bit-tech.net | Apple announces iPhone

oddball walking 9th January 2007, 19:10

Wow the only bad thing is that its on a contract.
I dont think ill be geting one.

TheSaladMan 9th January 2007, 19:10

I'm loving the design, but I'm not paying THAT much for a phone that can play MP3s and surf the web

M4RTIN 9th January 2007, 19:11

needs more storage and a much better camera to justify that price. also i hope they will (but they wont i imagine) add 3g to it as wifi is all very well if its free. battery life is very good tho, technically im sure its a tallscreen not a widescreen to lol

Fusen 9th January 2007, 19:16

once converted to UK prices it'll be ****ing ridiculous

duc 9th January 2007, 19:30

Quote:

...with a 2 year Cingular contract

Two year contract!!!! Just hope that Apple improves on their dire limited warranties to cover that time.

Buzzons 9th January 2007, 19:39

surly linksys can sue them over the name?

FuzzyOne 9th January 2007, 19:41

Demo here http://www.apple.com/iphone/

I'll be getting one as soon as I can

keir 9th January 2007, 19:49

looks cool, but the cost is pffffff!

Mankz 9th January 2007, 20:05

My Sony W810i was free on my £30 contract, it plays music, and has removable Flash Memory....

id far prefer it to an iPhone.

Darkedge 9th January 2007, 20:05

looks great but i'll bet $499 ends up as £499.

Main problem - that screen is going to be ruined very very quickly, a triumph again for apple form over practicality, and sorry but screen protectors always make screens look horrible and ruin the style of the device. Even if it doesn't scratch easily, the touch sensor capability will be damaged.

Also love the usual wild claims by apple - we invented the multi touch screen - we hold the patent for it.
Don't think so actually - one other example most likely has prior art or the actual patent: http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/ (if it doesn't the uni wouldn't allow it to be shown)

Lots of great ideas converging what others have been trying for ages - main leap is the internal storage. Oh and whats the betting the battery isn't user replaceable AGAIN.

rowin4kicks 9th January 2007, 20:07

I want one sooo bad!

Firehed 9th January 2007, 20:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkedge
looks great but i'll bet $499 ends up as £499.

Main problem - that screen is going to be ruined very very quickly, a triumph again for apple form over practicality, and sorry but screen protectors always make screens look horrible and ruin the style of the device. Even if it doesn't scratch easily, the touch sensor capability will be damaged.

Also love the usual wild claims by apple - we invented the multi touch screen - we hold the patent for it.
Don't think so actually - one other example most likely has prior art or the actual patent: http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/ (if it doesn't the uni wouldn't allow it to be shown)

Lots of great ideas converging what others have been trying for ages - main leap is the internal storage. Oh and whats the betting the battery isn't user replaceable AGAIN.

It sounded like the screen from the one that Steve was demoing didn't even have fingerprints on it when he's done. Whether the rumors about it being made of zirconia are true, I have no idea, but Apple wouldn't screw that up.

What concerns me, I suppose, is that it sounds like this is also the widescreen video iPod we've all been waiting for, which would have a serious lack of storage. But I don't care, I'm still planning to get one.

DXR_13KE 9th January 2007, 20:28

it will have some kind of pen for you to use it, and it must have user replaceable battery, not having that on a phone is suicide!!!!!!

Mister_Tad 9th January 2007, 20:30

Wow, so let me get this right - It doesn't do anything that other smartphones haven't been able to do for quite some time... its just quite pretty.

Got to hand it to Apple marketing though, seeing as everyone is having kittens over this :D

edit: christ, their marketing dept arent even trying any more

Quote:

Originally Posted by The official Apple iPhone website
iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply pointing your finger at a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log

I had a P800 around 6 years ago that did that, and it wasn't revolutionary then either.

