Apple Announces The iPhone

[rajulkabir]

perspective from southeast asia

I'll be very interested to see how Apple plays this in Asia.

Around here, most people buy unlocked phones. Contract phones aren't much cheaper - 20% discount at most, reflecting the fact that you can get them unlocked in the shadowy upper levels of any electronics mall, so the only way the carriers can "enforce" the contract is to send you bills and hope.

People are also much more internationally mobile than in the USA; I don't know any middle-class person who hasn't left the country at least once last year, and most of my peers go on at least a half-dozen international trips annually between business and leisure.

In Europe, Vodafone's about as close as you get to a continent-wide network, but it's still far from comprehensive. In Asia there's nothing. Nobody has the market reach of a Verizon or a Cingular. A phone that's locked to one carrier that may or may not have good reciprocal roaming arrangements is a non-starter.

So, if as people are saying, Cingular is subsidising 50% or more of the phone's actual retail price, it just won't work. The number of people who will pay US$1200 for a phone is tiny.

Actually, given the price premium for Apple products over here, it's likely to be more like $1500.

 

[rajulkabir]

For all of you people posting who have not watched the Keynote Steve said that the reason this was announced now is that FCC approval takes months.

Is it legal for Steve to make calls with it in a public place if it doesn't have FCC approval? I would have thought they'd have to restrict its use to within RF-shielded test facilities.

 

[ts1973]

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 want to acknowledge this, post, as it is spot on in my opinion. I couln't have put it any clearer :

Apple has lost its soul, right there where it lost part of its name :/

 

[Philsy]

A couple of thoughts:

Will it sync via Wifi? I hope so, and some sort of .Mac link-up would be nice.

Does it offer predictive texting? I text via my Mac and Address Book when in the office, but do like predictive when on the move (I'm too old for textspeak!).

What about iTunes Store? It would be sensible to be able to buy music direct from the phone. Not that I'd want this, because I prefer CD quality sound, but it would be an extra income source for Apple.

 

[martg]

I agree with nearly half of the comments above! The iphone is an amazing product (the UI looked astounding), but how it will be in real life is anyones guess. But its now made the older ipods look a little outdated. When can we expect them to see that kind of user experience - even with just the music and video components (i.e. remove the ical, widgets and internet). I would defo spend about £400 for that; depending on the hard drive capacity.

Also again disappointing for the trans atlantic crowd - still nothing on itunes but music! What would be the point in spending 200 (which is actually alot less than i thought it would be) for apple tv when the only thing we could stream is music. And there is no way i am leaving Orange who give me a lot of mins calling time and lots of texts for quite cheap - just so i can have a cool phone that will probably have some features disabled here anyway and send my bills upward of £100 again!

Hope Apple, inc.s new pioneer new vision does not detract from their excellent computers!

 

[Platform]

I previously said "I like the phone"

OK understatement.......jaw dropping

 

[aswitcher]

A couple of thoughts:

Will it sync via Wifi? I hope so, and some sort of .Mac link-up would be nice.

They would be mad not to have it fully sync, via wifi and .Mac.

 

[needthephone]

Brilliant product, it totally pushes the boundaries on product development.

But it MUST have 3G if it comes to OZ (I don't think you can buy non 3G anymore, all the networks Optus, Telstra, Vodaphone, 3 are 3G. All the news programmes say it will be here next year.

This should not be an issue the crapy 3G Nokia 6280 is smaller that this phone so It should be just a case of using alternate components which will easily fit (not a phone exprt though!)

3G internet is pretty fast, comparable to broadband and geting faster.

Brilliant-

Well done Apple for giving us a break from the Mundane crap products every one has been churning out.

This thing can only get better

 

[JonasLondon]

The phone is nice but the way it's implemented is a JOKE

As several have pointed out before me, it is amazing how much b* ching around goes on. It makes me wonder how "great", "superior" and generally "mind-blowing" the products and services would have been if all these people complaining the most would have been in charge. It's always sooo easy in hindsight, isn't it. But threads like "all they needed to do to make it perfect for ME, would be to (pick one):
- ( ) add 60 GB Flash memory at any price, I'm a milloinaire!
- ( ) drop the wifi and camera, I've got my own!
- ( ) screw the video, I want a phone that runs three weeks

blah blah blah ... leads nowhere. This is the first version, others will follow and be even better. I want a normal iPod with that iPhone screen too... and guess what, I bet I'll have one in 2007. So all is good. I can watch a few movies normally until then without the world falling apart for me.

I am not 100% happy with everything Apple brings out either, but I believe these new products are all amazing for being version 1!! THERE WILL BE REVISIONS and NEW MODELS coming, alright now.

From what I've seen, I am far more likely to buy the Apple TV and the Apple iPhone then anything else on the market (or coming, as Nokia for example does announce ahead of time what they bring out, and the Nokia E61 btw. was a dreadful b*stard to simply (or not!) upgrade the firmware on).

For a change, it would be nice if people could read the specs properly (the whole Airport Extreme N thread is full of false accusations because people haven't even bothered to read properly), enjoy something once in a while and stop the dreadful whining, it just drives interesting people and opinions away from the forums.

