Live blog: iPhone OS 3.0 preview
This is the spot for live coverage of Apple's iPhone 3.0 event later today from Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., which kicked off at 10 a.m. PDT.
This is a play-by-play account of the presentation. For a summary of what got announced, including the long-awaited cut-and-paste and MMS, click here.
9:53 a.m. PDT: Welcome to Cupertino and Apple's Town Hall auditorium for the iPhone 3.0 software preview. Everyone's settling into their seats, undeterred by a 9:10 a.m. fire alarm that briefly evacuated the building. A mixture of press, analysts, developers, and employees are expected to attend--somewhere around 250 to 300 people. Classic Apple build music at the moment: Jack Johnson.
10:01 a.m. PDT: Dave Mathews Band's "Everyday" at ear-splitting volume takes us into the start of the event, remarkably on time at 10 a.m. compared to the last several of these events. Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPhone and iPod marketing, takes the stage to kick things off. "We're going to give you a preview of iPhone OS."
10:02 a.m. PDT: Joswiak starts with an update on the iPhone: It's in 80 countries, 13.7 million iPhones were sold in 2008, and there was a clear uptick following the launch of the iPhone 3G. Apple has now sold 17 million iPhones.
10:03 a.m. PDT: He points out that the iPod Touch also runs iPhone OS, and that Apple has sold 30 million iPhones and iPod Touches combined through the end of 2008. I believe that's the first time they've broken out iPod Touch sales figures. The SDK, unveiled last year at a similar event, has been downloaded 800,000 times, and 50,000 developers are in the iPhone Developer Program.
10:05 a.m. PDT: 62 percent of those developers were brand new to Apple, Joswiak says. He says the App Store levels the playing field for developers, pointing out the success of both Gameloft and Steve Demeter, an independent developer. We're treated to one of those slick corporate-produced videos, a fixture at the last several Apple events but a rarity during any Steve Jobs-led events.
10:07 a.m. PDT: Demeter is basically talking about his experience over the last year, and he's done well. CNET editor Kent German and I didn't catch the name of his app, but it sounded like Drizzle. The video ends, and Joswiak notes "we've had a lot of curiosity about the App Store approval process," which is quite an understatement. 98 percent of apps are approved, he says, and 98 percent of those are approved within seven days. (Editor's note: In a Q&A after the presentation, Apple later said 96 percent of apps are approved. We probably mistyped it here.) The App Store has seen 800 million downloads to date, he says.
10:08 a.m. PDT: Scott Forstall, the head of iPhone software development who reports directly to Jobs, takes the stage for the business end of the presentation. "I'm here to tell you about iPhone OS 3.0, and this is a major update to the operating system."
10:10 a.m. PDT: He starts with the news for developers. He reviews the current iPhone SDK (software development kit), introduced a year ago and allowing developers to use the same APIs that Apple developers use. "We've spent the last year working hard to make this SDK even better." Apple has unlocked more than 1,000 APIs (APIs are communication standards that developers use to have their application interact with the iPhone).
10:12 a.m. PDT: Forstall reviews the App Store policies, such as the pricing on the App Store and the developer's cut. Some developers, however, were interested in other business models, such as subscriptions. Forstall gives the example of magazines or game developers who want to sell game levels from within a game, or content sold within an application, such as that much-discussed application of the last month: the e-book. With iPhone 3.0, Apple will support all those business models.
10:14 a.m. PDT: They're calling this In-App Purchase. The example is a magazine where you can renew a subscription within the app. Or, say, a game has 10 levels, but you want to keep going: the game will download the new levels automatically upon prompting from within the app. Everything works with your iTunes account, it's sort of the same thing as when you download an update to an iPhone application, prompting you for your iTunes password and sending the download after verification.
10:15 a.m. PDT: Developers still get to pick their prices, and they still get 70 percent of any revenue generated inside an app. This only applies to paid applications, not free applications. Some developers had expressed interest in distributing free applications to try, and then buy, but that doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
10:16 a.m. PDT: The next thing? Support for peer-to-peer networking. This should be interesting. You can find other iPhones and iPod Touches in a given area that are playing the same game as you; Forstall gives the example of two kids in the back of a car. iPhone 3.0 will automatically discover other applications over Bluetooth, and there's no pairing. "Completely seamless," he promises. Bonjour is the back-end technology behind this, and it's not just for games.