Not having a dig at it or anything, it looks great and looks like it will be a lovely piece of kit, but Apple use the word "revolutionary" waaaaay too much

M4RTIN 9th January 2007, 20:33

looks like a mitac i used to have

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/9292/pmvsmiomu9.jpg

LVMike 9th January 2007, 20:54

ill get one, not because of the ipod but becase of the internet features and built in edge, Shure ill throw ome songs on it too.

rupbert 9th January 2007, 21:01

The screen is apparently smudge proof, as stated in the keynote. Zirconia screen sounds about right if true...

oddball walking 9th January 2007, 21:17

How will MS combat this maybe with a 'micro-phone'. :)
Ive got to say im impressed with the battery life but not the camera.

plug_in_ross 9th January 2007, 21:26

I used my good old Nokia 3310 for about 4-5 years. It was nigh on indestructible, and did all I wanted a mobile phone to do, which was make and receive calls and texts. Only downside, was the low amount of texts I could hold. I've only recently had to get a new phone, as it just won't turn on anymore. RIP Nokia 3310.

My question to you lot is, do you REALLY need a phone that can do all this fancy-dan crap? I find it hard to believe that alot of people actually need to use the Internet on a phone while on the go, you'd probably end up getting it robbed off you while trying to scroll through a web page. Not only that, but it's stupidly expensive. Sure, I can see the benefits of having a camera, as you're not always going to be carrying around a digital camera everywhere, and sometimes it's handy to capture a funny moment. But for that to be worthwhile, you would need a fairly high megapixel camera on the phone, and that again will cost even more. Also, for those of you planning on getting an iphone, or already have an mp3 phone, do you also have an mp3 player? If so, then why the need for a phone to play mp3, if you can play it through your mp3 player?

As you can see, I'm talking rubbish, but I just don't see why phones need to be so complicated nowadays.

g3n3tiX 9th January 2007, 21:37

waaa it's very very nice but expensive, and carrier-limited...
check out apple.com for animations of the product.

M4RTIN 9th January 2007, 21:39

looking some more at pictures it looks like it runs on widgets.. not sure if i like the layout at all.

Hwulex 9th January 2007, 22:25

Looks to me like Apple just gave all the major phone manufacturers a damn good shafting.

At last, the kind of device I think so many have been dreaming of and, tbh, expect in this day and age. Looking at the photos demo with split finger zoom it looks like it incorporates the excellent touch detection present on their notebooks.

Yeah, it could have even more features but I, for one, can't wait. If it's as slick in use at it looks in that demo, I'll be having one.

scq 9th January 2007, 22:39

I'm not impressed.

It doesn't look that great, the interface looks clean and easy, but not revolutionary for a phone.

I'm usually excited for Apple launches as they always introduce really cool stuff. This is just 'meh'.

Can anybody just tell me how this is different than an Apple-branded TREO with more memory, a bigger screen, and a higher price tag - not to mention inaccessible and exclusive to non-Cingular customers?

eddtox 9th January 2007, 22:56

Looks nice, but I don't think I will ever get it. For starters, it's ludicrously expensive: $500 and contract for 24 months? which will probably translate to £400+.. not for me. I just can't see myself being able to justify paying that much for a phone. On the other side of the argument, it'll probably be jam packed with DRM, which, for me at least makes mp3 capability unworthy of consideration..

-ed out

rupbert 9th January 2007, 23:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by scq

It doesn't look that great, the interface looks clean and easy, but not revolutionary for a phone.

I'm sorry, care to show me another phone that is completely touch sensitive using gestures? I don't expect a reply, because there is simply nothing like this on the market; like the iPod this will be copied left, right and centre.

They say the iPod is a design icon, this I believe has the potential to be Apples finest ever product...

DeX 9th January 2007, 23:13

The phone doesn't seem that revolutionary. The interface and the screen look very nice and apply which I'm glad to see but in terms of actual features it does nothing more than my phone does at the moment apart from maybe wifi. The internet features look very nice but my phone could do all that stuff if I was willing to pay an extra £15 a month.

