Apple Announces The iPhone

[pubwvj]

Bingo!!! Apple has finally released my long requested iPal (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?referrerid=59552&t=221154) handheld Macintosh. The cellular contract is a bit of a bummer, especially since I don't have cellular phone coverage here, but that will go away in time. Now I'll start saving my pennies... Anyone want a pig?

[CaptainCaveMann]

Can you buy it at the Apple store? Or do you have to buy it from cingular? :confused:

[evilgEEk]

To all those complaining about the Cingular exclusivity:

I would love it if this phone was available on Verizon, since that's who I have, but this isn't possible because some of the biggest features are on the network side, as far as I understand.

Take Visual Voicemail, this feature wouldn't work on any other carrier because they don't support it. Only Cingular supports it. Why would Apple want to make their phone available on other networks when some of the bigger features can't even be used?

Of course I could be wrong about this, someone with more knowledge might be able to say more....

[tvernor]

I would pay a $1,000.00 for the phone, been waiting for it for a while. You could not pay may enough to go back to cingular though. So i guess i will call sprint and get a replacement phone for my crappy treo.

Cingular is a sorry excuse for a cell phone provider.

[icsedge1]

a quick check of the Cingular site shows that for what i get now from Sprint for 63 bucks and change would be over 100 there. and that would NOT include my 6:00pm N/W or my Sprint TV Live. eh, not looking to double my cell phone bill every month.

and - no 3g. deal breaker. my 920 gets used more for data than it does for calls. ain't no way i will ever buy a slower data device than the one i am using. ever.

Sedge

[aswitcher]

Does this thing have GPS?

[slffl]

I would have LOVED this phone if it would have been 3G!!! But EDGE only? Definitely not worth the money. And what happened to computers?

[retrospek]

I really want this iPhone. I think Apple will have a top seller with this product.

Just need to wait now for it to come to the UK :mad: and I really hope you can buy it sim free without a contract. I really DON'T want any network crap on the phone (like Vodafone Live !)..

Come on December.. Can't wait...

[revfife]

Gotta love Macrumors:

1. Hype builds to uncontrolled levels.
2. Product comes out to spectacular design and great innovation.
3. Product doesn't match hype. (i.e. no multiple carriers, no 120 GB HD, no 3 week battery life, too wide, too heavy, not available in white)
4. People complain, whine, yell, and scream that this is Apple's downfall.
5. Product releases and is embraced by the mass consumer.
6. Repeat step one.

P.S. AS of right now, it seems to be GSM only, because GSM is the only standard available worldwide. (Apple is looking at the Global market, not just the insulated U.S. market)

[thedude110]

There was some mention of "it knows where you are", so does it have gps?
Also, no mention of the screen material. It is obviously big and vulnerable, so zirconium or something?

My biggest concern. If I'm going to be dragging my fingers all over this thing, and if I'm going to be rubbing it all over my face, I need a durable screen.

Yes, Cingular only is dumb. Who knows how long that exclusive relationship is though. Hopefully only 6 months or so. I can handle leaving T-Mobile (my 2 years has long since expired) to get this phone.

I'm quite please that it doesn't come out until June- that gives me more than enough time to put a little bit of money aside for it. :)

According to CNN (http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/09/technology/apple_jobs/index.htm?cnn=yes), the phone is exclusive with Cingular/ATT through 2009.


4. The return of the Newton?

Return of the Newton and beyond. Everyone complaining about Cingular is missing the point -- this thing isn't a phone. It's a mobile device that happens to have a phone on it. Say hello to the PDA, realized.

And this is just a first draft.

[technicolor]

Absolutely fantastic this phone!


booooooooo@ all you complainers ,whiners and pissy pants:rolleyes:

[cheekyspanky]

Well the technology looks amazing, but by the time its out in the UK you can guarantee that the other phone manufacturers will have had plenty of time to work on their product as well. (and work around all of those new Apple patents..) I kind of hope that the UK doesn't get the 1st gen iPhone, but a 2nd gen 3G/HSDPA version with a higher res camera and more storage, which would be more in tune with the rest of the market by that point.

I wonder how they will price it in the UK, I'm certainly not going to pay anywhere near £300 - £350 for a phone that's tied into a contract. It would be unusual I think for most UK'ers to spend anywhere near that on a phone, unless it's an unlocked one that's just been released.

[swingerofbirch]

Did they mention what the wifi was for?

So do you use the Internet functions over your wifi connection or over cingular, or does it seamlessly switch depending on where you are?

As an aside, even though I am a Verizon customer, my biggest hope, which seems to be shared by you all, was an unlocked phone--not one that would just conveniently happen to fit my plan.

I think a lot of people's hopes were riding on Apple. If any device could convince a large number of people to go out and pay way more for an unsubsidized phone without a contract it would have been this one. And if it became popular other manufacturers would start building those types of phones and the prices would come down because of competition. And eventually we'd be in SIM-card heaven....ahh summers in Sweden...anyhow, I was dissapointed because what I MOST wanted to see was leopard, a new UI in particular.....

This keynote ---I haven't seen it yet--was odd in that it announced two products that don't yet exist to the public, and unabashedly used a trademarked name ---iPhone......

[Rocket850]

Time will tell. Some people have vision, some people don't. :cool:

Vision?...Did you notice the iphone looks like the Newton?

[gauriemma]

I am just surprised why we just don't have a widescreen ipod. just the ipod with 100gig storage. That's what I was hoping for.


Give it a few months. Once the iPhone is out and about, that form factor and graphical interface will be incorporated into the next (widescreen, natch) iPod.

[kansaigaijin]

Fido and Rogers provide GSM service in Canada.

Rogers is notorious for letting customers bills go sky high if the phone is stolen and trying to force the unfortunate victim to pay the bill. Keep a close watch on your Rogers phone.

[Multimedia]

Absolutely fantastic this phone! booooooooo@ all you complainers ,whiners and pissy pants:rolleyes:NOT!

For the first time I realize Apple is no longer making products for me. It's gonna cost $60 of more per month to use all those features about 90% of which I have no use for at all. The tech is wonderful. Waiting 6 months to get one is also a very bad thing. In any event like I said before I ain't switching from Verizon to Cingular for no freaking Apple phone no matter how "cool" it may be. It ain't that cool from where I sit which is 99% at the desktop Not On The Road which I have retired from. :rolleyes:

[madmaxmedia]

The UI on this thing kills everything else, including the various Windows Mobile iterations. Not just the touchscreen, but the way the GUI takes advantage of the touchscreen, as well as the motion sensor and proximity detector.

Since such touchscreen products have already been available in Windows phones for awhile, it blows my mind that they're not even close.

The interface is also key to the way everything is integrated- Google, contacts, phone, photos, blah blah blah...THIS is what a smartphone is supposed to be like.

Pricing is a bit ahead of the curve right now, but wait until next year when memory prices are cheaper. Apple doesn't drop prices a lot, but if you look at the iPod, you will see that cost improvements are passed onto consumers.

This is the next big thing for Apple, and has a chance to be right up there with the Mac and the iPod.

What I'm wondering is what kind of additional apps will be possible. Widgets are obvious, and actually will be much cooler on the iPhone than on Macs. I like the square icons, there should be some way of organzing additional apps/widgets though.

[bowens]

I'm sure that everyone complaining about the iPhone not being unlocked would have complained even louder if Apple had released an unlocked version for a nice price of $999.95.

[emotion]

Come on December.. Can't wait...

Q4 starts in October.

[QFace]

The new interface and touchscreen are truly amazing, but for 499/599 I'd hope these aspects would be better utilized.

A Word and Powerpoint editor would truly make this device complete and justify the price. Without these pieces of software (and without 3G support), Apple's implementation of a smartphone has some serious limitations.

[TonicAngel]

I apologize if this has been answered I can't keep up with the thread. :o

On apples site they say the iphone is used with wifi... does that mean Cingular hot spots or like your regular internet at home? :confused:

God I hate Cingular, but maybe in a year when my Verizon contract is up Cingulars service might have picked up a bit as far as covering my house. :D

[rog]

$3000-ouch!
Ok, so about $100 for a low end phone plan with unlimited data over 24 months=$2400 min to use this phone like it's supposed to, plus the initial $599. I was talking to a friend about getting a Treo at Cingular, but they don't have their own product replacement plan that lets you walk into a store and get a replacement if you drop yours and break it of it gets stolen. I needed to swap my Treo 600 twice with Sprint and that alone was worth the $6 per month. Cingular sends you to a 3rd party company. Can you say headaches? People are going to drop this thing left and right like they do any cell phone. I hope that screen is made of something that doesn't exist yet, like a magic force field or something, because there are going to be a lot of people with $600 bricks and a junky contract several months from now.

[tylerboyo]

what are the capabilites of using this as sat nav with google earth, or any other sat nav application? ill probly wait till the 2nd 1 comes out, hopefully with ichat.

[Thanatoast]

I can't believe the amount of bitching on this thread. Steve Jobs could've announce he was giving away 100 dollar bills and you'd complain about having to send him a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

This phone will be bigger than the iPod. It's the convergence device everyone's been waiting for. All you naysayers may now practice hanging your heads in shame when this thing takes off.

[stealthboy]

I was ready to pay $600...

...Until I heard about the Cingular lock-in. Here in the D.C. area Cingular has the absolute worst coverage. Why, Apple, why?

[AtHomeBoy_2000]

On apples site they say the iphone is used with wifi... does that mean Cingular hot spots or like your regular internet at home? :confused:

It can do WiFi anywhere ther eis WiFi, and it can do Wireless internet anywhere over EDGE (which is NOT cheap).

[Evangelion]

not only is this a great product, i'm excited because iphone shows us what 6g ipod will look like. imagine:

- keep the ui, form-factor and the os
- replace the flash with a hd
- remove cell-phone functiobality, wifi and camera
- keep the bluetooth for bluetooth-headphones and other uses

there you have it, 6g ipod. an ipod that would blow zune and others out of the market. sell the two models at $299 and $399 ($50 more than current ipod). i would say that we will have this in 2-3 months. r&d is already done.

iphone shows us the future of ipod. if apple releases a product i described above, i will be first in line to buy one.

[madmaxmedia]

Well the technology looks amazing, but by the time its out in the UK you can guarantee that the other phone manufacturers will have had plenty of time to work on their product as well. (and work around all of those new Apple patents..)

No one has matched OS X yet, and how long has that been around?

Other companies will try to copy features as quickly as possible. But companies have also been trying to copy the iPod for years. And the iPhone is even more reliant on the OS and GUI than the iPod.

Obviously it could be cheaper, have more capacity, and be available yesterday. But on the whole, I think Apple has done a bang-up job here.

The exclusive deal with Cingular was probably necessary due to the power of the wireless carriers. This is the only way that Apple could get favorable marketing, revenue, etc. from the iPhone. It will probably be hacked at one point anyways for unlocking.

[MrFirework]

YES! Exactly what I was hoping for. Come June, I'll be one of the fotunate ones.

And to all the naysayers, I say this: look back at the original postings from when the iPod was released. Y'all sound kinda the same!

[Diatribe]

We will see an iPod widescreen at some point.

The reason why it is exclusive is probably because of network features and money that I am sure Cingular is paying Apple for each unit sold. Otherwise this phone would have cost even more.


Now if the phone is locked to one sim, this is where it gets ugly as you can't move out of any country without making your phone useless. This would be the worst move ever and I think has legal problems in some countries.

[MacinJosh]

The resolution is 480x320, which is a 1.5:1 and not 16:9. Yet, the widescreen videos that they demoed filled the screen. So, either the iPhone displays them at an incorrect aspect ratio, or the video was encoded in 1.5:1 aspect ratio.

Joshua.

[Tomaz]

Lol good one, but seriously I was wondering that as well, does it have gps built in???

Any mobile phone can be located by the phone company anytime when it's switched on. That should answer your question. ;)

[firsttube]

Fantastic! Palm's CEO going to be eating his words now. 1%. That's funny. They are going to blow by that in the first month. :eek:

In what, July?

[dante@sisna.com]

I can't believe the amount of bitching on this thread. Steve Jobs could've announce he was giving away 100 dollar bills and you'd complain about having to send him a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

This phone will be bigger than the iPod. It's the convergence device everyone's been waiting for. All you naysayers may now practice hanging your heads in shame when this thing takes off.

Bingo. Amazing isn't it?

I would never have guessed this level of negativity and lack of vision. This shows me why some are leaders, and others follow.

This iPhone changes the entire equation for ALL of us: users, developers, etc. It will push the entire industry in all areas: desktop, phones, MP3 Players, Video, etc.

It is the revolution.

Apple stock up 7% -- Blackberry and other smartphone makers down 5%.

[shecky]

i have not had a chance to read thru this thread, so i may be repeating other's sentiments.

i think the phone is stunning, amazing, incredibly apple-y yummy and sexy. and i will not buy one when it comes out in june because

-i refuse to go to Cingular
-8GB for just music (nano) is fine but 8GB for all that other media is not enough. i understand thats a limitation of the flash cards, so this will get better soon i hope
-the price is justified for what you get, but i do not need to spend it on a luxury item like that.
-its a total revision A of not only a new product, but a new KIND of product so it is bound to be buggy as hell

i think what i am going to do is get the blackberry 8800/8900 whenever it comes out and use that for at least a year, that will give the iphone time to come off cingular's network and get into a second revision.

i am DAMN impressed with it tho. good job apple.

[AtHomeBoy_2000]

not only is this a great product, i'm excited because iphone shows us what 6g ipod will look like. imagine:

- keep the ui, form-factor and the os
- replace the flash with a hd
- remove cell-phone functiobality, wifi and camera
- keep the bluetooth for bluetooth-headphones and other uses

there you have it, 6g ipod. an ipod that would blow zune and others out of the market. sell the two models at $299 and $399 ($50 more than current ipod). i would say that we will have this in 2-3 months. r&d is already done.

iphone shows us the future of ipod. if apple releases a product i described above, i will be first in line to buy one.

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!
You are excatly right.

[Texas04]

Yup, I'm seeing:

better digital camera

front camera and video calls (3G will be here by that point)

better battery technology

iChat IM built in

no locking to a certain carrier

lower price


Well I personally think that Cingular will be left in the dust VERY soon. Who cares about unlocked.. Google says "WiMax is coming" so get here already. Once thats here look for Apple or Google to do VOIP and thats your phone. Make phone and video calls through iChat, Apple, Skype, and all the rest, and sync up your phone with iTV. This keynote has merely set the grounds for what is to come.

