Clearing Inventory for 'radically different' 3G iPhone?

[d46799]

iPhone Air!

Following suit with the MacBook Air, I predict they'll make the iPhone with the footprint of a DVD jewel case (too big to comfortably fit in your pocket--not truly portable), but they'll tout the fact that its the thinnest iPhone ever made (oooh! aahhh!).

 

[flashframe]

???

Adding a keyboard would make me actually consider getting one. You may be perfectly happy without one, but I want buttons.

And I don't think I'm alone in this feeling. Also, giving it a keyboard would further differentiate it from the iTouch.

There is no iTouch.

Only an iPod Touch.

 

[CWallace]

I think this is a simple case of Times online getting one of those fake misleading information Apple deliberately puts out.

Either that or they have been following HTC's projects and have mistaken a new Windows Smartphone for the new iPhone. 😀

 

[ziwi]

there will always be something newer on the horizon. Radically different...I just can't see that - I think logical evolution is more likely.

 

[hiptobesquare]

Rumor is probably bogus.

I don't even need to upgrade to a 3G unit, as the network around here doesn't support it, anyway. But I do hope it is a cool upgrade for those who can use it.

There is something that badly needs to be addressed for ALL iphone users, though.

***The 2.0 firmware had better damn well have stereo bluetooth output!!!!***

Best portable music player is the iPod Touch. The Iphone combines that functionality with the best cellular phone on the market. I am extremely impressed with my 16GB iPhone, save the bluetooth functionality. Most people who use hands free, use bluetooth ear-pieces or bluetooth car integration for hands free use of a phone, including me.

Yet this best of breed device will not broadcast stereo bluetooth from the MP3 player or other applications that output stereo audio. Stereo bluetooth is a necessity for a device of this type, when inferior devices have that feature, and the hardware is already present.

I hate carrying wired headphones, just in case. I carry too much already, but it is all necessary. ear-buds on a tangled cord is not necessary. The iPhone external speaker is good, but not *that* good, and I have a bluetooth ear-piece that I use every single day, anyway.

Why am I not able to use a stereo bluetooth pair of mic-included headphones, or expandable ear-piece for a slave stereo earphone for the other ear?

----
The runner up feature would be the ability to broadcast the iPod audio output to an AirTunes node, and through a stereo source, without having to dock the device. The device itself is it's own best remote control, and already has wifi. This feature also would apply to the iPod Touch, as well, where it doesn't have bluetooth hardware. (it should get stereo bluetooth, and bluetooth data sync capability, anyway.)

Both of those features should be upgradeable via software. The Bluetooth hardware in the existing iPhone supports A2DP, or whatever it is called. Software is the only obstacle. Take away that obstacle, Apple.

 

[zirkle2007]

why doesn't apple just freakin go to these forums, do they not realize that the people posting here for the most part or more intelligent and more creative than these analysists and reporters?

i really can't stand it when all these great ideas are being thrown out there and clearly apple ince. has access to the internet, so why not see what people want!! and if they can't give us what we want atleast explain why

They do.

 

[50548]

No way. They will not modify the phone THAT much. Why change a good thing? Make it thinner maybe, slightly bigger screen... thats about it.

Times Online has achieved quite a feat...to beat MacOS Rumors in the stupidity and lack of reliability of its predictions...AMAZING!

All that has been said is just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off reality...congrats, Times Online! 😀

 

[Digital Skunk]

Adding a keyboard would make me actually consider getting one. You may be perfectly happy without one, but I want buttons.

And I don't think I'm alone in this feeling. Also, giving it a keyboard would further differentiate it from the iTouch.

Amen brother. Or hopefully the 3rd party devos will give us a way to change the touch keyboard on the current iPhone with software.... the current one is terrible. I do a much better jobe with just about every other REAL keyboard on the market, and the touch keyboard on the HTCs are much better and easier to use.