As it is I got my phone for £30 on a £15/month contract. It contains 4gb of my music on it, I can surf the web, I can check my email, I can take photos and videos.

The iPhone looks great but I really don't think it can justify the huge price tag plus it's just too big for a phone. You may as well hold a tea tray to your head for the amount that it will make you stick out while on the train.

Tomm 9th January 2007, 23:52

The current mobile phones are very boring though. This is something completely new, even shinier and very tech. It's not like any mobile phone ever. To me this is more revolutionary than the iPod, I hope it does well and I'm sure it will.

I would really love one, but I think I might have to wait for the price to come down. Maybe this time next year :(

BurningFeetMan 10th January 2007, 00:07

I like my Siemens ME45.

I've drowned it 3 times, twice in salt water.
I've thrown it across the pub on occasion to prove its durability.
I've owned it for 5 years, with minimal lockups & errorz.
It still runs like brand new, no problems at all, and I've used it almost every day of its life.

Why would I pay $800au for a phone that I'll break on the first day? Iphone looks like an expensive wank, but lucky for apple there's a lotta wankers out there.

DreamTheEndless 10th January 2007, 00:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeX
The phone doesn't seem that revolutionary. The interface and the screen look very nice and apply which I'm glad to see but in terms of actual features it does nothing more than my phone does at the moment apart from maybe wifi. The internet features look very nice but my phone could do all that stuff if I was willing to pay an extra £15 a month.

As it is I got my phone for £30 on a £15/month contract. It contains 4gb of my music on it, I can surf the web, I can check my email, I can take photos and videos.

The iPhone looks great but I really don't think it can justify the huge price tag plus it's just too big for a phone. You may as well hold a tea tray to your head for the amount that it will make you stick out while on the train.

So then, your phone runs 'nix, has 8gb of storage, integrates into your corporate email, has a full qwerty keyboard, has a full calendar app that integrates into your calendar at work, has mapping and phone number lookup software that automatically figures out where you are,...... whew - I'm too out of breath to list the rest.

No, not everyone needs a smartphone. This is not competing against your little nokia or whatever. This is (deadly) competition for blackberry, palm treo, and samsung's new thing. (Also, this is competition for Windows CE)

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddtox

Looks nice, but I don't think I will ever get it. For starters, it's ludicrously expensive: $500 and contract for 24 months? which will probably translate to £400+.. not for me. I just can't see myself being able to justify paying that much for a phone. On the other side of the argument, it'll probably be jam packed with DRM, which, for me at least makes mp3 capability unworthy of consideration..

-ed out

Anyone who has talked about DRM in this context still isn't paying attention. iPods, including this one, can play any music except for ogg and DRM encrypted Windows Media Audio files. You can play mp3, aac, wav, apple lossless audio and others. If your files are UN-encrypted WMA, itunes can automatically convert them to any format you want.
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
This will replace my phone and my ipod - I have both devices on me at all times. I also can be usually seen with my laptop. This machine will replace a lot of the functions that I have to lug that around for. I will be getting one come June. (And, it will be tax writeoff!!)

To anyone who doesn't get it, I say:
"Bah. You obviously don't get it."

stephen2002 10th January 2007, 00:19

I must say that it is very slick. However I have a PPC 6700 from Sprint (Windows Mobile 5) that does the same stuff just not quite as nice. I can play music (with album art) synced through the PC, take 1.3MP pictures (and set them as my background, look at a slide show, e-mail them off to people) do almost full-featured web browsing, have "widgets" in the form of today-screen plugins. I can get Google Maps with an addon application. If I'm playing music and get a call it automatically pauses the music and then brings it back when the call is finished. I can get my POP3/IMAP e-mail. It has photo caller ID. I can even do basically all of it through the touch screen without pulling out the stylus if I so choose to make finger smudges on the screen. It has a slide-out keyboard that automatically rotates the screen to landscape. With the right app it has threaded SMS.

