In additional reviews published today, Newsweek’s Steven Levy and USA Today’s Edward C. Baig praised Apple’s iPhone as a lust-worthy, fun, and impressive new device. Levy described the device as “the rare convergence device where things actually converge,” praising everything from its packaging to its easy setup, “stunning 3.5-inch display,” and Internet features. He notes that you can “merge up to five conversations into a conference,” and cites the web browsing experience as iPhone’s best feature. However, Levy cited the unit’s EDGE speed, 200-message SMS limitation, and e-mail glitches as problems, and suggested that it wasn’t a replacement iPod for many types of users. “In the future—when the iPhone has more applications and offers more performance, with a lower price—buyers will find even more value. So smart consumers may well wait for that day. But meanwhile they can only look with envy” as others are enjoying the phone.
Baig rated the iPhone 3.5 out of 4, praising the widescreen iPod and Cover Flow features, the simplicity of the phone and visual voicemail, and the “fun” of using the keyboard and interface once you get used to them. He knocked the data speeds on EDGE, the limited storage capacity, and pricing, as well as some of the device’s limitations, such as its inability to use iTunes music as ringtones and its lack of a replaceable battery. Baig also noted that music playback once locked up in an endless loop, requiring a restart, and noted his displeasure that old earphones he used couldn’t work with iPhone, and that stereo Bluetooth wireless audio is not supported.
