Hands on the iPhone, and History of iPhone?

[dAlen]

About apple TV.

Its about games...

If apple will compete with Microsoft they need to get into the games market.
We have playstaion 3 from Sony (of which I would love to get when it finally is released in Europe), and XBox from Microsoft.

Perhaps if Apple can make those billions a year from the cell phone, they will get in the games market.
By then the set-top war will mostly have gone to Xbox...as much as I like Sony and Blue ray, Micosoft usually gets in one way or another.
Peace

Dalen

 

[SeaFox]

I read this article a few hours ago. A great read for anyone interested in how the phone came to be.

I found it very interesting that the phone started as a tablet, a response to the tablets that are on the market today. Steve said this has been going on for 2.5 years, Cingular said they have been involved for 2 of those years.

2.5 years ago - Apple decides to invest in tablet technology.
2 years ago - the ipod comes out and apple start thinking about what is next.
~2 years ago - Apple starts talking to Cingular about a phone.

Well, I'm really going to ignore this article now, seeing as the iPod has been out for six years. They can't even get the basic facts right.

So how are you supposed to sync it?
Edit: Oh duh.

No, wait. That's a very valid question. Why can't you sync it wirelessly? How does iSync sync things? Over the internet. So is there any reason a phone with internet connectivity cannot query the same servers?

 

[NOV]

With all those people and companies involved it seems a miracle so little leaked out

 

[jmsait19]

i bet when this phone ships it is 3G... i don't have much of a basis for this other than the standard it would be dumb to ship with old technology, but i'm just betting its a 3G phone when it ships...

and it will sync wirelessly... most of this stuff that is the downfall of the device at the moment will likely be corrected when the phone ships. it just wasn't available now and there isn't another major consumer conference before the ship date...

 

[DMann]

Perhaps the pipes were saturated by the audience trying to get live updates out of the auditorium.

B

Likely.... besides, WiMax is coming around to a neighborhood/city
near you.

i bet when this phone ships it is 3G... i don't have much of a basis for this other than the standard it would be dumb to ship with old technology, but i'm just betting its a 3G phone when it ships...

and it will sync wirelessly... most of this stuff that is the downfall of the device at the moment will likely be corrected when the phone ships. it just wasn't available now and there isn't another major consumer conference before the ship date...

By the way, exactly where in David Pogue's review did he
mention anything about syncing or docking? Am I missing
a page?

 

[ipearx]

Not allowing third party apps on the iPhone is like not allowing third party apps on a Desktop computer - How much fun would a Mac be if you weren't allowed to install any other apps?

Also there's no mention of the processor used.

Yes I heard the mention of 3G too, so it sounds like this is definitely the first phone of many that are planned.

Some other big questions about the iPhone:
http://bla.st/site/blog/40/

 

[Keymaster]

How long do you think Apple can hold off releasing the API for OSX lite (or whatever you want to call it)? It seems to me that a lot of the niche demands for functionality on the iPhone could easily be handled by 3rd party developers. Just look at the number of widgets alone created for OSX.

There is already an API: all of the frameworks and such for OS X. Fire up Xcode, or Dashcode, and you too can write programs for the iPhone!

That's the beauty of this thing being based on OS X...we just need to know what APIs are installed, and then you can write and test on your OS X box, and then upload to the phone for final tweaking. At least, it should work that way...we'll have to see what the reality is.

 

[puckhead193]

seems interesting, i'll have to see if its worth it not....

 

[DMann]

Lev Grossman

By the way, exactly where in David Pogue's review did he
mention anything about syncing or docking? Am I missing
a page?

Ah, second article, my error...

 

[emotion]

I think Apple need to up the specs before release.

Lack of 3G (and HSDPA for data) seems like a problem even now. The tie in with that Cingular contract is 2 years. Imagine how dated a lot of those features are going to feel even a year into that contract.

A expected the interface etc seems to be nice and I bet it's a lovely thing to hold but as it stands I have major reservations about the whole thing and I'd say I'm pretty much bang on the target audience for this.


By the time this lands in the UK (October maybe), just a 12 month tie in will give you a HSDPA phone with all those specs for free. In fact that's almost possible now. Granted it's not an Apple etc etc but not everyone thinks like us nerds on here.

