iPhone 4GB and 8GB, Coming in January?

[Mantat]

Seriously, this sucks.

I was hoping for awifi phone. It would have been much more Apple like to do something different. Now they are just going for small size which is totaly useless to me. It will only mean that it is going to be even easier to lose/forget it in my coat pocket...

Wifi phone are the future, just imagine: as long as you have access to a wifi network, you get free service! And with the coverage offered by wifi-max, if shouldnt be a problem in the 2-3 next years.

There is one such phone availlable in japan right now (cant find the link) it is using Skype and look very Apple like.

[X5-452]

If the 8GB version was indeed the smartphone version, then it should exclusively have the slide out keyboard and not the simpler 4GB regular phone. The two battery idea is genius, now I won't have to worry about running out of juice because I was listening to music. Plus I'm sure there are other cool features about it not mentioned. I can see it resembling the nano in terms of hight and width but we'll see. I'm excited. I just wish I had dished out $283 bones back in October for the Samsung T609.

[gloss]

At the same time, a wi-fi phone would be horribly limiting. Cell phones can be sold worldwide - only select areas have broad wireless access.

[randyharris]

If true, this is the best rumornews I've read in a long time!

[dan-o-mac]

Originally Posted by Mantat

Seriously, this sucks.

I was hoping for awifi phone. It would have been much more Apple like to do something different. Now they are just going for small size which is totaly useless to me. It will only mean that it is going to be even easier to lose/forget it in my coat pocket...

Wifi phone are the future, just imagine: as long as you have access to a wifi network, you get free service! And with the coverage offered by wifi-max, if shouldnt be a problem in the 2-3 next years.

There is one such phone availlable in japan right now (cant find the link) it is using Skype and look very Apple like.

Sounds like a great idea if you live in the future.

[freeny]

Ill believe it when I see it.

[CEAbiscuit]

Interesting but the only thing that makes it shakey for me is the "all providers" claim. An iphone intro with both GSM and CDMA in the same phone? Two different models? Would love to see it, but for all carriers I have doubts. Especially with Verizon and Alltel's clugey software requirements.

[dekator]

This thing better kick ass... well, from the sound of it, it will. I'd like Apple to produce something unique, yet versatile and compatible.

[gloss]

Originally Posted by freeny

Ill believe it when I see it.

I love that people are still saying this. The expectations have grown so huge for an Apple-branded cell phone that the worst thing Apple could possibly do is NOT release one. Every technology outlet on the internet has mentioned it at one point or another, and there's a sort of tacit assumption that 'Yeah, it's coming.' If Steve were to come out and say 'Nope, it's not.', their stock would tank overnight.

[puckhead193]

i hope their is a smart phone version....

[Eraserhead]

Originally Posted by Mantat

Seriously, this sucks.

I was hoping for awifi phone. It would have been much more Apple like to do something different. Now they are just going for small size which is totaly useless to me. It will only mean that it is going to be even easier to lose/forget it in my coat pocket...

Although cool, WiFi isn't huge with open networks, at least in the UK, but if the $450 one had WiFi that'd be cool for home use.

[Chundles]

Originally Posted by CEAbiscuit

Interesting but the only thing that makes it shakey for me is the "all providers" claim. An iphone intro with both GSM and CDMA in the same phone? Two different models? Would love to see it, but for all carriers I have doubts. Especially with Verizon and Alltel's clugey software requirements.

Yeah but who uses CDMA? Talk about old tech.

I hope it's a 3G phone so it can make use of fast mobile internet in conjunction with a mobile version of the iTunes Store. Download to your iPhone on the go, come home and it will sync your song back to your computer.

Here on Telstra's NextG service (regular old 3G but on 850MHz for better range) they offer dual-downloads so when you download a song to your phone it simultaneously downloads a higher bit rate version to your laptop. Don't know how much it costs but knowing Telstra it'll be astronomical. Good idea though but I'd rather have a phone with good storage and the same bit rate on both laptop and phone.

But forget about CDMA, I didn't think anyone but the farmers out in the scrub used CDMA and even they gave that up ages ago when satellite phones became cheap.

My mind still boggles that your telcos can dictate access to the phone's features. You shouldn't need to worry about what provider you use when you consider which phone. Sure some providers may get exclusive deals but if a phone is offered by multiple providers it should have access to all the features that it would have if it were unlocked.

[insidergrin]

If your a member of Revision 3 and have seen the latest Diggnation you would know this is true. You could tell and he hinted to saying that he has seen the phone and i felt like i wanted to just YELL at him to TELL US ALL! Because he didnt want to screw his source hinting to the truth of this phone and the details. You can see the pocast here: http://revision3.com/diggnation/2006-11-30,
For now only if your a member you can watch the video or else you could just download the audio and listen foward to the 38th minute. I wish he had just called his source and rumored to all of us about the iphone.

[Buschmaster]

Originally Posted by freeny

Ill believe it when I see it.

Funny thing to hear from a frequent at a rumors site.


I'm not due for a phone for a while from my contract, but if this phone were really awesome, I'd get it for sure, I know it'd sync and sing with my MacBook... That's the most exciting prospect to me.

[OdduWon]

Originally Posted by Chaszmyr

It sounds like everything we've been hoping for (most of us anyway). Lets pop the champagne!

