Top Five Reasons Not to Buy an Apple iPhone

Although the novelty surrounding Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) new iPhone 4 may be enticing, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to reconsider.

1.) The most obvious: poor reception. Due to poor design, many Apple iPhone 4s do not work properly if you do not hold them in a specific way or elect to buy or receive a free case. Not to mention the fact that their service provider, AT&T, tends to drop calls all the time anyway.

2.) The virtual keypad has serious shortcomings. Although the smooth surface may be beautiful from a designer's perspective, the lack of actual keys means that there is no tactile sensation while typing. It also presents serious drawbacks if during a cold winter's night you're wearing gloves; the keyboard simply won't work.

3.) Lesser camera quality than other smartphones. Competitors such as HTC, Nokia (NYSE: NOK), and Motorola (NYSE: MOT) have better cameras, featuring between 8 and 12-megapixel cameras, whereas the iPhone 4 is still operating with a 5-megapixel camera.

4.) Signing a two-year contact with AT&T (NYSE: T) is a serious limitation, especially considering the rumors circulating about Apple releasing iPhones to other service provides once their exclusivity contract with AT&T runs out this year. If Apple chooses to partner with another carrier, such as T-mobile or Verizon, already established customers will not have to change their plans or suffer the rather inadequate service that AT&T offers.

5.) The Apple iPhone 4 is expensive. More expensive than it needs to be, especially in comparison to the product and services you will receive if you opt for a Blackberry or Android phone instead. The expense of the iPhone is compounded by the fact that it doesn't allow you to run free apps; the cost of developing iPhone-specific apps is passed off to customers who must then suffer the somewhat limited range of compatible apps for their phones.