[Diatribe]

i have not had a chance to read thru this thread, so i may be repeating other's sentiments.

i think the phone is stunning, amazing, incredibly apple-y yummy and sexy. and i will not buy one when it comes out in june because

-i refuse to go to Cingular
-8GB for just music (nano) is fine but 8GB for all that other media is not enough. i understand thats a limitation of the flash cards, so this will get better soon i hope
-the price is justified for what you get, but i do not need to spend it on a luxury item like that.
-its a total revision A of not only a new product, but a new KIND of product so it is bound to be buggy as hell

i think what i am going to do is get the blackberry 8800/8900 whenever it comes out and use that for at least a year, that will give the iphone time to come off cingular's network and get into a second revision.

i am DAMN impressed with it tho. good job apple.

Those are all valid points and I agree with most of them. I just wish they hadn't created the lockout in the first place. :(

[Manatee]

This phone will be bigger than the iPod. It's the convergence device everyone's been waiting for. All you naysayers may now practice hanging your heads in shame when this thing takes off.
I think this phone is about the greatest "gadget" I've ever seen. If they sold it unlocked, and I could slap my TMo SIM in it, I'd pre-order it right now.

However, selling a GSM device that can only be used with one carrier's GSM service is like selling a MacBook that can only be purchased and used by people who buy Kellogs Raisin Bran and not by those who prefer Post Raisin Bran.

[MatthewCobb]

I think the phone is great, and if I may be permitted to quote something I said on one of these forums a day or two ago:

"Don't forget how huge Blackberries are, and people like them! I'd want to add vPod full screen video with touch screen controls. There you are, a genuine multifunction device that would indeed get Steve all excited."

OK, so I forgot about the surfing, but apart from that, not so bad!

[nerveosu]

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=303&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1162446531

I posted this image way back in 2002 on the BB.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=4019

Nice to see that Apple was listening :)

[Rocket850]

Bingo. Amazing isn't it?

I would never have guessed this level of negativity and lack of vision. This shows me why some are leaders, and others follow.

This iPhone changes the entire equation for ALL of us: users, developers, etc. It will push the entire industry in all areas: desktop, phones, MP3 Players, Video, etc.

All users? Haven't you been reading about all the people that have poor Cingular coverage?

The phone is nice but the way it's implemented is a JOKE

[Tomaz]

My biggest concern. If I'm going to be dragging my fingers all over this thing, and if I'm going to be rubbing it all over my face, I need a durable screen.



According to CNN (http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/09/technology/apple_jobs/index.htm?cnn=yes), the phone is exclusive with Cingular/ATT through 2009.



Return of the Newton and beyond. Everyone complaining about Cingular is missing the point -- this thing isn't a phone. It's a mobile device that happens to have a phone on it. Say hello to the PDA, realized.

And this is just a first draft.

The question is can we add/edit contact or calendar information on it. Only then it could really compete with PDAs...

[ts1973]

I'm really not impressed with the iPhone...

I hate all these all-in-one overpriced phones... really 499 & 599 for a phone... with a 2y contract (will be different here in belgium and price will be higher in euro's wich never makes sense :p)

I would like to see a light version of this phone... same interface but less blabla, less is more ;-) let say for 200 euro (that's the price of my most expensive phone ever...) no iPod no WiFi no Internetfunctions, but with the nice interface and BT and no 2y contracts for any provider please!!

and then apple will sell a lot more phones :p yes then I would even think about getting one ;-)

AppleTV... not waiting for it since my Macmini is doing that allready (and I don't have a HDTV :p) I have a frontrow remote and a hack to use frontrow on my G4 Macmini...

the most interesting thing today is the one they forget to announce... then new airport extreme... better range, ethernetports + possible to add USB storage... only downside: pricy...

funny thing I was joking about the 'computer' in the apple name... and 1h later... they announce it has been removed lol


Well, I feel your pain ;)
But do consider this : it is very probable that the iPhone will not reach Belgium any time soon, as locked phones are simply forbidden by law here.
So Apple will be selling these unlocked at about $1200 I guess, and if not, ebay will !

What strikes me most though is the fact that the keynote was only about iPhone, and a little about iTV, which will be very short lived imho. And this 6 months prior to launch !!! This means Apple has put many eggs in this basket, and has al but forgotten the Mac already. The reason is quite simple : there are simply much larger profits to be made with these iPod and iPhone :D

Apple has grown more and more into a power and money hungry lawfirm as far as I'm concerned. I'm a Mac addict since 1986, but my enthusiasm has been cooled a lot lately...

[cxny]

Wow this is getting equal pos/neg ratings! This is GOOD NEWS Apple is growing up and will inevitably gain market share from this. This already has 9000 Diggs (is that a dirty word around here?) kinda unprecedented.....

[tylerboyo]

wireless innternet...could you share a connection through your home, school, work router etc? or are you gonna have to buy wifi cards for being in the city etc?

[Superdrive]

This 6 month lead time offers a number of opportunities. Apple will be able to fine-tune the device and upgrade features where needed/available. Also, Cingular must revise their data plans for iPhone users. I, personally, feel that Cingular has been the best provider I have had. After going with Arial>VoiceStream>T-Mobile, Sprint, and finally Cingular, they have been the most reliable.

I will be ordering this phone the day it is available. I am amazed with its functionality and style.

iLife, iWork, and Leopard will be shown in a few weeks with a few other toys. Just wait, iLife 07 won't be a silent release. Complainers: Hold your horses.

[ender78]

iPhone is likely to run Leopard. One of the features in Leopard that I have heard about is resolution independence. Is this why we did not see Leopard today?

As noted by others, where is the news with regards to Canadian availablity.

[ipedro]

Did anybody realize that the proximity sensor will turn off the screen when you put the phone in your pocket or holster?

I expect this kind of stuff from Apple, but I'm still dumbfounded at how user friendly and intuitive this device is going to be.

The phone's screen is off when it's in your pocket, you pull it out and it knows you're looking at it so the screen turns on ready for your input.

[TheBobcat]

It's pretty good, but I'll save most of my judgment until I really can try one out since I've never really had good experiences with touchscreens.

As for being sold thru Cingular, that will only last until prolly 2008 and after that it'll be sold through T-Mobile and other US GSM carriers. If Apple was smart they'd make a CDMA version for the US, but I just don't think they will. The money off the phone in exchange for paying for Cingular for 2 years is welcome to some, and if its $599 with a contract, its probably around $799 retail. I know everyone else in the world thinks phone-carrier exclusivity and contracts are the devil, but I'm sure $599 is going to be a hard enough sell here in the US let alone $799.

It'll do well, and the WiFi features look awesome!

[dante@sisna.com]

Well I personally think that Cingular will be left in the dust VERY soon.

Apple has given Cingular and exclusive until end 2008.

Sorry folks -- got this right off of a Stock Ticker website -- saw the actual documents.

Get used to Cingular, I hate them too, but the iPhone wins.

I will take Cingular for a great phone anyday.

[whawhat]

is the battery going to be replaceable on the iphone?

[Antares]

I would like to buy one with a high storage capacity (60 GB or so) and no phone function (or one not tied to a service provider, so I could pick my own).

[w_parietti22]

SWEEET! :D

to bad I have a 1.5 years left on a contract with t-mobile and I cant afford it.
:(

[dante@sisna.com]

All users? Haven't you been reading about all the people that have poor Cingular coverage?

The phone is nice but the way it's implemented is a JOKE

Yes I have read about the "people with poor Cingular coverage" AND I AM ONE OF THEM -- my current cingular phone barely works here at my home in Salt Lake City . . .

And I am still going to buy this iPhone and put up with it.

Why, because when I leave my house, Cingular is acceptable -- about the same as every other carrier -- Sprint, Verizon, etc -- and it is when I leave or travel that I want and need the features of this phone.

The implementation is NOT a joke -- it is smart marketing with America's largest carrier. Only way to get the initial price down and get double marketing.

[nrsly]

I didn't see any mention of instant messaging. I can't imagine it would come without some version of iChat or something but if it was limited to text messaging that would be a deal breaker.

[slffl]

I was just thinking during Bill Gates keynote how lame it was all the stuff they were announcing that wasn't coming out until Q4. Looks like Apple is headed the same way. Was there an actual working iPhone at the keynote? I don't want to see ideas, I want to see finished products.

[KindredMAC]

... It dawned on me that out of the 295 or so posts so far that are in favor of the iPhone and are saying they are going to buy one AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT, only about 150 of these people are ACTUALLY capable of affording one! And then of that 150, most likely only 85 will actually buy one.

Like I have said, this is a nice, neat little product that, even though it has no use for me whatsoever, will sell big because of the APPLE branding. The thing that erks me the most though is that this is called MACWORLD. There was no MAC item at all today. The APPLEtv is just an extension of the iPod line, hence the product being placed in the iPod Store on Apple.com.

We didn't even get iLife updated today.....

And in closing, let me just downgrade myself by 20 years and act like a child to those that criticized my earlier posts and say, "BAAAAHHHH BAAAAHHHH little sheep."

Thanks, I feel better now. ;)

I'm with you Multimedia!

[savanahrose]

My boss just told me that I would be getting one when they come out. Score!


You have a great boss!!

I have to wait a year and a half for mine. Dang contracts.

[ieani]

4. How can they have TOTALLY ignored iLife/iWork/Leopard? I guess those top secret features werent interesting enough for a showstopping keynote.


They didnt have time. Leopard info will probably have an event of its own shortly before its release.

[SBG88]

I'm thinking maybe they needed a service provider to get the phone through fcc approval or to make it easier or faster. It is only a 6 month exclusive. I'm sure other providers will follow.

[QuarterSwede]

Wow, just wow. This is the future folks. The little gem just showed you where Apple is going and where the rest of the world will be a year or two later. They truly are ahead of the game.

[arcobb]

Smell Toast? Oh I guess that would be the Zune's hard drive burning up in embarrassment!

[Multimedia]

i have not had a chance to read thru this thread, so i may be repeating other's sentiments.

i think the phone is stunning, amazing, incredibly apple-y yummy and sexy. and i will not buy one when it comes out in june because

-i refuse to go to Cingular
-8GB for just music (nano) is fine but 8GB for all that other media is not enough. i understand thats a limitation of the flash cards, so this will get better soon i hope
-the price is justified for what you get, but i do not need to spend it on a luxury item like that.
-its a total revision A of not only a new product, but a new KIND of product so it is bound to be buggy as hell

i think what i am going to do is get the blackberry 8800/8900 whenever it comes out and use that for at least a year, that will give the iphone time to come off cingular's network and get into a second revision.

i am DAMN impressed with it tho. good job apple.Bravo and ditto. :eek:

[dante@sisna.com]

The thing that erks me the most though is that this is called MACWORLD. There was no MAC item at all today. The APPLEtv is just an extension of the iPod line, hence the product being placed in the iPod Store on Apple.com.

We didn't even get iLife updated today.....

And in closing, let me just downgrade myself by 20 years and act like a child to those that criticized my earlier posts and say, "BAAAAHHHH BAAAAHHHH little sheep."

Thanks, I feel better now. ;)

I'm with you Multimedia!

Apple TV is a Mac Product. So is the Phone: Soon you'll understand why.

The lack of vision on how this affects all us Mac Users astounds me.

[c-Row]

If it runs OSX, can you install Bootcamp on it...?












:p

[CaptainCaveMann]

Anyone else notice this thing doesnt have a user replaceable battery? I see no way to open it up, how are we supposed to stick our sim card in it?

[haiggy]

16 hour battery life????

That's terrible, and the one thing that will keep me away from it. I want a phone that will last 4-5 days at least. I'm used to about a week with my current one. 16 hours won't do for me.

Even my first mobile (11 years ago) had 24 hours life.

16 hours of battery for audio

Standby time I would imagine is a lot higher... longer or as long as an iPod

[technicolor]

NOT!

For the first time I realize Apple is no longer making products for me. It's gonna cost $60 of more per month to use all those features about 90% of which I have no use for at all. The tech is wonderful. Waiting 6 months to get one is also a very bad thing. In any event like I said before I ain't switching from Verizon to Cingular for no freaking Apple phone no matter how "cool" it may be. It ain't that cool from where I sit which is 99% at the desktop Not On The Road which I have retired from. :rolleyes:
How are you going to tell me that I dont think the phone is hot.

I dont care if Apple is making products for you. I am young, mobile, and have disposable income...this product is for ME.

:rolleyes:

I think the phone is fantastic, and I personally dont care if its useful for you.

[jlewis2k1]

now i do want to know whether this phone will be be heating aide compliant? Also what processor does it run and how much memory does it have?

[RodThePlod]

I wonder if they'll allow 3rd party development though. Allowing 3rd party widgets is an easy and safe way to start.


I'm hoping this will be possible, too.

Not that it will matter *that* much to me, though - I'm already working on making my Pod SnapShots (available from my web site) compatible with the iPhone!

:D

[nemaslov]

I have tried three carriers in San Francisco Bay Area and Cingular works best for me. I find that also phones help the service work better in some instances. If so many hate Cingular why are they the biggest. If people didn't like them they can switch. Every carrier has fallout...nature of the beast when "cells" are used. I had a few problems with my last phone and then got a RAZR and my "reception" was so much better with the exact same service.

This iPhone will be killer in another year. Just wait. I just watched the video demonstration and nothing, I mean nothing comes close. Generation 2 will be AMAZING.

[Romanesq]

i have not had a chance to read thru this thread, so i may be repeating other's sentiments.

i think the phone is stunning, amazing, incredibly apple-y yummy and sexy. and i will not buy one when it comes out in june because

-i refuse to go to Cingular
-8GB for just music (nano) is fine but 8GB for all that other media is not enough. i understand thats a limitation of the flash cards, so this will get better soon i hope
-the price is justified for what you get, but i do not need to spend it on a luxury item like that.
-its a total revision A of not only a new product, but a new KIND of product so it is bound to be buggy as hell

i think what i am going to do is get the blackberry 8800/8900 whenever it comes out and use that for at least a year, that will give the iphone time to come off cingular's network and get into a second revision.

i am DAMN impressed with it tho. good job apple.

Often Apple will get it exactly right. As this OS is based on OS X, this is going to be one of those times.
:cool:

[Veritas&Equitas]

I, personally, feel that Cingular has been the best provider I have had. After going with Arial>VoiceStream>T-Mobile, Sprint, and finally Cingular, they have been the most reliable.

That's because you haven't used Verizon, which is by far the best around here (Minneapolis). I've also tried T-Mobile, Sprint, and Cingular, for Minneapolis, Verizon owns all.

[DaLurker]

Wow... I always thought the iPhone will just be another PDA phone with nothing special but just the pictures surprised me! I'm glad Apple didn't disappoint. The iTV looks interesting too... damn why did I build a HTPC then?!

