August 21, 2007

Mic's Thunderdome: Nokia N95 vs Apple iPhone

Conundrum: Fanboys taunting an N95 or an iPhone, whether or not they actually bought either! And I'm tempted to join in...but I'd speak for both sides. Inevitably, I found myself having to choose between the two at the start of summer, looking to experts for help.
Amid tiring 'deathmatch' reviews between Nokia's top model and Apple Mobile's debutante, there's a recurring error to the analyses: picking a winner by feature count. As if a prospective owner will buy a cell to use all its functions. I'd rather weigh my options based on my own wants and needs, putting more emphasis on features relevant to me, while downgrading other specifics not of interest.
Comparison: And here, thus, is my Kepner-Tregoe matrix between the Nokia flagship and the Apple startup. Thrown in is the 2007 Nokia 6500 slider.
(I admit--this cluttered attempt at objective decision making was completed after purchasing an 8GB iPhone, as I try to justify a leap of faith into Apple's new venture)


Results: Starting from left column, a cumulative and comparative ranking of features, extended via weighted scores for each phone to reflect a feature's relevance to myself, then totaled for all three phones. How ever much I re-arrange my grading system and weighing scale, the fact comes out that both N95 and iPhone come up very close (N95 slightly higher).

Exit Strategy: I fear the correctly-warranted criticism that the N95 "out-techs" my Appleware ("How could you stoop that low?"). But whenever I regret buying that uberphone, I know I would miss the i-fun factor and ease-of-use of an iPhone, primarily due to a bigger screen, a QWERTY keyboard and sufficient internet power.

Two phones enter! One phone leave!

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