Yea, iPhone runs full OSX and that is really cool but usuless unless I can actually install desktop apps on the thing. The multi-touch and guestures is very cool however I'm not seeing anything that spectacular other than the highest smartphone price I have ever seen. In the year that it takes to come out who knows where Windows Mobile based smart phones are going to be.

DeX 10th January 2007, 00:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamTheEndless
So then, your phone runs 'nix, has 8gb of storage, integrates into your corporate email, has a full qwerty keyboard, has a full calendar app that integrates into your calendar at work, has mapping and phone number lookup software that automatically figures out where you are,...... whew - I'm too out of breath to list the rest.

No, not everyone needs a smartphone. This is not competing against your little nokia or whatever. This is (deadly) competition for blackberry, palm treo, and samsung's new thing. (Also, this is competition for Windows CE)

I suppose I don't really need a smart phone to do all of that as I don't use a calendar very much and I don't need email everywhere I go. But yeah anyway my little non-smart phone does all of those things except perhaps figure out where you are. Does the iPhone have GPS or something? How does it do that? As I said I have 4gb for music and pictures and videos but I think by the time the iPhone comes out I'll probably be able to upgrade the storage to 8gb.

I'm not denying that the phone is great. I'm sure it is. Smart phones have needed the touch of great designers like Apple's for a long time. But think about the cost. These days the most expensive phones are free with a year's contract for £30 a month. This will be around £400 in addition to the £720 you'll pay to your provider over the 2 year contract. The price is just way more than anything else on the market at the moment without offering that much more.

Adnuo 10th January 2007, 03:29

One thing -- it sure is nice to see new tech released in America and Europe before Asia for a change. Not knocking on Asia, and not being some "ZOMG NO MORE EXPORTS" freak, but it's just nice. That of course doesn't mean I'm about to go buy one.

DreamTheEndless 10th January 2007, 04:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adnuo
One thing -- it sure is nice to see new tech released in America and Europe before Asia for a change. Not knocking on Asia, and not being some "ZOMG NO MORE EXPORTS" freak, but it's just nice. That of course doesn't mean I'm about to go buy one.

That's not new - Sonys and Nintendos are always released in Japan first, nokias and some others are always released in europe first, and apples and some other stuff are always released in the US first.....

scq 10th January 2007, 08:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by rupbert
I'm sorry, care to show me another phone that is completely touch sensitive using gestures? I don't expect a reply, because there is simply nothing like this on the market; like the iPod this will be copied left, right and centre.

They say the iPod is a design icon, this I believe has the potential to be Apples finest ever product...

Touch sensitive gestures!? Isn't that just fancy marketing rhetoric for a touch screen? We've had touch screens for years.

Alright, it has large screen, I'll give it that. Of course, until I've used one, I can't make any actual claims about it, but so far, first impressions are not that great. I don't dislike Apple. I love their design. I remembered when the iPod came out for Mac only, how much I wanted one. I remember the iPod nano, the iMac.

iPhone just doesn't impress me.

riggs 10th January 2007, 08:22

Looks ok, but I can't help feeling it's the same old Apple story; overpriced, designer tat, that doesn't really have any revolutionary features.

It looks pretty big too, height/width-wise. If I were to get a phone of that size, I'd probably got for something with a built-in thumb-board.

Havok154 10th January 2007, 08:56

Apple has become the Calvin Klein of tech. People are willing to pay much more over the competition because it looks a little sleeker and you can show someone and they may go "Oooo, that's cool". In reality, it's just another status symbol, as opposed to a better product that is worthy of the price put on it. If they priced them similar to other companies, it would probably sell the best because it does some stuff better, but not enough to be worth a premium. Sony is the same way, you pay for the name on every one of their products and most of them are just average at best.

SteveyG 10th January 2007, 08:57

I can't say I'm that excited about it either, but I'm not really a fan of the total integration - when my music/video player runs out of battery because I've been using it non-stop for 8 hours, or not been anywhere I can charge it, I don't want my phone to go flat too!

rupbert 10th January 2007, 09:14

I can accept negative opinion towards the iPhone, but show me another device that offers the same functionality with such an innovative user interface?