The only concern is... Why would the 8gb model cost $200 more than the 4gb model? ... It could point to one of them being a smart phone, and the other not...Instead, i think this "slide out keyboard" would really be the keypad for dialing, and the surface of the device would have a screen and a click wheel, like several mockups have shown. This makes an otherwise credible seeming source seem less credible.

agreed, the reason for the price gap will be the intelligence in the higher phone. but it could also be the inclusion of a killer hands-free set. with all the research going on at apple lately ( itv,earbuds,fm/tuner,shuffelizing and isight) i think we can expect the TelePod to be the culmination of these labors.

As for slidout keyboards, if it is nano sized it will definitely have one and it will be as slick as the click wheel does anyone think this will be too small??? Ichat and photobooth mobile. how hard would it be to run a mobile iclip? put together your friday night video playlist or compose a vblog for Youtube.

but then again the pod products are about celebrating the Mac not becomming one. YET

[dan-o-mac]

Originally Posted by insidergrin

If your a member of Revision 3 and have seen the latest Diggnation you would know this is true. You could tell and he hinted to saying that he has seen the phone and i felt like i wanted to just YELL at him to TELL US ALL! Because he didnt want to screw his source hinting to the truth of this phone and the details. You can see the pocast here: http://revision3.com/diggnation/2006-11-30,
For now only if your a member you can watch the video or else you could just download the audio and listen foward to the 38th minute. I wish he had just called his source and rumored to all of us about the iphone.

Or you can get the video from here.

http://www.diggdown.net/

[job]

Originally Posted by Chundles

Yeah but who uses CDMA? Talk about old tech.

But forget about CDMA, I didn't think anyone but the farmers out in the scrub used CDMA and even they gave that up ages ago when satellite phones became cheap.

I thought Verizon still used CDMA.

Anyone want to correct me?

[timon]

Originally Posted by job

I thought Verizon still used CDMA.

Anyone want to correct me?

Your quite right. In the US CDMA, i.e., Verizon, has about half of the market so leaving CDMA out could really hurt sales.

What will be interesting is if Apple does release a CDMA phone will they do it through Verizon or own their own. If through Verizon will Apple let Verizon force them to cripple the phone features? If they go on their own then will Verizon let you connect to the network? I've heard that they won't but them maybe Apple is ready to take them to court. One the other hand I've been told by one Verison rep they will but won't give you any technical support.

[mmzplanet]

Originally Posted by job

I thought Verizon still used CDMA.

Anyone want to correct me?

Yes they do.

CDMA is a great technology (If you use GPS, you use CDMA tech), GSM (a form of TDMA) has advantages too. Those who blatently bash one or the other don't really know anything or they work for a cell company that uses one of them.

But will VZW keep their mitts off the OS? .... doubtful. But maybe they will surrender to iPods marketshare.

[calyxman]

Originally Posted by job

I thought Verizon still used CDMA.

Anyone want to correct me?

Yes they do, and I believe Alltell does as well.

[JohnGalt]

Originally Posted by arn

There's large gap between 4GB and 8GB ($249 -> $449), if previous rumors are to be believed... there will be a lowerend "just phone" and a higher end "smart phone"

arn

You are correct. Given the $100 difference between a 4GB & 8GB iPod today, and that 8GB nanos are rumored to not be selling as well as hoped, doubling the price difference doesn't seem to make sense

It also isn't typical of Apple's marketing group who usually has price points that make it easy to start out thinking you're going to buy an iPod shuffle but walk out the door with a quad PowerMac.....

[randomlinh]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

You are correct. Given the $100 difference between a 4GB & 8GB iPod today, and that 8GB nanos are rumored to not be selling as well as hoped, doubling the price difference doesn't seem to make sense

It also isn't typical of Apple's marketing group who usually has price points that make it easy to start out thinking you're going to buy an iPod shuffle but walk out the door with a quad PowerMac.....

$100 price difference? I thought it was only $50.. and everyone I know who bought a nano bought the 8GB one.

[kansast]

Wondering how well sales will be. I know that buying a new cell phone ain't quite as easy as say buying a new iPod. I think of all the people I know who have 'newer' cell phones, and they all complain about not being able to figure out how to use all the features.. I use most the features on my phone, but I'm constantly amazed at how lame the User Interface is.. I keep waiting for apple to come out with their version of the 'consumer' iPhone. And an interface that kicks ass. About time for me to get a new phone anyway :-)

[Ahheck01]

Foremost in my mind is in-car use. Right now we have adapters to interface our iPods with our head units. We also have adapters to have our cell phones become handsfree, integrating with our head units. I think a HUGE selling point of the iPhone would be the ability to have one universal connection to head units where we interface our iPhones' music with our head unit, while at the same time having it automatically mute itself for incoming calls with the whole handsfree thing.

This will be an awesome product if they don't half-arse the phone and the mp3 player in order to combine them.

-Evan

[freeny]

Originally Posted by Buschmaster

Funny thing to hear from a frequent at a rumors site.

Not that I don't believe of its existence, its just the rumors of the iPhone have taken on a life of their own. To the point that you really cant believe anything. I will reserve my right to make judgments on the thing for when it is released.

Im not a "cell-phone person" mostly because I haven't seen one that has ever inspired me to do more than to make a phone call...