Apple Announces The iPhone

[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? 😕

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.

 

[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.

 

[MrFirework]

I'll use my 100'th post to say this:

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!

 

[MacinJosh]

What about the resolution?

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. 😱

In what, July?

 

[dante@sisna.com]

Yes This Is The Killer Device

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]

my thoughts, not that you care

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]

Nice.. Apple was listening🙂

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

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/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, 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 😛)

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 😛 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 😛) 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 😀

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]

Chill People!

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.