Apple iPhone Backstory? Mac OS X Tie ins?

[szark]

if the iPhone is going to be available to all providers, wouldnt the simplest thing (and most lucrative) for apple to do is simply sell the unlocked iPhone in its retail stores, in both CDMA and GSM flavors?

Hopefully, a single iPhone will be able to use either CDMA or GSM networks -- that would be the best solution. It would make the phone a bit more expensive, though.

If they come out with a decent iPhone, which can be used on both CDMA and GSM networks, with all the functions listed above...I'd buy one.

IF true, this begs all kinds of ethical/legal/whatever questions. I mean, obviously it is hard enough for some people to drive and talk at the same time, imagine people driving and trying to iChat-AV at the same time. Oh, the pain!

Headset with built-in iSight?

 

[Thanatoast]

I bet iTV will have location based services... you'll be able to stream your content to your iPhone. ooohhhh... i can't wait.

Now that would be a killer app. Talk about a "wireless" iPod. It wouldn't need a hard drive at all. No syncing, just broadband.

This is, of course, a bit beyond our technology but we're getting there. Definitely forward-looking.

 

[Scarlet Fever]

Ever hear of a text message?

yea, but for me, they take a while to create, and don't you agree that video messages would be much quicker and easier?

 

[weg]

This integration came in the form of new .Mac functionality, iTunes syncing, and full iChat functionality.

If they really wanna be successful with that phone they'll have to provide syncing with Windows/Outlook... I'm wondering if that will happen..

 

[weg]

It wouldn't need a hard drive at all. No syncing, just broadband.

I already own a device like that. It's called a "radio"

 

[OdduWon]

the video would have to be compressed out the wazoo, most likely making the picture look kinda bad. I mean, obviously it is hard enough for some people to drive and talk at the same time, imagine people driving and trying to iChat-AV at the same time. Oh, the pain!

can there be higher volumes of data sent via wifi? and if this is a conferemcind device most often those who need to conference are around some type of wifi. and if wifi (ahem .mac) is required then ther may be no drive chat thay would be scary

 

[macfan70]

Yeah!

I hope the next item I read in here is actually an announcement, and not the 40,000th iphone "theories". This is torture!

Nooo... It's Tortora, Jesse Tortora.

 

[weg]

Similarly, a "call ahead" feature would allow users of the phone to pre-record a video clip that could then be transmitted to mobile phone at the receiving end, where it would play before the a call was answered.

Very useful for advertising, indeed. I can already see the offers: "Free calls if you send our advertisements to everybody who calls you".

Actually, I don't see any other use for that. Why would I want to watch a video before I'm talking to somebody..

 

[BWhaler]

I really we hope we see this soon. The phone is such as critical tool, and it simply sucks that everything on the market is so bad.

I was blown away by those ideas. I hope Apple is truly trying to leave their mark on the world with this product.

My only concerns:

1. The hype is so insane, that even a decent phone will be a massive disappointment. (To Apple employees, customers, media, and Wall Street)

2. Apple quality since late 2005 has been horrific--notably in the portable line. Because there is such a low tolerance for flaws in things like phones--it's a safety devise--I worry that Apple can pull this off. Sure, the current manufacturers are terrible at innovation, but they do their boring, 6 sigma, CMM Level 5 quality assurance well. Not flawless, but not in the same ball park at the quality seen in the MB and MBP line this year.

Fingers crossed...

 

[1000masks]

Hype or next "ipod like" Takeover?

This has to be the most hyped Apple product of all time. It also has the biggest potential for success or failure. They can turn the cell phone industry in the US upside down. The anticipation is killing me already.

 

[sterno74]

I have a feeling, the iphone is going to be trying to do too much of everything without doing a few things really well, all this stuff sounds good and all but it just doesn't seem probably with the cell phone carriers of today.

This may be more indicative of the fact that we're dealing so heavily in rumors than the design of the phone itself. That is, if at some point somebody explored the possibility of some kooky video system for it, it would make it into the rumored features of the phone even if it never made it past the R&D lab in the real phone.

I suspect that we'll see a simpler phone + ipod type device early next year. Then late next year, they can release a smart phone which I suspect will essentially be ILife + IPod + Cellphone. That makes sense with the camera/video integration, address book, etc.

 

[twoodcc]

Right now, they're just rumors. But interesting ones.

yeah they are just rumors, and they're very interesting. i just hope they turn out to be true, and that i can get my hands on a new phone when it comes out

 

[iJaz]

Too much hype is definitively not good, the disappointments will be too big.

 

[Object-X]

Very useful for advertising, indeed. I can already see the offers: "Free calls if you send our advertisements to everybody who calls you".

Actually, I don't see any other use for that. Why would I want to watch a video before I'm talking to somebody..

For porn of course! Oh, mom...uh, hi..sorry....