Iago 10th January 2007, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by plug_in_ross

My question to you lot is, do you REALLY need a phone that can do all this fancy-dan crap?

Of course not, but I can see your sex life improving just by carrying this puppy around.

However, it's hyper-mega-cool and all that...but 499$ PLUS a 24 month contract? That's a bit excessive, I think. I'll wait and see at which price point is it available here...and probably wait until it's cheap and ubiquitous as a V3.

OTOH, I spent nearly as much in just a GPU last Christmas...and said GPU does nothing for my social life (nor gaming life, when I think about it ), so perhaps the price isn't that outrageous.

Mother-Goose 10th January 2007, 09:22

It is expensive BUT when you cost out a PDA, iPod nano, phone and a c(rappy)amera your aren't paying over the odds but you are only having one device, and it runs OSX, and it looked like it was scrolling fast even with the album art, NICE. but still, my NW-S706F will trounce it as a MP3 and my K800i owns it as a phone. I don't have a PDA because I don't want one.

Da_Rude_Baboon 10th January 2007, 09:28

Its a typical Apple product, they have taken established tech and ideas from elsewhere and put it together in a slick looking package that will (probably) be extremely easy to use. Knock them as much as you want, i do, but its what they are good at.

I think it looks great and regardless of cost it will be the 'must have' item to be seen with and to be stolen next winter regardless of its price. Plus the phone market needs a good kick up the arse as the innovation seems to have dried up long ago.

hardflipman 10th January 2007, 09:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mother-Gooser
It is expensive BUT when you cost out a PDA, iPod nano, phone and a c(rappy)amera your aren't paying over the odds but you are only having one device, and it runs OSX, and it looked like it was scrolling fast even with the album art, NICE. but still, my NW-S706F will trounce it as a MP3 and my K800i owns it as a phone. I don't have a PDA because I don't want one.

the htc tytn as seen here http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-devices/review/2006/09/07/Orange-SPV-M3100-3G-Smartphone/p1 has most of the above features although to be fair doesn't look anywhere near as nice and you can't use your own headphones. crucially it's free with a £35 a month contract. the iphone can't compete with that. and the next iteration of that phone will have built in gps among other things.

note i REALLY like the iphone just not at that price.

rupbert 10th January 2007, 09:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iago
Of course not, but I can see your sex life improving just by carrying this puppy around.

However, it's hyper-mega-cool and all that...but 499$ PLUS a 24 month contract? That's a bit excessive, I think. I'll wait and see at which price point is it available here...and probably wait until it's cheap and ubiquitous as a V3.

OTOH, I spent nearly as much in just a GPU last Christmas...and said GPU does nothing for my social life (nor gaming life, when I think about it ), so perhaps the price isn't that outrageous.

I understood the 24 month contract was inclusive with the price?

SteveyG 10th January 2007, 10:21

It reads like you get it with a 24 month contract plus pay $499 on top. I'd think the whole pricing thing will be dependant on country/phone network. I don't know many people in the UK that would commit to a 24 month contract, so it has to be different over here, surely?

Paradigm Shifter 10th January 2007, 10:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by rupbert
I understood the 24 month contract was inclusive with the price?

Not unless the US has a markedly different system of mobile telephone contracts than the UK - contracts in the UK are a set charge each month, with the phone costing extra if necessary. From the sounds of it, the iPhone will cost $$$, and then the contract on top of that.

To be honest, I kinda like the phone. However, while the screen may be smudge proof, I'm still dubious about how durable it is in real-world usage. Time will tell, though. It's a bit too pricy for my tastes, however - the last phone I got with a contract was free - and so was a Gigapack PSP with it as well...

Iago 10th January 2007, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by rupbert
I understood the 24 month contract was inclusive with the price?

