Wall Street Journal Q&A With Steve Jobs

[DMann]

Custom ring-tones

Anybody that can take such a direct question about Ringtones and turn it into something about iTunes deserves, at the very leave, a govenorship. Still bummmed he didn't freakin answer! I want my ring tones!

And yeah, what's up with "ain't" - is Steve going hick on us???

In iTunes 7.3, there is a tool for creating custom ring-tones using songs in your library. All in all, we'll likely be surprised at how things evolve once iPhone is actually released.

 

[strangelogic]

not the ipod

I would guess that the iPhone I am buying tomorrow is probably at least the 3rd Generation and that SJ and others at tossed aside several previous prototypes. They have a reputation to uphold, and they've got deep pockets, and it took 3 years to put this together. is already a different company after the success of the iPod... As a result the approach to this device is not quite the same...

you are out of your mind!
wifi works for 300ft, if you are lucky enough to know the wep key that is
3g works everywhere
my phone has wifi and 3g and i have never once used the wifi.... why would i?

If you're really in Vancouver you won't have to worry about it just yet.

They went with proven radio technology - not cutting edge - which will in many cases make internet performance painful. I for one, am willing to live with that restriction, and it sounds like they are quickly lining up millions of others that are too. That doesn't make me, or anyone who does not care about the lack of 3G 'stupid', it's not guyana punch. I live less than 5 minutes from the beltway around Wash DC and have no att 3G coverage here, I have wi-fi, every hotel I stay at has wi-fi, and millions of people in the states live on campuses or in cities blanketed by free/open wi-fi.

3 pages of posts here with people pi**ing and moaning about something it does not have, and arguing pros/cons the missing 3g.

 

[DMann]

4g

3g is 7 to 10 TIMES faster
and when 3g isnt available it switches to edge anyways
and on most 3g phones you can force it to only use edge if battery life is a concern to you

there is absolutely zero benefit to not having 3g

in all of these discussions NOBODY has offered a reasonable excuse for 3g being left out of the iphone... im tired of people blindly defending apple's ridiculous decision to sell antiquated tech to people who dont understand it, and charge through the nose

rev 2 will be better

I'd MUCH rather have a slimmer phone with 8 hrs of battery life than a thicker and taller one with 3G. Wi-fi will be fine for now, until the chipset for 4G becomes more energy efficient and reduced in size. When this happens, 3G or 4G will be prevalent enough to make it worth while. Besides, 20 mile Wi-fi is on the horizon, which will blow 3G away in terms of speed and bandwidth.

 

[Billy Boo Bob]

you are out of your mind!
wifi works for 300ft, if you are lucky enough to know the wep key that is
3g works everywhere
my phone has wifi and 3g and i have never once used the wifi.... why would i?

Sure it works everywhere, if you live in a metro area and never go more than 20-30 miles away from home. Apparently you don'l live out in the country 200 miles away from any major city that has 3G service.

Have you looked over the AT&T coverage map with 3G 'mapping' turned on? Too bad it only zooms out to city street level, but you can drag/scroll around... I'd be surprised if it worked out to be 1% US geographic coverage.

The people who are pissing and moaning about no 3G service are certainly the loudest, but I'd be real curious how many users don't care because they'll never be able to use it anyway.

There's a poll for you... "Do you care that the iPhone doesn't work with 3G?" with a variety of anwers/options... Including some for those that can't get the service without spending a tank of gas to get to it.

Don't get me wrong... If it didn't cost but 10 bucks more to make the thing with it (and can disable it for battery time), fine... but I like the idea of skipping 3G and going WiMAX... Maybe AT&T is prepping for it and keeping it as quiet as Apple keeps things quiet (iPhone/FCC aside).?.

 

[akac]

For a second there, he actually had me believing that using EDGE is an upside.

If it makes you feel better, my wife made me turn 3G off on her BlackJack because it was sucking the battery so quickly even though it was never used except for her once or twice a day PIM updates.

So now she's on EDGE and very happy. So yeah, I think EDGE on the iPhone (which I hope to get for her tomorrow) is going to be just fine.

 

[amac4me]

The iPhone will eventually lead to more Mac sales. Rest assured.

 

[iPoodOverZune]

"Thar anit a gosh dern thing wrong wit hicks."

Seriously though, I wish that Steve would answer questions, not just respond to them. I understand the need/want for secrecy, but an actual clear answer would be nice. Not just:

Interviewer: "Is the sky blue?"
SJ: "Well you know that the sky is the biggest thing known to man right now and it is easy to imagine it becoming something bigger and vaster than we ever dreamed of."
Interviewer: "Well that's nice, but is it blue?"
SJ: "We don't talk about things like that."

That was hillarious! LOL
Steve is a great question dodger

 

[DMann]

3g

If it makes you feel better, my wife made me turn 3G off on her BlackJack because it was sucking the battery so quickly even though it was never used except for her once or twice a day PIM updates.

