Comments on: Scientific Proof the iPhone’s Keyboard Sucks. Now Prove Us Wrong.

By: WG

WG — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:47:12 +0000

You can turn the iphone sideways for a bigger keyboard, I’m much faster that way.

By: Moose

Moose — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:11:28 +0000

Got 55 wpm with 1 error on my iphone 3gs using textspeed!

By: Kerin

Kerin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:45:33 +0000

I’m not an iPhone fanboy, but Mark – wow, you’re kind of a tool.

>>I studied statistics and I know you need at least 30. So perhaps we should have said Scientific-ish.

Okay!

>>I still think this random sampling of different types of users is meaningful, especially considering that the iPhone lost out to the Centro.

…So you studied statistics. That’s great. Only here you’re admitting that the test is unscientific, but arguing that the results are still meaningful because… you agree with the results? What? Let’s not even get into your “random sampling,” which isn’t random because you handpicked them and is barely a sampling because it’s only three friggin’ people!

>>If you’re an iPhone owner, feel free to send us your time so we can add to the sample size.

Soliciting more data exclusively from the group most familiar with the keyboard to add to the sample size? Nice. That’s even more damaging to this study than incorporating results you didn’t directly witness.

A credit in statistics taken as part of your business degree does not mean you’ve “studied” statistics.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:24:04 +0000

I have been using the iPhone for 2 years now, and I cannot imagine how the little plastic keyboards could compete. First try: 1:10 error free (corrected several errors), second time: 55 seconds error free. I always type with it vertical, but got small fingers, so its not a big problem. In response to someone else’s statement: “certainly, there’s no way to type without looking on iPhone’s keyboard”, I would say that is certainly not true. After using the keyboard for such a long while, I can type most things without looking (really helps while typing a sentence you are reading), allows me to watch the output to catch errors faster. Interesting article, but I think it would be much better to compare people that have been using each phone for a year+.

By: Andy

Andy — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:49:06 +0000

Your point about the qwerty slide phone is a good one, since the keys can be a lot larger than on a blackberry size phone. Results for a head-to-head between 2 friends, qwerty slide phone versus iphone – 1:12 on the qwerty phone (no errors, even with punctuation), 3:23 on the iphone with 3 errors. Methinks the slide phone is an out-an-out winner, and Steve Jobs is being very economical with the truth!

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:53:38 +0000

Microsoft ROCKS!!! I feel so bad when people say bad things about microsoft! Apple looks like a toy, and Microsoft is the best!

By: Tony J.

Tony J. — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:04:57 +0000

How about the slide-out keyboard phones??

I typed it in 1:12 on the Google G1 phone, and 1:14 on the AT&T Fuze (aka HTC Touch Pro). I like the G1 better for typing. My best time was 55 seconds on the G1. (No errors on any of these times… I can’t stand typos, misspellings, etc.).

The advantage of a slide-out keyboard is that you have a hard keyboard there when you need it, but [obviously] can slide it back when you just want the full screen. The only downside is the extra weight/bulk, but I actually like that, because it makes the phone feel more sturdy and substantial. (Plus we’re only talking a few extra ounces here!).

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:20:59 +0000

Hmmm…
I have still not tried an iPhone, although I’m really think I will soon now that the new 3G version is out. I’ve been a Palm OS Treo user since the 600 was introduced, and although I’ve been disappointed by some little things, in general the experience has been quite good. I’ve been attracted to the iPhone for some time, but the lack of 3G, lack of open development (the web-only application model) and lack of keyboard have just not been enough to move me out of the device I’ve become so accustomed to. With the new 3G version of the iPhone coming out though I’m getting more and more motivated to switch. I looked through the catalog of software being offered by 3rd parties now and I must say, with a couple of exceptions, there seemed to be everything available (or “almost” ready) for the iPhone that I use on a regular basis on my Treo.

I will say though that I’m not sure if the small segment of those surveyed for this article were a good representation of the whole, and/or if the devices chosen were particularly the best devices; I pulled a 1:16 on my Treo 680 without one mistake! I even pulled out my old Nokia 9300i and was able to get a decent 1:38 on it with only 2 mistakes!

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:57:29 +0000

It’s Steve Jobs and his hyperbole that’s funny… And would be sad if it weren’t just Madison Ave.

I get the point of the article, thanks. Have used a Treo for years, was worried about typing on the iPhone, I feel better about it now. Only other concern is reception (Verizon rocks for me, but I had a friend with an iPhone in my house and she couldn’t make any calls– That’s scary!).

By: spooky

spooky — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 05:37:43 +0000

I agree that the sample size size is too small and the “experiment” just plain silly. I wanted to hate the iPhone–I’m an Mac geek who refuses to buy an iPod because, unlike Apple’s computer hardware which is priced at or slightly below the equivalent competing hardware (be sure you’re really comparing the equal components) iPods are too expensive for what they do and too restrictive. I can just drag and drop stuff onto my cheap mp3 players–no silly iTunes syncing. I’m also a Palm geek who still owns a 1997 PalmPilot Professional that still works (and with 1M RAM is otherwise useless) and former Treo and current Centro user. And yesterday I became an iPhone user as well when I bought a new iPhone 3G. Do I like it better than the Centro? We’ll see. I suspect I will–the screen is great–better than my Lifedrive even for surfing and Safari is superior to Blazer as well. I didn’t time myself on either device. I don’t like to use either keyboard unless I have to. But my feeling is that I will prefer Apple’s keyboard in the end.