I would buy this and use it. Especially if there is going to be this influx of 3rd party software that the iPhone junkies keep screaming about, there should be a better way to input text. A sliding keyboard along with the better speeds of 3G and (crosses fingers) insurance through AT&T (or Asurion for the crybabies) would make me jump ship, maybe even pay the $200 to leave.

But I know Apple won't do that. Since when did they do the right thing, or cater to the larger markets?

 

[t0mat0]

But I know Apple won't do that. Since when did they do the right thing, or cater to the larger markets?

Ouch

I think there is a natural frustration with the choices of areas that Apple decides to go into. They go into a few areas and do them pretty well (your iPod, your iPhone, your MBP laptop etc). They aren't a be all and end all, they don't fit into all the segments of the market and they don't want to (e.g. low end laptops).
And they also not only cater to markets, but make them 😉

 

[50548]

But I know Apple won't do that. Since when did they do the right thing, or cater to the larger markets?

I really don't know what you are talking about...keyboards are fugly, unfriendly, complex and awkward in these "smartphones"...even an episode of The Office got it right in criticizing them...

As for Apple, it's probably the ONLY company of its segment doing it "right" in the whole world...just check the numbers. Larger markets do not necessarily mean, AT ALL, best business strategies.

Apple has, in fact, created new demand with the iPhone and revolutionized the market for cell phones in just a few months, starting a whole new process of catching up by those dumb "million-button keyboard" competitors...this is a fact.

 

[bytethese]

same way hes supposed to know what

"htf" means... >.< iTouch is a famous acronym for the iPod touch.

Now that we are nit picking here... Synonym? 🙂

 

[Island Dog]

I don't think they would replace the touch keyboard with something like a standard mobile keyboard.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I know there won't be a keyboard, but I do hope they or someone else improves the way you input text on the iPhone. Not all keyboards are that, and for some the iPhone's keyboard is awful. I wouldn't go that far, but it's not easier to use than some, including the ones on other touch screen phones.

Apple didn't create any markets, never have. They did stir things up in every sense of the word though. Since they are tackling the business market, I expect to see some more options of inputting text into the iPhone for the business user, 3G, and Phone as modem options as standard.

 

[bytethese]

They could have the bottom of the phone "bend" to allow for easier phone operation-yet be flat for application uses, perhaps a few buttons on that part to allow for extra functions (or space for a larger battery).

| <--- Speakers
| <--- Touch Screen
| <--- Touch Screen
| <--- Touch Screen
.\ <--- Mic Here for talking
. \ <--- Battery space

That Would be neat.

No it wouldn't! I'd walk up to people and they'd be like, "That an iPhone in your pocket or are you just that happy to see us??" 🙂

 

[MacPhilosopher]

Right....

OK, very quick and dirty photoshop job, but I think this would work for iPhone V2. I do agree, however, that there is not much chance of an iPhone featuring a keyboard after the way Jobs lambasted them in the launch keynote 🙂

Nice job on the photoshop v2. I absolutely agree, there is no chance that Apple will introduce a hard keyboard model. That part of the story alone should have relegated it to page 2.

 

[jemo07]

The only radical thing about the new iPhone will be that is 3G, and finally this thing will take off in EU. It's funny that Apple's marketing missed the fact that the EU SmartPhone market is mostly 3G, with the exception of BlackBerry handhelds that has moved out of the 3G line since the EOL of the 8707. There is a business reason they did that, hey had a Quacomm (don't know the spelling) chip in it, and they lost a a suit thus production stopped. Also the fact that surfing in the BB is pitiful to say the least.

I can't wait to have a 3G iPhone, although I need it to be minimum 32GB to take all my music and images with me in one device.

I am also hopeful that they get micro SD or mini SD card support in the iPhone to expand as you need it for other use, like documents.

JM

 

[peterlobl]

keyboard would be nice to some... but as external clipon or something...

would be as fash as a clip-on tie for sure, but opening up the dock connector port for gps, keybds, better camera, ext storage, ptr connections , TETHERING! - whatever...

i can understand not adding a keybd to basic design, be it silver, aluminum, platinum - it's close to perfect now i think - but why not allow expansion to the dock connect?

