Apple isn't going to go backwards and take features out of this product to make a "true video ipod".
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Apple Announces The iPhone
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Apple isn't going to go backwards and take features out of this product to make a "true video ipod".
I don't understand what's so awful about contracts. I don't love the idea on principal. But do all you people really want to switch phone companies every 6 months? Or are you thinking you might give up having a cell phone sometime in the next two years? If a phoneco is going to subsidize $100 or more of the cost of my phone to coerce me into doing something I'd probably do anyway, I'm not gonna complain.
I'd just wish it accepted memory sticks because 4 or 8gbs is really on the short end on storage for a device that could triple as a mp3 and music player. I would want to put at least a couple gbs of music which leaves hardly any room for movies 
Seriously, 4 or 8 gbs, and u're stuck w/ that for 2 whole years.......
16 or 32 gbs would of really sweetened up the deal.
Seriously, 4 or 8 gbs, and u're stuck w/ that for 2 whole years.......16 or 32 gbs would of really sweetened up the deal.
iPhone Shortcomings
iPhone Shortcomings:
- US Model will likely have a Network Lock on it. (Read: I'll wait to buy one from Europe and ship it over, which will be cheaper and will allow me to use my T-Mobile SIM card with it which has much better reception than Cingular where I live)
- Apparent lack of AIM Client (we'll have to see how serious Apple is about this "It runs OS X" claim)
- 4GB, 8GB is O.K. for most users, but clearly many want more
- It doesn't support 3G! EDGE is O.K., but why wouldn't Apple at least future-proof for 3G. It'll be interesting to see whether the European, the Aus/NZ (most likely to have it IMO) or the Asian model has 3G support...
I'll wait for the International RevA version, thanks Steve.
iPhone Shortcomings:
- US Model will likely have a Network Lock on it.
(Read: I'll wait to buy one from Europe and ship it over, which will be cheaper and will allow me to use my T-Mobile SIM card with it which has much better reception than Cingular where I live)- Apparent lack of AIM Client (we'll have to see how serious Apple is about this "It runs OS X" claim)
- 4GB, 8GB is O.K. for most users, but clearly many want more
- It doesn't support 3G!
EDGE is O.K., but why wouldn't Apple at least future-proof for 3G. It'll be interesting to see whether the European, the Aus/NZ (most likely to have it IMO) or the Asian model has 3G support...I'll wait for the International RevA version, thanks Steve.
iPhone Shortcomings:
- US Model will likely have a Network Lock on it.
- Apparent lack of AIM Client (we'll have to see how serious Apple is about this "It runs OS X" claim)
- 4GB, 8GB is O.K. for most users, but clearly many want more
- It doesn't support 3G!
I'll wait for the International RevA version, thanks Steve.
According to Steve, 3G is coming soon - who knows when that is (late 2008???)
The phone sucked enough of apple's time adn resources. Lets get back to making computer breakthroughs please.
Why can't people see that devices like the iPhone are the future of personal computing. If the technology had been available in 1977, this is exactly the kind of thing Woz and gang would have been working on.
The original Mac was received with similar lack of vision by many who thought that all personal computers had to look like the Apple ][ or IBM PC.
B
Lots of time for further models
I might just add a few thoughts, sorry if they were already mentioned, but i will not read the whole threat.
OK, so the iPhone is out but will be shipped starting June. It is cheap for what it offers but expensive regarding the actual $. But then again it offers everything. That leaves plenty of room regarding both (reduced) functionality and price.
I believe it is history repeating from last year. The first Intel-machines were not iBooks (as widely speculated) but the high-end Macbook Pros. The cheaper MBs were introduced without much tratra sometimes in spring. Same today: Personal introduction by Steve of the high-end device. That leaves space for a dedicated 6G iPod (399$) and smaller iPhone (nano, anyone?) which will be basically an iPod nano + phone. Again, the current iPod's biggest threat are music-phones not other mp3-player. Of course apple will introduce a cheaper iPhone nano which might actually be available on all mobile carriers as it will be the cash-cow, much like the current consumer iPod nano or the Macbook. These mid-priced devices (still not cheap apparently) give Apple the biggest profit, while the high-end devices - still profitable - also serve as an image-definers. I will buy an i-Phone nano in spring. I do not need the Internet-communicator and of course it will be smaller.