10:18 a.m. PDT: Accessories is the next topic. Lots of companies have been working on iPhone and IPod Touch accessories, such as speakers. Accessory companies will now be able to build applications that talk directly to the accessory, such as an EQ built into an application that controls a speaker's sound from the iPhone.
10:19 a.m. PDT: Medical devices are a telling example, Forstall says. Take a blood pressure cuff that could be hooked up to an iPhone and send your blood pressure to your doctor from your iPhone. This works through the dock connector and wirelessly over Bluetooth. Standard protocols are supported, but custom protocols are also supported.
10:20 a.m. PDT: Kent German notes: "The peer-to-peer through Bluetooth profile is welcome, though it would be nice to send contacts and other data files through Bluetooth without needing an app."
10:21 a.m. PDT: The Maps application is the next topic. Apple and Google developed this application and developers want to be able to add a map into their application. Developers are going to get access to the Maps API with iPhone 3.0 and embed maps in their apps. That means you can take advantage of all the views and zooming capabilities in the Apple/Google Maps in your application. Location information is also part of this.
10:23 a.m. PDT: "But there is one more thing we're doing with apps." Core Location, the GPS technology, will let app developers finally build turn-by-turn directions, but there's a catch: they can't use the Maps application due to licensing problems, Forstall said. Developers who want to build that will need to use their own maps.
10:24 a.m. PDT: Push Notification is next. "We're late on this," Forstall admits. Apple was supposed to roll out a quasi-background notification system last September, but it never appeared. The company was caught off guard by the growth in iPhone apps, and the system they had built couldn't scale. They took six months to build a truly scalable system, he said.
10:25 a.m. PDT: Kent German: "Applause for turn-by-turn apps. Previously, the SDK had prohibited this, so it makes sense that developers will need to use their own maps."
10:26 a.m. PDT: Those hoping for true background processing, however, will be disappointed. Forstall talks about how true background processing saps battery life, up to 80 percent in a test Apple ran. Performance is also an issue, he says. Other phones do offer true background processing, but Apple seems to be sticking to its original plan.
10:27 a.m. PDT: How does it work? Notifications pass through an Apple server and are then passed to a phone. You can pass badges (letting users know if things are waiting for them, like IMs), audio alerts, or text-message alerts. "The reason we're doing this is because it scales." Forstall also says this is optimized for mobile networks, which was probably a concern on the part of Apple's carrier partners when they discussed true background processing.
10:29 a.m. PDT: Forstall briefly goes through a few other new APIs, such as in-app e-mail or iPod library access. You can play music in an app directly from your library, for example. All told, more than 1,000 APIs will be available to developers with iPhone 3.0.
10:29 a.m. PDT: Apple showed off the new SDK to some developers a few weeks ago, and let them build new apps using the new SDK. Meebo is the first app to be demoed, and they plan to move it native to the iPhone.
10:32 a.m. PDT: Meebo's Seth Sternberg takes the stage to explain the app. He's the co-founder and CEO. Meebo lets you talk to friends across IM networks. The company was waiting for push notifications to build a native iPhone app, Sternberg says. He demos the application, showing how the application provides a background notification that a new IM is waiting.
10:35 a.m. PDT: EA is the next company to take the stage. They've developed 10 games for the iPhone thus far, and EA's Travis Boatman comes up to talk about their new app. The Sims 3 for iPhone was developed with the new SDK. "Scott" is the Sims character that they're using, and this appears to be a demo of the in-game purchase capabilities, using the "simoleans" that serve as money in the Sims. "Scott" buys a stereo, which lets you play your iPod library in the game through the virtual stereo.
10:38 a.m. PDT: Forstall promises everybody that he doesn't dance like Seinfeld's Elaine in real life, unlike EA's "Scott." Now Oracle's Hody Crouch is crashing the party, bringing an enterprise tinge to the iPhone 3.0 software. He's demoing an Oracle app that uses the background notification systems to let him know when Oracle Business Systems has a new alert. That information can be used by traveling businesspeople to fill inventory needs, adjust to outstanding orders, and access other business data.
