Apple today posted a new guided tour of the iPhone 3G with our pal Bob Borchers with all the hand gestures. I bounced around through it because most of the content is very close to stuff about the original iPhone. I decided to watch the GPS portion about twenty-five minutes into it.
Bob explains that the iPhone will know his location by hitting the tracking button and it shows him where he is: on Pineapple Street at Hicks Street heading towards Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, New York. He says, “I’m going to look for pizza!” Great idea!
This is something I have recent personal experience with. Less than two weeks ago I was only a few blocks away from where Bob was: stuck in a queue in front of Grimaldi’s. Not wanting to wait around, I pulled out my iPhone, had it find where my current location was and did a search for “Pizza.” I saw a few places in the area I recognized such as the well-reviewed Fascati Pizza and Oven, which I eventually decided to walk to and later blogged about. It was great pizza and I’d certainly go again, especially if I happened to be at Pineapple and Henry Streets looking for pizza. After I was home, I realized there were a few more very well-reviewed pizza places in that part of Brooklyn that I’d like to try the next time I’m in New York. Most of them were within walking distance of where I was.
On the iPhone 3G guided tour, after Bob searches for pizza the iPhone becomes littered with pins all across Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan and the default selection is John’s Pizzeria near Times Square over five miles away. What the hell? He picked the default selection and decided it was where he was going. Idiot!
In the video, it shows the map track literally over the Clark Street station, where he could have picked up the 2 or 3 train that would take him a couple blocks away from John’s Pizzeria. Ignoring that option, he proceeds to get driving instructions and traffic information. The route takes him across the Brooklyn Bridge and then driving through Manhattan all the way up to 44th. The traffic information he pulled up did not contain much useful information as he was going to drive over both the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive where traffic information is provided. There isn’t live traffic information for the Brooklyn Bridge. It does show, however, that there is nasty traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel right near his route which brings us back to the question: why the hell is the iPhone 3G suggesting you drive to Times Square for pizza?
Why didn’t it suggest John’s Pizzeria of Bleecker Street? It’s the original John’s Pizzeria and has one of the few coal-fired brick ovens in New York. It’s been around a lot longer and it is a couple miles closer. In fact, even closer yet is No. 28, which I think would be a better choice. Why not Otto? Lombardi’s? Una Pizza Napoletana? Luzzo’s? Artichoke? They’re all closer and from my experience and what I’ve read, better, more popular choices.
In fact, watching the GPS track, Bob literally drives past some fantastic pizza. After the turn on Clark Street, both Fascati and Oven would have been sitting in the rear view mirror. There were so many great options for pizza but instead Bob is going to be stuck in a car for awhile followed by trying to find a place to park near Times Square… on an empty stomach.
I think the iPhone 3G failed you, Bob.
The guided tour of the iPhone 3G is on apple.com.
Update: Slice chimes in plotting the proposed route as well as posting the relevant part of the video.
Comments 8
OMG. This is amazing. Great post, Aaron. I still totally want an iPhone.
Posted 01 Jul 2008 at 13:57 ¶Aaron, for someone living in Minneapolis, your iPhone, pizza, and NYC knowledge is unsurpassed.
Posted 01 Jul 2008 at 23:37 ¶I haven’t seen the video, but it sounds like the point is to show how the GPS works, so wouldn’t it make more sense to pick a pizza place some distance away rather than one a couple of blocks away?
Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 09:37 ¶Corey-
Really, the point is to show how useful the iPhone is. They could have used an example that was less ridiculous.
Posted 02 Jul 2008 at 09:56 ¶Product placement. They must be getting John’s pizza for life.
Posted 06 Jul 2008 at 05:37 ¶Classic! Highly entertaining, and the others who have posted their comments, esp. “product placement” were great, too. I, too, still want an iPhone G3.
Anyone know if it can be used in Japan out of the box?
Posted 06 Jul 2008 at 19:42 ¶Turtle
Well I still won’t be getting one, sorry Apple, I need a decent camera yet and MMS and Wifi, sticking with the Nokia N95 8gig for a while longer.
Nice post tho’
Posted 14 Jul 2008 at 04:06 ¶Interestingly I used the free Google application her in the UK on the old iPhone to do the same thing, and it failed to find any of the decent local pizza restaurants. But did show a ‘Pizza Hut’ which shut down over a year ago!
Posted 30 Jul 2008 at 05:57 ¶Post a Comment