[sokrates]

i keep reading about how bad everyone's reception is....
is it really that bad in the us? and no 3g? I thought you guys were the leading country in the world.... here in europe you have 3g in every major city, and in addition to that, perfect signal with ANY carrier almost anywhere, (at least in Germany, France and Greece, that's where I have tested it) so since all carriers offer about the same here, I won't really care for which one it comes out, I will get it anyway because aside from the lack of 3g (which still might be incorporated for the eu market) it really is a revolution, instead of having to use 3 devices (phone, ipod, pda) I would have to use just one... sweet :D
oh one more thing, I guess the reason for the delay here is that in the us apple had to negotiate one deal, here in europe, they'd have to negotiate deals in every single country, so it would pbly take some time, then again they could just cut the crap and unlock it (or someone else will do it semi-legally ;) )

about the apple tv, yeah it sure looks cool, it's a cool toy, but what is it good for? who is seriously going to buy movies online for 15$? when you can get the full quality, multi-language dvd with extras and box and so on for the same money? and in addition to that, we can buy it here in the eu. but we can't buy any content, yeah great, thanx!

the airport then again, is cool , allready ordered one ;)

don't get me wrong, I worrship the ground steve jobs walks on, but some things are quite annoying to me.....
but still, the phone r0xx ;)

[xenotaku]

I am not an expert on phone service, so please correct me if I'm wrong...but for all the people complaining about the fact that it's not unlocked....who is to say that if it was unlocked your preferred service provider would even support half of these features? Apple went with cingular for a reason, perhaps because its the only nationwide company that can support the hefty features on the iPhone. And maybe Cingular is also planning on upgrading the EDGE service soon to coincide with the iPhone release.


Also from CNN

"Despite all these bells and whistles, Jobs said the "killer app is making calls." The iPhone will operate on the GSM protocol, but won't have third-generation broadband initially. Jobs said that 3G capability is coming. It will also sync with the Mac's Address Book application."

3G is coming!

[dante@sisna.com]

That's because you haven't used Verizon, which is by far the best around here (Minneapolis). I've also tried T-Mobile, Sprint, and Cingular, for Minneapolis, Verizon owns all.

And Verizon STINKS in Salt Lake City.

So again, cell service is not perfect, but the iPhone seems to be. I will accept bad service for a good phone anyday as I really want the PDF and websurfing functions when I travel.

[whawhat]

Anyone else notice this thing doesnt have a user replaceable battery?

jobs wants you to buy another one when the battery dies :mad:

i can def. afford one but not so sure i will jump and get one in june. i go out basically every night in nyc and the "touchscreen" will take some serious abuse day in/day out. note: i switched from t-mobile to cingular just recently and in nyc, at least, the reception is much better w/ cingluar. i never got reception in my work studio in soho but now i get full reception. i guess it all depends on where you be.

someone posted that this iphone will be the future form factor of a basic widescreen ipod and i completely agree. with over 200 patents for this device, it's quite obvious the same technology will be incorporated into generation 6 of the ipod as soon as the cost of parts goes down a bit after producing the initial run of the iphone. apple will sell millions and millons of these as well.

great job! it's funny to see microsoft announing that zune will incorporate games in '08! wow, that's great. microsoft has sooooo much money for research and development and all they do is follow the pack. such a shame.

[dontmatter]

NOT!

For the first time I realize Apple is no longer making products for me. It's gonna cost $60 of more per month to use all those features about 90% of which I have no use for at all. The tech is wonderful. Waiting 6 months to get one is also a very bad thing. In any event like I said before I ain't switching from Verizon to Cingular for no freaking Apple phone no matter how "cool" it may be. It ain't that cool from where I sit which is 99% at the desktop Not On The Road which I have retired from. :rolleyes:

I hate to inform you of it, but companies almost never make products for individuals. It just isn't profitable that way.

[JimmyB248]

It's a truly incredible phone/pda. It's blown me away. Absolute genius design and interface.

I am not complaining, it is still early days (especially for us in the UK, the early days aren't for another 9 months at least), but I am a commuter. I work 12 hours a day and have 3 hour journey either side of that. Because of this, I watch a hell of a lot of video on my 30gb iPod. The 30gb is just about enough space, but I have to regular change whats on it and am left with very little space with all the music on there as well, and there's no room at all for the photos. So I would have loved a 100gb version of this, or just the 6g iPod being fullscreen. This may well come later, as I imagine from Apple's point of view by combining the phone with the fullscreen iPod they merge sales and therefore gain more marketshare in the phone category.

Also, there are certain features that are missing, that may well be added, or may even be there but not mentioned, such as playing games that I shelled out so much money for on iTunes. I'm guessing these will need to be rewritten in order to work with the touch interface, and to be widescreen I guess.

However, apart from that, the phone itself is truly incredible. A truly fantastic device that has surpassed my every expectation. From the look of it they got it bang on. But we'll see in Q4 I guess.

[QuarterSwede]

i keep reading about how bad everyone's reception is....
is it really that bad in the us? and no 3g? I thought you guys were the leading country in the world.... here in europe you have 3g in every major city, and in addition to that, perfect signal with ANY carrier almost anywhere, (at least in Germany, France and Greece, that's where I have tested it) so since all carriers offer about the same here, I won't really care for which one it comes out, I will get it anyway because aside from the lack of 3g (which still might be incorporated for the eu market) it really is a revolution, instead of having to use 3 devices (phone, ipod, pda) I would have to use just one... sweet :D
oh one more thing, I guess the reason for the delay here is that in the us apple had to negotiate one deal, here in europe, they'd have to negotiate deals in every single country, so it would pbly take some time, then again they could just cut the crap and unlock it (or someone else will do it semi-legally ;) )
The US is quite a bit larger than any country in Europe. It's not easy for these companies to have coverage everywhere here.

[After G]

Why do people need 3G when there's Wi-Fi on the phone? Just curious.

I like the phone, i understand why it's Cingular only, but damn I wish they would have mentioned or hinted that it's unlocked.

Then again, I might just sign up for a two year contract and pay the early termination fee after getting it unlocked. :p :D Should be about the cost of subsidizing it, no?

[jhande]

All I can say is "My Preciousssss...." :)

[7on]

Why all the Google and Yahoo integration deals but leaving us .Mac subscribers out of the loop?

[jblodgett]

I haven't read through all the pages -- but there seems to be a common question re: the usage of wifi and the cingular edge network, etc.


Let me try to answer ---

Cingular's edge/wifi network work in conjunction with each other.

My Cingular 8125 has both wifi and edge. When I am at home, or in the office (two places where i have wifi) if I use the phone for internet browsing, instant messaging, checking email, etc. -- the phone logs into my wifi network and uses it just fine.

If I am out on the highway, or in the middle of a football stadium, or someplace where I don't have access to wifi -- the phone logs into the edge network, and uses the edge network to browse the internet, check email, instant message, etc. Granted- it is MUCH MUCH MUCH slower than wifi-- but it still gives me the capability to get access to those things when I am far away from an access point.

Using wifi is free.
Using Cingular's edge costs you money, based upon the amount of data that gets exchanged over the network. I have the unlimited data plan (currently $39 a month) which lets me use the phone's internet explorer, instant messaging, email, etc. --- ANYWHERE I can get Cingular's network.

The phone automatically switches between the two networks. In a wifi zone -- it will use wifi. No wifi -- it will use edge.


One exciting thing about this phone to me is the bluetooth capability. Bluetooth keyboard, anyone?

As for them selecting cingular-- that shouldn't really be surprising given the relationship they have had with CIngular with the previous couple phones.

Also--- as some others have indicated -- with the inclusion of the selective graphical voicemail capability (which sounds pretty cool, but I have to wonder how often I'd actually use the thing) they are going to have to have a phone network that will work with the phone -- otherwise, that particular function is crippled.

[peharri]

Why do people need 3G when there's Wi-Fi on the phone? Just curious.

I like the phone, i understand why it's Cingular only, but damn I wish they would have mentioned or hinted that it's unlocked.

Then again, I might just sign up for a two year contract and pay the early termination fee after getting it unlocked. :p :D Should be about the cost of subsidizing it, no?

It's not always easy to unlock a phone. I'd hold off and wait until you read enough reports of people either buying them and finding they're unlocked anyway, or of a successful procedure, that you're intimate with, to unlock such phones.

Being locked into a two year contract having to pay at least $30 a month for a service you don't want with a phone that's effectively a brick if you don't use the service is going to suck. Be careful with that strategy, it might bite you.

[zoozx]

50 - 50 on comments here is not a success I would imagin, in Apples eyes.

While the product looks good, the ridiculous pricing and policy with a 2 year contract + monthly usage fee and not available until june seems like apple just wanted to promote it's not ready or completly thought out phone before others show similar.
My god, who wants to drop $1,100.00 minimum on a cell phone even if it scrambles eggs.
Drop it, loose it, and look ma, a big waste of money.
Pass!
:eek:

[mi5moav]

The google mapping location thing was awesome!! Does this have GPS or does it use SkyHook Wireless chips??

[sokrates]

The US is quite a bit larger than any country in Europe. It's not easy for these companies to have coverage everywhere here.


I wasn't talking about little town's in the middle of nowhere whith one "main street" and "uptown" and "downtown" with 120 inhabitants ;) (I've been to places like that in Arizona, how can ppl seriously live there ;) )
ppl here were talking about major citys such as nyc, minneapolis or salt lake city.. and besides that in greece, a small country which is definately poorer thant the us you have perfect reception on every god damn island, no matter how small it is ;) (then again we greeks are obsessed with cell phones ;) )

[wembley]

I wonder if the WiFi will be used to deliver UMA in the near future?

For me, GSM doesn't work in my house, but CDMA does. However, a GSM/UMA device like what T-Mobile has in the pipeline would let me switch from GSM outside the house to using my WiFi inside - hopefully they can do it without call drops.

I think this is an amazing device, and costwise doesn't seem much worse than a Palm+nano.

I can wait for rev2 with more flash, UMA, and HSDPA. And if the other carriers want to step up and support the Video Voicemail and such, that would be good too.

[DavidSimmons]

The only thing missing is an iSight camera so you can have one to one video calls

[dizastor]

booooooooo@ all you complainers ,whiners and pissy pants

I agree.

I happen to be on Cingular and don't really understand where all the hate comes from. I'm certainly not loyal to them, and would have jumped ship for whichever provider this landed on.

This phone blows everything out of the water. June can't get here fast enough for me.

[peharri]

Everyone complaining about Cingular is missing the point -- this thing isn't a phone. It's a mobile device that happens to have a phone on it. Say hello to the PDA, realized.
Huh? How are they missing the point? It's not as if the device is available without a Cingular contract, not even in phoneless form. And if it was, there wouldn't be these complaints.

[ATG]

What can I say? I want it!!!!

But I am a bit concerned with them calling the OS it runs "OS X". It is obviously misleading judging by some of the posts here. I would like to see what room it has for 3rd party development though. Looks like it could handle games well. :D

[gwangung]

50 - 50 on comments here is not a success I would imagin, in Apples eyes.

While the product looks good, the ridiculous pricing and policy with a 2 year contract + monthly usage fee and not available until june seems like apple just wanted to promote it's not ready or completly thought out phone before others show similar.
My god, who wants to drop $1,100.00 minimum on a cell phone even if it scrambles eggs.
Drop it, loose it, and look ma, a big waste of money.
Pass!
:eek:

See here, this is what I'm talking about...

Much of what the complaints here are pretty much industry standard offerings (two year contract, data plan, etc.). Why focus on these things when every other carrier is offering them on their big ticket items?

[jhedges3]

Why do people need 3G when there's Wi-Fi on the phone? Just curious.


Yeah. Is it the case that you can use Wi-Fi whenever you have it, which I’m guessing will be reasonable fast, and then rely on EDGE whenever you don't? I'm sure it's been summarized a thousand times already, but can someone explain how much it sucks to not have 3G?

Count me as one of those that think it’s amazing and comes pretty close to the hype. I'm just not sure yet on whether it's worth leaving Big Red for this.

It's like asking me if I want a beautiful girlfriend with whom I can't discuss anything or if I want an ugly one that says and thinks about everything just rightly and gets on with me swimmingly. I hate sacrificing either of those dimensions. Maybe I’d rather just not have a girlfriend and not have a phone/thing either.

[technicolor]

I agree.

I happen to be on Cingular and don't really understand where all the hate comes from. I'm certainly not loyal to them, and would have jumped ship for whichever provider this landed on.

This phone blows everything out of the water. June can't get here fast enough for me.

Cosign!

If you ask everyone about the national cell providers, everyone thinks everyone else sucks. If it wasnt Cingular and some other provider, then all the other people would be complaining.
Also the people complaining that this phone is unlocked obviously dont understand how cell phone technology, policy,and politics work in this country.

[CEAbiscuit]

Anyone know what the back of this thing looks like? Have yet to see a photo...

[QuarterSwede]

I wasn't talking about little town's in the middle of nowhere whith one "main street" and "uptown" and "downtown" with 120 inhabitants ;) (I've been to places like that in Arizona, how can ppl seriously live there ;) )
ppl here were talking about major citys such as nyc, minneapolis or salt lake city.. and besides that in greece, a small country which is definately poorer thant the us you have perfect reception on every god damn island, no matter how small it is ;) (then again we greeks are obsessed with cell phones ;) )
My point was that a few large companies offer nationwide coverage and for them it is hard to get great coverage in every single large city which there are hundreds of.

[psychofreak]

I don't know if this has been mentioned but: THE DIGG GUY LIED!

[jruc4871]

50 - 50 on comments here is not a success I would imagin, in Apples eyes.

I think Apple's market researchers might dig a bit deeper than the MR comments.

[Timothy]

NEWTON LOVERS ARE HOME AGAIN!!!!

The lack of "vision" by those with negative comments on this thread is breath-taking.

Not a "Mac" Product? Check again. What do you call a device that runs "Mac" OSX? This is the most amazing portable "mac" ever, even if it sports a different name.

This phone is quite simply the most advance piece of personal technology ever developed. That is not hyperbole. How long have the cell phone manufacturers been trying to get a device this good? They haven't even come close.

For us fans of the Newton (rip, good buddy), this device will replace it for us. I make the assumption that it will either ship with or an app will be developed for use with Rosetta. Handwriting recognition. (I know, Steve said no stylus, but work with me here).

As for being rev. a...don't forget, Apple is now the world's leading authority on portable music devices, so it's not like they enter this field with no portable experience. I expect this device to impress out of the box.

As for price...the death of the Newton came when people complained about the price; so, to fill that void, Palm gave us a decade of fake pda's "priced right." In other words, people wanted to pay $99, so Palm gave it to them, even though the devices sucked.

Finally...this will be bigger than the iPod. The Phone market is astronomically larger than the mp3 player market. And, just as apple launched with a single model iPod, they will eventually have a full range of phones.

This is historic, and you naysayers need to back off of your petty complaints. :-)

[NewSc2]

Re: all the iPhone bashing.

Cingular has been fine for me. They were my first provider way back in 1998. I recently switched to T-Mobile, but my contract just expired and I'm switching back. Other than one dead spot at my mom's apartment, the coverage has been excellent.