I understood it like Paradigm, but if the cost of the contract is included in the 499, it makes the iPhone price more palatable (I pay a fixed 6 per month...6x24 = 144 I could shave from the iPhone's price).

SteveyG 10th January 2007, 11:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paradigm Shifter
However, while the screen may be smudge proof, I'm still dubious about how durable it is in real-world usage. Time will tell, though. It's a bit too pricy for my tastes, however - the last phone I got with a contract was free - and so was a Gigapack PSP with it as well...

The durability of these things is something I always question. People go out and buy a nice looking iPod, then get a case which covers it all up to stop it getting scratched I can throw my Nokia about without worrying if the mirror shine surface will get dulled

quack 10th January 2007, 11:47

Where's the 3G support? Not everywhere has Wi-Fi, or EDGE for that matter. Surely they could just bolt on UMTS and have EDGE as a fall-back. Maybe that'll come in the iPhone 2nd gen.

rupbert 10th January 2007, 11:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by quack
Where's the 3G support? Not everywhere has WiFi!

I'm assuming the European model will receive 3G support.

quack 10th January 2007, 11:58

Cingular supports UMTS, and the iPhone will be exclusive to that network. So why no UMTS? It's a hell of a lot faster than EDGE.

Iago 10th January 2007, 15:50

After cooling off...I'm more and more convinced that this is not what I need, and starting to *gasp* doubt Teh Steve's wisdom.

This is non an phone + iPod + camera. This is a PDA + iPod + Phone + Blackberry + TabletPC, and frankly, I'd say this is not what most consumers want nor need. I know Apple likes to cater to high end segments, but if they are not careful, other companies could start taking bits from the iPod market with useful, easy to use, feature light and cheap mp3 + phone combo.

For what I'm reading both Nokia and Sony Ericsson with it's Walkman series are getting very close... I'm waiting for a nice one before I dismiss my V3 and my shuffle, but frankly, I'm not going to carry 600 worth of cash in my pocket. For that amount, I could get a perfectly functional laptop...And I don't see people jumping to get those iPhones like they did with iPods. It's the same bloody price of a PS3, for pete's sake...and boy, haven't forumites had a field day since such a price was announced?

rupbert 10th January 2007, 15:53

@ Iago

This is Apple though. I know lot's of people who have bought every generation of the iPod, without actually needing it.

Iago 10th January 2007, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by rupbert
@ Iago

This is Apple though. I know lot's of people who have bought every generation of the iPod, without actually needing it.

Sure...but still, the iPod didn't became mainstream at 500$ nor 400$. And if it weren't for the nano, I wonder how many people would be still buying 60Gb or so versions at 400$. There is certainly a market for high-end palm-like devices...but it's not a mainstream market.

And this is not the inmature mp3 market Apple stormed with the iPod. There's lots of competence on the phone market and the mayority of consumers don't really want palm-like phones. If Apple were to launch some kind of iPhone Nano, that combined an easy to use, well integrated iPod, phone and camera with Apple's killer design at 250$, I could see it being an iPod like success...but in it's current iteration, I see the iPhone as a Mac Pro...jaw dropping but ultimately out of reach for the vast mayority of consumers.

rupbert 10th January 2007, 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iago
Sure...but still, the iPod didn't became mainstream at 500$ nor 400$. And if it weren't for the nano, I wonder how many people would be still buying 60Gb or so versions at 400$. There is certainly a market for high-end palm-like devices...but it's not a mainstream market.

And this is not the inmature mp3 market Apple stormed with the iPod. There's lots of competence on the phone market and the mayority of consumers don't really want palm-like phones. If Apple were to launch some kind of iPhone Nano, that combined an easy to use, well integrated iPod, phone and camera with Apple's killer design at 250$, I could see it being an iPod like success...but in it's current iteration, I see the iPhone as a Mac Pro...jaw dropping but ultimately out of reach for the vast mayority of consumers.

Some good points.