So now she's on EDGE and very happy. So yeah, I think EDGE on the iPhone (which I hope to get for her tomorrow) is going to be just fine.

And had Apple included a 3G option, the critics would be endlessly bashing the battery life....

 

[kcroy]

The other thing I can see them adding would be a iSight camera for mobile video chat.

Yep! That's what I want to see. A forward facing iSight camera.

I think it will be awhile for a 2ndG iphone as well.

Just hope I can get mine tomorrow.

 

[Rot'nApple]

I'm not saying that CNBC should not be discussing the issues with the iPhone. I just haven't seen any of the positive features mentioned. They routinely tease with headlines like "Why you shouldn't buy an iPhone!!! Tune in at 10 to find out why"

With Steve Capus as president of NBC news and "journalist" (questionable) Keith Olbermann, some of the biggest libs in the 'news' tout segments like Olbermann's 'Worse, Worser, Worst person in the world' and other such pessimistic views, why would you think anything with "NBC" in it's moniker would show anything in a positive light?

I never met a lib that was "happy and positive" - just saying!

 

[Billy Boo Bob]

If you at a hot spot that's fine but if you not do you really want to download over EDGE? Why bother with the slow download, just wait till you get home.

I want to see Apple work on more important issues.

Howzabout this? If you're in Wi-Fi, go ahead and download to the phone, and sync it back to iTunes when you dock it...

Or, if you're not in Wi-Fi, then purchase the song/episode/movie with the phone (while you're out and about), then the iTunes store will automatically push the song to your Mac/PC (assuming it's online). That way, when you get home, it's ready to sync into the phone immediately.

 

[alexandr]

In iTunes 7.3, there is a tool for creating custom ring-tones using songs in your library. All in all, we'll likely be surprised at how things evolve once iPhone is actually released.

pardon, where is this info coming from?

 

[rlreif]

uhh...everywhere as in everywhere or everywhere in just a few places across the country?

you're funny....

I would rather have battery life. If that means edge, and the wifi combo, then that works for me. Maybe you would rather have 3G and then bitch about the battery life.

as in everywhere in the united states i would care to live or visit, everywhere in europe, and most places in australia and asia, and coming soon to jesusland, usa as well

i like to know that my $600 phone is future proofed, and has the latest tech in it

i have been using 3g for some time now, its not new, and if i were to go to some hick backwater without 3g it would go to edge by default

also i have said it a million times on here, if you dont like 3g burning through your battery you can turn it off and force your phone to use only edge... my phone has 3g and wifi and the wifi uses far more power htan the 3g, and is inconvenient.

one more thing, normal 3g phones have removable batteries and come with 2, as well as a charger, so you always have an extra battery and you never have to charge your phone

 

[rlreif]

I would guess that the iPhone I am buying tomorrow is probably at least the 3rd Generation and that SJ and others at tossed aside several previous prototypes. They have a reputation to uphold, and they've got deep pockets, and it took 3 years to put this together. is already a different company after the success of the iPod... As a result the approach to this device is not quite the same...



If you're really in Vancouver you won't have to worry about it just yet.

They went with proven radio technology - not cutting edge - which will in many cases make internet performance painful. I for one, am willing to live with that restriction, and it sounds like they are quickly lining up millions of others that are too. That doesn't make me, or anyone who does not care about the lack of 3G 'stupid', it's not guyana punch. I live less than 5 minutes from the beltway around Wash DC and have no att 3G coverage here, I have wi-fi, every hotel I stay at has wi-fi, and millions of people in the states live on campuses or in cities blanketed by free/open wi-fi.

3 pages of posts here with people pi**ing and moaning about something it does not have, and arguing pros/cons the missing 3g.

i need to change that, i moved to seattle 9 months ago

here we have 3g everywhere, i find it hard to believe you dont have it 'within 5 minutes of the beltway'

when im in a hotel i have my laptop open and dont use my phone for internet, phones are for mobility

and i never called anyone stupid, ever on these pages

 

[JGowan]

Dude, take a look at the 1st gen iPod of five years ago - 5 GB, low res and big and bulky... an eyesore compared to what's available today.

Think of the iPhone as the least powerful, lowest memory, worst battery life, worst screen you can buy, because from now on, it's the minimum bar. It's scary to think what we'll have in five years - as the phone market is a very competitive so expect a lot.

Hindsight -- 20/20 and all that... I agree. It is a mind-blower when you think that the phone that Apple will release tomorrow is on the lowend of what's to come. But in defense of the 1G iPod -- without it, we wouldn't have what we have today.

I spent $465 on November 12, 2001 on that first iPod (including tax and a $29 CompUSA TAP replacement plan) -- let me tell you: at the time, is was completely unbelievable. I am glad I bought version 1 of it. It worked beautifully. I am glad I've been a part of this whole thing since the beginning. Since then, I've had 10 more iPods; some for me and some I bought for friends or relatives. It's truly the perfect gift.