Also, what's wrong with the price? I paid about $550 for my 2g 20gb iPod (incl. tax, also had to buy a $30 firewire pci card). I'd be fine to shell out about that much for a new iPod/PDA, and having the phone/camera means one less thing in my pocket.

My only gripe is the 8gb. It's barely enough to work with for videos, mp3s, and PDA, and I have a feeling 16gb is right around the corner.

Also, does anybody have pictures of the back of this phone?

[Platform]

I like the phone...but June, and Q4 for Europe ????

What about the rest of the Keynote...

Where is iLife '07 and iWork '07 and what about Leopard..(demo, new features ??)

;)

[kneeslasher]

Make no mistake, the device is brilliant. And because it comes within 95% of doing what each individual wants, the remaining 5% of features are causing the disproportionate bitching since this product is as close it comes to perfection (in an announcement anyway), hence the outcry. Oh and other factors which are nothing to do with the *technology* (like price, carrier, release date, etc.) are also the primary complaints. I think the product, especially for Apple's first phone, is superb.

The lack of storage is going to be a real issue because the device is meant to play videos, music, store photos, etc. 8GB doesn't cut it, we'll have SD cards of that capacity by then (they're already up to 4GB). But maybe there are some unannounced features? Take a look at:

http://www.myiphone.com/first-apple-iphone-images-from-macworld-expo-2007-09173.php

On the side, what is the longer black strip underneath the black dot? Is that in indent in the centre of the black strip? Like an SD card slot? I would have like a built in HD as well, but if that *is* an SD/SDHC slot, then our storage worries are baseless.

[Hunabku]

The google mapping location thing was awesome!! Does this have GPS or does it use SkyHook Wireless chips??

Yes it does have a GPS according to CNN

"The phone supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology and can detect location from Global Positioning System satellites..."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/01/09/apple.macworld.ap/index.html

I think many of the complainers are right on to complain - locked, cingular, etc. However what we have here is a new platform (as others have indicated) Essentially a huge playground of new possibilities.

For a tiny window into those possibilities: A GPS by itself isn't much, but a GPS with access to OS X and all the other functionalities in the phone allow for some yet unimagined cross-polinizations. The ecosystem that apple has set in motion here is beyond our current ability to grasp.

And no one anytime soon is going to be able to touch the synergy apple has here - 200 patents will help too!

[cxny]

errr, excuse me may I please get one without the phone bit? Thanks

[RodThePlod]

The google mapping location thing was awesome!! Does this have GPS or does it use SkyHook Wireless chips??

Nope this device does not have any built-in GPS technologies. Google mapping is running just as if you were running it from your desktop/laptop.

It *is* pretty awsome , though!

:D

[iShak]

yep ... they are changing all right ..

old with the classy double layered white toilet'y plastic apple look to this new shiny sleek black .. apple computers inc. to apple inc. ... introducing a phone at macworld (only cuz it runs on 'mac' os x doesnt justify an hour long rant with yahoo and google goofs giving appearances) when it used to be for macs ... disappoiting many thousands+me who were expecting atleast updates on OS 10.5 ... 64 bit arch. .. maybe a little more of those top secret features, when job used to be so considerate ... no new displays ... oh yeah thanks for the new airport base station though! ..


so yeah ... apples changing ..

[EDIT] oh yeah forgot ...... steve was wearing brown today .. not black ..... apple's changing!!!!!!! :(

[edit] ... no it is black .. the pics at engadget made it look brown ..now watchin keynote .. it is black

[dontmatter]

So now we know why it took so long to come out!

True, it may be expensive and locked and other things people are upset about, but seriously, look at it. Though I didn't know it, this is exactly what I wanted, and exactly what we all want, really. Did we want another phone with all the right technical specifications but the same old UI? No, that phone already exists, made by other companies, for cheaper than apple could.

What we hoped and dreamed for, why we wanted apple to make a phone at all, was not because we wanted the sets of features on existing phones put together in the package we laid out on these forums. What we wanted was another feature set, another way of navigating, that we couldn't have imagined, and yet is so simple and intuitive, it seems it should be obvious. What we really wanted was only one thing- something simultaneously revolutionary and familiar.

And I'd say we got it. a phone without buttons. Voicemail that no longer thinks it's on a tape. Seemless integration of fully capable applications, so we can do things like look up and send information to people as we talk with them about it, unhindered by the devices we are using. It's like mac users frequently say about the system- it's not so great because of things you experience using it, but because of how little you experience the computer, and how much is left for you to experience whatever it is you are doing.

Of course we also want it cheap and feature packed, with all the latest and greatest, but then again we always want everything, and never actually get it, because it isn't possible. Tech specs always dissapoint in some aspect. Apple isn't going after the greatest tech specs for the dollar, they're going for acceptable, and a much better experience, because that is where the profits are, and that is where the innovation is.

I'd say the price, while high, is to be expected for such a spectacular device. The specifications, while not outstanding, are quite reasonable. And the experience of the device- absolutely extraordinary.



I do have two concerns, though. The obvious durability and smudgability of the screen will have to be seen in july. And second -- it's an ipod, without a clickwheel! It seems like such a loss of a great innovation, I'm not sure....

[ready2switch]

As one of the apple phone naysayers, I must admit I was fairly impressed with the presentation of the iPhone. While there are still many questions to be answered regarding their "exclusive" contract with Cingular, the "included" 2-year contract, and the snub to the larger mobile markets of Europe and Asia, I can see this new device changing the way people think about their mobile communications. I'm even considering getting one when my current contract expires (in Summer of '08). Hopefully by then all the kinks will be worked out and it will be the smooth apple experience we all hoped for.

On that note, I was still very disappointed by this year's MacWorld. Basically "iPod is better than the Zune, here's the iTV...err apple TV, and a brand new phone! Bye" No question the iPhone is innovative (I expect nothing less from apple), but the keynote was not. Here's looking forward to the mid-February press event and some products that are actually available.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I like the phone...but June, and Q4 for Europe ????Well, at least no you know what to ask for come Christmas... ;)

What about the rest of the Keynote...

Where is iLife '07 and iWork '07 and what about Leopard..(demo, new features ??)I was kind of missing those, too...

[dernhelm]

errr, excuse me may I please get one without the phone bit? Thanks

Exactly. What a beautiful machine. But I don't need/want the phone capabilities. I'd buy it in a heartbeat if it were skype enabled over wifi and had the rest of the features. Then it would be useful to me. As it stands? I don't want a 2 yr. contract with Cingular.

[jblodgett]

Take a look at:

http://www.myiphone.com/first-apple-iphone-images-from-macworld-expo-2007-09173.php




WOW.

Those photos make me want it even more.

[zoozx]

See here, this is what I'm talking about...

Much of what the complaints here are pretty much industry standard offerings (two year contract, data plan, etc.). Why focus on these things when every other carrier is offering them on their big ticket items?

Because people expect Apple To :>>> THINK DIFFERENT!

and guess what, they didn't. :(

[mmmdreg]

At first sight it looks good.. though as discussed, it has a few shortcomings mainly in terms of availability. America isn't at the forefront of mobile technology (well until this phone came out).. and there'd be a massive market outside of it..

I'm genuinely surprised it's not a 3G phone... Even in Australia, with the koalas and kangaroos, 3G is becoming standard rather than a luxury with most carriers expected to offer it this year sometime.. then countries like Japan (where I doubt the phone will ever be offered) have had it for yonks!

[davey-nb]

Anyone know what the back of this thing looks like? Have yet to see a photo...

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/first-iphone-pics/

[kneeslasher]

http://www.myiphone.com/first-apple-iphone-images-from-macworld-expo-2007-09173.php

WOW.

Those photos make me want it even more.

The entire keynote didn't show the back or sides of the device properly. I really really hope that black thing is indeed an SD card slot.

[mangoman]

What a bunch o' psuedo-entitled, whining b!tches. I've been a member of this Forum for a good long time and never heard so much cryin'.

:rolleyes:

It's not gonna make you breakfast or wipe your @ss. Get over it. Go outside. Get some air.

Damn.

[reubs]

I'm disappointed in the all-in-one package. Is this an iPod or is it a phone? and 4 gigs or 8 gigs? Come on. That's nothing. It's got great features, but it shouldn't be pimped as an iPod and people shouldn't be calling this the video iPod.

Hopefully there will be an actual true video iPod sometime in the near future because the current offering really seems to limit the base of people who could use it.

[drbjames]

http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/j47d52oo/event/

[Cygnus311]

The website for it is painful. The little demo clips stop every 2 seconds. As for the phone itself, you have to be brain dead to pay $600 for a cell phone, even one this cool. Also, where's the iPod only version? Looks like it's going to be a refurb Video for me.

[Hunabku]

I'm genuinely surprised it's not a 3G phone... Even in Australia, with the koalas and kangaroos, 3G is becoming standard rather than a luxury with most carriers expected to offer it this year sometime.. then countries like Japan (where I doubt the phone will ever be offered) have had it for yonks!

Steve did say that 3G support is coming to the phone - when we don't know, perhaps sometime in 2007. Anyone know more?

[nemaslov]

Remember most people don't read or post here:

In other words, it’s not what you’d normally think of as a cellphone. It has elements of a desktop computer (it actually runs a version of Mac OS X), a wireless Internet tablet, and an Archos-type pocket video player.

But what you can’t get from any printed description is how it’s all sewn together with typical Apple polish and grace, with delicious animations and gorgeous graphics. (The crowd went nuts when Steve Jobs demonstrated how you scroll through your iTunes music list: you flick your finger upward or downward on the screen. The list flashes by, slowly coming to a stop like a roulette wheel.)

Now, there will be plenty of people who will pass on the iPhone: people who have no Cingular service where they live (that’s the exclusive carrier); who are disappointed that, as a GSM phone, the cellular Internet service is slow; who find the iPhone too big (though incredibly tiny for what it does, it’s big for a phone); who would prefer typing e-mail with a dedicated thumb keyboard than hunting and pecking with one finger on the iPhone’s on-screen keys; and who consider $500 too much for a phone.

Everyone else, however, will be beating a path to the iPhone’s door. The iPod showed us how breathtaking beauty and effortless simplicity can trump any number of practical quibbles in the real-world marketplace.

This thing will go through the roof, exactly according to Apple’s master plan. Prepare for a replay of the iPod lifecycle: other cellphone companies will rush out phones that match the iPhone’s feature list, but will fail to appreciate the importance of elegant, effortless, magical-feeling software.

The hard part will be waiting for June to come.

[slffl]

The phone is awesome, but how am I going to stream Slingbox over EDGE? I guess give them something to 'upgrade' in future versions.

[savanahrose]

I keep seeing this 3g. Exactly what are you talking about? A 3rd generation of a video ipod?

[zoozx]

I think Apple's market researchers might dig a bit deeper than the MR comments.

Well of course they do,
but I doubt seriously they would have ever expected the 50 - 50 response they received here. This site is core Mac user's, Apple loyalist nuts and apple checks it often knowing it.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I keep seeing this 3g. Exactly what are you talking about? A 3rd generation of a video ipod?Third generation mobile phone technology. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G)

[silentknight]

NEWTON LOVERS ARE HOME AGAIN!!!!

The lack of "vision" by those with negative comments on this thread is breath-taking.

Not a "Mac" Product? Check again. What do you call a device that runs "Mac" OSX? This is the most amazing portable "mac" ever, even if it sports a different name.


Noticed how apple.com (http://www.apple.com/iphone/technology/) refers to it running "OS X" rather than "Mac OS X"?

The Apple Style Guide (January 2006)(pdf) (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/APStyleGuide/AppleStyleGuide2003.pdf) itself says:
"Mac OS X Always use the full name; don’t shorten to OS X or X."

Just interesting, I thought.

G'night.

[asphalt-proof]

This is such a winner for me. I really want!
Couple of questions though: Will it sync to Outlook... It states on Apples site that it is Win compatible and will load contacts.

Also, Will it have Pages/Keynote? If so, I could conceivably dump my laptop at work, and use this as a work computer (IF a third party comes out with a docking station that has VGA out and a usb.

For a first run, this phone is excellent! Yes more storage would be great, but flash is getting cheaper every month! My contract with CIngular is up next month so maybe I can get a deal by June from them. Here's to hoping. I don't find the cost outragous at all. Price the new Treo 750 on Cingular. Oh and add a 4 or 8 gig SD card onto the cost. What!? it costs more! I'm shocked. Just Shocked! No, the price is NOT bad at all for what you are getting.

BTW... all those who are whining: Read Thread #500. I think Apple is stating quite clearly that this is the new future. All those who are complaining about no Mac Pro, i"m sure they will be making announcements in the next month or two. Until then, just stand where the puck was.:p

My only complaint is the wait.

[space1nvaders]

Would love the phone, but not switching to Cingular for it.

This phone is so cool that I can't believe Apple would even need an exclusive agreement. You would think all EDGE carriers would want it. Cingular has a bad reputation around here for poor quality reception in my opinion and many of my friends agree. I love T-Mobile and they have EDGE. This has to hurt Apple unless Apple buys a carrier or becomes one.

[Aardy]

OK, let's all take a deep breath, stand well back and relax ...

There's been so much hype about the iPhone that expectations have gone through the roof. For a year or so this thing has been vapourware, roumourware and media-hypeware. Things have got so out of hand it's unreal.

There's the usual whingers banging on about the carrier, the price, the size, the battery, the colour, the screen, the OS, the features, availability and about just about anything else imaginable. Nobody has managed to get their hot sticky little hands on it yet, much less actually test it, so, as they say over there in the US, "cut a little slack".

For those that want a 60GB iPhone, do you really want a hard disk jiggling about in your pocket? People treat their iPods far more carefully than they do their mobile phone, so until we get completely fail-proof hard disks, let's stick with flash memory. To get a sensible battery life out of a hard disk based phone you're going to need a far larger battery - back to the late 80s brick anyone? It's a flash based phone, solid state memory, less power usage than hard disks, so it's sensible. Like the nano, capacity will increase.

Availability and carrier: I'm in the UK, so we're not even going to see it for at least nine months. Apple is a US company, so I suppose it's sensible they release it there first, much like just about every other Apple product (remember iTMS - US only at first). Carrier: Go with the biggest there is in the initial market. Such is life and business models. The carriers subsidise the phone to make it much more affordable.

It doesn't have feature x : Are you so sure? Full specs haven't been released yet, so we don't know what it does/doesn't do. Just wait and see.

After you've taken the deep breath and the step back, have a good look at what's on offer: A mobile phone that has a user interface that makes current mobile phone interfaces look like a CP/M command line. A mobile phone that truly integrates all the different applications you want from a mobile device in a way hitherto unseen. A mobile device that has an enormous amount built into a form factor that is governed by screen size. Until the roll-up LCD screen truly becomes a reality, a big-screen phone is going to be big; it's the nature of the beast.

Like the original iPod five years ago, the iPhone is a premium device at a premium price. It is a premium device that looks so different and behaves unlike anything else currently available. Like all Apple top-end products, the price will come down and the specs will go up, such is the nature of technology.