 

[Digital Skunk]

I am also hopeful that they get micro SD or mini SD card support in the iPhone to expand as you need it for other use, like documents.

JM

I would love to use the device as a drive, like every other music player sans the shuffle, and iTouch 😀

Being able to carry my cable around or use Blue Tooth to transfer files back and forth between other computers and my 3G iPhone would be nice. One more option to add so I can make the switch.

t's close to perfect now i think - but why not allow expansion to the dock connect?

That's the ticket. There's much more room for improvement on the iPhone. It's hard for me to even call it a smartphone given the features and software of it's competition. It was surely made for those that don't have much to do in a given day.

Making a BT keyboard for it, and other option that connect through the dock connector (or BT) is an option.

 

[bigmc6000]

Amen brother. Or hopefully the 3rd party devos will give us a way to change the touch keyboard on the current iPhone with software.... the current one is terrible. I do a much better jobe with just about every other REAL keyboard on the market, and the touch keyboard on the HTCs are much better and easier to use.

View attachment 112719

I would buy this and use it. Especially if there is going to be this influx of 3rd party software that the iPhone junkies keep screaming about, there should be a better way to input text. A sliding keyboard along with the better speeds of 3G and (crosses fingers) insurance through AT&T (or Asurion for the crybabies) would make me jump ship, maybe even pay the $200 to leave.

But I know Apple won't do that. Since when did they do the right thing, or cater to the larger markets?

I'm not tooting my own horn here but have you really spent much time with the iPhone keyboard because I get a pretty consistent 40 wpm typing on my iPhone and that blows the doors off of everyone else that I know regardless of what phone they use to send messages and e-mails...

 

[Digital Skunk]

I'm not tooting my own horn here but have you really spent much time with the iPhone keyboard because I get a pretty consistent 40 wpm typing on my iPhone and that blows the doors off of everyone else that I know regardless of what phone they use to send messages and e-mails...

I have, and a think a lot of your friends may not have used the HTC Touch, or other HTC devices. With large buttons and XT9 I can get up to 40 WPM on a single finger, bad day. What's best is that the phone learns words as well, so things I type on a regular basis are saved and come up as options by pressing two letters.

Like "Appointment" or "Journalism" "Photographic", which I have to type out completely on an iPhone.

 

[bigmc6000]

I have, and a think a lot of your friends may not have used the HTC Touch, or other HTC devices. With large buttons and XT9 I can get up to 40 WPM on a single finger, bad day. What's best is that the phone learns words as well, so things I type on a regular basis are saved and come up as options by pressing two letters.

Like "Appointment" or "Journalism" "Photographic", which I have to type out completely on an iPhone.

If you actually have to type all of that out then you haven't used the iPhone enough... My iPhone, as everyone here knows, learns what you type and will predict for you. Even short words like "softball" it picks up for me after "softb". so, you basically answered my question - you haven't used an iPhone that long or you would know that it learns what you type and predicts things based on usage.

Also, call me a skeptic but 40 wpm with a single finger on a bad day seems fairly exaggerated - I wasn't exaggerating when I said I can get 40 wpm on my iPhone as I use both thumbs.

 

[Digital Skunk]

If you actually have to type all of that out then you haven't used the iPhone enough... My iPhone, as everyone here knows, learns what you type and will predict for you. Even short words like "softball" it picks up for me after "softb". so, you basically answered my question - you haven't used an iPhone that long or you would know that it learns what you type and predicts things based on usage.

Also, call me a skeptic but 40 wpm with a single finger on a bad day seems fairly exaggerated - I wasn't exaggerating when I said I can get 40 wpm on my iPhone as I use both thumbs.

You can choose to believe it or not, we can't prove one way or another what either one of us can do on our phones.

