up to an 8gb IPhone, whatever the cost. I want that interface!

    “I want that GOLD!!!” —Billy Crystal

  12. News Flash: Microsoft Trumps Apple!

    (AP) January 18, 2007 MSFT announced today a Vista upgrade that moves Apple’s iPhone interface into your “real work” environment. The device, Microsoft believes, will revolutionaize the “good start” Apple has made. Reached at a CES decompression retreat, Steve Ballmer was quoted as saying, ” Yes, they had a week on us. But our new device, which we’ve worked on for three full years, will bring the best technology to where it’s needed….the desktop.”

    Later, it was learned by an enterprising hacker and computer junkie, Max Debunker that Microsoft’s new device is really a potted plant with an iPhone crudely soldiered within. “This thing sucks!,” he was reported to have said.

    They’re toast.

    MDN Word: likely

  13. To “question” earlier. I think that would be an excellent idea to put the virtual keyboard in landscape mode to make the typing easier, good thinking man. I also agree with Macromancer about people being exposed to OS X and Mac interfaces.

  14. @ question:

    i fully agree and was thinking the same thing. make the keys larger, and show only the text that you are actually writing, not the ‘whole screen’ ….

    i’m sure apple can make many software changes b/w now and june that might possibly allow this.

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