Like the original iPod, Apple has shown everyone else that there is another way to do things, that there is a better method to access and use a device you use every day. Others will surely follow, but the door is open. Let's not bolt it shut before we've even had a chance to see if it's the right door.

[space1nvaders]

I don't want to use Cingular so I wonder if you can just buy it as a pocket computer.

[VespR]

Great product, definitely an excited UK potential buyer here.

What I am concerned about though is the 2 year contract, and how this reflects on Apple's update ideas. I can't imagine many people would want to be tied to a device for two years, when Apple is releasing updates for the phone say every 6 months? That would suck. In the UK contracts are typically 12 or 18 months, not 24.

Also, I'm wondering if updates on this phone will be treated on a software basis, rather hardware (like software update), so the OS X part is always up to date, unlike with iPods where each revision adds a new software feature that isn't compatible with older models (like games etc).

I think they've got a lot of time to iron out bugs, and 1st generation models are typically designed to test the water with the consumer, although I'm happy to be a guinea pig here! I think by the time it's in the UK, it will definitely be 3G (at that size) and also think about the progression of flash based hard drives. Capacities and sizes are getting better every month so I'm sure that will all be incorporated into the iPhone over the coming months.

Well done Apple, very impressed! Look forward to the revisions!

[DakotaGuy]

is the battery going to be replaceable on the iphone?

Yeah, I would like to know this as well. A non replaceable battery might be ok on an iPod, but it seems like a person is a lot tougher on a cell phone battery. My batteries always get weak after about a year or so...so many charge-discharge cycles tend to wear them out. I would hate to pay 500-600 for a phone and after a year of heavy use have a weak battery and no way to replace it.

Of course, since I live in South Dakota the iPhone really does not apply to me because this is not a Cingular area. You have 3 choices in South Dakota (and most other midwest and western states for that matter) Alltel, Verizon and Sprint. Alltel and Verizon are your best choices between the 3 however.

I guess I will continue to use my RAZR V3c until my contact is up and then get a KRZR. The Apple iPhone is cool. Probably overkill for 85% of cell phone users, but for that 15% who have the money and live in the right area and need the capability it will be pretty neat.

[christian_k]

Hello,

why just GSM/EDGE?

I am very disappointed about this. Here in Germany, only T-Mobile hast EDGE and even they only habe it at few locations.

UMTS in contrast is now widely available and much faster (HSDPA = 1,8 MBit/s!!), all operators here have decided to put the money in UMTS and not EDGE.

That means I would have a super high tech phone, but only a slow GPRS connection. As I also want to use it to connect my notebook wirelessly on the go this does not make sense to me.

I hope they change theyr mind soon. Since I can get (unlocked!) UMTS phones for less than 300 Euros now, a pure GSM (EDGE is nearly useless here!)iPhone is not good enough, not for the price tag it will have.

[Orge]

Noticed how apple.com (http://www.apple.com/iphone/technology/) refers to it running "OS X" rather than "Mac OS X"?

The Apple Style Guide (January 2006)(pdf) (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/APStyleGuide/AppleStyleGuide2003.pdf) itself says:


Just interesting, I thought.

G'night.

It's pretty likely that it runs on an embedded processor - i.e. not powerpc or intel. Would that explain the differentiation?

J

[lord patton]

After you've taken the deep breath and the step back, have a good look at what's on offer: A mobile phone that has a user interface that makes current mobile phone interfaces look like a CP/M command line.

well put. I think the iPhone makes a Blackberry look like a rotary phone. Or makes the Jetsons look like the Flintstones.

[redskinsf]

This phone is so cool that I can't believe Apple would even need an exclusive agreement. You would think all EDGE carriers would want it. Cingular has a bad reputation around here for poor quality reception in my opinion and many of my friends agree. I love T-Mobile and they have EDGE. This has to hurt Apple unless Apple buys a carrier or becomes one.

Not sure where you're at... but Tmobile sucks in the Bay Area... Cingular is great. My company switched everyone over to Tmobile and crackberry's 2 yrs ago, and its the worst reception, and dropped calls in history.

Good for Apple and Cingular!

[ageis]

OK, let's all take a deep breath, stand well back and relax ...

There's been so much hype about the iPhone that expectations have gone through the roof. For a year or so this thing has been vapourware, roumourware and media-hypeware. Things have got so out of hand it's unreal.

There's the usual whingers banging on about the carrier, the price, the size, the battery, the colour, the screen, the OS, the features, availability and about just about anything else imaginable. Nobody has managed to get their hot sticky little hands on it yet, much less actually test it, so, as they say over there in the US, "cut a little slack".

For those that want a 60GB iPhone, do you really want a hard disk jiggling about in your pocket? People treat their iPods far more carefully than they do their mobile phone, so until we get completely fail-proof hard disks, let's stick with flash memory. To get a sensible battery life out of a hard disk based phone you're going to need a far larger battery - back to the late 80s brick anyone? It's a flash based phone, solid state memory, less power usage than hard disks, so it's sensible. Like the nano, capacity will increase.

Availability and carrier: I'm in the UK, so we're not even going to see it for at least nine months. Apple is a US company, so I suppose it's sensible they release it there first, much like just about every other Apple product (remember iTMS - US only at first). Carrier: Go with the biggest there is in the initial market. Such is life and business models. The carriers subsidise the phone to make it much more affordable.

It doesn't have feature x : Are you so sure? Full specs haven't been released yet, so we don't know what it does/doesn't do. Just wait and see.

After you've taken the deep breath and the step back, have a good look at what's on offer: A mobile phone that has a user interface that makes current mobile phone interfaces look like a CP/M command line. A mobile phone that truly integrates all the different applications you want from a mobile device in a way hitherto unseen. A mobile device that has an enormous amount built into a form factor that is governed by screen size. Until the roll-up LCD screen truly becomes a reality, a big-screen phone is going to be big; it's the nature of the beast.

Like the original iPod five years ago, the iPhone is a premium device at a premium price. It is a premium device that looks so different and behaves unlike anything else currently available. Like all Apple top-end products, the price will come down and the specs will go up, such is the nature of technology.

Like the original iPod, Apple has shown everyone else that there is another way to do things, that there is a better method to access and use a device you use every day. Others will surely follow, but the door is open. Let's not bolt it shut before we've even had a chance to see if it's the right door.

While a lot of people wouldn't want a 60GB phone to carry around, a lot of us wanted a 60GB+ widescreen ipod which I don't think apple will be releasing any time soon in light of this great gadget. I personally was a lot more interested in widescreen video with a ton of space than a phone.

Now, on the other hand, a apple communication device is awesome. I personally hate phones, but I love the concept of continuing my IM conversations and email which I do all day when I go out... but wait, I haven't read anything about iChat or IM in general being supported on a phone, which is my only big issue with purchasing this thing. They've got 6 months.. I hope they figure out how I can sign onto my screen name and IM other people on AIM.

Otherwise, 2 thumbs up!

[bousozoku]

What a bunch o' psuedo-entitled, whining b!tches. I've been a member of this Forum for a good long time and never heard so much cryin'.

:rolleyes:

It's not gonna make you breakfast or wipe your @ss. Get over it. Go outside. Get some air.

Damn.

Does it seem that way? :D

I haven't seen so many people complain since the PowerMac G5 missed 3 GHz.

[SpaceJello]

I can't help but to be stunned with the potential of this iPhone. With all those patents and rumors, I was dying Apple would release something like this. They have and everything else is history.

This is ONLY the beginning. Remember the 1st Gen iPod? Then came the iPod Photo, Nano, Shuffle, iPod Video.... IMAGINE what this phone will become?

This IS the true convergence device. Wait a few generations, we will see this iPhone being able to add new widgets, new programs that read/edit documents, pdfs, get readings etc... with the iPod dock connection, this is going to be the all in one device that if your company needs an inventory scanning device, you just hook up a connector to the iPhone. The possibility is unlimited.

I can't wait to see Moto, Sony Ericisson, Nokia, LG, Samsung etc catch up to this, with Apple patenting EVERYTHING like crazy especially with the multitouch, this is going to be fun to see what these other companies do like how Apple had the click wheel on the iPod. No one has even come close to beating that one yet. Today, Samsung annouse a Sanza with a bigger screen to compete with the Nano...true innovation.... It is SAD that other companies can't do what Apple does... are they just afraid of hiring designers or UI people or something?

NOW, i am curious if the current generation can view FLASH on the web browser?

[Warbrain]

Okay, I'm sold on the iPhone right now. I think I can wait until June and shell out the 500 or 600 to get it.

The fact that it runs some version of OS X and is capable of doing almost everything that my iBook already does is amazing. It's small, it's eye-catching, and it'll work without any hassles. I won't need to buy additional software to make it sync and I won't need to deal with an OS that I hate.

Plus, the built-in Wi-Fi is killer for me. I wanted a PDA with built-in Wi-Fi but I also wanted something like a smartphone...now I got one in the same casing.

[m3henn04]

I like the idea of the phone and its feature but wish it had more storage space....I would love to be able to store a whole video library like you can on a n iPod with 30 or 80GB of space.

[crazyvato]

The iPhone looks like a great product. It's just too bad they partnered with Cingular. That partnership practically makes the iPhone worthless as a phone. In the SF Bay area, where I live, Cingular is the worst carrier. Surprising that Apple, being based in Cupertino, didn't note this. Cingular must have paid big $$$ for the exclusive rights.

Since I am not willing to switch phone carriers (I like to be able to actually make/receive phone calls) it would be nice to see this product without the phone capabilities -- basically a widescreen video iPod/PDA. That would be sweet. I would definitely purchase one of those!!! Here's to hoping.

[vendettabass]

I LOVE the iPhone... its insane!
I just hope they keep to their word about European release Q4.. my o2 contract expires in august!

good work Apple!

[tylerboyo]

Removeable battery? i think so, where else you gonna put your SIM?

[VespR]

The iPhone looks like a great product. It's just too bad they partnered with Cingular. That partnership practically makes the iPhone worthless as a phone. In the SF Bay area, where I live, Cingular is the worst carrier. Surprising that Apple, being based in Cupertino, didn't note this. Cingular must have paid big $$$ for the exclusive rights.

Since I am not willing to switch phone carriers (I like to be able to actually make/receive phone calls) it would be nice to see this product without the phone capabilities -- basically a widescreen video iPod/PDA. That would be sweet. I would definitely purchase one of those!!! Here's to hoping.

That's got to be the 6G iPod.

[savanahrose]

I wonder if Cingular will have one that you can actually look at and play with just to see if you want it?

I don't think they do that with their phones right now. Does anybody know if they do?

[redskinsf]

The iPhone looks like a great product. It's just too bad they partnered with Cingular. That partnership practically makes the iPhone worthless as a phone. In the SF Bay area, where I live, Cingular is the worst carrier. Surprising that Apple, being based in Cupertino, didn't note this. Cingular must have paid big $$$ for the exclusive rights.

Since I am not willing to switch phone carriers (I like to be able to actually make/receive phone calls) it would be nice to see this product without the phone capabilities -- basically a widescreen video iPod/PDA. That would be sweet. I would definitely purchase one of those!!! Here's to hoping.

Not sure how long you've been living in the Bay Area... I've been here almost 4 years and Cingular by far has the best service and reception here. Tmobile is the worst, and Verizon comes in after that. Its truly a matter of opinion. My cingular 8525 gets perfect reception and call quality, and the 3g internet capabilites are great here. I'm sure the iPhone will have excellent call quality and internet service.

[motulist]

I don't need this phone, I have a very old phone that works just fine, but that thing is so sexy, I WANT IT! :eek:

[aricher]

My only gripe is the 8gb. It's barely enough to work with for videos, mp3s, and PDA, and I have a feeling 16gb is right around the corner.

Maybe they'll bump the memory up to 8 & 16 before it is actually released. Remember when they bumped the processor speed in pre-ordered MacBooks before they were shipped?

Personally I have been very happy with Cingular - works flawlessly for me in my home town (Chicago), on the road and even overseas. Count me in on the iPhone!

[daysleeper]

$500 is a lot. But everyone whining about "no mac news" seems to be missing a major point-- the phone is running Mac OS X. I can't think of any reason why we won't eventually be able to have the phone displaying a normal mac desktop. If that's the case, I'm in.

Actually, the visual voicemail function makes it more than worthwhile for me.

But only 4 or 8 GB? That sounds like the achilles heel of this product to me.

[macphin]

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2370

check this. High-quality images of Apple's iPhone

[Cougarcat]

The iPhone is absolutely amazing. I can't wait for the price to come down. But even when it does, you'll still have to deal with Cingular's rediculous data plans. I hope Apple releases an "iPhone Mini" that only has a gig or two of space along with the awesome interface for less than $150.

[dongle]

I already have a great portable music player in the 80GB ipod, and a good mobile phone, which pulls in my emails when away from a computer. Email really being the only additional functionality I require in a mobile.

This new all in one is really not doin' it for me at the moment. :(

[VespR]

$500 is a lot. But everyone whining about "no mac news" seems to be missing a major point-- the phone is running Mac OS X. I can't think of any reason why we won't eventually be able to have the phone displaying a normal mac desktop. If that's the case, I'm in.

Actually, the visual voicemail function makes it more than worthwhile for me.

But only 4 or 8 GB? That sounds like the achilles heel of this product to me.


About "no mac", I'm watching the keynote and he says in the opening mins, "we've got some really great Mac products coming in the next few months, but that's not what I want to talk about"

And I believe him :)

[jblodgett]

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2370

check this. High-quality images of Apple's iPhone


That sure looks like an SD card slot.

[crazyvato]

Not sure how long you've been living in the Bay Area... I've been here almost 4 years and Cingular by far has the best service and reception here. Tmobile is the worst, and Verizon comes in after that. Its truly a matter of opinion. My cingular 8525 gets perfect reception and call quality, and the 3g internet capabilites are great here. I'm sure the iPhone will have excellent call quality and internet service.

I have lived in the Bay Area all my life. Everyone that I know that lives in the South Bay (San Jose, Santa Clara) and has Cingular, complains about the reception and the dropped calls. I had them about 5 years ago and dropped them within 2 months (the early termination fee was worth getting rid of them). I went with Verizon and haven't looked back. The only draw back to Verizon is the limits they put on all the phones (updating the OS with their own). I can understand why Apple did not go with them.

Also, for me personally, the iPhone seems a bit too big for a phone. Granted, I have not held one or seen one in person, but from the graphics and description it seems big (about the size of a Treo or the Q -- just thinner). That's still too big for me.

Like I mentioned before, it would make a killer device if they made it without the phone capability, but kept everything else -- for those that do not need/like the phone capability.

It still looks pretty sweet though.

[MatthewCobb]

Was there an actual working iPhone at the keynote?

Yes.