Sorry for the rant. Hugs
J.
PS: I think the Apple TV & iPhone are amazing, and the year just started... wohow! More news in February/March (Leopard/Mac Pro w 8-core, yay!)

 

[Philsy]

They would be mad not to have it fully sync, via wifi and .Mac.

They would but, bizarrely, that's exactly what Microsoft has done with the latest Windoze Mobile - disabled wifi syncing!

 

[Philsy]

Brilliant product, it totally pushes the boundaries on product development.

But it MUST have 3G if it comes to OZ (I don't think you can buy non 3G anymore, all the networks Optus, Telstra, Vodaphone, 3 are 3G. All the news programmes say it will be here next year.

This should not be an issue the crapy 3G Nokia 6280 is smaller that this phone so It should be just a case of using alternate components which will easily fit (not a phone exprt though!)

3G internet is pretty fast, comparable to broadband and geting faster.

Brilliant-

Well done Apple for giving us a break from the Mundane crap products every one has been churning out.

This thing can only get better

Agreed, without 3G the web browsing and email (if you want to send photos as demonstrated) is limited to when you within a wifi hotspot

 

[boer]

16 hour battery life????

That's terrible, and the one thing that will keep me away from it. I want a phone that will last 4-5 days at least. I'm used to about a week with my current one. 16 hours won't do for me.

Even my first mobile (11 years ago) had 24 hours life.

This figure is normal for modern "smartphones". New features and bigger screens have been added at a rate which battery technology do not keep up with.

 

[farqueue]

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PIECE OF ****

YOU LET ME DOWN APPLE. YOU REALLY DID. I WAS EXPECTING IT AS LESS OF A SMARTPHONE AND MORE IPOD VIDEO/PHONE TECHNOLOGY!!!

THIIS SUCKS PRICE SUCKS

 

[boer]

Also again disappointing for the trans atlantic crowd - still nothing on itunes but music! What would be the point in spending 200 (which is actually alot less than i thought it would be) for apple tv when the only thing we could stream is music.

Same here: don't have to worry about the iPhone in almost a year in Europe, and don't have to worry about the Apple TV with no content available. I will be pleased with my February credit card bill though - that is kind of a nice surprise from this event.

 

[R.R.Mac]

i dont know what you are all complaining about but i think that the iPhone is great but i am not sure if the contract comes included in the phone.

 

[VespR]

People do need to stop complaining. Like many people have said before, THIS IS REVISION 1. Look at Rev 1 iPod. Rev 1 Mac computers. This thing has so much potential it is frightening.

What I'm anticipating though is when this baby is VoIP. What I mean is, when I come home and leave my phone in my jacket pocket and sit down at my laptop, if someone calls, I want my laptop to tell me someone is calling (think expose). I then want to be able to take the call on my laptop so I don't even need to find my phone! This isn't hard stuff, when you think about it (by Apple's standards). Video conferencing will also be possible. I wouldn't be surprised if you could track your phone via your laptop if you ever lost it/stolen.

Also, similar to the Clicker software. It will be nice when you walk into your home, your phone joins your network, tells your mac which wakes for you and loads itunes/plays music, opens email, runs safari and opens your bookmarks.

Think of the potential people. This will be groundbreaking, and Sony/Noka/Blackberry won't be able to keep up. It will be impossible, with no control over computers, operating systems.

Stop complaining, buy one of these babies and help Apple make it better, like we have done with OS X and every revision of iPod. I just hope buying a rev 1 phone doesn't hinder you when they release rev 2 with software updates (think ipod games not backward compatible with older vpods). That will be a trigger. I don't want a 24 month contract tied to a device Apple is going to continually update every 6 months.

Exciting times!

 

[needthephone]

The thing about 3G is that all the 3G networks want to make money selling song downloads, just like Apple does with itunes. You can download songs directy into your 3G phone now.

How is this going to work, there will be some serious negotiating going on as they will not want Apple getting all the profit from song downloads, Hows it going to work out as Apple is getting into a new balll game now with lots of big players.

I'm sure it will work out as I NEED THIS PHONE!!!-

 

[VespR]

Also if anyone checks out Apples job site (Cupertino). They've already posted about 5 jobs directly involved with iPhone. They are not f******** around on this.

 

[nomad01]

Let me put it this way, when a girl texted me, I called her back and said, "What are you twelve?"

Well maybe that's true for you but in the UK at least everyone I know sends text messages... from kids to 60 year olds! It's often more convenient and people can respond when it's convenient for them. It's invaluable for me to keep in touch with friends during working hours. I can't spend time chatting to them on the phone so I text them.

I have big reservations about text messaging on this device. I don't think it's going to be anywhere near as easy. I also have a few other reservations about it but whatever they may be, I'm gonna buy one and try my hardest to work around the reservations.

This is almost everything I wanted from an Apple phone. The thought of being able to use widgets (if only for weather or dictionary searches!) is fantastic. It looks like a really great device for me and I'm just spitting feathers that I can't get one sooner!

Another thing occurs to me (apologies if this has been covered... a lot of messages to trawl through)... if the halo effect from the iPod was big, I would think the potential halo effect of the iPhone is going to be massive too.