10:42 a.m. PDT: ESPN is next. Forstall praises the ESPN Web app, but ESPN's Oke Okaro will show us the Worldwide Leader's new native iPhone app. The new SDK is letting ESPN deliver better notifications of scores or news to play that ubiquitous "dah-dah-dah, dah-dah-dah" ESPN tone, using the custom sound capability. Okaro is showing how game highlights can be delivered to the iPhone, rather than pulled by the user. The app uses the new video-streaming capability in the SDK.
ESPN delivers over 50 million alerts a month.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)10:46 a.m. PDT: Kent German: "Push notification is a good add, though I'd prefer it to be a native feature rather than driven by individual apps. I'd like to see one umbrella push system for all linked e-mail accounts. The functionality seems to be a bit scattered as they're currently describing it."
10:47 a.m. PDT: ESPN's app was one of those that forced Apple to rebuild the push notification system to make sure it could handle the traffic, Forstall says. LifeScan, owned by Johnson and Johnson, will bring Anita Mathew up to discuss the company's diabetes iPhone application. The app works with glucose monitoring hardware, a blood sugar reader, to transmit a patient's data back to a database, and allow the patient to note how they feel or what they've eaten to better manage their blood sugar.
10:49 a.m. PDT: The data is sent from the blood sugar reader to the iPhone over Bluetooth. Within the app itself, patients can track blood sugar levels over the course of the day, allowing them to plan future meals by checking sugar levels in certain foods. The patient can also e-mail or text that blood sugar information to others, such as parents, helping them monitor their kids' health.
10:54 a.m. PDT: Ngmoco is the next company, a start-up that builds games for the iPhone and iPod Touch and that received money from Kleiner Perkins' iFund. Neil Young (not that one) from Ngmoco starts talking about their new game built with the new SDK. They built two apps, a virtual pet game and a first-person shooter. That's diversification. The virtual pets game allows you to set play dates with virtual dogs, believe it or not. You take the role of a dog, interacting with other dogs, taking on missions, and, of course, buying accessories.
10:56 a.m. PDT: LiveFire is the other game, which is slightly different. This lets you play a first-person shooter game over a WI-Fi network with other players, allowing you find friends over a network and play against each other. Kent German: "Buying apps and game levels without going through the iTunes Store will be easier, but like the gum in a supermarket check-out line, I suspect that it will lead to a lot of impulse buying."
11:02 a.m. PDT: Smule is coming next. Ocarina is a very popular iPhone app that lets you use the iPhone as a musical instrument. Ge Wang is talking about their new app, called Leaf Trombone World Stage. It's a social gaming experience geared around music, Wang says. The app lets you create music by blowing into the microphone, like Ocarina, but you can have a backing track and you can synchronize with another player over Wi-Fi. Wang and another Smule developer demonstrate the app by playing Phantom of the Opera on Leaf Trombone, harmonizing more or less in time.
11:04 a.m. PDT: Forstall retakes the stage, saying that Apple created the SDK to make developers successful. (They probably also wanted to sell more iPhones.) Now Forstall will talk about some of the new features in iPhone 3.0. And yes: copy and paste is coming to the iPhone.
11:05 a.m. PDT: "We've been working really hard to design an easy-to-use, straightforward user interface for cut, copy, and paste," Forstall said. He opens an e-mail message, and double-taps on a piece of text to select it, with grab points at the end of the text bubble and three buttons overhead the bubble with cut, copy, and paste options.
11:06 a.m. PDT: Kent German: "Now the good stuff...Hallelujah for cut, copy and paste."
11:08 a.m. PDT: Copy and paste works across all applications, not just mail. The Notes application is also demonstrated, showing how you can "select-all" from Notes and paste into an e-mail. You can also copy Web content, such as text from a Web page. This looks sort of like the text selector used in a PDF document, with four buttons on the four sides of a text bubble that let you expand your text bubble by dragging the button. If you messed up, shake the phone to undo any of the actions: cut, copy, or paste.
11:10 a.m. PDT: SMS messages can also be copied, as well as text from third-party apps. Photos are also included, with the ability to select a certain photo, copy it, and paste into a mail message. Kent German: "Cut, copy and paste seems easy to use, particularly with the movable grab points...like the shake to undo. Wondering if you can access a clipboard and if you can copy images on Web sites."
11:12 a.m. PDT: Landscape is the next feature Forstall plans to show. He's showing how you can read a Web page, for instance, in landscape mode, rather than the iPhone's usual portrait mode. The landscape keyboard that could be used in Web pages can now be used in all applications, particularly mail. That will be a key addition for e-mail addicts, and perhaps a concession that some people were finding the portrait keyboard difficult to use.