I might just add a few thoughts, sorry if they were already mentioned, but i will not read the whole threat.
OK, so the iPhone is out but will be shipped starting June. It is cheap for what it offers but expensive regarding the actual $. But then again it offers everything. That leaves plenty of room regarding both (reduced) functionality and price.
I believe it is history repeating from last year. The first Intel-machines were not iBooks (as widely speculated) but the high-end Macbook Pros. The cheaper MBs were introduced without much tratra sometimes in spring. Same today: Personal introduction by Steve of the high-end device. That leaves space for a dedicated 6G iPod (399$) and smaller iPhone (nano, anyone?) which will be basically an iPod nano + phone. Again, the current iPod's biggest threat are music-phones not other mp3-player. Of course apple will introduce a cheaper iPhone nano which might actually be available on all mobile carriers as it will be the cash-cow, much like the current consumer iPod nano or the Macbook. These mid-priced devices (still not cheap apparently) give Apple the biggest profit, while the high-end devices - still profitable - also serve as an image-definers. I will buy an i-Phone nano in spring. I do not need the Internet-communicator and of course it will be smaller.
Just avoid the iPhone shuffle, you don't know who it's going to call and when. Annoying when it decides to call your boss at 4 a.m.
B
Steve & Co must think Im an idiot, Im in Europe and a year from now those specs wont be woth ****, theyre not even worth **** now. Look at how big the friggin thing is, 2MP cam?? No 3G or HSDPA? Give me a break.
Crap..I should have read that before commenting. Did he really say 3g was coming?
Crap..I should have read that before commenting. Did he really say 3g was coming?
Apples biggest task now would be updating perfection.
I see little improvements on the computers currently offered.
Am i seeing things the wrong way?
I see little improvements on the computers currently offered.
Am i seeing things the wrong way?
The US also has a bit more resources than any country in Europe. If anything, it's not the size that matters, it's the population-density. Why is it that Finland is capable of getting partically 100% coverage in the entire country, including the frozen wastelands in Lapland?
I don't think folks want to switch cell providers every 6 months, but there are certainly instances where a person might not want to be locked into a 2 year contract.
Like when you find out a particular carrier flat out blows, it's nice to be able to jump ship without having to pay a penalty.. or if you move to a different part of the country and that carrier offers either no service, or piss poor service in your new area.. or when another carrier comes out with a much better deal, or some new whiz bang new technology.
That's the flaw with limiting the iPhone to a specific carrier.. let's say you're currently 8 months into a 2 year contract with Verizon or Altel.. are you really prepared to pay the 'penalty' for ending your contract early just to turn around and spend $499 on a new phone and sign another 2 year contract?
Apple making iPhone exclusively for Cingular makes about as much sense as Nokia deciding they're only going to make phones for Verizon.
And what about the people who would really like to buy an iPhone, but Cingular doesn't service their area?
Or folks like myself who are happy with their current cell phone, and only pay $20 a month for service. I'd really like to have one of those iPhones, just for the GPS/Mail/and web capabilities, but not enough to jack my monthly cell phone bill by double, PLUS have to shell out $500 for the thing.
I just realized what Apple's marketing guy might be doing!
Apple knew the haters would have to say crap about something regarding the iPhone so they introduced the 4 and 8 gig iPhone for $499 and $599 6 months in advance. They knew that people would set these price points in their minds and say that it's too much for just 4 and 8 gig. Then when the device actually comes out, they'll say "We're happy to announce that we're going to deliver the $499 and $599 iPhones to you with 8 gig and 16 gig!" Then everyone will feel like, "Wow, now we're getting so much more for the same price! Now the iPhone is priced reasonably! I guess I have nothing else stopping me from buying one, so wow, I'm gettin' me an iPhone!"