But like you said, you have to type "softb" on the HTC all I have to type is "so" and softball will come up as an option. The iPhone doesn't really learn your words, it just predicts what you want to type. The Touch doesn't predict what you want to type, it just displays options, and once you type a certain word a few times that option will come up first.

That's how I can type that fast with just one finger. It's XT9 and the longer words come up faster, letters are stuck together so I just press the buttone three times in a row. I just typed "together" on my phone and I pressed "tog" and it's right there... I hit space and move on.

It sucks that it runs Windows Mobile, and it sucks that I can't do all that shorthand crap like LOL and TTYL without slowing down my typing (so I use up more space for texts) and the iPhone is great device, but there are some features that could use some improving.

And the Touch came out two months before the iPhone, and everyone in Asia complained about the keyboard, so by the time the US version came out they fixed the problem by making this XT9 touch keyboard.

 

[bronxred]

Keyboard

I agree they will probably not change the form with the 3G model refresh, but I wish they would introduce a model with a physical keyboard. I have a Touch and love it, want an iPhone, but my typing even after months of use is still nowhere near as fast or accurate as with the physical keyboard on my Treo.

Jobs has a history of saying Apple won't do something and then doing the opposite. he had to trash keyboards to get people to try using the touchscreen one. there is great demand for an iPhone w/physical keyboard (especially among business users) as seen in a number of reviews and comments online.

it's unlikely to happen this time around, but I hope they'll come out with a "pro" version that has a physical keyboard someday. that'll be the day I buy one. if you don't like the idea, you can always buy the current design. I'd be shocked if they killed it off, being the runaway success it is.

 

[digitalbiker]

OK, very quick and dirty photoshop job, but I think this would work for iPhone V2. I do agree, however, that there is not much chance of an iPhone featuring a keyboard after the way Jobs lambasted them in the launch keynote 🙂

I think everyone takes SJ way too serious. He is a salesman people!

Of course, he will say a keyboard is crap because his phone doesn't have a keyboard. BUT if the next revision has a keyboard he will say "Well everyone else got the keyboard wrong, but Apple gets it right!"

Right now Apple is re-designing the concept of a smart phone. Many business users still don't want to use the iphone because they want a real keyboard. Maybe Apple is paying attention to the business user and IS designing a version with a Keyboard. This does not mean that Apple will discontinue the older model. It will just be an alternate version.

 

[bigmc6000]

You can choose to believe it or not, we can't prove one way or another what either one of us can do on our phones.

But like you said, you have to type "softb" on the HTC all I have to type is "so" and softball will come up as an option. The iPhone doesn't really learn your words, it just predicts what you want to type. The Touch doesn't predict what you want to type, it just displays options, and once you type a certain word a few times that option will come up first.

That's how I can type that fast with just one finger. It's XT9 and the longer words come up faster, letters are stuck together so I just press the buttone three times in a row. I just typed "together" on my phone and I pressed "tog" and it's right there... I hit space and move on.

It sucks that it runs Windows Mobile, and it sucks that I can't do all that shorthand crap like LOL and TTYL without slowing down my typing (so I use up more space for texts) and the iPhone is great device, but there are some features that could use some improving.

And the Touch came out two months before the iPhone, and everyone in Asia complained about the keyboard, so by the time the US version came out they fixed the problem by making this XT9 touch keyboard.

It's actually very well documented that the iPhone does learn your words. http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/iphone-keyboard-secrets/

I've never really been a fan of options anyway, I'd rather it just fix my word into 1 word than give me a laundry list of possible words.

So what about if you hit the totally wrong letters in the word - does it know that you actually meant something else or do you have to get those 2 letters right? As you well know you don't have to get those first 2 letters right with the iPhone, all you have to do is be physically close. In fact you could be way, way off in the actual letters and it can figure out what you wanted to type. I find that feature far, far more useful than any others since, given the size of the keys you often don't hit the key exactly as you'd like.