Manage updates with the Download AppJanuary 10, 2007 2:47 PM PST
A heavy load for the iPhone to bear
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But it's not really a smart phone if you have to use two hands. A consequence of the Multitouch input system is that two hands are required to navigate through the iPhone, whether that's scrolling through contacts, answering another call, searching the Web or just about anything else that Jobs did during his keynote speech.
News.com Poll
Smart-phone designers have focused on making their devices one-handed for years, after everyone got sick of using styluses on their PDAs. Will they be willing to go back to two-handed navigation to experience the rich graphics and full Internet experience delivered by the iPhone?
Also, unless you've got a whole OCD hand-washing thing going on, are you prepared to see fingerprint smudges all over your beautiful iPhone? The select few who actually got to play with an iPhone on Tuesday, including David Pogue of the New York Times, raised this concern but said Apple put a lot of effort into selecting a surface that would resist smudges or at least be easy to clean. Pogue did note that typing on the touch screen is not easy, because you can't feel the ridges of a key like you can with a BlackBerry or Treo.
Price: Apple defenders will remember the outcry against the initial price of the iPod back in 2001. And, of course, that came down over time. But let's face it, the iPhone is expensive.
At $499 for 4GB and $599 for 8GB, the iPhone comes in at, or near, the top of the smart-phone market. Jobs defended the price by saying those other smart phones don't have an iPod video inside and that $499 is what it would cost to buy an iPod plus a smart phone from another company. But are people willing to ditch their iPod Nanos and current cell phones for the iPhone? With only a maximum of 8GB of storage at launch, heavy video users or iPod consumers with big music collections may not be motivated to get rid of their 30GB or 40GB iPods.
And don't forget, the iPhone will only be available through Cingular and requires a two-year contract. Cingular is the largest carrier in the U.S., but potential customers who don't use Cingular might have to break contracts with other carriers and face hefty penalties if they want an iPhone. Sprint, for example, would charge $150 for early termination of one of its contracts.
Data service through Cingular--a must to tap into the Internet browsing of the iPhone--costs at least $19.95 a month for unlimited data. You might be able to get away with a metered data plan for $9.99 if you are often within range of a Wi-Fi hot spot.
Plenty of similar concerns accompanied the introduction of the iPod five years ago, and it's clear how that device worked out for Apple. Many analysts believe the iPhone is just the first generation of Apple's push into the mobile phone market and that future versions might well answer some of the questions about the initial device.
Jobs declared he'll consider the iPhone a success if by the end of 2008 the company garners 1 percent of the near-billion cell phones sold every year. Both companies are betting that mobile phone customers are ready for a new type of device and that they'll abandon their other carriers for a chance to use the iPhone.
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Apple iPhone, Apple Computer, Cingular Wireless, EDGE, Steve Jobs
104 comments
Join the conversation! Add your comment
Personally, I agree the costly and sloooooow data access provided by this device and Cingular are going to be a real drag on adoption. Road warriors used to the speed of 3G access are not going to want to go back to dial-up speeds.
changed the way everyone will look at their mobil devices. It is
hands down the most revolutionary piece of equipment to be
mass-produced in years. The touch screen alone will send the
entire industry into a tail spin.
This is the first generation of many to come and I seriously think
that ALL of Apples peers will feel a serious pinch! Out of 100
people that I was in contact with today, 100 are on board with
the iPhone...
I have had several "smart-phones" and they have all pretty
much... Well, sucked.
how to use them.
No, 4 or 8 gigs is fine until you start messing around with video. I know, my PSP has a 4gb memory card, and after converting a few movies you run out of space fast.
With degrading the video or audio quality too much, a 2 hour movie is roughly 800Mbytes, sometimes a little less with the latest mpeg codecs. Convert all 3 LOTR extended edition movies and you have no space left for anything but savegames.
Anyhow, I'm sure larger sized versions will eventually come out, I reckon they'll have 32 or even 100gb versions within 18 months of the initial launch - either that or an sd card slot (which they could still add if they chose, and would solve pretty much all the storage issues).
The only meaningful issue for me is the touch screen. I don't particularly like these. I don't like screen protectors, they make sleek and sexy devices look nasty, and I don't like scratching up beautiful screens by the constant cleaning required to remove smudges and fingerprints.
It doesn't matter how well the screen resists such things, they'll still appear, and they'll still need to be removed if you want to keep the screen looking pristine.
Also I rely on the feel of a real keyboard to type or dial without needing to watch as I'm typing.
On the plus side I hate using a stylus even more, so I wouldn't call this a deal killer.