I can imagine there could well be more than one version of the iPhone, it's obvious though they wanted the first to have a 'wow factor' and I think we can agree on that :)

Iago 10th January 2007, 16:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by rupbert
I can imagine there could well be more than one version of the iPhone, it's obvious though they wanted the first to have a 'wow factor' and I think we can agree on that :)

"Wow" factor? Gheee I've been salivating all day I now that I don't NEED something like that...but I hope I never find myself with one in my hands and a credit card in my pocket...

r-gator 10th January 2007, 16:48

I'm just waiting for the touchscreen features to migrate over to the Ipod, because you know that they will. I feel the same about not having all of my devices in one failable unit. If my mp3 player dies I don't want it to take my phone down too.

AcidJiles 10th January 2007, 17:24

needs a better camera at least 4 megapixel+3g then I would be interested also the screen res isnt high enough for a 3.5inch screen you need 480x640

jjsyht 10th January 2007, 17:42

I bet nobody can point me to a Phone-MusicPlayer-InternetBrowser that's easier to use.

Apple doesn't invent technologies (well.. it does sometimes), it invent better ways to use the technologies.

They didn't invent the mp3 player, nor the computer, nor the PortableVideoPlayer. Do I care??? No!!

trailblazer 10th January 2007, 18:16

It sounds like the "swiss army knife" of the mobile phone world. Expect to pay silly money when it hits the UK. At least apple are continuing to put money into new products though. Most people are put off by the cost which might make it a bit of a fashion accessory. Also, with all those features packed in how reliable will it be ?

Starfighter 10th January 2007, 21:08

I'm bemused by the lack of specs given about the phone. If it were a windows Smartmobile, we'd know what processor it had, who manufactured it and how fast it was. No mention for the iPhone?

Secondly, they say "it's running OS X", but what does that mean? It's running a trimmed version? a completely new version? exactly the same version as on a normal mac?

???

Nikumba 10th January 2007, 21:13

I can see a lot of consumers buying this, but with in the mobile market a big slice of it is business users. We have a number of customers who use Windows Mobile as it has Word, Excel with it, intergrates fully into Exchange with out extra software (apart from exchange)

Its a nice looking phone i will grant you that, however I have misgivens about the OS, granted OSX isnt too bad as an OS go, I personally dont like it. MS, Palm, RIM have had years of experince of making lightweight OS for mobile products, it will be intresting to see how well Apples OSX has been adapted for this phone.

Kimbie

quack 10th January 2007, 23:58

Cisco's suing Apple over the use of the iPhone name.

Something tells me this won't even go to court, and Apple will fork over a large chunk of money to get a licence to use the name. It's just part of the song and dance of big business. :) Still funny though.

Buzzons 11th January 2007, 00:41

.. told you so...

Cthippo 11th January 2007, 08:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by PC Magazine
iPhone models, Glenn Lurie, Cingular's president of national distribution told journalists at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2007) today.

When asked about a give-and-take leading to the Apple-Cingular partnership, Lurie said, "I'm not sure we gave anything." Later, he commented, "I think they bent a lot." That bending included allowing the phone to be locked to Cingular, just one of several restrictions on the new iPhone. Press reports today said the phone will not accept third-party applications, though Apple may allow third parties to program mini-application "widgets."

"If you want an iPhone, you are going to get the luxury of being on the Cingular network," Lurie said.

While the Cingular logo will not appear on the body of the iPhone, the word "Cingular" will appear on the screen at all times.

The contract covers "all models" of the iPhone, including several other devices in the works that may be "coming out very quickly," Lurie said. His comment addressed in part a criticism that the iPhone doesn't use Cingular's new high-speed HSDPA network.

That isn't true worldwide, as Cingular only exists in the US. Apple is free to seek other partners for global distribution, he said. And Apple is also free to build other iPods without phone capability that won't be sold through Cingular—though he was unclear on whether a Wi-Fi only version of the iPhone would fall under Cingular's thumb.