11:13 a.m. PDT: The text message application has also gotten a few new features, such as forwarding and deleting individual and multiple messages. "But the big news, for the messaging application, is that we're adding support for MMS."
11:16 a.m. PDT: There's a new voice memo application from Apple. Several third parties have built voice recorder applications in the meantime. Calendar is also getting an update. Last year, Calendar got support for Exchange synced over-the-air, and this year, Apple is adding support for CalDAV, a standard supported by Yahoo and Google used for shared calendars. The other is support for subscriptions, such as adding a sports team's schedule to your iPhone's Calendar.
11:17 a.m. PDT: Kent German: "Can't describe how needed the multimedia messaging functionality is. Though, I'm wondering if it's shameful that I'm getting excited about such a basic functionality."
11:18 a.m. PDT: Search is next, it's getting added to all main applications, including Mail. You can search text and headers in Mail as well as on the server. Calendar is now searchable, as well as your song library in the iPod.
11:20 a.m. PDT: Apple's Spotlight technology from Mac OS X is what's coming into the iPhone. A search bar will appear when you flick the home screen to the left, bringing up a search engine. Enter your search term into the Spotlight box, and it takes you right to that application, such as a contact, where you can dial or e-mail. Forstall notes that this is a much better way for iPhone owners with dozens of applications to launch specific application, rather than flicking through the various home screens to find the app you need.
Spotlight search added on home screen.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)11:22 a.m. PDT: Forstall reminds the crowd that 100 new features will arrive with iPhone 3.0, but that he doesn't have time to go through them all. You can sync notes with your Mac, use the "shake to shuffle" feature on the iPod Nano, and stereo Bluetooth, a much-requested missing feature from the current iPhone. Safari will have antiphishing technology and auto-fill. Parental controls can now be applied to the App Store, perhaps allowing you to block your kids from using those naughty fart applications. (Editor's note: After the presentation, Apple said it would not issue the complete list of the 100 new features today. So far, they're just making public the ones they announced during this presentation.)
News.com Poll
11:23 a.m. PDT: Kent German: "Surprised we get stereo Bluetooth. Surely an Apple stereo Bluetooth headset can't be far behind."
11:24 a.m. PDT: Forstall recaps the day's major news: the new SDK features and the new user features. Hopefully he's getting to the "when" question: when will this be ready?
11:25 a.m. PDT: Joswiak is coming back to announce when this will arrive. A developer beta will come first, and that's available today, and available to everyone in the iPhone Developer Program.
11:26 a.m. PDT: Interesting to note that they keep calling this "iPhone OS 3.0," which they had done informally for a while but seems to be coming into parlance now as an official term, distinct from Mac OS. Joswiak says the App Store is coming soon to additional countries in which it is now available.
11:27 a.m. PDT: "But how about the rest of us?" Joswiak promises to ship it "this summer," free to IPhone customers, and it will work on the original iPhone. Not all features will be available on the original iPhone, such as MMS and stereo Bluetooth.
11:27 a.m. PDT: It will cost $9.95 for iPod Touch customers, in keeping with the different accounting treatment Apple uses for the iPod Touch.
11:28 a.m. PDT: Kent German: "Too bad iPhone Classic users can't get MMS with the update. Interesting that the hardware changed that much."
11:28 a.m. PDT: Joswiak winds down by thanking everybody for coming. Developers are getting a little party upstairs, and the press is going to hang out for Q&A. Five-minute break, everybody.
11:33 a.m. PDT: Phil Schiller joins Forstall and Joswiak on stage to take questions. The first question, "Why did it take so long to get cut and paste on the iPhone?" Forstall says it's not obvious on how to do it, taking into account security issues and making it work nicely with the touch interface.
11:34 a.m. PDT: The next question concerns Flash, and Schiller says they have no announcements about Flash today. But Forstall says that HTML 5 video is supported, as well as h.264. There's now HTTP streaming for audio and video: "We actually think there are a lot of great video solutions for a single clip and live streaming solutions."
11:37 a.m. PDT: Another reporter wants to know about the peer-to-peer functionality. Forstall says the P2P connection is about a device-to-device Bluetooth connection, about using Bluetooth and Bonjour to make an IP connection. The accessory piece of this is handled differently, Forstall says.