I would prefer a real keyboard or at least a scroll wheel of some kind. If you could switch between the keypad and the classic scroll wheel I might forgive the fingerprints (I don't know if this can be done or not - it's just something I would like).
So when they release an unlocked version, as I'm sure they will if they're serious about selling tens of millions of them, with decent internal storage and a media card slot of some kind - this phone will be as good as it can be.
Nothing on the phone is particularly revolutionary, its more a natural progression to the next level of OS we'd expect given the low cost and reduced power/size of mobile processors these days.
Fortunately for Apple, PocketPC has been around long enough to show exactly what you shouldn't do with a mobile OS, and I imagine the scaled version of OSX they've produced is probably top quality.
I reckon the deciding factor as to whether this phone becomes as popular and as successful as the iPod will simply come down to availability of an unlocked version. By the time this happens it should be a similar price to a 30gig iPod and probably have a similar amount of storage if not more - and they won't be able to produce enough of the buggers to meet demand.
Will people buy it...sure. Will Apple constrict the supply to drive up the hype...oh hell yes.
Parris Hilton is the type of person I see this phone with.....lots of money and flash.
I like my phone, PDA and mp3 player all seperate and so do lots of people.
Do I use it?
Not at all. I got it because was a 19" LCD screen in an armored metal case and that was what I wanted. The touchscreen part really is a non-issue and not terribly useful.
The new phone isn't a PDA. It's a phone (with poor call quality according to reviewers already messing with it at MacExpo now), a music player, and web browser. None of this is special and all has been done before, better, and cheaper.
I'll admit that Apple's case will likely be damned sexy looking though. They always have had good product design. Is that worth $300 more than a similar product that can do more for less? I don't see it happening.
1. will it have a memory card slot?
regardless of format, sony mem sticks, sd cards (of all varients), are reaching 4+ Gb. I heard there is a 32Gb SD card on the way. Absolutly key for this phone (considering the price) is the ability to upgrade/add memory.
2. why would people by a locked phone in the US?
that is, those of us who thought we might buy one all agreed wede wait until the EU release and buy an unlocked unit. No one I know speaks highly of Cingular/ATandT and would not lock into a 2 year contract with them.
deal with either Vodafone or Orange.
Interestingly, although the iPhone features a sealed battery, there is an external slot allowing easy access to the SIM card.
Europe and Asia. Not just the US.
2. Just because you "can do" all of that stuff with your Blackjack doesn't mean the market isn't there for something that might actually do it better.
3. It's not just Cingular forever. Cripes, you'd think it's impossible to make the think work on 3G... ever. I'm thinking it will, at some point.
4. Read the reports from people (tech reporters ) who have actually used the thing. They're pretty unanimous about it being a game changer.
5. If you like your current smart phone, fine. I hate mine (Treo) and would jump at something that works better.
6. Imagine: A smart phone that is actually FUN to use. Oh, right... business is business and isn't supposed to be fun.
Everyone take a breath. I haven't seen it. I'm going by what peopel who have (See NY Times reporter's impressions, for example) who think it's something good. Imagine one more thing: A cellular phone company that actually thinks about how a human being might use a phone.
Back to the complaints. It doesn't levitate. How can I possibly be expected to pay $500 for something that only plays movies, music, browses the Web, makes phone calls, etc. I need it to freakin' levitate.
Does all the same stuff, less memory (2gig with memory card) Has 3G, lots of software will run on it, and it will have push to talk.
Oh and its $399 with a plan...not $599. I am aslo going to bet that Sprint and Verizon wil have one like this soon since its a HTC phone and the all have WM5 HTC phones right now.
First of all you conveniently quoted the higher priced of TWO
available models - $499 & $599.
Scrolling! Audio conferencing?, Google alliance (you won't see
MS ally with Google), Push-to-talk isn't far off
- less memory (2gig with memory card). The iPhone Starts at 6
GIGABYTES, and 8 GIG.
Did you see how images *automatically* rotate from picture to
landscape when you change the iPhone's position? The interface
has it all over Windows Mobil too. One is Business, one is
Personal (but can do business, contacts...) and FUN! Check out
the multifuntion headset as well.
Has 3G, lots of software will run on it, and it will have push to
talk. Jobs talked about 3G (see demo online), it helps if you have
a 3G network available in the USA!
>Oh and its $399 with a plan...not $599.
Apple won't stop innovating, it's not coming out until June.
to buy something that has limited OS capabilities.
down by looking at the total package....
Cingular 8525 - $399 + only 2GB microSD card ~$119 = $518
Add to that multiple different applications from weather to stock
tracking at around $20/each. Include a mediocre media player,
a buggy, unintuitive OS, then package it in a bulky package.