While "there are bad guys out there that unlock phones," Lurie said, Apple and Cingular are taking unspecified steps to make the phone more difficult to unlock and use on other GSM carriers in the US.

"We expect this to grow our business" by attracting other carriers' customers, Lurie said.

The phone will be sold exclusively through Apple and Cingular stores, Apple and Cingular's Web sites and Cingular's direct-mail unit, Lurie said. It will not be available through indirect retailers, the "Joe's cell phone shop" you see on every street corner—though Apple is free to go to big-box stores like Target and Wal-Mart, Lurie said.

Apple and Cingular will share tech support responsibilities, Lurie said, with reps being "cross-trained" so that Cingular staffers will get elementary questions, leading to a "warm handoff" to Apple's tech support experts.

So what did Apple get out of this partnership? Lurie said they were attracted to "the people," and the ability to work together to make deals and a product they could keep secret—which they have for two years.

"We found that our organizations meshed together better than either side anticipated," Lurie said.

:(

The good news is that in a week there will be unlocked iPhones on eBay ;)

quack 11th January 2007, 12:20

Nice to know the Cingular logo will be that prominent - when they're going to be doing away with it sometime this year. :(

quack 11th January 2007, 13:59

Cisco have posted some information about the suit on their blog.

Cheap Mod Wannabe 12th January 2007, 04:22

Oh man cm'on. Yes it's cool looking and I want it, but it's so impractical. I've been using a PDA for quite some years now, and even with a case, and a stylus the screen gets some scratches and dust, dirt etc.

The Iphone will suck on that. Even in the keynote you could see how when showing the "scroll" functionality in iTunes library with you finger, Steve jobs left greasy finger marks. Use it every day and damn that thing will be dirty. And you won't really be able to put it in your pocket because it will get scratched up, so you will need a case or some screen protectors.

As a phone, I think iPhone sucks. As an ipod and Wifi device it is great. Though unless I see more functionality added to it (so it could come close to my cell+pda combo), I won't be rushing to get one.

Nezuji 12th January 2007, 05:03

Ya know, if I ripped the keypad and Nokia logo off my Nokia 6233, it would look EXACTLY like this from the front.

And the most common comment I see on mobile 'phone forums when discussing the 6233 and it's Sony Ericsson equivalent (the K700i I think) is, "The 6233 is so ugly! The K700i is so much sexier!" Personally, I feel the opposite, but I'm just saying...

Nezuji :)

Colonel Sanders 12th January 2007, 05:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Havok154
Apple has become the Calvin Klein of tech. People are willing to pay much more over the competition because it looks a little sleeker and you can show someone and they may go "Oooo, that's cool". In reality, it's just another status symbol, as opposed to a better product that is worthy of the price put on it. If they priced them similar to other companies, it would probably sell the best because it does some stuff better, but not enough to be worth a premium. Sony is the same way, you pay for the name on every one of their products and most of them are just average at best.

I couldn't agree more with this statement. Apple is combining technologies from multiple industries and claiming they are being "revolutionary" with new, never seen before technologies. . . Quite honestly, I like having a keypad on my phone. Not having a camera hasn't bothered me either.

I think Apple has most likely made a mistake. The world of cell phones is not exactly evolving at a slow pace and I don't believe many people will need that many features on their cell phone. Overall, I believe this will turn out to be a poor web-browser (screen to small), a poor cell phone (Apple has no experience in the cell industry), a poor media player (not enough space) all cobbled together into a shiny plastic case that Steve expects people to pay $500 for. I'll pass

L J

hth0923 15th January 2007, 02:23

if it is on contract with free phone, that would be very good!

hope it comes true soon!

Havok154 15th January 2007, 08:15

I like how they say we can have the "luxury of being on the Cingular network". I was on the Cingular network for many years and I always had to use my g/f's Verizon phone to make a call since I could never get any service. Now I'm on Verizon and haven't had an issue since.

kickarse 16th January 2007, 14:28

This reminds me of something... oh yeah the iPod vs the Zune...

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