11:38 a.m. PDT: The logical next question is whether you can trade files or music over this peer-to-peer capability. Joswiak says you can stream music to other apps, but he says it would be "confusing" to have applications that could download music from outside the iPod capability.
11:39 a.m. PDT: "Where do you guys stand on tethering?" That was a rumored capability for this release. Forstall says there are two pieces to support that, client side and carrier side. Client side support will be built into 3.0, but the carrier part is a work in progress, Forstall says. That sounds like it's coming as soon as the carriers decide to make it ready.
11:41 a.m. PDT: Apple is not going to make any kind of uptimes guarantees to developers regarding the push notification service, Forstall says in response to my question. Our own Larry Magid wants to know if external third-party microphones can be used with the voice memo application, and Joswiak says yes.
11:42 a.m. PDT: "Do you plan to deal with some of the performance issues in the current hardware?" Forstall says Apple takes performance very seriously, and that some of the units used in the demos suffer a bit because of the way they are tethered. No suggestions of better hardware on the horizon, as might be expected.
11:44 a.m. PDT: The original iPhone uses a different radio, which is why it can't support MMS. Forstall wonders how to respond to a question about access to another person's iPod library with the peer-to-peer connection, and Schiller isn't quite sure how to answer that either. That sounds like Apple hasn't exactly decided how the peer-to-peer application will interact with the iTunes/iPod franchise.
11:46 a.m. PDT: Harry McCracken wonders if Apple plans to get a bit more open about the App Store approval process, a well-documented source of frustration for developers. Schiller notes the growth of the App Store has been amazing and that customers want quality. He says they've improved the turnaround time, and let me correct something from earlier: Apple is quoting a 96 overall acceptance rate, not 98 percent we said above.
11:47 a.m. PDT: Schiller says Apple watches for profanity in the applications, as CNET's David Carnoy knows. The ability to use parental controls with applications should help get around some of the issues around objectionable content, Schiller says.
11:48 a.m. PDT: That's going to be the last question, and that's going to be all for this live blog. Stay tuned for all kinds of followup and reaction from across CNET, and, as always, thanks to everybody back on Second Street who make it possible to bring you these live blogs.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
By the time iphone releases 3.0, things like Toshiba TG01 will be out and about.
Compare the 2, and iphone gives too little, too late.
Maybe to its present owners but not to new ones.
Windows mobile has a larger market share (total) and more features, but one my one the iPhone, and other phones, will surpass windows mobile. Apple does not try to do all things at once but slowly build up it's products and make sure they work. Anything missing in iphone OS 3.0 will probably make it into 4.0.
Groundbreaking applications like...?
Feel free to list them.
Am I the only person who never needed to copy and paste anything on my iphone(s) - what is the big deal? Apple will probably provide this feature in this update, but I truly wonder how many people will actually use it? Can someone give me an example of when they would use it? Couldn't you just use the screencapture function of iPhone and save pages, text as an image?
However, I still wouldn't trade my iPhone for any other handset because what it does well, it does really well... much better than any other phone (I have several generations of Windows Mobile hand sets - including an HTC running 6.1)
I guess I am pragmatic about my phone... the iPhone is far from perfect, but its implementation and execution of those features that matter the most, is peerless.
In Mail, there's more than once I've wanted to respond to or forward an email, but didn't want to include the whole thread - holding down that Delete key is a major PITA on really long threads.
- to cut and paste part of websites (news articles, etc.) that I want to text or email to someone.
- to cut and paste and address or phone number to email or text to someone.
- cut and paste from one app to another (from text to email, from the web to all others)
- cut and paste contact details to send it along to someone else.
I could list three times more possibilities. I had a Treo before the iPhone that did cut and paste and I used it at least each week. Just because a few people do not find a use for it, there are equally as many others (or more) that have found it to be sinful that Apple did not have this from the start (it was why I did not buy an iPhone until I caught wind they were finally going to add it and so I bought one finally in the past few months - probably should have waited until this summer but having my iPod and a phone in one device was a bigger deciding factor). So, it is nice that this basic functionality is finally making it in - I give them no kudos on it, however, as it should have always been there...