Well, it was... until now.

 

[rlreif]

I'd MUCH rather have a slimmer phone with 8 hrs of battery life than a thicker and taller one with 3G. Wi-fi will be fine for now, until the chipset for 4G becomes more energy efficient and reduced in size. When this happens, 3G or 4G will be prevalent enough to make it worth while. Besides, 20 mile Wi-fi is on the horizon, which will blow 3G away in terms of speed and bandwidth.

dude!
4g is 10 years out on phones
ands if you want more battery life on a 3g phone force it to use edge only
im sick of saying that, the battery excuse is weak

20 mile wifi??? yeah right wake me up when you have it

 

[rlreif]

If it makes you feel better, my wife made me turn 3G off on her BlackJack because it was sucking the battery so quickly even though it was never used except for her once or twice a day PIM updates.

So now she's on EDGE and very happy. So yeah, I think EDGE on the iPhone (which I hope to get for her tomorrow) is going to be just fine.

isnt it nice to have the choice?
what is the benefit to you of having the slow network instead of a choice for the one you want that you can switch in an instant to suit your current needs

 

[JGowan]

Don't believe that Apple is going to pump out revisions once every year until they get it "right" like they did with the iPod. This current iPhone is mostly already "right" and they've taken a lot of cues from past experiences. Most of the features to be added can be done through software alone, and they specifically designed it that way.

I completely expect Apple to give a very Merry Christmas to iPhone buyers with some very compelling software applications brought to them through updates in iTunes... in fact, I believe more than a couple to be handed out well before that -- less than a month. Bringing the fence-sitters down without mercy. Watch for it. That 4th row will be filled in 2007. No doubt about. And GAMES will be one of them... in a big way.

I honestly don't expect to see the need for hardware changes in the near future. Of course, there will be new revisions, but you'll likely be waiting a good long while before seeing it.

Agreed: Bigger Flashdrives; Working Bluetooth for device to device transfers; Camcorder Video; iChat Camera on the front -- but it will be a while for Hardware. Absolutely.

Besides, I've had every revision iPod and really disliked version 2. Those buttons along the top were terrible. The click wheel was a great addition, but the original wheel is still my favorite. I achieved much more accurate scrolling because my thumb followed a circular arch where with the click wheel, I tend to brush over the center button which breaks speed.

You are so right. The best I had was 1G. The real wheel with the moving parts. It was just so easy. I think this new finger sliding way is going to be the complete best, however.

I'm surprised we haven't heard about a pseudo tactile click for feedback that current iPods have. It seems like a tiny tiny click when you typed on the keypad or when flicking through artists would really be helpful. If you didn't like it, there'd be a very simply OFF menu to free you from it.

2¢

 

[JGowan]

<Drivel Snipped>

rev 2 will be better

Duh -- ya think?

 

[jat543]

Sure it works everywhere, if you live in a metro area and never go more than 20-30 miles away from home. Apparently you don'l live out in the country 200 miles away from any major city that has 3G service.


Don't get me wrong... If it didn't cost but 10 bucks more to make the thing with it (and can disable it for battery time), fine... but I like the idea of skipping 3G and going WiMAX... Maybe AT&T is prepping for it and keeping it as quiet as Apple keeps things quiet (iPhone/FCC aside).?.

just a quick question. I know that to be able to use the 3G network the iPhone would have had to have had certain hardware in it (the 3G chipset, wouldnt be able to access the network with just a software update from apple). IF att was to say enable WiMAX on their networks and such, would the iphone be able to access it? or would we have to wait for an iphone rev 2 with certain WiMAX hardware to be able to use it

 

[rob@robburns.co]

just a quick question. I know that to be able to use the 3G network the iPhone would have had to have had certain hardware in it (the 3G chipset, wouldnt be able to access the network with just a software update from apple). IF att was to say enable WiMAX on their networks and such, would the iphone be able to access it? or would we have to wait for an iphone rev 2 with certain WiMAX hardware to be able to use it

Yes, big changes like that in the networking protocols will require hardware changes to the chipset. Much of this discussion about networking is much marketing hype. The competitors are highlighting what they have (in the face of the iPhone release). Some competing carriers have 3G that is better than EDGE (AT&T too has 3G, but its not widely deployed). All of the cellphone data networks are horrible (3G included) when compared to WiFi. They're basically at the speeds of home internet connections from 10 or 12 years ago.

Hopefully this will change, but Apple has to deal with the state of the situation. Apple is also trying to throw a lot of cutting edge technology into one device. This isn't a problem so much of Apple wanting to gouge us all (they're probably trying to recoup the same margins on this that they do on all of their products). By pushing as much technology into this as they can and getting big sales (hopefully), this will help drive the technology forward (I wouldn't be surprised if normal product margins require AT&T to actually pay Apple $100 or $150 or more for each phone sold; making this a $700 or $800 device).

