More Apple Phone Rumors and Speculation

[palhen]

Originally Posted by DisturbedLen

To me, music is not the most important thing for a phone. A phone could not replace my 60GB iPod. The most important features would be:

1. A clean GUI with a large display.
2. Integration with iCal, Mail, Bookmarks, etc.. WITHOUT a .Mac subscription. (I fear that a .Mac subscription is somehow going to be tied into this phone thing.) I want IMAP support, not just for .Mac email.
3. Decent camera
4. A freakin clip! Right in the box. Hardly anybody includes these anymore...

Simplicity will work best. Cramming 9000 features into a phone will make it fail. Apple won't do that. But I do expect some type of "wow" feature that will make it different from other phones on the market.

A camera is just a wow-feature, hopefully left out of this. And don't expect a clip from Apple. It would be extremely un-Apple.

Henrik

[balamw]

Originally Posted by palhen

And don't expect a clip from Apple. It would be extremely un-Apple.

You have seen the 2G Shuffle, right.

B

[bbydon]

i don't know if this has been mentioned or not
but i just found a iTunes phone driver in the software update.

[balamw]

Originally Posted by bbydon

i don't know if this has been mentioned or not
but i just found a iTunes phone driver in the software update.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=232942

B

[bbydon]

oops
sorry.

[SiliconAddict]

Originally Posted by puuukeey

why do people think this is so labor intensive? all I do is add 20 absurd lines of text per iphone rumor. would this require brain power for others

That's making the assumption that I knew that you did that.

[McScooby]

http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/9300/0,7747,,00.html

It's candy bar by nature, styled like a "flip", externally acts just like a phone should and do (make and receive calls with basic, limited functionality, possibly a camera (again externally), but when you open flip, there's none of this screen one side and keyboard other just pure widescreen both sides of flip acting together as one large screen (hinge could be a prob, apple engs would have 'magically' sorted), possibilty of scroll either touch screen or smaller form on bottom flip - This matches Steve's supposed ease of use - flip activates Vpod.
Now sure this ain't nano size or Ipod thin, but acting as a phone it has basic ipod functions, open it up it's the mother of screens to be portable. When closed in transit, the screen is protected.

Dumbed down mac-syncing .mac Pda function rolled into larger form & when Vpod activated acts a screen show for pictures taken/stored

There could just be another candy styled nano featured phone.

& at a stretch both act as basic controller for iTV/Front Row thru infrared (I think i remember seeing in recent build of leopard screen shots the ability to unpair or add a remote control)

Oh and in best interests of apple making money, a detatchable battery ( & what a battery it would prbly need!) just like any other mobile phone out there - so they can sell u another saving them on replacements!

[Amphersand]

Anybody here got a DS?

There about the right size and weight. Throw a phone and a camera in one of them, make the touch screen full size, both sides, touch jog wheel etc. Ipod stylings etc. Winner.

[ajprice]

Originally Posted by Amphersand

Anybody here got a DS?

There about the right size and weight. Throw a phone and a camera in one of them, make the touch screen full size, both sides, touch jog wheel etc. Ipod stylings etc. Winner.

O2 Exec

[stevebabcock]

This rumor always surfaces around Macworld time. I am among the many wishful thinkers when it comes to the iphone. I just want a good phone that can play mp3s, sync with my address book and ical as well as utilize all the functions of ichat.


PS: Someone explain the concept of "unlocked phone" to me? What does that mean?

[Danksi]

Originally Posted by ajprice

O2 Exec

I've seen this thing quite a bit and IMHO it's the clunkiest handheld I've seen with an O2 badge (well - with any badge really for that matter).

Originally Posted by stevebabcock

PS: Someone explain the concept of "unlocked phone" to me? What does that mean?

I'm sure someone will explain in more detail, but basically it means you can buy a handheld device (typically GSM) and use it on any mobile/cell phone network. Although a lot of carriers now offer 'sim only' packages, the problem is, you may end up having a hard time getting the correct settings out of a carrier's 'support' team, to benefit from any services beyond voice/text messaging - unless it's a device that's fully supported by that carrier. You may end up having to figure out what settings go where yourself.

[AppleIntelRock]

Doesn't look like it's going down at MWSF

[Compile 'em all]

Originally Posted by peharri

Here's what I think the iPod Phone should look like:

1. Multisystem phone working with all world wide deployed mobile phone standards on all frequencies. Support for Rev. C of CDMA and 3GPP Release 8 of UMTS, plus WiMAX. Uses SIM cards, even on CDMA networks.
2. Should be credit card sized.
3. 16Gb Flash for music
4. 7 day battery life
5. Built-in web browser
6. 5MP camera
7. Bluetooth and 802.11n
8. Voice control
9. Entire face should be a touch screen. Recognises your finger prints both for security and to eliminate the need to lock the keypad.
10. Free nights and weekends.
11. Free mobile to mobile, even across different networks
12. Apple should pretend mobile phone carriers can brand and lock the phone, so that they subsidize it, but then should put in a "secret" code that, when entered, causes any logos painted onto the phone to dissolve, remove all locks, and change the software to Apple's branding. This code should be communicated to everyone on the understanding that Verizon employees never get to hear about it.
13. Can run Parallels, allowing the user to run both Apple's firmware, plus anything third rate and defacto standard like Symbian.
14. Java. Dunking it into a cup of hot water results in a delicious cup of piping hot coffee within seconds.
15. Integrates with Mac OS X, Mac OS, AmigaOS, and Sinclair QDOS. Windows support permanently "RSN".
16. Slideout screw-driver and pocket knife.
17. $199, with $399 mail in rebate.
18. Phone automatically able to send in its own mail-in rebates.
19. Reception and transmission power so powerful you can reach your home network even outside of its coverage area.
20. Multimedia messaging.

What do you think?

I think it will be similar in size to this phone:

[peharri]

Originally Posted by stevebabcock

This rumor always surfaces around Macworld time. I am among the many wishful thinkers when it comes to the iphone. I just want a good phone that can play mp3s, sync with my address book and ical as well as utilize all the functions of ichat.


PS: Someone explain the concept of "unlocked phone" to me? What does that mean?

An unlocked phone is a phone that isn't tied to a particular operator. Some operators sell subsidized phones that they "lock" to their own networks. This means that putting in a different operator's (U)SIM card (GSM, UMTS, or iDEN) or trying to reprogram the phone to connect to a different operator (AMPS, and its successors like IS-95 (so-called "CDMA") and D-AMPS) is prevented by the phone's firmware.

Sometimes this is undoable. Nokia GSM phones are generally unlockable via codes generated by a series of publicly available algorithms, entered on the handset keypad.

There are several reasons why you would want to switch a phone to a different operator. If you're roaming, your operator may not have a roaming agreement, or the roaming agreement may be absurdly expensive, much more expensive than buying a contractless Pay as You Go SIM card.

You might simply like an old phone but no longer be with that operator. A friend has an AT&T N-Gage that he unlocked and now use with their T-Mobile account. On that note, even if he'd stuck with AT&T, if he'd upgraded his account to a new Cingular contract (Cingular bought AT&T), the N-Gage would have become unusable with the new contract because it was locked to AT&T and Cingular SIMs wouldn't have worked in it.

It's more of an issue with GSM phones than AMPS/D-AMPS/IS-95 phones, largely because switching the latter type of phone requires the active cooperation of the operator, most of whom are reknowned for being control freaks when it comes to deciding what equipment you're going to use on their network. GSM users are used to having freedom and choice, and the locking mentality actively works against that.

But that's why people want unlocked phones. They want to buy a phone, and know they can use it for years, no matter what happens to their operator.

[joepunk]

On engadget mobile website they have another iPhone mock-up on display. This one look really great and quite believable imo.

And here is the chinese translated site with more images

[Compile 'em all]

Originally Posted by palhen

A camera is just a wow-feature, hopefully left out of this.

Cameras are integrated nowadays in all Phones because they generate data traffic for the network operator .

[Compile 'em all]

Originally Posted by joepunk

On engadget mobile website they have another iPhone mock-up on display. This one look really great and quite believable imo.

And here is the chinese translated site with more images

This one looks too complicated to be a product from Apple. It looks nice though.

[clevin]

Originally Posted by SFNE Freak

Do 16% of Americans know that it would probably be impossible to price it at less than $600 unlocked?

dont worry, there will be another 16% rich ppl buy it, even if they aren't paying attention right now.

[clevin]

Originally Posted by joepunk

On engadget mobile website they have another iPhone mock-up on display. This one look really great and quite believable imo.

And here is the chinese translated site with more images

I really hope they can cover the keyboard, it gets dirty, and difficult to clean, especially if its white.

[daexpert]

Originally Posted by balamw

You have seen the 2G Shuffle, right.

B

Darn right I did, bought the gurl one for x-mas and now I am jealous....those things rock. Soo small.....

[daexpert]

Originally Posted by joepunk

On engadget mobile website they have another iPhone mock-up on display. This one look really great and quite believable imo.

And here is the chinese translated site with more images

Wooo, I like it! Lots of buttons to push. ;-)

[peharri]

Originally Posted by daexpert

Wooo, I like it! Lots of buttons to push. ;-)

The best part is the Windows key... (top left hand corner of the keypad, opposite the Apple key on the right)

[Compile 'em all]

Originally Posted by peharri

The best part is the Windows key... (top left hand corner of the keypad,

You mean the worst

[balamw]

Originally Posted by daexpert

Darn right I did, bought the gurl one for x-mas and now I am jealous....those things rock. Soo small.....

The comment was directed at Pahlen who said not to expect a clip from Apple. Even when the 2G Shuffle pretty much is nothing but clip.

B

[daexpert]

Originally Posted by balamw

The comment was directed at Pahlen who said not to expect a clip from Apple. Even when the 2G Shuffle pretty much is nothing but clip.

B

LOL, not sure where the comparison might be between an Apple cell phone and the 2g shuffle...