Something I'm hoping for is Flash, so I can check radar loops from the NOAA website (which does not use Quicktime) instead of the dreaded Weather.com.
iPhone-friendly site: http://i.wund.com/
Regular site: http://www.wunderground.com/
Then perhaps yopu should put a leash on Applerocks guy or whatever his name is :-)
Also this is an open forum for everyone to start fights on, not apple forum. Some people love conflicts, and some just hate apple so much they would go out of their own way to insult it.
If you don't want to be attacked, don't attack first. Simple as that.
We all know windows Mobile is awesome. That's why there's so much buzz about how great it is, and why everyone is saying: 'sure, Windows 7 is cool, but who needs it on a phone? Windows Mobile 6.1 is da bomb." ... ;)
As an iPhone user, I can see your point. But you need to remember that a lot of it is pure jealousy. The iPhone is an expensive product, and many who would like it can't afford it - pure and simple. That said, I love it!
OTOH, as a Windows user, I think it cuts both ways. I am truly, truly tired of Vista being trashed - particularly by OS X and Linux users who've never used it. It is a fine operating system - there, I've said it - and this is coming from someone who regularly uses a couple of flavors of Linux as well. And, it isn't resource hungry or buggy or non user-friendly or ya da ya da, as many would purport. It runs just fine for me, never crashes, and looks great while doing it.
But back to your point, I think too often people look to justify their own purchases at the expense of others because that way they don't truly have to critically examine their decisions. I can't believe I'm actually writing this at work ... I need a life!
Because you did it in a sarcastic, insulting manner. Seriously, you sound like Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons.
Everyone here already knows that cut n paste is widely available on other smartphones. You clearly just came here to be a smug jerk about it. Nobody is buying your "Huh? Why are you offended by my innocent little comment?" routine. You're just another troll.
as mory says, iPhone users coming to these blog KNOW what is missing, and are interested in finding out what has been added/fixed. So someone trolling along, being confrontational saying how great a competing product is adds nothing. That stuff can wait for the myriad other threads linked to opinion pieces. This is simply a live blog update. Not the same thing.
And for anyone who thinks that Spotlight is just some 'search' thing or that somehow Apple is copying Spotlight from Palm? They need to actually use a mac before making such silly comments. Spotlight is superior to any other search function I've ever used on any platform, and the reality is, Apple wanted to wait to bring search to the iPhone until they could figure out how to get it to be Spotlight. Not sure if that was the right move (as I didn't buy an iPhone yet because I couldn't search emails), but Spotlight will have made it worth the wait.
zincmann - Still here? Why are you following the apple 3.0 discussion, sounds like you have the phone you want? Why do we get offended you ask - that's a funny question. Gosh, I have no idea...
It's not 'natural' for us to follow windows mobile discussions, we have NO interest at all in a windows mobile phone and can't add any value to those types of discussions. I guess you wanted to use that clever word 'iphony' hunh! That was cute. Did you copy and paste that line from some of your other forum posts? Can you work in the word 'fanboy' also - that would be thrilling. Not as thrilling as a slide out keyboard, but pretty close...
You see - I am a 'fangirl'. Someone who decided long ago that quality was more important than quantity. For Apple fanboys and girls like myself who lived through the dark ages of Apple's history and decided that we would never, ever buy a PC while a viable Mac option still existed on the planet that would boot with that happy little chime - we will never find value outside of our vaunted apple experience.
I guess you can say I 'drank the Kool-Aid' because I don't see anything wrong the Apple guarding the experience for me by restricting the content on my phone. It is a novel device, and while I respect the right for those technophiles among us who desire to have enerything and the kitchen sink running on every device they own, I subscribe to the philosophy that less is more (and believe that bloatware is what sunk Vista at the outset).
So I don't feel the need to 'defend' my preferences. My loooong history using apple products has led me to the point where I feel that they are more inline with my personal methods of computing than any PC platform available to date. As for the argument that I'm somehow missing something with my 'locked' phone... I think that argument is made by those who are missing the point. If you need a device that offers you more than this one does - then excercise your right in the free market and purchase it. But don't malign others with other proclivities. Please.
There is nothing wrong with being a fanboy (or fangirl, or fan-whatever) as long as you admit it. Its all down to perosnal preference, and if apple products are good for you, or anyone, then more power to you. I just hate it when the same apple people who claim to be so sophisticated and above everyone else go on and bash windows or anything remotely resembling windows for no reason other than making themselves feel better by pointing out imaginary superior features of apple.