[Zman5225]

that thing, WILL be mine!

[nem3015]

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=2672363&highlight=nem3015#post2672363

Almost got it :D I just got short on a few items but I'm sure that will be revision 2 loll

[macphin]

That sure looks like an SD card slot.

nope, I believe it's slot for sim card.

[motulist]

That sure looks like an SD card slot.

Where? Are you talking about that strip on the left side? Because it just looks like volume control buttons to me.

[joco]

Why does everyone say this competes with a PDA... I still havent seen anything that indicates calendar functionality.. sure you have the widget ical but what about adding Calendar items and what about ToDo's

Hey I sure hope they have it, cuz I know where my brandy new Treo 680 is headed....

[johnnyjibbs]

Ok, I've only just got to see this thing but it looks amazing. I'm still wiping the drule off the floor! I didn't think the iPhone was going to happen but now it's everything I wanted and more.

Too bad about the Europe availability and price (OMG!) - please Apple don't shoot yourself in the foot! YOU CAN BUY A PLAYSTATION 3 FOR LESS MONEY! Also, 2MP camera - are you kidding?!

This will send shockwaves through the mobile phone manufacturing industry though, which means we'll start getting better phones from Sony Ericcson and the like - that'll do me until it gets more reasonably priced. Also, hopefully consumers will twig that this is AN iPOD! The name change will mean that Apple has to do a lot of work again to make this big. That said, Apple has just single handedly killed the PDA and MP3 (except iPod) markets! Zune? Pah! The Apple brand is changing and now has a very positive effect, which will mean more Mac sales...

Oh, did I mention Mac? Good job I did, since Apple seems to have forgotten about it. With the company name change and all I'm hoping they're not going to ditch it.. ;)

And where's my iLife '07?!

[jlewis2k1]

hmm is it just me or can you not use the phone like a normal phone? cause from what i saw you can use it only like a speaker phone kind of deal or am i wrong?

[Bonte]

I think there is some misunderstanding in pricing and features, this is how i understand it.

The iPhone costs $499 and $599 with a free 2 year cingular contract, the iPhone is NOT locked so can be used with any other service. Steve did not say it was locked to cingular, he just stated the price and the cingular guy added the free 2 year contract. Its a new way of thinking, its not the phones that will be free but the contracts. An unlocked phone but only for sale with Apple and cingular the first 2 years.

Wifi, GPS, phone, iPod, Route-planner with 3P software, osX :eek:

Think of the possibility's, next year we'll all want the 2e generation for sure. The GPS combination with osX will make for some great apps, it will overturn the global market. :cool:

[jonah]

are there any pics of the back of this phone?

I always thought yahoo didn't have much time for apple? Perhaps they will fix messenger now so we can use there chat rooms?

[dogbone]

It's Apple's latest Zune killer

[savanahrose]

[quote=KindredMAC;3229973]... It dawned on me that out of the 295 or so posts so far that are in favor of the iPhone and are saying they are going to buy one AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT, only about 150 of these people are ACTUALLY capable of affording one! And then of that 150, most likely only 85 will actually buy one.

Like I have said, this is a nice, neat little product that, even though it has no use for me whatsoever, will sell big because of the APPLE branding. The thing that erks me the most though is that this is called MACWORLD. There was no MAC item at all today. The APPLEtv is just an extension of the iPod line, hence the product being placed in the iPod Store on Apple.com.

We didn't even get iLife updated today.....

excuse me but isn't os x considered a macintosh? This iphone does have and os x in it. So where in your thinking is it not a mac?

IT RUNS OSX which in my book a mac.

[smueboy]

A FREE Cingular contract.... so those of us who want the phone but want to use it on other networks would think twice and maybe use Cingular - neat trick.

[DakotaGuy]

The iPhone costs $499 and $599 with a free 2 year cingular contract, the iPhone is NOT locked so can be used with any other service. Steve did not say it was locked to cingular, he just stated the price and the cingular guy added the free 2 year contract. Its a new way of thinking, its not the phones that will be free but the contracts. An unlocked

What does free contract mean? No monthly phone bill? Right now any carrier will give you a "free" contract, but you still have a monthly bill to pay.

[dadrop]

Not sure how long you've been living in the Bay Area... I've been here almost 4 years and Cingular by far has the best service and reception here. Tmobile is the worst, and Verizon comes in after that. Its truly a matter of opinion. My cingular 8525 gets perfect reception and call quality, and the 3g internet capabilites are great here. I'm sure the iPhone will have excellent call quality and internet service.

I've always had cingular...in Berkeley, Mountainview, now santa cruz... Cingular has had great reception everywhere I go. Meanwhile my relatives have gone through several other carriers, just trying to get reception in their homes.

That being said, I was still willing to switch to any carrier to get this phone.

[Cybix]

who on earth gives a stuff about cingular... no such thing here in Australia.

This is exactly what I was hoping for... ipod functionality (awesome interface), an OS X-like OS... lovely. no doubt it will definately have all the stuff a PDA has (calendar, etc)

I want it, but when am I going to see it?

So much talk about phone networks.... which means absolutely zero to me when I'm not in the USA...

hrmmm

[smueboy]

What does free contract mean? No monthly phone bill? Right now any carrier will give you a "free" contract, but you still have a monthly bill to pay.

I understand that free means you are free to choose whether to use contract (with monthly fees of course), or take the phone elsewhere (for the same price) - as opposed to most current contracts where you only get the phone for a certain price if you honour the 2 year contract.

So much talk about phone networks.... which means absolutely zero to me when I'm not in the USA...

It does to me since i want to buy it in the US and bring it back to Oz! Hope i can...

[savanahrose]

Third generation mobile phone technology. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G)


Ok thank you, I guess I could have looked it up myself but it came to mind and I was here. :p ;)

Removeable battery? i think so, where else you gonna put your SIM?


That is right Cingular still uses sims. Verizon and Sprint don't use sims.

[DakotaGuy]

I understand that free means you are free to choose whether to use contract (with monthly fees of course), or take the phone elsewhere (for the same price) - as opposed to most current contracts where you only get the phone for a certain price if you honour the 2 year contract.

Thanks...I figured it was something like that. Oh well, considering a GSM phone is worthless in the upper midwest and west I won't be getting one anytime soon.

I am sure however after 2008 if this thing really does take off like the iPod did you will see a CDMA version come out for the other carriers. No matter what anyone says the US CDMA market is HUGE. Way too large to ignore if your product is successful. I can see why Apple started with GSM though because of worldwide availability.

[vikolaf]

What about the possibility to open .doc/.pdf files. I use my blackberry (with metadata) to open .doc files and it's a painful experience...

No 3G is a disappointment but it'll probably come in Rev2 (for the European/Asian markets).

Also memory is far too limited - hopefully that will be fixed by June.

Haven't been in the US long enough to know about the various carriers (moved to NYC in October and am on tmobile) but so far my experience has been pretty bad:

1. Can't believe I am paying for INCOMING calls !?!
2. No service in the Subway !?!?! We have had it in France for at least three years...
3. Terrible voicemail - takes too long to access messages or to delete them.

Anyway for such a costly product I expect to be able to test it before I buy it. Will make a determination at that point.

[lseven]

I could maybe manage to convince myself to pay the way-too-high-for-me price for the iPhone. But it seems like it wouldn't be worth it unless it had Internet access. From looking at the Cingular site that would cost $40 a month for an unlimited plan? Isn't that really high compared to other providers? I think T-Mobile is $20 a month, and that includes laptop HotSpot usage also.

Having to pay $600 for the phone and an extra $40 a month is WAY too much for me.

[killr_b]

Apple showed us the handheld device of our dreams - ABSOLUTELY AMAZING DEVICE! And then they have the $%#^&%$ nerve to say we can get this device ONLY if we sign a $%#^&%$ TWO YEAR contract!:mad: !:mad: !:mad:

I am absolutely beside myself??? I can't have the "Widescreen Video iPod" without being LOCKED IN with a two year contract???? $##@%@! Am I the only one TOTALLY P1$$3D? Not to mention not a word about Leopard!

WTF! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Quoted for emphasis.

WTF 2 years… I'd do business with Apple. Why would I need to involve a third party to obtain a device?

Screw contracts. :rolleyes:

[irun5k]

Since when could you run Unix on your palm of your hand in such an easy way. Kil

The Sharp Zarus PDA ran Linux years ago. I think they still make them in Japan. Many Linux apps merely had to be recompiled to run on it. I had a WiFi CF card in mine... it was basically a linux computer in my hand. I could SSH, VNC, or whatever I wanted.

However, I say this to emphasize your point, not to criticize it. Everyone is saying that this can't be the "real" OS X. Well, I have news for them: Linux, BSD and other Unix flavors are NOT Windows XP/Vista. The kernel of these systems is small and suitable for consumer devices. And it is the same kernel that your desktop Linux distro would run, minus the fancy KDE or Gnome window manager. I suspect this is exactly what Apple has done. Not only that but Steve mentioned that the Core APIs are there as well.

[m-dogg]

Sniff. The music features of this make my 3rd generation iPod look so ancient by conparison...at least they appear to be moving away from the click wheel though. I've never been a fan of that which is a big reason I keep holding onto my old friend instead of upgrading to a newer model.

This blows my original 2nd generation 20 GB iPod (that cost $500) completely out of the water in every regard except capacity. Wow. But as a "locked into a contract but happy with my service" Verizon user, I don't know if I'll be switching to Cingular to get this, though I may change my mind once I get to play with one in a store.

I hope they release the 6th generation iPod to be just like this except to replace the phone capabilities with an 80 or 100 GB hard drive. That, I would buy immediately!

[sokrates]

Where? Are you talking about that strip on the left side? Because it just looks like volume control buttons to me.

100% agree

[tominated]

It does to me since i want to buy it in the US and bring it back to Oz! Hope i can...

there's an idea... i hate having to wait for new technologies to come to oz:(

[jesteraver]

I cant wait too see Rev.B :) hopefully by than it will be an unlocked version.

With some more goodies...

- UMTS or HSDPA
- 16 Gb NAND Flash (14 Gb for music / video // 2 Gb for software)
- Quicktime
- iChat
- 5 Megapixel (auto-focus)
- Front VGA (for iChat / Conference calls)
- Slingmobile (hopefully Sling and Apple work together)
- GPS (I know it has Google Maps. Would be nice to have an active GPS, if you do get lost, you know where you actually are)
- 6-8 hours talk time / 24 hours of video or audio playback

I would not mind spending a good $800 US on a phone like that.

[ipearx]

10 questions about the new iPhone:
http://bla.st/site/blog/40/

[killr_b]

Thanks...I figured it was something like that. Oh well, considering a GSM phone is worthless in the upper midwest and west I won't be getting one anytime soon.

I am sure however after 2008 if this thing really does take off like the iPod did you will see a CDMA version come out for the other carriers. No matter what anyone says the US CDMA market is HUGE. Way too large to ignore if your product is successful. I can see why Apple started with GSM though because of worldwide availability.

GSM is fine as long as you are on a paved road or in an area with a population sign…

Cingular GSM Map (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pocketpcmag.com/_archives/Nov05/images/Nov05_p64_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.pocketpcmag.com/_archives/Nov05/gsmgprs.aspx&h=665&w=700&sz=96&hl=en&start=33&tbnid=qQD60kFkeuVrUM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgsm%2Bcoverage%2Bu.s.%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D50%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3D off%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN) scroll down and click thumbnail

[centauratlas]

You'll find unlocked versions on ebay -- but they will sell for about $1200 -- Will you pay that much?

Yes, but will they be available from the Apple Store too? ;-)

[m-dogg]

I could maybe manage to convince myself to pay the way-too-high-for-me price for the iPhone. But it seems like it wouldn't be worth it unless it had Internet access. From looking at the Cingular site that would cost $40 a month for an unlimited plan? Isn't that really high compared to other providers? I think T-Mobile is $20 a month, and that includes laptop HotSpot usage also.

Having to pay $600 for the phone and an extra $40 a month is WAY too much for me.


Couldn't you just pay for a voice-only plan and then only utilize internet/email when you have access to a wi-fi signal? Sure you wouldn't be able to access the web anywhere you wanted, but you could save some money each month and still use it the coffee shop/airport/on campus/at the hotel/in your livingroom/anywhere else you can get wifi?

[bighairydoofus]

But it's six months away. I don't own a teevee and haven't since I left home in '85, so I couldn't possibly care less about the apple TV.

I want a reason to buy a new computer to replace my G4 1Mhz iMac. I want the new version of OS X. I also want a reason to upgrade my 3G 30gig iPod, i.e. a widescreen 100gig iPod. I want a computer with a Blu-ray drive that will play HD movies. Instead, I got nothing.

Apple's stock price is up and I'm glad about that, but for now my money stays in my pocket.

:(

[macEfan]

yes, ichat AV and Quicktime streaming would definintly make me want to buy an iphone... until then, I guess I'll stick with my crappy verizon phone...

I cant wait too see Rev.B :) hopefully by than it will be an unlocked version.

With some more goodies...

- UMTS or HSDPA
- 16 Gb NAND Flash (14 Gb for music / video // 2 Gb for software)
- Quicktime
- iChat
- 5 Megapixel (auto-focus)
- Front VGA (for iChat / Conference calls)
- Slingmobile (hopefully Sling and Apple work together)
- GPS (I know it has Google Maps. Would be nice to have an active GPS, if you do get lost, you know where you actually are)
- 6-8 hours talk time / 24 hours of video or audio playback

I would not mind spending a good $800 US on a phone like that.

[DCSMAC]

wouldnt it be sick if apple released a true video ipod as the iphone minus the phone capabilites for like 150 less? (still wifi)

and also...steve said that apple TV can transmit video in 720p, but is any itunes content that high quality? (such as movies or tv shows)

[m-dogg]

GSM is fine as long as you are on a paved road or in an area with a population sign…


I'm not a fan of Cingular or anything, but that map seems a little bit outdated - It's talking about future coverage in 2004 after all!

[drumnkyle]

I can't believe it's only for Cingular!!!???!?!!! I thought before, according to other sources, that it would be for all carriers. I have Verizon and I am so mad!!! I'm not going to be able to switch for another 2 YEARS!!! I heard from someone that Apple doesn't like Verizon for some reason. Anyone have any information about it?

The iPhone though is the Best!!! It has such great features!!

[m-dogg]

I can't believe it's only for Cingular!!!???!?!!! I thought before, according to other sources, that it would be for all carriers. I have Verizon and I am so mad!!! I'm not going to be able to switch for another 2 YEARS!!! I heard from someone that Apple doesn't like Verizon for some reason. Anyone have any information about it?

The iPhone though is the Best!!! It has such great features!!

Probably because Verizon requires all of their phones to run the same Verizon OS and not the OS that the manufacturer created.

It's good in that you don't have to learn a new phone OS each time you get a new phone.

