I have loved the iPhone since the day it came out. Compared to the Palm Treo 700 I’d had, it was part miracle and part dream.
I love all that the iPhone can do — but when that iPhone became my ONLY communication tool I started to truly feel its limitations.
I am a professional writer. I need to write articles, to pen this blog (which is something that cannot be done in actual pen). I need to compose text for client websites. And I WANT to be able to write to friends. That’s a lot of thumb tying.
1) My thumbs are getting sprained. Seriously, after two weeks of this they hurt.
2) I cannot keep up with the thoughts in my head so I am losing words and ideas.
3) I am sick of typing the letter c instead of a space, thus (no, not this!) composing gibberish.
4) I have never been able to type an m with any speed. I type it and delete it losing words.
5 ) Auto correct doesn’t always help.
6) On the small screen it is difficult to place the cursor with a thumb.
7 ) I often try to select but only get the copy/define option.
8) How can I select a lot of text then delete it? There are times I cannot find a delete option.
9) Numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 add up to my strong desire for arrow keys with which to move my cursor.
10) I want an Undo in my typing. I am tired of typing out an entire page only to accidentally cut, copy, paste, or drag and ruin all my hard work.
Those are 10 typing issues. There are more but they fall out of my head before I can type them.
Next issues: The iPhone doesn’t let you see two screens at once.
1) Try being in PayPal and having to switch to 1password, then type in your two passwords to get your Paypal info and paste it into your login screen. That is 5 screen switches for my short memory spam.
2) Try researching travel. There is a place I never heard of but a bus goes there. Copy the town’s name (if you have the copy feature), then get to a map and paste. Now, get back to that bus schedule. Oh wait, do a search for info about that town. And I will need to map it again, looking at alternatives. Are you getting the picture?
Screen Size: iPhone is tiny. My eyes hurt. I often have to scroll sideways.
In fact, I am composing this in Plain Text and as I try to place the cursor, I accidentally scroll to the top of the page.
Until my Mac was stolen, I did not realize how often I reached for that Mac to complement my iPhone. The iPhone is not cutting it as an only tool.