Pure genius.
Apple knew the haters would have to say crap about something regarding the iPhone so they introduced the 4 and 8 gig iPhone for $499 and $599 6 months in advance. They knew that people would set these price points in their minds and say that it's too much for just 4 and 8 gig. Then when the device actually comes out, they'll say "We're happy to announce that we're going to deliver the $499 and $599 iPhones to you with 8 gig and 16 gig!" Then everyone will feel like, "Wow, now we're getting so much more for the same price! Now the iPhone is priced reasonably! I guess I have nothing else stopping me from buying one, so wow, I'm gettin' me an iPhone!"
Pure genius.
I think the price is okay - if you need those features iPhone offers, then it's worth it. I'm not even thinking about buying one, because I don't need those features that much, and 8GB storage is not enough. I'm more excited about the future of iPod, because surely the touchscreen features will be included to the iPod too at some point.
I enjoyed the keynote, but I'm sad at the direction Apple is moving in. The Apple TV isn't what we hoped for - a device that would stream anything on your network (torrented TV shows, DVDs, whatever) to your TV -- but instead it's basically a delivery mechanism for videos Steve wants you to buy from Disney. The iPhone, meanwhile, isn't a super-cool uber-PDA, but a corporate plaything that requires you to tie yourself to Cingular (or a local equivalent) for two years. If you're going to charge $500 for a phone, you could at least unlock it and allow people to use their own sim card -- especially if the phone has great wi-fi functionality, which should mean that you only need to use the phone component from time to time. Pay-as-you-go customers would get a lot out of this product, but they're low on the list of priorities since they don't provide a steady stream of income to an Apple 'partner'.
I though the most poignant part of the keynote was when Steve's clicker stopped working, and he ad-libbed that stuff about him and Woz inventing the 'TV jammer' when they were in high school. Can you imagine the Apple visionaries of 1976 doing business with that bizarre Joe Don Baker dude from Cingular, with his stumbling delivery and his cuecards? Or even with "Dr. Eric Schmidt" and his jumbo tie? (I sometimes think that Steve invites these guys onto the stage so that his own 90s Seinfeld chic seems cool.) The high-schoolers who designed the TV Jammer back then would have loved a video streaming device that would send anything to your TV, not just a few preferred formats; and I think they'd have really run with a high-tech phone that used wi-fi/iChat whenever possible, to avoid the need to buy top dollar calling plans from rapacious cellphone companies. Hell, Woz would have been jamming Cingular, not partnering with them.
I don't see a lot of that old spirit in these new products. The design is beautiful, but the soul is missing.
I though the most poignant part of the keynote was when Steve's clicker stopped working, and he ad-libbed that stuff about him and Woz inventing the 'TV jammer' when they were in high school. Can you imagine the Apple visionaries of 1976 doing business with that bizarre Joe Don Baker dude from Cingular, with his stumbling delivery and his cuecards? Or even with "Dr. Eric Schmidt" and his jumbo tie? (I sometimes think that Steve invites these guys onto the stage so that his own 90s Seinfeld chic seems cool.) The high-schoolers who designed the TV Jammer back then would have loved a video streaming device that would send anything to your TV, not just a few preferred formats; and I think they'd have really run with a high-tech phone that used wi-fi/iChat whenever possible, to avoid the need to buy top dollar calling plans from rapacious cellphone companies. Hell, Woz would have been jamming Cingular, not partnering with them.
I don't see a lot of that old spirit in these new products. The design is beautiful, but the soul is missing.
So when are we going to see the same technology (touchscreen, Wifi, bluetooth, vert/hoz sensing etc) applied to a new iPod. The iPhone without the phone but with a hard drive?
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