Three big announcements today in Steve Job’s keynote address at Macworld: Apple TV (formerly iTV) which was announced last year will go on sale next month; Apple has definitely moved beyond computers, so it’s changing it’s name to just Apple, Inc.; and the long anticipated iPhone.
UPDATE: Here’s Apple’s iPhone website.
Steve Jobs just dropped a bombshell on the audience attending his Macworld Keynote Address. Jobs at first announced the product as three separate products; a widescreen video iPod, a phone, and a mobile internet communicator. This was exciting enough, but I’m sure I’m not the only person who was a bit disappointed to think about carrying three devices. According to Laurie who is listening to the feed from the expo floor, the crowd went absolutely wild at this announcement.
The iPhone will use a revolutionary interface called MultiTouch, first seen in Apple patent filings over a year ago. The iPhone will run OS X, and be capable of running desktop-class applications.
The Nitty Gritty:
* Single front button.
* 3.5 inch widescreen display featuring the highest pixel density ever shipped in a portable device.
* 2 megapixel camera.
* iPod dock.
* Proximity sensor which switches between modes and screen orientation based on how a user holds it.
* 11.6 mm thick.
* Syncs with iTunes
* GSM/EDGE
* Wifi
* Bluetooth
* Cinglar only.
* Visual voicemail – shows a list of your voicemails like you see a list of emails.
* Error correcting on-screen keyboard.
* Gestural interface
* Mail.
* Safari.
* Google Maps.
* Widgets.
* Switches seamlessly between EDGE and WiFi.
* Free Yahoo! IMAP email to all iPhone customs.
* GPS
* 5 hour video battery life.
* 16 hour audio battery life.The 4GB costs $499 and the 8GB $599 (includes a 2 year contract). It is shipping in June.
James Hill,
The Apple Inc fanbois at Macrumors and Engadget don’t understand what the iPhone is. All they know is it from Apple Inc. After that it is “All Hail Steve!” and makes no sense at all.
It is a phone, that is it. That’s all, nothing else. This will fail for the same reasons that every other company who has integrated a PDA with a phone has failed. People want to just pick up their phone and dial. People already quite effectively use their contact list on their phones. Much slicker easier to use contact interfaces are already available. Most people I know who use their cell phone a lot, use the hands free features. Hands free is missing from this device.
Apple Inc has jumped the shark. They are out of ideas. The iPhone makes that clear. A phone without a keypad, why did this make it out of the design committee?
Most telling was on a CNBC interview with Steve yesterday… They asked him, why would people buy one of these? Steve replied, “I can’t see any reason people wouldn’t want to buy one when they are a hundred dollars”. So when directly asked, he almost admitted it, the iPhone is big on fanboie snob factor.
I think 10 million units over the next two years is unrealistically optimistic. Even the way Steve presents it, it is obvious he doesn’t believe that figure. He presents it as a rationalization.
It looks pretty, its a phone. Big Deal. only thing new here is the Apple fanboie hypnosis is clear for everyone to see.
The fact they had to mention “over 200 patents” equals “we will empty out your wallet pronto if you use this product”
#52, #55
Let me guess, when BMW came out you probably ignored people like me that had said for years that you could get the same functionality with equal quality of experience from Mercedes or Acura or Infinity but you drank the “it’s new” kool-aid because it has the shiny “BMW” logo.
Wake up. Most of the US population has had its collective head in the sand with respect to cell phone technology for some time.
#64
I disagree about GPS in a cell phone. In order to use something like Google maps, you have to know where you are exactly and have cell service. If you are in the middle of a typical European city, typing in the name of the streets you are at can be a challenge.
The “I don’t want 80 million things in my cell phone” argument is akin to that of old people saying they don’t understand rock n’ roll. While I haven’t had use of a camera, having a highly portable computer in my pocket is incredibly useful and arguably indispensable. I know many (including myself) that consider email to their phone as critical as a computer at their desk. I have used the WiFi capabilities of my phone on numerous occasions at conferences. If 3G cell networks were ubiquitous and standardized, perhaps it would not be as necessary but until that time it is. While the MP3 capabilities of my phone are a toy, the storage capacity allows me to use my phone like a USB thumb drive.
I don’t fault Apple for making a high end PDA/Phone. However, let’s be real. It is not revolutionary. It is Apple’s version of what HTC has produced for some time. Yes, I get that it is in many respects a proof of concept. Ok. So much like Doom3 was a so-so game but was meant as a proof of concept of a new engine, we’re led to believe that this phone will lead to…? The Mac equivalent of Windows Mobile and licensing of that OS to other manufacturers?
GregA – It’s not just a phone. In fact, you could use this thing just fine without ever even using the phone part. It’s a wide-screen iPod. You can stream movies to it. You can surf the web with a full web browser through your WiFi connection…again, without ever even touching or using the phone. Not to mention other applications and widgets that are being written for it as we speak.
Also, once it’s out on the street, since it runs OSX, how long do you think it will be before someone gets Skype running on it….either just by programming it or a simple hack.
So your statement “It is a phone, that is it. That’s all, nothing else” is about as wrong as you can get since the phone is just a small part of what it can do. I’m not an Apple fanboi in any stretch of the imagination, but I’m also not blinded by shear hatred for all things Apple as your post clearly shows you are. Sheesh, lighten up! Also, your statement “A phone without a keypad, why did this make it out of the design committee” was pretty funny, but you weren’t serious, were you? If you were serious…wow.