Apple iPhone - 4GB for $499 or 8GB for $599
Apple has included EVERYTHING that a multifunction device like
this should be (minus the 3G support if it's that important to
you), packaged it with an amazingly powerful OS, very intuitive
UI, and a sleek design, and is still selling the device for less than
it would cost to get anything comparable from the current
market leaders.
After having used Windows Mobile since the Motorola MPx200
and desperately wanting the Cingular 8525, I'll be waiting until
June for the iPhone.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.jdpower.com/telecom/ratings/wireless/index.asp" target="_newWindow">http://www.jdpower.com/telecom/ratings/wireless/index.asp</a>
The last time I checked Consumer Reports, Cingular was also poorly rated.
gives them best overall?
I will go by my own experiences thank you.
able to be had with the iphone for price of 19.95 which is
cingulars media max plan. But, as much as i would like this to be
true other smart phones from cingular require the purchase of their
data plan which is like 40$ plus the text messaging which is a
minimum of $4.99. The iphone browser is of higher quality any
way. So can someone verify this because I just dont see it being
possible
But it's not totally clear what Cingular plans to do, so we changed the reference to "at least" if Cingular decides to charge a higher fee. We'll check in with them.
better rate than thier other data/internet plans as part of thier
exclusive deal with Apple
phones (Motorola and SonyEricsson) had a AT-modem included
so I was able to dial-up with my PowerBook through bluetooth
or infrared.
We'll have to wait until the end of the year to get the iPhone here
in Europe. I had been thinking about flying over to the states to
buy one once it becomes available. However I guess it'll be SIM-
locked and cannot be used with other carriers. It's also still
unclear if any scripting/programing can be done on the iPhone.
That would be my main reason to get one.
Additional software like Terminal and a WAP browser should also
be included. The SMS feature should allow to send SMS to all of
your contacts at the same time (i.e. Holiday greetings).
My first mobile phone was an unlocked Motorola Timeport. At
the time it also cost me $900, so the iPhone still comes in
cheaper.
printer drivers for one. HELLO???
including some pretty low end bloggers have been granted one-
on-one access as well as hands-on time. All they have to do is ask!
And no one wants to buy music off mobile networks.
for now.
Browsing and buying music/games/ringtones
on PC/iTunes is more practical.
These network operators doesnt think nor innovate,
yet still makes so much money.
of today's smartphones already perform, pretty much the way
that today's cars perform the same tasks that horse and buggies
did in the 19th century or digital watches do what sundials once
did. The importance of this device isn't simply convergence, the
melding of iPod and phone, but rather integration, intuitive
function, and ease of use.
Anyone who has seriously used a modern smartphone
understands the serious limitations that these devices suffer as a
result of poor UI and OS implementation. My current phone is a
Motorola Q and it is a long way from being the ideal phone. The
form factor is fine but I find it lacking on multiple fronts.
Frankly, there isn't a device on the market that fulfills all my
needs and judging from my colleagues and peers I suspect I am
far from being alone. Phones like the Q and Treo may have
media players built in, but these functions are afterthoughts.
The iPhone is exactly the kind of device that should have been
released years ago. Microsoft has had seven years of experience
in this marketplace and failed to create a truly workable product,
instead releasing an unintuitive Windows Mobile with a cluttered
interface and a buggy, slow, and disabled OS. The closest to the
dream mobile platform was the Clie NR-70 series- It had the
right form factor and a workable OS, even emphasizing photo
and video in later models with decent software support, but no
integrated phone. A missed opportunity.
Apple has simply done what MS has proven unable to do, what
Sony-Ericcson can't commit to doing, and Palm has chosen not
to do- To create a truly smart device, relying on software rather
than user expertise as well as software integration. For a first
gen device the iPhone, or whatever it ends up being called, is
incredibly ambitious and hits the sweet spot on a number of
fronts in addressing the failures and myopia of others. I
welcome it to the marketplace and look forward to using it.
It has a true phone keyboard (retractable) which is not as cool but it is MUCH more functional to ACTUALLY MAKE PHONE CALLS, NOT TO LOOK AT THE PHONE.
The camera? A 5 MP model, not a 2 MP like in Apple's toy. And capable of recording video in VGA @ 30 FPS...
Oh, by the way: IT HAS A GPS RECEIVER BUILT IN! Now, that is revolutionary! A true revolution, in terms of functionality, not in terms of being cool!
Oh, yes, and it will cost... around $600, i.e., the same as the Apple Phone...