Clearing Inventory for 'radically different' 3G iPhone?

[jemo07]

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.

Call me all thumbs, but I would like to get 40 WPM on any phone on any day

I've not used the iPhone that much, I have an iPod Touch and it is great, but hearing about word predictions is a great feature! I had not even looked into the iPhone features since not 3G meant that I was not even considering it.

Can't wait 'till June!

 

[MacFly123]

WOW, I haven't laughed so hard in a while! Flip version? Slide out keyboard? The people at Time are ABSOLUTE IDIOTS!!! How could they publish something that they are obviously COMPLETELY IGNORANT about?

 

[Sabenth]

ive only ever played with the iPhone in the o2 shop here in the uk till it has 3g it has no real benfit to me its just a toy with fancy touch options. It how ever could prove usefull if it has 3g and as many have said a micro slot would also be usefull

 

[jmorrison0722]

While I would like to see a dock-connecting keyboard attachment, I don't think Apple has any plans to abandon the screen based keyboard. That being said, there are some things about the phone that could be improved, such as:

1. Speaker / Ringer is not loud enough. One of the biggest complaints I heard when people returned their phones was they couldn't hear it ringing. While there are ways to get the ring louder, it remains a common complaint. This could be fixed without a major redesign.

2. The earbuds that come with the phone. The mic has squared off edges, causing it to catch on shirt collars and almost anything else, violently ripping the earbuds from your ears. Again, this could be addressed without affecting the iPhone.

3. The headphone jack. The diameter of the hole is too small and the jack itself is too far inset. While it opened up a market for 3rd party adapters, it just seems like a glaring design flaw to most. This would require a redesigned case, but really just a minor alteration.

4. The ringer silence switch has proven to be way too easy to switch on or off inadvertently.

Am I missing any glaring design issues?

 

[Digital Skunk]

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.

If you want to go there then what's the point?

I am not saying the device is perfect, just that it's a more solid choice when it comes to touch keyboards.

 

[Stang68]

After reading the last part of that article I think we can all agree that it is fake. We KNOW there will not be a keyboard bc Jobs said he hates them.

 

[avaloncourt]

hahaha

newspapers really have gone to the dumps, they can't even make up anything remotely likely anymore

Technically they're not making it up. This all appears to be a compilation of all of the newspaper/magazine/brokerage house misreporting of the last couple weeks (and documented here) along with the patent information (also shown here) about the "dual-sided" trackpad. Where are they getting the "flip" idea? From that patent applicaton:

It is very unlikely that will happen in this round but they're deciding to use this filing as a way to pretend they know something is being released.

As for the Apple iPhone orders, that sounds just like the release Gannett back-peddled on at that same time which two newspapers and a magazine requoted as reliable.

All they've done is make a compilation of everything with nothing substantiated. They're 'reporting' each others' poor excuse for journalism.

 

[MacFly123]

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'm sorry, no offense intended but that has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever seen. It completely negates the entire concept and theory behind the iPhone and its complete foundation! Hell will freeze over before that would ever happen!

 

[sunfast]

The SDK isn't out yet so now is the time for a change in screen size, a origami size device or a bookreader is the next logical step so why not now?

You can download it here

 

[Antares]

I agree with many of the other posters here. Apple will not radically change the iPhone design this quickly. Any change has to keep the screen the same to jive with the SDK.

On a personal level, I have no interest in nor would I buy a clamshell or sliding keyboard iPhone....that defeats the whole purpose and design simplicity of the iPhone.

I call this rumor....iPhoney

 

[bananas]

Some slight improvements to the looks of current model + 3G and GPS and it would be really hard for me to resist.

It doesn't need to be any more complicated.

 

[ZaoPetra]

Just thinking

How hard would it be to make a BlueTooth keyboard that could somehow double as a protective case by snapping onto the front or flipping over?
Or some such nonsense for those who can't live without.

 

[bigmc6000]

If you want to go there then what's the point?

I am not saying the device is perfect, just that it's a more solid choice when it comes to touch keyboards.

What do you mean if I want to go there. There's a whole QWERTY keyboard in this tiny little phone - you expect to be able to hit exactly the letter you want every time? That's one of the biggest points of the iPhones text recognition is that it not only goes after spelling but it also figures out words that are close in proximity regardless of spelling. And yes, I have found that to be one of the best features of the phone in that I can just type and not have to make sure the pads of my thumbs are perfectly hitting every single letter.

 

[jlbrown23]

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.

A slide out keyboard would wind up making it way too thick, which sort of ruins the whole thing(if you want a unwieldy brick in your pocket, there are plenty of Windows Mobile phones already being sold). I am amazed at how attached people are to those ridiculously small keyboards, and the idea that they are somehow better than the touch screen. They're both not so hot, but the idea isn't to write a novel. A key pad winds up taking up a lot of real estate for a pretty limited functionality. To me it is people afraid to let go of the familiar, it has nothing to do with actual function.

The obvious thing to do is make the phone as thin as the Touch, wireless sync and integrate it with computers more. I don't think we are going to see anything major at this point. Look at the original iPod from 7-8 years ago vs the iPod Classic(or even the nano) being sold today - the basic design is almost identical, the big changes have been in function. That's what we should expect from the iPhone - they'll keep the same form & interface, it will just do more.

And the whole flip phone comment is ridiculous - more screen space? I'd love to hear that explained - how something that usually gives less screen space is supposed to give more. It doesn't even make sense. It's like a buzz word some analyst who doesn't know what he is talking about would use.