 

[dAlen]

This kind of sums up my thoughts after reading David Pogues article:

- Stylus
Would have been nice to have a stylus.
With apples ink well character recognition system, it would have been cool for jotting down quick notes.

Also it would have been good to use for us artist (or non-artist) that like to doodle. (fun for the family) This is, after all, like a mini-computer...Stylus could have been hidden well with the design, and easily detachable.

- Carrier
First off, I dont have a phone or a cell phone.
(Haven't had one for years. I strictly use Broadband.)
I communicate with Skype. I can call your cell, landline, etc.
You can call me from your i-phone, cell, etc., as I have a phone number.
Point is, it would have been nice if this would have somehow worked with Broadband providers, or at least in addition to. Can it call ichat like it will be able to call my Skype number? (forgot ichat doesn't give you phone numbers, etc. But it would be cool if it did.) Is there a way to get away from traditional carriers Apple? Lets "not look at where the puck was, but where its going."

The silly cellular contracts, that add prices for various things like downloading songs from itunes after paying the normal .99 cents.

Probably why you cant download songs from itunes, as Cingular wants in on the cash from the songs downloaded, and it would make it more expensive for the user, unless its already in the contract, that is the price is pre-built in.

Steve, good job on the iphone.
But why call it iphone? Its 3 products in one.
Why not just call it ipod. (ipod video, ipod phone, etc.) Its like the center of the portable digital hub for Apple. But anyway, the name isn't the biggest issue.

One last thing on providers.
Im in Europe - the country of Hungary.
Seeing that Hungary doesn't even have an itunes store, I can imagine we wont have the iphone either in Q4 of this year. Why cant we have the widescreen ipod video instead? Or give people a choice of providers?

Again, nice concept, but nothing is infallible.

Peace

dAlen

 

[yoak]

...but it will also charge the iPhone, so I think it would be great / cool to have it standing (docked) next to your Mac.

Didn´t think of that. Still think I prefere to charge it elswhere though and keep my desk free. Might change my mind when I see it

 

[DMann]

Os X

There is already an API: all of the frameworks and such for OS X. Fire up Xcode, or Dashcode, and you too can write programs for the iPhone!

That's the beauty of this thing being based on OS X...we just need to know what APIs are installed, and then you can write and test on your OS X box, and then upload to the phone for final tweaking. At least, it should work that way...we'll have to see what the reality is.

We will likely be able to configure/customize/hack quite
freely using OS X Mobile.

 

[paulpet]

There is already an API: all of the frameworks and such for OS X. Fire up Xcode, or Dashcode, and you too can write programs for the iPhone!

That's the beauty of this thing being based on OS X...we just need to know what APIs are installed, and then you can write and test on your OS X box, and then upload to the phone for final tweaking. At least, it should work that way...we'll have to see what the reality is.

I can't imagine the iPhone CPU is based around an x86 instruction set - so Apple would need to release an update to XCode before it would be able to compile an application that could run on an iPhone.

Sorry, I couldn't tell if you were implying that or not in your response so thought I'd mention it.

-Paul

 

[macklos]

Yeah the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will definetly be used. Think iTunes shared libraries. Think IT departments being able to service a computer remotely while being on the phone with one device in hand. etc. etc.

I too don't understand limiting it to a phone by name. But the initial market is such so be it. Apple marketing will have to work a little harder to get the message across that it is more than just a "smartphone".
Price...well who here paid $249 for an 8GB nano? Is it really hard to justify $349 more for phone, video, internet, and a bigger display, not really. And there is much more to it than that.

p.s. how many more accidents is this thing going to cause?

 

[demenas]

I think they could always enable wireless synching later on -- maybe just for phone/contacts/calendar. 8GB of music over Bluetooth would take forever!!

You would use Wireless, not Bluetooth.

Steve

 

[DMann]

No problem

This kind of sums up my thoughts after reading David Pogues article:
(a bit shorter than my original post, getting to the point.)

- Stylus
Would have been nice to have a stylus.
With apples ink well character recognition system, it would have been cool for jotting down quick notes.

Also it would have been good to use for us artist (or non-artist) that like to doodle. (fun for the family) This is, after all, like a mini-computer...Stylus could have been hidden well with the design, and easily detachable.
dAlen

Third party styluses will be showering from the heavens.