But it's bad in that it really isn't hard to learn a new phone OS...and that Verison's OS is absolute garbage!

[jesteraver]

One thing I cant believe the iPhone will be in Europe Q4 2007. Europe uses UMTS, not EDGE. Thats a bad move on their part. Plus Asia is pretty much using UMTS / HSDPA right now.

As much as I like Apple. They are far behind with the technology thats for sure.

[dukebound85]

I hope they release the 6th generation iPod to be just like this except to replace the phone capabilities with an 80 or 100 GB hard drive. That, I would buy immediately!

Totally. I dont see myself using that as a phone but definitly as a ipod, movie player and even as portable internet around the home

[Padraig]

One thing I cant believe the iPhone will be in Europe Q4 2007. Europe uses UMTS, not EDGE. Thats a bad move on their part. Plus Asia is pretty much using UMTS / HSDPA right now.

As much as I like Apple. They are far behind with the technology thats for sure.

I think you'll find that most carriers here use a combination of GSM, EDGE and UMTS on the same device. While on the train today my phone went out of 3g coverage and switched to GSM, I ended up checking for updates on macrumors via EDGE.

[KindredMAC]

OK.

I have now had a good 6 hours or so to absorb everything that transpired today and play around on Apple's website now that traffic has reached an equilibrium.

I stand by my earlier beliefs that this is a neat gadget. After seeing all the mini movies in the iPhone section I have to say that I am VERY impressed.

But after letting my head cool a bit I have realized that I am not mad at Apple for bringing out the iPhone today. I am mad at them for ONLY bringing out the iPhone today.

The new Airport Extreme should have been mentioned right along with the Appletv. There are some great little features to that globally useful piece of technology, like the HD sharing.... That is awesome.

The fact that Steve spent over an hour on demonstrating the iPhone and then the "AOP" was a bit much to take. (*AOP=@ssholes On Parade) (If I wanted to hear a Cingular commercial I would just watch my evening news.)

I was hoping that this MACworld was going to be something special. Not talk about 2 products and then walk out. The iPhone could have easily been parred down to 30 minutes and then the Appletv+APEXT could have been another 30 minutes. That would have left the last hour for "One More Thing..." MAC-related.

To those who say that the iPhone is a Mac because it runs OS X. Blow it out your arses.

Because a Mac can run Windows XP, that makes it a PC? People have been brutally murdered for saying such about a Mac.

My buddy, who is a PC network installer, installed a bootleg version of OS X on a PC last year. Does that make that beige POS a Mac?

Don't make me laugh.

A Mac is a Mac for a reason much grander than because "it runs OS X".

So am I glad Apple came out with the iPhone??? Yes, yes I am. I like it. It's way too expensive mind you but alright.

Do I think some on here are blind little sheep? Yes I do.

My belief is that if it wasn't for us, the few people who have criticized the iPhone today and other things over the past decades, Apple wouldn't be where it is today. You don't get to perfection by everyone around you telling you that you are perfect.

[ppnkg]

We'll see how the marketing side of it will work, especially in Europe. I think Apple are being too cautious by launching in the US alone for the first few months.

Still, it amuses me that people rush to make comments here without knowing particular details - so far we know only the technical side of the iphone, and that only roughly. And then there's those guys who wanted to see a tablet mac or even worse a mac pro in the form of a mobile phone. Whatever.

This phone changes e v e r y t h i n g, and forever. If you doubt this, just have another look at your phone now.

[Deanster]

I honestly don't understand all the whining...

I own and carry daily a RAZR ($100), a LifeDrive ($320), and an iPod Nano ($189). Both the LifeDrive and the Nano have 4gigs of storage each. Total was $608 for the bunch, and I've been on somebody's cell phone contract more or less continuously since 1995...

The Lifedrive is two years old and HUGE, but actually has enough onboard storage to handle e-mail properly, and with WiFi, it's not a terrible laptop replacement in a pinch. UI is the same as my 1998 Palm III, doesn't multitask, crashes all the time, etc.

The RAZR is two years old, cute and little, has good RF performance, and is dismal to use for e-mail, chat, SMS, and even most phone functions. It has a .3 megapixel camera. It's an OK phone in a great package.

The iPod Nano - about a year and a half old, is by far the best product of the 3 - great size, great UI, does its job perfectly.

So, I have the opportunity to replace all three devices with a single Apple-designed, absolute cutting edge device that does all three of these jobs well (judging from the demos - I'm sure there's bumps in the road), for the EXACT SAME PRICE as my existing package of products ($599 vs. $608), with the only new cost moving from my limited data plan to an unlimited one ($30/month increase - ouch!).

While I'd love it to be a little cheaper, the pricing is right in line with existing 'smartphones' when compared feature for feature.

For the folks who say it's 'limited' - I don't think there's another phone out there with a similar feature set - Cingular 8525 has similar specs, but isn't a great tool, Blackjack, Blackberry, MotoQ, etc. don't even come close, and many have price tags in the $400 range.

I'm sympathetic for those who don't want Cingular, but many phones these days launch exclusive with a provider, for very good reasons. Cingular's got issues in some locations, but they've also got the most service, the most places, and EDGE has the widest roll-out of any data plan. 3G is awful nice, but very limited availability in terms of coverage, and 3G devices suck power like there's no tomorrow - many have data use times of under 2 hours. Nothing is perfect, but a Cingular launch with EDGE seems like a good mix of wide availability, speed and power use...

I'm not sure the iPhone is perfect, but I'm pretty clear that it's in a great market position (granted, at the very top end), and will be the innovation driver for a generation of phones.

Similarly, I think we can reasonably expect an iPhone 'nano' with a stripped-down feature set someday.

I think the lack of 'Mac' at today's keynote was just a way to make the point that the Mac is simply one product line of Apple, Inc. We'll see the widescreeen 'video' iPod and various other announcements over the next couple months...

Finally, as for Leopard, I think we all saw plenty of it shown today... on the iPhone. Perhaps a 'mobile' version, but I think the look and interface is what we should be expecting from Leopard.

All that said, I may be overcompensating, since I was one of the folks who said that the iPod was a pointless device for music fanatics, and anticipated that Apple might sell 10,000 of them over the product's lifetime, if they were lucky. You should weight my opinion accordingly.

FWIW, that's exactly what I think of the iTV - all it does is move iTunes content to yer TV. I don't have any iTunes content I want to send to my TV... Hard to imagine a device that appeals less. Now, add TiVo functionality that works with Comcast and lets me replace their stone-age Microsoft DVR-thing, and I'll whip out the credit card so fast the numbers will burn off...

[Misplaced Mage]

It looks great, but I want the answer to one question:

How well does it actually perform as a cell phone?

Apple's been a computer hardware/software designer for most of its 30+ years. The only radio design experience they have to date are in unlicensed, low-power applications, i.e., 802.11 and Bluetooth (where they admittedly have been pretty successful). Cell phones, on the other hand, have to adhere to a slew of government & industry regulations, and carrier requirements for internetwork operation. You think each of the cell phone carriers' networks are homogeneous? They're not, especially in North America, with all the different base station hardware, software, and network applications tying together systems that have grown in patchwork fashion through acquisitions and roaming agreements over the past two decades. Motorola gets hit all the time for their crappy UI, for example, but their phones generally operate well as radios because they have a lot of experience designing radios that operate in highly regulated, heterogeneous environments. Same for Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, LG, Samsung, et al, to varying degrees.

And that two month FCC testing period? That's how long it takes only if the iPhone passes on the very first submission. Keep your fingers crossed. :cool:

This thing may be a hell of a portable network and media device, but how well can it actually hold a phone call without dropping it?

[Lixivial]

*sets aside money for pre-order/order*

Beautiful.

[BWhaler]

Tie-in to Cingular was the biggest downside. I am a customer of theirs, and boy do they suck something fierce.

But I am buying two of these--one for me, one for my wife. Bottom line is it is going to be the best cell phone on the market by a long shot...

[jesteraver]

I think you'll find that most carriers here use a combination of GSM, EDGE and UMTS on the same device. While on the train today my phone went out of 3g coverage and switched to GSM, I ended up checking for updates on macrumors via EDGE.

Most phones are GSM / UMTS now so it do, so you get best of both worlds.

UMTS / HSDPA should be out all over US and Canada by the end of 2007 hopefully.

I do not mind waiting another year for a phone, does not bother me. Was going to get the Nokia N95. Seeing what the Apple iPhone can do, I will get that, but I will wait for the second iPhone to come out :) better be unlocked though, if not I hope Apple works with Rogers/Fido here in Canada.

[Refujeet]

I haven't read the entire thread, so if this is a repost, forgive me.

After reading the first two pages I read unlocked waay too many times and in frustration i'm posting without reading the rest of the thread.

Cingular DOES NOT lock its handsets!

Therefore, if you have t-mo, live in Canada (Rogers/Fido)...or even South Africa, you can get this phone and use it on your own network.

[whooleytoo]

Did you notice every time he showed the orientation change, the camera cut away from his 'over the shoulder' cam?

Except on one occasion (when he was showing The Office) when the big screen changed orientation before he turned his iPhone! It might well explain why all the devices are still in the glass cases! ;)

[jesteraver]

I haven't read the entire thread, so if this is a repost, forgive me.

After reading the first two pages I read unlocked waay too many times and in frustration i'm posting without reading the rest of the thread.

Cingular DOES NOT lock its handsets!

Therefore, if you have t-mo, live in Canada (Rogers/Fido)...or even South Africa, you can get this phone and use it on your own network.

Thats nice too know they dont lock the handset. Thing is, from what I read pretty much only way you can get the phone you pay the amount and sign a two-year contract (from cingular), hopefully wont be the same from the Apple Store (website)

Plus we all know, sooner or later the net iPhone should/will have iChat AV.

[Torajima]

And people complain! :)

I can understand some of the complaints, but price? I paid $800 for my Newton, and it had a black and white (or was is it green and white?) screen and didn't include a music player or cell phone.

Palm's LifeDrive was originally released at $500, and it was a clunky piece of crap running an operating system that is going nowhere (and this is coming from a long time Palm fan)... and it didn't include a cell phone, either.

I do have reservations about the size of the flash drive... 8 GB isn't nearly enough for the things I'd like to do with the machine... and there are a lot of questions I'd like answered. How limited is the OS? Will it be able to run standard Mac apps, with or without a little tweaking? Can developers create their own widgets? Does it support Applescript and Xcode?

But the price is reasonable, considering what the device is.

[Gurutech]

I would buy iPod with the same abilities as iPhone except the phone for 499.
But, a phone is a phone.
Many cellphone makers experimented with touch screens.
Phone should be rugged.

I don't know about this product.
if this was 6th gen iPod, i'd be thrilled.

[BWhaler]

I can't believe it's only for Cingular!!!???!?!!! I thought before, according to other sources, that it would be for all carriers. I have Verizon and I am so mad!!! I'm not going to be able to switch for another 2 YEARS!!! I heard from someone that Apple doesn't like Verizon for some reason. Anyone have any information about it?

The iPhone though is the Best!!! It has such great features!!

Yes, Cingular sucks.

But Verizon is notorious for crippling phones and insisting on their OS. Plus, no GSM is terrible.

[sjsharks27]

I haven't read the entire thread, so if this is a repost, forgive me.

After reading the first two pages I read unlocked waay too many times and in frustration i'm posting without reading the rest of the thread.

Cingular DOES NOT lock its handsets!

Therefore, if you have t-mo, live in Canada (Rogers/Fido)...or even South Africa, you can get this phone and use it on your own network.

No Cingular does lock there phones, though after you buy the phone and agree to the two year contract you can unlock the phone. It takes them a week to unlock it and then you can replace the SIM card with another one of any carrier or even one abroad. I have done this before for a trip to Hong Kong I had some friends who gave me a SIM card and i could use it in my unlocked cingular bought phone. Though you still have to pay the monthly bill as you are in a 2 year contract.. so how desperate are you...

[furthur]

Yes, Cingular only is dumb. Who knows how long that exclusive relationship is though. Hopefully only 6 months or so.

According to Reuters, a suit from Cingular says the deal is "multi-year and exclusive."

Will the googlemap have some sort of gps funktion? That would be sweet!(

That's the coolest spelling of the word "function" I have EVER seen.

[jingbugle]

- To keep the device from fingerprints, there are always screen protectors
- Apple should get discount from cingular on a 2yr contract and get it in the 299-399 range
- 4GB/8GB should get bumped by the time phone gets released
- May need to get accident protection for the device from some insurance company
- Camera should have been those rotating from back to front to support any future apps for the phone like video chat

[MacJoe]

I think all mobile providers, at least in the US, are liars and really don't deliver what they advertise. Two year service agreements shouldn't be required. I would be willing to pay a little extra to not have to commit to service that is rarely up to the marketing. I've dealt with Cingular and they can't seem to tell the truth about anything. Make iPhone work with other providers and I would perhaps consider it. Otherwise, never.

I have a mobile phone and an iPod. If my iPod fails, I'm out $300. If my phone fails, I'm out less than $200. If any component of my iPhone were to fail, I'd be out at least $499. Why would I pay for a combination device that would be more expensive to replace, if any one component were to fail, than the individual device? That seems illogical to me.

When I want music, I use my iPod. When I want to make a call, I use my phone. When I want to check my email, I use a computer. It's very simple. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind about any of this.

[Padraig]

To be honest, most people i know (and they're all geeks) don't really care that much about 3G. It hasn't really taken off, its just a driver for Vodafone or O2 to deliver "value added content" such as mp3 or football highlights.

What will bother them and me is a device that impedes the user's ability to text. On average i'll send about 20 to 30 texts a day, and thats considered very light usage.
It is the primary form of communication (non business of course) amongst nearly everybody. Texting on a touch screen seems like a chore to be honest and a deal-breaker for me.

[mac-er]

Where are all the people that said this wouldn't happen?

[manosaurus]

No way in hell I will buy this thing.

First, at that price this thing needs to make me money and for what I do I don't see that happening.

Second, if these things are as unreliable as iPods (based on everyone I know and thier iPods' track records... I know it's a small population sample) then I feel sorry for people that need to use thier phone on a daily basis. Imagine when the thing breaks! Unless there is some kind of program from Cingular where they immediately supply one with a new phone in the event of equipment failure you will be without a phone as you ship it off to Apple for repair. And from my experience, trying to get an iPod reparied or replaced is a major pain in the arse!

Third, I think that there always dangers in all-in-one devices. There are simply more things that can go wrong. And since this iPhone will be a 1st generation device AND an all-in-one device then the danger is two fold in my eyes.

All that being said, it really is an awesome device and really is a great technological leap as far as the consumer goes. I am impressed. But this iPhone is for suckers.

[mykoleary]

No Cingular does lock there phones, though after you buy the phone and agree to the two year contract you can unlock the phone.
Incorrect. They are unlocked when you leave the store. From what the store manager (Cingular store, not Cingular branded) said when I bought my phone is that this is across the board for all tri-band+ phones. They do that so you can use your phone abroad without worries. The contract length is insignificant because they recoup their subsidy with a termination fee.