And iPhone is great, of course if it weren't on ATT and had an actual keyboard... But thats personal preference.
Oh and one point people are missing about Apple is that the reason they take so long to roll out with features and such is because of all the testing that is done to make sure there are no conflicts or problems. Unlike other companies that just slap features together and hope they work.
And while most of you are complaining because zincmann said something you don't like to hear, you already spent many times that same space just to attack him.
YES, it is a little pathetic that the one feature everyone seems to expect for a 2009 smartphone is... copy and paste. Almost everyother smartphone has one.
This kind of reactions does make, sadly, the expression "apple fan boy" more and more meaningful...
Now shall we discuss what to expect besides that pathetic little function?
Tethering? Now THAT would be great. It could actually make by on of those.
Perhaps you should ask yourself if that fact that we would like something as 'trivial' as copy/paste means that we really don't need anything else form our device. As for tethering - that is ATT, not the phone.
What's this "EVERYONE" expects cut and paste? I haven't and no one I know has complained about it. If you read some of the posts others have mentioned the same. Just because a few vocal people have complained, doesn't mean it should be at the top of Apple's list. Those same complainers are only now being vocal because Apple has finally added it in version 3 of the software.
Pros on the Iphone
* SAFARI Mobile works better than IE 5 Mobile
* A real music player
* App store
Cons on the iphone:
* No MS OFFICE Mobile (this feature works great on pocket pcs)
* No keyboard, as well im used to tapping keys, not a screen
Yes i have played with the iphone enough to see the pluses and minuses on Apples creation, so there, it is just a matter of what u like, and what you can afford. Done
Verizon PN-820
Windows Mobile 5.0 Standard
It comes down to the economy of need for me.
I have had an iphone since 2.0, and I can't say that I am missing any feature. The ability to make calls, browse the internet on a true web browser, listen to music, access multiple email accounts, use visual voice mail, and use a real web browser to me is still amazing. I have not yet reached the point where I can spend more time than that on a mobile device.
I have bought some apps, but only use a few for weather, news, and linkedin.
Occasionally, the ability to use bluetooth to sync notes back and forth with my laptop seems useful. But maybe a handful of times throughout a year -- maybe. Or to transfer a file back and forth.
The ability to shoot short videos would be cool, and I would use that. So that would be my only wish list item for 3.0.
If I may ask - what is multitasking?
But, if apps run in the background it may be difficult to be sure they have quit when you return to the home screen and will likely affect battery life adversely. I would be glad to wait a while longer to be sure it works perfectly, but would like that feature too.
Looks like your wish has been fulfilled. The one thing I wonder about is that a lot of other phones and small computing devices can do multitasking without much hassle. I'm also guessing this is going to eliminate the possibility of cut and paste. Without a shared memory space you can't cut and paste between apps. They should be able to do it within an app though.
AT&T is like Vista for me ... It's almost as though people kept repeating the mantra that AT&T s**ks long enough that it really stuck. I'm fine with AT&T's service (except for the outrageous cost). And, in retrospect, it's become quite clear that Apple was the problem with respect to coverage prior to version 2.1 of the OS.
I think Verizon regrets that they wouldn't subsidize the phone to bring the price point down.
As far as MMS - I send mms using my mail app to any number that has mms using the phone number through the carriers mms port. Non-issue.
As my MacBook runs windows XP natively in it's own FAT32 partition, I'd love for you to tell me what my Mac can't do.
????
am I missing something but can Pcs run OSX or emulate OSX apps ?
So I wonder who's catching up to who again ?
Apple never play catchup they create new rules !
we r taking legalities here not innovation
pure and simple rules of the law !
I would love to use one of those hakintoshes at work
as I need both Tiger and Windows XP
but I need a Mac specifically a Macbook to do that legally !
A Dell running OSX would be great
but Fans of OSX will not find value in a Dell or a Hakintosh n e way !
as we care more about other things than spec sheets and millions of ports !
"The sky is red"
'Actually its blue!'