 

[sterno74]

Sure, the current manufacturers are terrible at innovation, but they do their boring, 6 sigma, CMM Level 5 quality assurance well. Not flawless, but not in the same ball park at the quality seen in the MB and MBP line this year.

Tell that to Sony's laptop battery department

The thing is, in spite of Apple having some problems, they are still perceived, by and large, as making quality products (primarily from the stellar reputation of the IPods). The good sign here is that they are being patient. The instinct is to rush something out for christmas, but they definitely didn't do that.

 

[sbrhwkp3]

Oh man, call ahead sounds so sweet!

 

[breal8406]

Glad to see Steve is getting all the attention for being so involved in this project. Gives me that much more reason to think we're in for something real good! Can't wait...already got the money saved to buy one.

 

[lmalave]

No smart phone for almost a year

Sorry, folks, but if the article is to be believed, then the revolutionary and "from the ground up" iPhone Rev. 2 won't be available until fall of 2007.

What we're talking about for January is the simpler "iPhone" which is just going to be an iPod nano based slider phone. You know what, though? I'll still get it - it'll still be a significant improvement over my SonyEricsson. I know it will be a great simple phone and MP3 player. It should have great iSync integration, of course. I'm less sure about 2 things: 1) camera and 2) web browsing. I don't use my phone's camera all that much, but I would still like the iPhone to at least have a VGA camera. For web browsing, I think they should just make sure that Java performance on the phone is good, and then bundle Opera mini with the phone. I just think it's unlikely Apple can improve on what Opera is already providing. Plus, if the phone has good Java performance then it will be better for games and 3rd party apps (e.g. mobile Gmail, mobile Google maps).

So I will probably just get the iPhone immediately and then maybe get the PDA Rev. 2 iPhone down the road. Maybe I'll suck it up and just pay full retail price for the PDA version, and give the iPhone to my mom (she'd love it).

 

[jazman]

For those of you having trouble with the Call Ahead feature, just think of it as a video caller-id or phone avatar. I think it would be very functional and fun. Just think of all the creative stuff that people would do to announce their call. Some will probably reformat clips of music videos and movies to represent them. I would probably do something geeky to make a person lol in a meeting.

 

[iJaz]

Sorry, folks, but if the article is to be believed, then the revolutionary and "from the ground up" iPhone Rev. 2 won't be available until fall of 2007.

I agree, the smart iPhone wont be here in a while, while the simple iPhone will.

I don't use my phone's camera all that much, but I would still like the iPhone to at least have a VGA camera.

I agree with most you wrote but not with this. I would rather see no camera than a VGA camera! I just looked at some pictures taken with my SE phone (VGA) and the quality suck so hard! At least 1.3 MP or no camera at all!

 

[iJaz]

For those of you having trouble with the Call Ahead feature, just think of it as a video caller-id. I think it would be very functional and fun. Just think of all the creative stuff that people would do to announce their call. Some will probably reformat clips of music videos and movies to represent them. I would probably do something geeky to make a person lol in a meeting.

Oh, what would RIAA say!?

 

[scu]

when this puppy comes out look for AAPL to go past $150.

These things will sell like hot cakes. I know plenty of people who would dump their blackberries for a phone like this.

 

[jazman]

Oh, what would RIAA say!?

How would they know unless you called one of them?

 

[shrimpdesign]

I already own a device like that. It's called a "radio"

Radio is great if you want to be a tool.

Seriously, Clear Channel owns almost every radio station in the country, there's only a few indie ones left. Unless you like generic simplistic corporate crapola ...

Apple quality since late 2005 has been horrific--notably in the portable line.

No, only in the portable line. There have been NO widespread reported problems with the 2G Shuffle, the 5.5G iPod, the 2G Nano, the Intel Mac Mini, the Mac Pro, the Intel iMac, Intel Xserve ... need I go on?

All the problems with the MacBooks and MBPs were heat and processor releated because of Apple's small expirience with their new Intel processors... and the short time they had to cram all that into a PowerBook case.

As long as Apple makes the iPhone like they make the Nano (aluminum enclosure) then you have nothing to worry about. They have good expirience with aluminum enclosures.

I mean, c'mon. Are you really worried that Apple can't make a better phone than Kyocera or Audiovox?

 

[NewSc2]

yea, but for me, they take a while to create, and don't you agree that video messages would be much quicker and easier?

actually, not really. especially if you were at a concert or other loud place, video messages would be much harder to create.

this is why phones should have keyboards, too. predictive text only gets you so far before you start to get annoyed.

Apple better release its smart phone soon -- my Razr's dying on me and if no word comes out of an iSmartPhone by MWSF, I gotta go with Treo.

EDIT: And also, I wouldn't want *too* much iChat functionalilty. I really like my Adium, and I never use iChat on OSX.