Debate: will the N900 be able to catch average people's attention?

I read an article about the N900 today, an article in a news portal that targets IT professionals. The article linked to THIS video, where Mikko Korpelainen presents the N900. The article clearly states that the N900 is a killer device, it's title is along the lines of "Mobile internet can be this good" and it says the device is very impressive, etc.

And then I read the comments. By people with medium+ tech insight. And they were not impressed.

The discussion went along these lines:

Problem 1: People simply do not believe claims that the browser is better than other browsers. Why would they? It's the twentieth time they've heard such claims, and for most of these people, the only time they actually saw any browser "revolution", was with the Iphone.

Problem 2: People that know what this phone is, refer to the platform as Maemo. That means absolutely nothing to most people.

So, the negative remarks/expectations was met with standard fanboy hostility without any information:

Someone decides again to shed a little info, unfortunately without any value to the sceptical Joe Average:
Enter Ipodphone expert:
*sigh*

A few comments further down:
Once the Linux word is used, a new string of conversation opens. Tech talk. Took some time, considering that this is a forum where the Win/Lin wars are present in comments on most articles. And probably too technical for Joe. But first:

See, you and I know what he's saying (and that he's sorta wrong since you still have to port the packages) but conversation like that would send most phone buyers running.

The next comment states that there will be lots of software because the phone has QT, like everyone should know that those two letters means it has a big developer platform, and then the threads continues with bashing the last Iphoner.

My point in all this, is that this particular instance of debate around the N900 doesn't really give any non-techies any useful information, and on a bigger scale it may just become yet another "this is an Iphone killer" vs "this is just another wannabe iPhone 'killer'" discussion.

The N900 is one of the few phones that doesn't try to be the Iphone. It also isn't a N97 version 2. It's a quite different beast, much more akin to Android than anything.

But if this discussion is a indication, only geeks may ever know that this phone is more than a failed, chubby, unresponsive, heavy, Iphone clone with yet another operating system. This is at a site that is written for somewhat tech savvy people. The article spells out clearly that the phone is very good. And yet, the readers clearly don't see it, unless they already had previous knowledge of this phone from elsewhere. The developers I work with have no faith this is going to be an interesting product. And they ARE nerds and tech freaks.

I am afraid between new Android phones, the iPple people, and Engadgets 2000000 product articles... I am afraid the N900 might in most people's eyes be the N97-2.

Even most people in the target audience.

Having held the N900 at a flagship store, I can see why 'average joe' will not like this phone.

Its simply quite heavy and thick when compared to other smart-phones out there. You would really have to appreciate Linux and 'openness' to compromise on the weight and thickness.

Also if the battery can't easily last an entire day (9am to 1am), the average joe will simply return it.

Few things:

N900 will be (for now ?) the only one device with Maemo 5. It will be expensive (not like some devices with Symbian or Android). It needs some killer features and up to this moment many reviews are speaking about lack of MMS and FM radio, some are speaking about not the best one screen and scratches on camera/covers.

I have downloaded SDK and I wanted to start development. But I can't create software working with Bluetooth (it looks, that real device is required). No SMS API. When you're not in the Finland (Nokia has got jobs in Finland only) or when you don't have connections (you're not journalist, etc.), you can't get device.

Prototypes without killer apps can't make "wow". More devices in developers hands could change situation. Nokia could think about hiring some people from Europe too. It could change situation.

Without it sorry...

C'mon man.. Youtube comments are not representative of any sane subset of the public...

@marcinw,
sorry what do mean you couldn't create apps with Bluetooth? It comes with BlueZ. Though I agree you need some prior knowledge on Linux to develop the apps. But the wiki here has bundle of examples.

Here is the list of API: http://maemo.org/development/sdks/ma...documentation/ and BlueZ is listed.

And I assure you Nokia have wide developers across the globe, not only in Finland. Maemo takes some learning curve. Unlike Apple has centralize documentation or 'iPhone for dummy' from Amazon, it takes a few more steps and patient to adapt yourself.

However, once you get used to it, you will have bundle of choices: Python, Qt, GTK, Gstreamer, OpenGL ES2, BlueZ, ..., etc. Not enough? You could port it yourself? Not satisfied with the compiler / toolchain? You could change it.

Freedom comes with some price.

I think your going to have a lot of misinformed/Fanboy'ish comments for a while until the platform proves itself. Half of them are commenting on things they don't know about and the other half are commenting on speculation.

The iPhone has "spoiled" a lot of users in a sense. The platform is very tight and controlled thus limiting the users access to file systems/advanced features. This has it's up's and down's. As a plus thing just seem to "work" on the phone without mus or fuss. Downside is that you don't have much flexibility within the system itself. You either do it Apple's way or don't do it at all (or go through ridiculous efforts to get there ala Jail Breaking). The average iPhone user probably doesn't even know what a file extension is let alone what files are buried under the gui on their phone so talk of xterm and .deb files is the equivalent of speaking Latin to the average user.

Nokia has to find the balance between giving advanced users what they want AND at the same time present a clean, efficient, easy to understand platform experience to the average user. Something that the iPhone does very well. The sad fact is that there are more average users then there are users who know how to mess with .deb in xterm therefore if any Nokia product wishes to go mainstream the average user has to be the focus.... Unfortunately.

I agree with your observations....although I also have to say that from my perspective, being emotionally unattached to any particular mobile device (I don't own any, the N900 will be my first), part of the problem is that a teamsport-like rivalry has devolved into uninformed pissing-contest between fanboys of the various brands.

I don't know the best way to counter or defuse such a dynamic.

Perhaps the best way is to rise above it - don't engage the marketplace on that level. The N series tablets are still very much in pioneering territory...nobody has 'perfected' this class of device yet, so the standard has yet to be set. The 770/800/810/900 are serious attempts at progressing development of this area - I think they are on the cusp of what will become the standard device for communication (the concept of a 'phone', smart or otherwise, will die off). Sniping at earlier models' faults is pretty frivolous and childish....but that's the level the 'debate' (if it can be called that) has sunk to.

Ultimately, I think it truly is up to us, the OSS community - with nokia dev support, to drive the utility of these devices through the roof. Apple has an idiotic scheme for participating in development...their marketplace is flooded with bull***** 'apps' that are nothing more than toys for gawping *****s. We have a vastly superior platform to harness. For now

I kind of assumed that this coming weekend was about introducing the 'killer apps with wow'?

I'd actually agree: apart from the faster operating, this phone is less attractive to 'Joe Average' because it won't yet do what a good symbian phone will. Aside from the ethical approach to Open Source, in what ways is this better for the Average User than any other phone?

@bbns,

I'm trying to use these APIs, but they're probably not working with the SDK (you don't have Bluetooth in SDK's device menu too). In some example sources I have found info too - this needs real device. Maybe there is some way and I'm trying to find it (I don't give up), but for now I can't change my words And yes - I have "some" experience with Bluez.

...and all jobs positions were in Finland only (at least in the Nokia's search engine).

I don't really care if the n900 catches the average joes attention in USA.

I don't drink Buttwiper or Miller Shite either.

I don't drive a gold Honda or Toyota Sedan either.

My Kids aren't named Jason and Jennifer or whatever the average Joe names their kids these days.

I don't watch Survivor or Dancing with the Stars or House or any of that other crap.

This phone is for me and I don't care if I am the only one who buys one, more power to me. Thanks Nokia for the 5+ years of R&D just for me!