So in deciding what to keep in and what to drop, it doesn't surprise me that power-sucking, expensive and large 3G chipsets were left off the iPhone since its a feature that can only be used by a minority of those purchasing the device.

Obviously, Apple want to put as much memory in there, as much network bandwidth; and as much screen real estate as it can possibly get into a phone that size and still keep in in the expected price range of a handheld device.

As for applications lacking, that's probably due to several issues: 1) wanting to get the core applications right and focus on adding applications later (e.g., games, voice-control and dialing, video messaging). Apple likes to start over a lot, leave out the cruft and see what early adopters clamour for; 2) Applicatons' have to fit into the cell phone industry's revenue model. In other words this thing can't just have full-blown iChat or an IPPhone application because then you'd be paying AT&T $20/month for network access and they'd have no other source of revenue. Its that revenue model of the cell-phone industry (and I think this applies world-wide) that a product like the iPhone makes look so absurd (i.e., charging per minute for voice calls, per message for text messages and then offering unlimited data or data billed separately as an after thought which is the service that the cell phone providers actually provide).

There are a lot of applications that the iPhone doesn't have that other phones have had for years. But again that's Apple doing what Apple does (removing the cruft, getting the core right, starting fresh and finding out what customers really want). I'm sure we'll see these addressed in due time. Nothing is at all revolutionary about those missing apps. Regardless of whether you want to buy one or not, I don't see how you can't recognize the sweeping changes this device will bring.

 

[Billy Boo Bob]

just a quick question. I know that to be able to use the 3G network the iPhone would have had to have had certain hardware in it (the 3G chipset, wouldnt be able to access the network with just a software update from apple). IF att was to say enable WiMAX on their networks and such, would the iphone be able to access it? or would we have to wait for an iphone rev 2 with certain WiMAX hardware to be able to use it

I'm sure you didn't specifically direct that to me, but more general asking around (since I mentioned it).

I wish I knew... I'm not up on all the cell hardware and acronyms like so many others around here. But, I wouldn't be surprised if WiMAX is in there, just waiting to be activated... Sorta like the 802.11n sitting inside newer Macs, just waiting for firmware or software. Not saying that I *THINK* it is, just that I wouldn't be surprised...

No idea, though, how bulky the additional hardware would be. And even though there's a flavor of OS X inside, I doubt there's a "System Profiler" ready to pull up that would tell you.

Then again, it could be just hours before the first "iPhone Hacked" stories start showing up... Then there's always the ones that will surely tear the thing apart and post photos of the guts before most who plan on getting one even have them activated. The East Coast folks get a 3 hour jump on West Coast buyers. Maybe before they can even buy one.

And buyers in Hawaii? Well, they'll already know ALL about it before they even need to go get in line.

 

[kissmyaxe]

one more thing, normal 3g phones have removable batteries and come with 2, as well as a charger, so you always have an extra battery and you never have to charge your phone

One of the main selling points of the iPhone is NOT having to carry around extra things like your iPod, PDA, or...spare batteries.

 

[rob@robburns.co]

I'm sure you didn't specifically direct that to me, but more general asking around (since I mentioned it).

I wish I knew... I'm not up on all the cell hardware and acronyms like so many others around here. But, I wouldn't be surprised if WiMAX is in there, just waiting to be activated... Sorta like the 802.11n sitting inside newer Macs, just waiting for firmware or software. Not saying that I *THINK* it is, just that I wouldn't be surprised...

Yeah, that wasn't all directed at you, just pent up from reading these threads. Anyway, the WiMax is probably not something AT&T will be doing. It may come up with its own competing offering. My understanding is that WiMax is from QualComm and more likely to come from Sprint and Verizon and that area of the industry.

As for the firmware updates for 802.11n, those were just on very recent hardware where Apple was almost ready to update to the new spec, but no quite ready for launch day. Not to be discouraging, but I expect that the iPhone's hardware is what it is. Perhaps the iPhone could lead to a new communitarian movement where everyone started opening up the home and office WiFi networks for everyone to use. If so, I think you'e find WiFi an abundant and very fast networking already built into the iPhone and ready for use (in some areas this already occurs): an WiFi makes 3G and WiMax look pathetic.

 

[mazola]

Mine too. Never had a battery issue of course it doesn't last as long as it used to, but it can go for the day if I recharge it each night.

My 1G iPod rocks. I did replace the battery though (this year), and it now gets 20+ hours on a single charge (at a cost of $15!).

I've had a lot of other iPods pass under my nose but the thing that hits me is that they made it (substantially) right the first time. Reminds me of the first Mac too (maybe it's because of the font...).