Oh and pedro, the company is Apple, not “mac”. Bah…no sense in correcting everything you’ve said as I’d be here all day. Also, we all know you’re trolling, but at least try a little harder at trolling as right now it’s pretty weak.
#50 wrote:
“Almost everything in the list has been available for a couple of years and as others have mentioned it doesn’t have GPS. ”
All modern cell phones sold in the US have a location capability using either a GPS chip or via the cellular phone network. This is mandated by the FCC for wireless 911 calls. The http://www.tuaw.com link listed by Uncle Dave also mentions a GPS capability.
Top 10 things to love about the iPhone:
http://apcmag.com/4963/ten_things_to_love_about_the_new_iphone
Top 10 things to hate about the iPhone:
http://apcmag.com/4965/top_10_things_to_hate_about_the_iphone
Steve
None,
I will bet you $1000 to your favorite charity that this will never run Skype or any other sip client in any mainstream consumer friendly way. Since never is a long time, lets call it, January 10th 2008.
Takers?
$1000 wouldn’t even pay the usage fees for this “wallet drainer”.
$1000 wouldn’t even pay the usage fees for this “wallet drainer” over a year.
GregA – You’re not serious. Come on, this thing will be running Skype by the end of the year. As I said before, you could use this thing all day long and never touch the phone features. It’s an iPod, it’s a movie player, it’s a PDA, it’s a wireless web browser. The fact that you can also make a phone call is kinda icing on the cake.
And pedro, yes you can find many of the features on other PDAs…but name one that does everything this thing does. As someone else said, it’s the whole package and a better integration scheme, not some crack-berry rip off. But again, why do you care? You’re not going to buy one, so your life will continue on unchanged. You almost seem pissed off like this thing is going to disrupt your life somehow. Me, I just think it’s a kind of neato thing and that’s that. I’ll never own one, but I still think it’s kinda neat. You on the other hand think that it’s doing nothing that any other PDA can…so please show me the one PDA that can do all the things this can and maybe I’ll pick that one up. Would be cool to see the big screen on this PDA of yours and see the streaming movies and the touch screen interface and the big web browsers that zoom and do landscape mode etc etc…just like this iPhone. I’m kinda excited to see that! So please, let us all know the PDA that does all that and where you can buy it today!
pedro,
But does it do the slidy things? Because you know, thats the important part of the whole thing.
Anyhow, it is confirmed, you wont be getting that phone without the 2 year Cingular agreement. Which means no sip phone software. Stop kidding yourself, this is a phone, not a pda.
It is pretty. But man, no keypad on a phone??? What were they thinking? I suspect this is probably the Lisa model, before they had all the kinks worked out.
Greg…you’re in Dubai right?
I mean, with the kind of “noveau-rich-oil-money-nothin-but-the-best”, kind of spending over there, do you see it a a success, a techno toy for the wealthy? or will it be shunned exactly by the same types it’s aiming for because of it?.
Clarification: this is aimed at the hi-market. The Mr. and Mrs. “I-spend-my-days-in-meetings” types. But will these same people put it aside just because it looks like a toy and not like a serious business gadjet?
Typical American reaction, wouldn’t you say?
And how will the rest of the world think of it?
Any comments?
Hey…the Woz loves the iPhone and think the price point is just right! Don’t argue with a man who has billions of dollars. You will love it and you will mortgage your home to own one. Submit or be anti-American.
3G anyone? GPS? I don’t know about u guys but half the smartphone in Europe are constently connected to the internet via their phones…
Also what about Nokia(current leader worldwide)? Sony-Ericsson?
do you these guys are just waiting around? the phones they recently released (not in the US though) are way ahead than anything available TODAY.
Carriers Factor in the US: the truth is whatever the hardware is in the US the carriers will never deliver, R.I.P iphone.
Here is a version of iphone with a dvorak keyboard layout!
dvorak iphone
This is the reason apple’s iphone is so brilliant, it won’t have to be limited to one single keyboard layout like most other devices!
what price in thailand?
Just read this:
“Apple will control what applications make it onto the iPhone, much like it has done with every iPod. “You don’t want your phone to be an open platform,” says Jobs.”
Oh well, so much for this thing. I thought it was kind of neat, but now that they’re going to control everything on it and control what applications are going to be on it, it just fell very far in my estimation. But like I said some posts way up there, I wasn’t going to buy the damn thing anyway. I just thought it was kinda neat. Like that walking robot thing that Honda has been working on. I don’t see any practical application on it, but it’s neat.
My feeling is as someone said before that this is a testbed. And also Apple is moving into consumer oriented products.
They’ll make a TV screen, and with some tweaking, the mac mini can be the ideal media center with recording (but maybe not, because of the business model of the iTunes: they’ll keep cashing in with media selling…)
They’ve once made a console too, I wonder if they’ll try another shot at it too…
And I guess they’ll tweak the iPod to become a voice recorder too.
Turning a whole interface into a touchscreen is a beginners mistake in the field of interfacing and usability. It looks so appealing at first, but is cognitively far inferior to physical buttons. Form over function.
iPhone is available with Cingular ONLY!? And what if I am stuck under contract with a carrier OTHER than Cingular but still want a iPhone?
Well, the only solution I could fine was http://www.Cellswapper.com – they get you out of any cell phone contract!
Won’t sell well in Canada. No carrier is stepping up to offer the phone with an unlimited data plan. I think I heard Rogers is planning on the selling the phone which will be all but useless with their costly 250mb data plan. Good job Apple. Tease us with the good, but make it financially unreachable.
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