Maybe fewer people will own this phone than an ipod but for some it will be a new experience of OSX and if it impresses them, why wouldn't they want their home computer to look/feel the same.

Only time will tell but if Apple got this right, I'm excited for the future.

 

[Padraig]

Let me put it this way, when a girl texted me, I called her back and said, "What are you twelve?"

Twelve year olds don't drive sales on a $500 integrated device.

I'm 28. The only people who don't use SMS (as their primary form of non-business mobile communication) are my parents generation.*

Edit. *That's in Europe of course.

 

[jonutarr]

2008 for Australia

luv the scroll

Meh to the rest, keep ur ghey phone Steve

 

[Philsy]

I'm 28. The only people who don't use SMS (as their primary form of non-business mobile communication) are my parents generation.*

Edit. *That's in Europe of course.

My father is 80 and he uses text messages - it's a very useful form of communication.

I assume the iPhone allows MMS messaging?

 

[Bobajobbob]

Well here is my 2 pence worth on reading but seeing the keynote yet.

iTv I am still struggling to appreciate but maybe because I already have a mini sitting under my HDTV. The tweaked front row interface for the @Tv does look better than front Row but not enough for me to get excited gfiven that you are so format limited with the @tv and the movie management in iTunes still sucks in my opinion. With the mini I can keep my movie files anywhere I want in any format and still access them using front row or directly from the directory etc. I can upgrade codecs etc and have full Mac functionlity for only a small premium over the @tv. I do like the idea of "renting" or buying movies over the internet if the price was right but in the UK this service still isn't available on iTunes and the quality would to be DVD or HD to interest me.

Bittorent and a Mac mini combined with my Sky HD box means the @tv is a no sale for me. I really don't think this product will do that well.

Now onto the iPhone. First impressions are that it looks fantastic. I love the idea of a mobile Mac and I love the idea of a combined iPod/Phone/PDA. The UI looks fantastic but I guess we will have to wait and see how easy it is to get to grips with.

For me there are a few key points which are as yet unclear as I compare the device to my Nokia N80 which as smart phones goes pretty much leads the pack with wifi, 3g, 3mp camera, music, video etc.

The size. It is hard to get an true picture of how big this thing from the photos. It looks thin and wide whereas my N80 is small and fat. I think I prefer thin and wide within reason so + for the iPhone.

Is it a true smart phone allowing you to install new applications or are you limited to the software suite hard coded onto the device and with software update? I'm not sure that it is a dealbreaker however the ability to install custom apps is very welcome. Having said that Apple generally provides all the software that I require by default so perhaps not a biggy.

3G and Wifi. I'm torn on this issue as to whether the omission of 3g is a problem and whether 3g actually has a future. My N80 has both 3G and Wifi and I find myself very rarely using the Wifi because you can't actually currently use it on the n80 for anythign useful like syncing or VOIP. At home i surf on my Powerbook so no need to use the phone + wifi there. I do use the 3G for web surfing very often on the road but only because I don't pay the data bills. I like the idea of video calling but in reality never use it because few people have 3g phones and the quality is terrible. Given that open wifi networks are appearing rapidly at the moment I anticipate a time when 3g becomes almost redundant as it is simply too expensive and innefficient and wifi takes over.

I guess I could live without 3G if a camera was added to the front of the phone to allow video iChatting or Skyping over Wifi. Assuming that 3G could be added without increasing the size of the unit or price then it would be welcome.

Also I hope that by partnering with a network provider Apple isn't forced into compromising the functionality. At least in the UK the networks payed an astromical amount of money for 3G rights for a technology which has failed dismally. They are desperate to recoup these costs and do so with the lamest locked network access and pay per everything. I don't want this. I jsut want to be able to buy and download whatever I want from whereever I want on the WWW and not through some crap portal. This includes the iTunes MS.

I don't see the capacity as being a problem as it will rapidily increase and because video files for this format can be much smalle in size than videos you watch on a big screen. Not having an memory expansion slot would be an omission in my opinion however.

Well there you have my first impressions. If I haven't mentioned something that is because I think it looked fantastic. It really does look like a beautiful and breakthrough device by taking the smart phone to the next level. I for one cannot wait for it to arrive on our shores but at least in the meantime Nokia, Sony and the rest will be forced to compete even harder whcih can't be a bad thing either.

 

[emotion]

Let me put it this way, when a girl texted me, I called her back and said, "What are you twelve?"

Wow, you'd struggle to get any girl to go out with you in Europe. Pretty much everyone texts here (and in Asia too).

The US can't possibly be this far behind surely? Or are you just an exception?

 

[mweiler]

Apple isn't going to go backwards and take features out of this product to make a "true video ipod".

I don't know how you can possibly say that. A huge shortcoming of the iPhone is the limited space on it. I mean really at the 8 gig max you will only be able to carry 7-8 movies without any music! I definately think at least some of this technology will filter into the video ipod. Maybe not the widgets or wi-fi, but definately the touch screen and scrolling capabilities. The question is when the technology will be implemented into a high capacity (read: 80-100 gigs) stand-alone video ipod.