Also, I read the keynote where they said that the price includes a 2 year contract to mean that the data services were free for two years. Not sure about the voice plan. I would guess not here, or if so an almost platry amount of minutes that would include an overage of 0.40 for every minute over. That's where they hope to get people.

Besides, they also said nothing about if you could use your own content for ringtones (even though there was a ringtone tab in the iTunes they showed.......)

[macenforcer]

Um ok. Most expensive pda in history. $599 with 2yr contract.

In 6 months flash memory will be so cheap. 16gb will be the norm where 8gb is now. I predict it gets bumped to 8gb and 16gb by release date.

Artists renditions of the video ipod were nicer, I think.

Not 3g?

Will I buy one, probably.

[roland.g]

OK.

I have now had a good 6 hours or so to absorb everything that transpired today and play around on Apple's website now that traffic has reached an equilibrium.

I stand by my earlier beliefs that this is a neat gadget. After seeing all the mini movies in the iPhone section I have to say that I am VERY impressed.

But after letting my head cool a bit I have realized that I am not mad at Apple for bringing out the iPhone today. I am mad at them for ONLY bringing out the iPhone today.

The new Airport Extreme should have been mentioned right along with the Appletv. There are some great little features to that globally useful piece of technology, like the HD sharing.... That is awesome.

The fact that Steve spent over an hour on demonstrating the iPhone and then the "AOP" was a bit much to take. (*AOP=@ssholes On Parade) (If I wanted to hear a Cingular commercial I would just watch my evening news.)

I was hoping that this MACworld was going to be something special. Not talk about 2 products and then walk out. The iPhone could have easily been parred down to 30 minutes and then the Appletv+APEXT could have been another 30 minutes. That would have left the last hour for "One More Thing..." MAC-related.

To those who say that the iPhone is a Mac because it runs OS X. Blow it out your arses.

Because a Mac can run Windows XP, that makes it a PC? People have been brutally murdered for saying such about a Mac.

My buddy, who is a PC network installer, installed a bootleg version of OS X on a PC last year. Does that make that beige POS a Mac?

Don't make me laugh.

A Mac is a Mac for a reason much grander than because "it runs OS X".

So am I glad Apple came out with the iPhone??? Yes, yes I am. I like it. It's way too expensive mind you but alright.

Do I think some on here are blind little sheep? Yes I do.

My belief is that if it wasn't for us, the few people who have criticized the iPhone today and other things over the past decades, Apple wouldn't be where it is today. You don't get to perfection by everyone around you telling you that you are perfect.

Dude, chill.
All summer and fall we heard where are the C2D notebooks already, why not at WWDC. Most everybody on this site does is complain and point out what something doesn't have rather than does, or some switcher talking about equal specs for less at dell w/o considering the whole pic. IMHO there are too many kids on MR which is unfortunate. Now obviously Steve was really excited about this. Early on in the keynote he said that is all we are going to say today about the Mac. Which meant no Macs. Now did he have to parade out everyone, he always does to acknowledge the partnerships. The reality is both MBs and MBPs were upgraded in the fall as were iMacs and there are no new chips or design changes to unveil. He could have talked about Leopard more and a date. But Apple historically releases updates and other things in late Jan or Feb or March that are not MWSF announced. Until Santa Rosa and Leopard, that part of their product lineup is unlikely to change. As far as the phone a lot of people will whine about Cingular, Canada, this or that without really grasping how much they packed into it and the tech. Everybody wants something that isn't possible yet and for cheap. They are way ahead and like the iPod revolution, everyone could have one in 4 years. As far as the price, my original 5GB was $399 and the first 20GB was $499. So I wouldn't call those prices outlandish by any stretch. I bought a Nokia 8801 in Nov 2005 for $799 and now with contract they've only dropped to $549. Quality made products with well integrated software are few and far between. The Razr was $499 when it came out, now they are less than $100 but either way they are total crap and Motorola UI is afwul. Their icons, menus, navigation, everything about their phones is worthless. Last year a new Treo 650 ran $499.

[brian928]

I hope they release the 6th generation iPod to be just like this except to replace the phone capabilities with an 80 or 100 GB hard drive. That, I would buy immediately!

i agree 110%. If this were a true IPod, its a no brainer i'd run right out and buy in a second...its a way cool device but i just don't need the phone functionality THAT bad.

To me its just an ipod that 1. you have to pay a monthly service for and 2. must be a cingular customer to use, what good is that? Quality of service in the cell phone industry is regional, anyone that travels can tell you that. In DC, where I am, Verizon is king and Cingular is horrible.

And as for 4 or 8 gig? c'mon, thats a nano!

I whole heartedly agree that this device is revolutionary, the touch screen technology is jaw dropping but apple should offer this as a phone/ipod and a true ipod (without the phone) and offer it in 80 gig or 100 gig flavors for those of us who don't mind keeping phones and ipods seperate.

[dante@sisna.com]

I think there is some misunderstanding in pricing and features, this is how i understand it.

The iPhone costs $499 and $599 with a free 2 year cingular contract, the iPhone is NOT locked so can be used with any other service. Steve did not say it was locked to cingular, he just stated the price and the cingular guy added the free 2 year contract. Its a new way of thinking, its not the phones that will be free but the contracts. An unlocked phone but only for sale with Apple and cingular the first 2 years.


I HIGHLY doubt this is the case. You have to sign a 2 year contract with Cingular to get the phone for this price. While I am not happy with Cingular, I cannot wait to sign their contract to get this PDA/iPOD/iPhone/Computer.

[Rodimus Prime]

I do not know if I am the first person to say this but I was looking at it over at apple web sight and well personly I think the phone is kind of crappy. It looksl ike it fails when it comes to the easy to use part of being a phone. It has to much stuff going on with the screen and no easy way to control it.
It is clearly not a phone I would ever use or like. Yeah it is made by apple but for apple quility it looks like it failed. It has to much and does not look like it is going to be that easy to use. It fails in it most basic funition and that is being an easy to use phone.
Now as an ipod interface all that looks pretty promising or even a semi desent palm. But the currently things out there that are a PDA/Phone combo do a much better job in there primary funtion as being a phone. Apple seems to of failed at the primary goal of making a it a PHONE. A phone main thing is to be easy to dail numbers and contacts.

[uv23]

A fantastic device, but woefully lacking in storage. I was expecting 30 or 80 gigs, as with the latest iPods. Otherwise, you must still have a phone and an iPod. I won't invest in one until they near that range.

[dante@sisna.com]

I want a reason to buy a new computer to replace my G4 1Mhz iMac. I want the new version of OS X.:(

A G4 1Mhz?

There have been a dozen good reasons to replace this box for the past two years or more, at least.

[wildmac]

The only thing truly groundbreaking about this phone is a real web browser. It does a lot of things better than other phones, but it does the SAME things.

It is NOT revelutionary.

It probably will sell well, but they are doing into a tough market, with a lot of people locked into contracts already.

(snore)......

[ShermDog]

To me its just an ipod that 1. you have to pay a monthly service for and 2. must be a cingular customer to use, what good is that?

But, since the iphone has both Bluetooth and WiFi, you don't necessarily need to use it as a phone. Couldn't you surf the web or check email anywhere you find a hotspot? I think it's great to have a slightly bigger screen to watch movies, a portable jukebox, and mini-computer rolled into one small box. But, 8GB capacity--OUCH! You can't fit too many movies and music on that.

[hob]

Personally, I'll be biding my time with this one. I had to raise my eyebrows about the 3G. One that it doesn't have it, and two - that people here immediately start saying "who wants 3G?"

well guess what 3G is good for? Data transfer rates. When you're using Google Maps on your iPhone, you'll know why you need 3G. It's like the difference between Dial-up and Broadband. Trust me.

To join in that clamour of voices, I think I'll wait for the 2nd revision. I'm looking for way bigger capacity and 3G for sure!

[BillyShears]

I wonder how many people this will bring in as "switchers." From the perspective of people switching from PC to Mac because of the "halo effect." That would be good.

The "switchers" I am wondering about more are the people that don't currently have data plans on their cell phones. Seeing all these applications might entice people to get data plans on their cell phones. Hopefully this would lower data rates?

Also the use of WiFi could help with this, as it would provide competition for Cingular and other carriers on their data plans.

[manosaurus]

The only thing truly groundbreaking about this phone is a real web browser. It does a lot of things better than other phones, but it does the SAME things.

It is NOT revelutionary.

It probably will sell well, but they are doing into a tough market, with a lot of people locked into contracts already.

(snore)......

Sorry, but does any other phone have a buttonless touch screen interface?

[chatin]

Apple had every right to ignore the Mac. They are as close to perfect as the "state-of-the-art" will let them be. You don't fix what isn't broken!


:)

[ShermDog]

Something else came to mind...

Since it's also a phone, I wonder if you'll be able to use this to watch movies or listen to music while on a flight. The last time I traveled (December 2006), the flight crew asked that you turn cell phones completely off and not turn them on again until after we landed. If you can't turn off the phone functionality of the iPhone independently of the iPod functionality, there might be a lot of disappointed business travelers who are eyeing the iPhone.

[donlphi]

Won'tcha be constantly smudging up that beautiful screen by dragging your finger all over it?

You'll have to clean the cheetos off of your fingers before answering a call. :D

I love this thing. I currently have SPRINT and will switch to Cingular IF the phone is compatible with the next generation EDGE system. It would have been cool to see this sucker with EV-DO.

Looking back... think of how sad those people were that bought the Motorola RKR or whatever it was called.

Anybody shocked about the capacity as much as I was? Running an OS and storing music... not much space left on it. Did they say there was external memory available too?

[jessica.]

$600? Wow, sucks to be the people who just had to have this! Oh well you all have 6 months to save!

[brian928]

But, since the iphone has both Bluetooth and WiFi, you don't necessarily need to use it as a phone. Couldn't you surf the web or check email anywhere you find a hotspot? I think it's great to have a slightly bigger screen to watch movies, a portable jukebox, and mini-computer rolled into one small box. But, 8GB capacity--OUCH! You can't fit too many movies and music on that.

now repeat that argument and plug in "treo." would you buy a treo just to surf the web and watch movies? probably not. don't get me wrong, the iphone is a VERY cool device...it definitely has the "gotta have it" factor, far beyond a treo or blackberry...my only fear is that i'll be the poor shlub that goes and says "oh screw it, i'm just gonna get it and not use the phone function." then jobs will announce the next day that they are releasing a non-phone version of it with 20x the storage... DOH!

i do hear you though...if this were 100 gig, you could make the argument that it would still be worth it to own the device and just not use the phone function...the storage is DEFINITELY the bigger dissapointment.

Thing is, for those of us who have been holding off on buying the current video ipod to see what pannned out of the rumors on the touch screen...it almost seems silly to buy the existing version now, knowing that that big beautiful screen is out there :) i guess i'll continue to wait until the storage comes up and just stay happy with my nano for now....

[smueboy]

Since it's also a phone, I wonder if you'll be able to use this to watch movies or listen to music while on a flight. The last time I traveled (December 2006), the flight crew asked that you turn cell phones completely off and not turn them on again until after we landed. If you can't turn off the phone functionality of the iPhone independently of the iPod functionality, there might be a lot of disappointed business travelers who are eyeing the iPhone.

I guess it'll have a flight mode.

Plus I think some airlines (Emirates for one) are beginning to allow passengers to use phones during flight, so if the technology improves and it catches on there won't be a problem.

[valiums]

Hi,

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere. I would like to know if anybody knows if the iPhone camera is capable of taking video?

thanks!

Looks good!

[Stella]

SJ they have redefined the smartphone, it looks all good, but to be a smartphone it must at minimum:

1. sync to computer == yes
2. install third party applications

(2) - this is big question, if it cannot install third party applications then I don't consider it a smartphone - its a regular phone with a pretty interface - ala SonyEricsson non-UIQ smartphone ( except you can still install software on these - i.e., games but still not considered smartphone - i.e., K800 etc ).

Also, does it support J2ME - if not, why not? There are a lot of good Java applications out there - especially games.

Thirdly how much internal memory does it have - all well as good mentioning flash ram size - but that is different than internal memory and affects how the phone will perform.

When does it come to Canada - the price out of contract?

[badboibillie]

What do people think about it being a 'blackberry killer' or replacing sidekicks? I honestly use my Treo alot for text messaging and even though i love the chat-like sms (similar to treo in a way), i dont know about texting alot using the on-screen keyboard. Also, for the same reason, what about people replacing their other smartphone/pdas?

[Cinch]

I know this has been said before by me and a few others here. Apple should up it to 16 GB and charge $800 to $1000 for the phone. They should raise the price up so the people who owns the RAZR or KRZR can't afford to buy it. I think Apple should charge as much as the market will bear, and I think the iPhone can be considered a luxury iteam thus command a premium price.

The objective is not to sell a million phone with a $50 profit per phone, rather sell 1/4 of a million with a profit of say $200 per phone. Just my 2 cents.

Cinch

[Mr. Pippin]

For business and some private uses, sure would be nice to have a Calendar tool. At least it should work with iCal.

[tuartboy]

Hi,

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere. I would like to know if anybody knows if the iPhone camera is capable of taking video?

thanks!

Looks good!
Hold on, I'll try mine?

All I know is that I'm disappointed about GSM. Verizon upgraded my city to EvDO on 12/9 and I have charged my phone 1 time since that day. My calls are better than land line and I can get rock solid 150Kbps downloads on my Powerbook over bluetooth (free, it just uses minutes!). Unless the iPhone can do all that, I will hold out to see what happens.

[badboibillie]

$600? Wow, sucks to be the people who just had to have this! Oh well you all have 6 months to save!

Well you could always just invest $100 every month in apple and maybe you'll make some good extra cash in 6 months off their stock to pay for it!

[balamw]

(2) - this is big question, if it cannot install third party applications then I don't consider it a smartphone - its a regular phone with a pretty interface - ala SonyEricsson non-UIQ smartphone ( except you can still install software on these - i.e., games but still not considered smartphone - i.e., K800 etc ).

One word. Dashcode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashcode).

B

[badboibillie]

For business and some private uses, sure would be nice to have a Calendar tool. At least it should work with iCal.

http://images.apple.com/iphone/images/indexhero20070109.jpg

Voila - 2nd app.

Just imagine the possibilities of using OS X on this phone - imagine the games you can play too!

[Cinch]

What do people think about it being a 'blackberry killer' or replacing sidekicks? I honestly use my Treo alot for text messaging and even though i love the chat-like sms (similar to treo in a way), i dont know about texting alot using the on-screen keyboard. Also, for the same reason, what about people replacing their other smartphone/pdas?

The blackberry is not even in the same league. Please:D