- Carrier
First off, I dont have a phone or a cell phone.
(Haven't had one for years. I strictly use Broadband.)
I communicate with Skype. I can call your cell, landline, etc.
You can call me from your i-phone, cell, etc., as I have a phone number.
Point is, it would have been nice if this would have somehow worked with Broadband providers, or at least in addition to. Can it call ichat like it will be able to call my Skype number? (forgot ichat doesn't give you phone numbers, etc. But it would be cool if it did.) Is there a way to get away from traditional carriers Apple? Lets "not look at where the puck was, but where its going."
dAlen

Ebay will be selling them like bran muffins - unlocked - free to
use as you wish.

The silly cellular contracts, that add prices for various things like downloading songs from itunes after paying the normal .99 cents.
dAlen

Download your own - transfer them to your phone for less.

Probably why you cant download songs from itunes, as Cingular wants in on the cash from the songs downloaded, and it would make it more expensive for the user, unless its already in the contract, that is the price is pre-built in. dAlen

A hack/app will likely enable you to access iTunes directly, bypassing
Cingular completely - probably already in the works.

Steve, good job on the iphone.
But why call it iphone? Its 3 products in one.
Why not just call it ipod. (ipod video, ipod phone, etc.) Its like the center of the portable digital hub for Apple. But anyway, the name isn't the biggest issue. dAlen

For distinction - the masses have already heard of iPod - eventually,
the name will re-emerge as an all-inclusive.

One last thing on providers.
Im in Europe - the country of Hungary.
Seeing that Hungary doesn't even have an itunes store, I can imagine we wont have the iphone either in Q4 of this year. Why cant we have the widescreen ipod video instead? Or give people a choice of providers?
dAlen

The OS X (unix) OS will enable hackers to create apps to do
whatever pleases you - without restrictions

Again, nice concept, but nothing is infallible. dAlen

Only initially.....

 

[SpaceJello]

This is my little rant about the iphone:

- ipod that does phone capabilities, not iphone (like ipod-video, etc.) The ipod being the center of the portable digital life style with different levels as they currently have. They say its 3 products in one, but call it iphone, what gives...I was surprised the name stuck. Guess they want to go after that market so they want the word phone in peoples minds

- price...so you want to call it a phone and not a ipod which can do more than one thing...
well if you want people thinking that its a phone for marketing, you must keep it at normal/average phone prices. Besides those of us die-hards that saw some cool factors with this new device, I looked at commetns on regular news boards like CBS, and people dont get it. Until they see the demos on apples website, it wont click with most, and like one poster said about his wife saying it was to expensive, and he replied it was a computer too...it wont click...this is going to be the factor with a lot of people who have a preconceived concept on these matters. (human nature)

- carrier.

Dalen

Dalen,

In response, there is a huge portion of the general consumer public that isn't up to speed with current technology. Many people haven't even heard of Skype. I have a friend who has a Mac and needed help even in how to install Skype (just drag and drop into applications). This really has to do with cultural attitudes.

We have to remember Apple is first and foremost a US company. While it is international, the US is the most important market. No 3G, deal with Cingular, its all about business... I am sure eventually the iPhone will be on other carriers and that as the American market gets up to speed with internet and cellphone technologies, the iPhone will reflect that.

How many average consumer uses internet on the cellphone? Unless you have a smartphone you wouldn't need it. I hate using it to check movie times or anything, the UI has been pathetic.

It is only until this year that FINALLY the number of households in the US with a DVD player surpases the number thas a VHS player.... now think about it, we are already talking about HD DVD and BluRay.... Most people don't even know their difference or what the heck it is.

And as for iChat connectivity or video conferencing, remember there is a huge consumer population in the US that is still using very basic phones. Video phone conferencing is a reality elsewhere, but it is still really behind here in that regard.

I still meet many people who dislike the cellphone or even thinks that emails are horrible and destroying human communication.

Everyone on tech forums including this one, including myself just happens to be a small segment of the population that knows what's out there, the latest technology and are WILLING to embrace it.

 

[pdxflint]

...You can get Nokia cellphones with 8GB of flash and most smartphones have SD-Card slots so their memory is expandable.
The iPhone is quite nice for a smartphone but not revolutionary I think.
It has a large screen and can play vertical but it only has 8GB so not much video will fit on there.