 

[elppa]

I would bet good money we will just see a slight redesign of the back and bezel!
.

I'd be willing to put up some cash for that. Those are the only bits that need fixing or could be improved slightly.

Form factor is right, but they will be tempted to shave width off if they can I feel.

 

[iStefmac]

Not a chance. The current iPhone design will see slight improvements, nothing more. I don't even see the screen size changing. All the new apps and games would have to be changed to acommodate. That's ludicrous.

 

[Digital Skunk]

What do you mean if I want to go there. There's a whole QWERTY keyboard in this tiny little phone - you expect to be able to hit exactly the letter you want every time? That's one of the biggest points of the iPhones text recognition is that it not only goes after spelling but it also figures out words that are close in proximity regardless of spelling. And yes, I have found that to be one of the best features of the phone in that I can just type and not have to make sure the pads of my thumbs are perfectly hitting every single letter.

I mean that not everything is going to be perfect with any phone. If you miss one out of two letters on any touch device then it wouldn't matter what you type on, you're going to fumble around.

And it wouldn't be fair for you if I asked, "Can the iPhone properly recognize and remember long and hyphenated phrases like "electromagnetic radiation"

That's where the touch excels, at calling up words you type in frequently, while the iPhone will excel at correcting user error.

And the best part, is that there is a full qwerty keyboard in the Touch as well, although it doesn't correct for user error. Even though the image keys are larger than the iPhone's, it's still quite hard to type with it.

To me it is people afraid to let go of the familiar, it has nothing to do with actual function.

I wouldn't say that. It may have been that way from the start, but a lot of users have probably tried their hand at the iPhone, or have used it extensively before they bought it, or have purchased it, and all members just don't find the touch keyboard as much of a breakthrough as Jobs' reality distortion field lead many to believe.

It's nothing new except for the type correction, and it's definitely different and a little more useful, but our desire for a real keyboard "IS" more of a "FUNCTION" over fashion issue. We may not be writing novels, but punching out a few corrections to a document on my Touch is aggrevating and you can read how I compare the iPhone and Touch keyboards.

 

[Marvin1379]

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.

Remember when th iPod photo came out, he said that video was *not* the way the market was going. "The content isn't there" he said. Then a year later, boom, iPod videos and selling TV shows and movies and everything u can get ur hands on.

He's not one to backtrack on his statements. He'll just lay it out there. "Here's our keyboard. S**k it!"

 

[M!K]

I don't think it will happen... why change the actual iPhone design anyway! For many reasons, it seems unlikely to me!

 

[HiRez]

The screen should be about 20%-30% larger (still pocket-sized), some of that coming from a slight width increase, but much of it coming by pushing the ear slot and home button towards the edges. Something like 640x400 resolution would be nice (will make smaller text more readable and antialiasing sharper).

Much of the complaints about the keyboard could be minimized by making horizontal keyboard a ubiquitous option, further refining typing completion with smarter algorithms, contextual cues (like using surrounding words), allowing multiple simultaneous touches, a user-modifyable dictionary, user-settable word/phrase shorthand expansion, and some haptic feedback (maybe a small single subtle vibrate on a keypress). After using it a while, I think the current keyboard is adequate and could be quite acceptable with a little more work. A lot of people are just so used to a hard keyboard they can't break out of that box, and I actually think typing on a virtual keyboard could in theory be faster because you don't have to physically depress keys.

 

[JBaker122586]

What I would really like Apple to do is introduce a regular, wireless home phone with an Apple touch (iChat and address book integration, UI a la iPhone, etc.). I get the hives trying to simply navigate to my phone messages, and have to weed through its stupid manual just to figure out simple tasks.

Yes, I'm sure Apple is going to want to delve into the home phone market, which will cease to exist in the next 10-20 years.

 

[Digital Skunk]

which will cease to exist in the next 10-20 years.

Yes, but more like 3-5 sans those people that didn't grow up on cell phones.

 

[HiRez]

Yes, but more like 3-5 sans those people that didn't grow up on cell phones.

But why bother with "home" phones at all anymore? You get everything they offer and more with a mobile phone and you have everything in one place which goes where you do instead of having to juggle multiple message centers. I ditched my home phone about 6 months ago and haven't missed it at all. The only real reason I can see is if you happen to get poor cel reception where you live. I agree with JBaker, the whole concept of the home phone doesn't really make sense anymore for most people, and I agree that while they'll be around for a while, its days are probably numbered.

 

[boss1]

Flip version and sliding keyboards? muahahahaha. Where are they getting their facts from ? The 'iPhone what if threads' on the boards? Or Kevin Rose? I forget which of those 2 are more off target.

If people are going to wear tiny yellow propeller hats when writting these articles the should at least end every paragraph with phrases like " and possibly include a flux capacitor" or " may also have a discombobulator ray option".

 

[Digital Skunk]

But why bother with "home" phones at all anymore? You get everything they offer and more with a mobile phone and you have everything in one place which goes where you do instead of having to juggle multiple message centers. I ditched my home phone about 6 months ago and haven't missed it at all. The only real reason I can see is if you happen to get poor cel reception where you live. I agree with JBaker, the whole concept of the home phone doesn't really make sense anymore for most people, and I agree that while they'll be around for a while, its days are probably numbered.

That's what I said.... not 10 - 20 years, 3-5 years and they won't matter too much anymore. Not even for people with poor reception, they may just get a signal booster.