"No I obviously meant that the sky, when seen through these red filters, is red"
'uhhh... okee doke'
Ok ok, I usually really respect your posts because you seem to be one of the few balanced people out here... but can I just say that was the best post ever? I've never laughed out loud (literally) at work. /tiphat
And seven7dust - OSx having to use windows emulators is actually seen by many as a flaw in that the pure system on its own isn't enough :o This is where the market share arguement comes in as a valid point. It is enough for the Mac software but Mac software isn't perfect either. We all have preferences. To me, Mac OS is the WoW of OSs. Heaps of users love it but I think it is corny, cartoony and dumbed down, so I don't like it. My personal preference is all. So I'd never emulate OSx on my PC. That being said, I hate using the windows emulators on my Mac, not only do many programs not work well but there is too much memory gone. I have the Mac for some things and the PC for others. And yes, my PC dual (dare I say duel??) boots but until now (?) the Mac couldn't.
I guess, in summary, I'm saying the sky is really green (/giggle)
Um and to the 'this is an Apple forum' proponants, it is not. It is a CNET thread and there are many of us that are both apple and PC users so yes, we read both types of threads as we aren't isolationist and intolerant of other people's choices.
Finally some reason and openmindedness! Yay! :)
I found with the intelligent typing on my iPhone I type wicked fast even without keys. I didn't have any problems with my old blackberry, except that since I had a corporate discount it would not let me setup mail to anything other than my enterprise e-mail account. since my work didn't pay for my phone I didn't want work e-mail. Now I can manage all my e-mails, and my 16 y/o loves my old blackberry since the qwerty is a major upgrade for him.
I wish I had more advance notice about upcoming Apple stuff, but I really do appreciate the fact that announcements aren't made until things are ready - and ship dates aren't pie-in-the-sky randomness that gets pushed back for months. I'm somewhat surprised that this is a preview.
;)
- by Jonnygthedrummer March 17, 2009 8:40 AM PDT
- Hey guys, im looking at getting the iPod Touch today,, should i wait for the 3.0 software -- if it effects the ipod touch
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
-
- by Brunogirl March 17, 2009 8:43 AM PDT
- Since the last major software update was a purchased update - you might want to get more information first. The original iPod touch buyers who got their touches with 1.0 had to buy the 2.0 update.
- Like this
-
- by 1812dave March 17, 2009 8:50 AM PDT
- If I were you, yes, I would wait for the new OS release.
- Like this
-
- by Brunogirl March 17, 2009 8:52 AM PDT
- OMG agreement!!! Wow - this CNET universe is a wonderous place. ;)
- Like this
-
- by Jonnygthedrummer March 17, 2009 9:06 AM PDT
- how much was it , i woulnt mind that much, an would i mostly be able to upgrade, since the ipod touch in only lke 6 months old
- Like this
-
- by Brunogirl March 17, 2009 9:13 AM PDT
- I think it was $10 or something. I would at least wait until the announcement to see what the plan is and then figure out if it is worth it to buy now and upgrade later or wait.
- Like this
-
- by Jonnygthedrummer March 17, 2009 9:15 AM PDT
- i would wait , todays my only day to get out an will be out when the event is going on,,,,
- Like this
-
- by Brunogirl March 17, 2009 9:17 AM PDT
- From the information I've seen it won't be available today. And from past experience when new software is available for existing hardware, the devices already in the stores have the older software pre-loaded (see iLife '09)...
- Like this
-
- by Jonnygthedrummer March 17, 2009 9:35 AM PDT
- cool ok , i think ill get it today , then just pay $10 for the update.
- Like this
-
- by Brunogirl March 17, 2009 9:39 AM PDT
- No one knows if the update will be $10 or not. Be prepared in the event that reality doesn't live up to expectations based on past performances.
- Like this
-
- by Synthmeister March 17, 2009 12:07 PM PDT
- $9.95 was the price they mentioned. And apparently it will unlock some kind of Bluetooth functionality in the 2nd generation touch. Not surprising since the 2nd generation touch has the built in NIke software which uses bluetooth to talk to the little transmitter.
- Like this
-
Showing 1 of 7 pages (265 Comments)or will i be able to update it??
See - we're not so different, just different enough.
LOL
an would the update come out today , or would it be a little while, days, weeks???
thanks guys
From Ars Technica transcription:
Snell from Macworld: Compatibility questions. What about Bluetooth and the iPod touch.
11:43
David Chartier: Second gen iPod touch can get some of that functionality unlocked, Joswiak says.