True, not much video will fit on 8 gig, but about the smartphones that take SD cards... what's the biggest capacity SD card you can fit in one? Seems like a moot point. But, I'd like to have seen some kind of memory slot, nonetheless...

 

[DMann]

Intel inside

About apple TV.

Its about games...

If apple will compete with Microsoft they need to get into the games market.
We have playstaion 3 from Sony (of which I would love to get when it finally is released in Europe), and XBox from Microsoft.

Perhaps if Apple can make those billions a year from the cell phone, they will get in the games market.
By then the set-top war will mostly have gone to Xbox...as much as I like Sony and Blue ray, Micosoft usually gets in one way or another.
Peace

Dalen

Quite true - This little box has the capacity to be quite the gaming machine.
Perhaps it needs a graphics card as well - revision b - Apple Gaming TV.

 

[DMann]

H.264

True, not much video will fit on 8 gig, but about the smartphones that take SD cards... what's the biggest capacity SD card you can fit in one? Seems like a moot point. But, I'd like to have seen some kind of memory slot, nonetheless...

With new compression formats emerging - this will be less of a problem.
I saw a near HD quality demo of an hour movie which took up less than
320M.

 

[DMann]

Skype

Dalen,

In response, there is a huge portion of the general consumer public that isn't up to speed with current technology. Many people haven't even heard of Skype. I have a friend who has a Mac and needed help even in how to install Skype (just drag and drop into applications). This really has to do with cultural attitudes.

We have to remember Apple is first and foremost a US company. While it is international, the US is the most important market. No 3G, deal with Cingular, its all about business... I am sure eventually the iPhone will be on other carriers and that as the American market gets up to speed with internet and cellphone technologies, the iPhone will reflect that.

How many average consumer uses internet on the cellphone? Unless you have a smartphone you wouldn't need it. I hate using it to check movie times or anything, the UI has been pathetic.

It is only until this year that FINALLY the number of households in the US with a DVD player surpases the number thas a VHS player.... now think about it, we are already talking about HD DVD and BluRay.... Most people don't even know their difference or what the heck it is.

And as for iChat connectivity or video conferencing, remember there is a huge consumer population in the US that is still using very basic phone. Video phone conferencing is a reality elsewhere, but it is still really behind here in that regard.

I still meet many people who dislike the cellphone or even thinks that emails are horrible and destroying human communication.

Everyone on tech forums including this one, including myself just happens to be a small segment of the population that knows what's out there, the latest technology and are WILLING to embrace it.

Hack away - this phone will employ SKYPE without a glitch.

 

[charlie20003]

Czech online poll about the iPhone

Hi all, there's a Czech online phone about the iPhone here:

http://www.novinky.cz/10/61/19.html

Currently 60% of people have clicked the last option (It doesn't interest me). Probably says something about Czech apathy, but hey...

I'd like to redress the balance a little, so if you read this, click the second-last option "Vším dohromady" and do your bit...

Cheers all

Charlie

 

[DMann]

Trio (not to be confused with Treo)

Yeah the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will definetly be used. Think iTunes shared libraries. Think IT departments being able to service a computer remotely while being on the phone with one device in hand. etc. etc.

I too don't understand limiting it to a phone by name. But the initial market is such so be it. Apple marketing will have to work a little harder to get the message across that it is more than just a "smartphone".
Price...well who here paid $249 for an 8GB nano? Is it really hard to justify $349 more for phone, video, internet, and a bigger display, not really. And there is much more to it than that.

p.s. how many more accidents is this thing going to cause?

Basically, a true pocket PC with the elegance of OSX, Higher resolution
than a PSP2, True internet browsing and mapping, superior calling features, impeccable fidelity -- Heck, I'd pay even more (and do hope that a 16G
is available by summer)

 

[DMann]

Translation?

Hi all, there's a Czech online phone about the iPhone here:

http://www.novinky.cz/10/61/19.html

Currently 60% of people have clicked the last option (It doesn't interest me). Probably says something about Czech apathy, but hey...

I'd like to redress the balance a little, so if you read this, click the second-last option "Vším dohromady" and do your bit...

Cheers all

Charlie

Translation please? (on everything but the OS X option...)