Review of iPhone 4 Made Simple

iPhone 4 Made Simple.  In simple terms, that should tell you all you need to know.  If you read that title, and think, “The iPhone 4 already is simple.  Why do I need a book?” then you’re probably right.  If you read that title, and think, “Finally, something to help explain just what the heck I can do with this thing!” then you are also probably right.

This is the ultimate YMMV (your mileage may vary) purchase.  The ones who would get the most out of this book are the ones who mix with technology like oil and water.  And believe me, there is a lot to be got.

The first thing you’ll notice about the book is its girth.  This book is huge, clocking in at 809 pages spread over 30 chapters.  It should be noted, however, that there are plenty of pictures and illustrations that help the reader every step of the way.  So don’t think that there are over 800 pages of reading here.  It’s broken up quite nicely.

From cover-to-cover, no stone was left unturned in examining the iPhone 4.  Everything is covered – from the simple (making a phone call, taking a photo, sending a text) to the not-so-simple (setting up Skype, creating custom ringtones for free in iTunes, and editing movies using the iMovie app).  There are chapters dedicated to playing music, using the iPhone as a phone (a novel concept for some), how to sync your phone, and many, many more.

There’s no doubt that power iPhone, Apple, or cell phone users are not the target of this book.  It’s intended for the casual buyer of electronic goods.  For almost all readers of and writers for this site, 11 pages on SMS and MMS (Chapter 11) seems like a bit much.  But for the user who has, for example, never owned a smart phone, this kind of step-by-step guide will definitely be helpful.

If you’re the type of person who knows their iPhone inside and out, then this book is definitely not for you.  But despite its potentially off-putting size, this book really does make using the iPhone 4 simple.  Potential readers would be doing themselves a disservice by dismissing this book for that reason.  The size explanation is simple – you can do a lot with the iPhone, and this book covers virtually everything.

Perhaps my favorite part is that this book does not stop at explaining the iPhone in the state it ships.  Instead, it also covers some popular downloadable apps; including Skype, a few Twitter clients, Facebook, Evernote, and more.

Unless you don’t mind explaining the thousands and thousands of functions of the iPhone to them, this book would make a great gift for the not-so-tech-savvy person in your life who just purchased an iPhone.  Its chock-full of great information that helps you get the most out of your iPhone.