Hon Hai Receives iPhone Contract?

[lmalave]

I believe this all falls under the old saying "A Jack of all trades and a Master of none".

Apple is known for doing one thing, and doing it well. While iPod has evolved from just music, it now also includes other forms of media for watching and viewing as well. However, meshing an iPod into a Smartphone is going to stretch iPod past what it can do well.

As I said before, I would gladly carry an iPhone and an iPod, but I won't pay for a hybrid since I believe functionally it couldn't serve its purpose as well as each by itself.

Ummm...Apple makes computers, remember? Since when did Apple become just an iPod company? I'm sick of hearing that Apple's philosophy is to makes devices that just do one thing and do it well. No, that's not their philosophy and never has been!!!! A better description of Apple's philosophy is that they make devices that "just work".

The phone thing is new to Apple, but they have extensive minituarization experience with the iPod, and they have PDA experience with the Newton. So I'm actually optimistic that Apple will be able to combine them (along with a phone) and create a device that "just works".

 

[~Shard~]

I really hope that this phone will ship unlocked. Otherwise, I cannot see 12 Million sold in the US alone. I currently have a CDMA phone from a Canadian carrier. I expect to be traveling a bit in the coming months and an unlocked GSM phone would be great. An exclusive Cingular deal [as rumored in the past] is not likely to generate anywhere near 12 million phones. If Apple wants
to be seen as a non monopolist, an unlocked phone would be a great way to build that image.

I agree. I work for a SP and we are introducing a new International Roaming Service using the Motorola a840 phone, which allows you to roam internationally on both CDMA and GSM networks - that way you can take your phone anywhere in the world and it won't matter. I think limiting the phone to either CDMA or GSM networks would be silly.

 

[Rojo]

I'm mainly replying to you.

I'm flattered!

I hope the iPhone is not called the iPhone instead I would prefer no "i"s and pPod is a bad idea too. Hmm how about RojoPhone?

I like it!! I'd buy two!!

Rojo, I'm with you on why it's been a rumor, and why it excites us. But i don't see the logical reasons apple hasn't released one yet.
*snip*
What logical explanations can you think of?

Well I think that's been answered a few times on MR already. We know Apple can release a phone with a great GUI -- obviously! But what else would it have to really set it apart? I'm sure they're working on some really great ideas, but they need time to implement them properly. Putting out just a prettier phone isn't going to have people flocking to it. It has to REALLY be something different, the way the iPod was different from all the other mp3 players that came before.
We also have to realize that the iPhone might be tied up with deals involving other service providers and such -- something Apple would have no control over.

As for what I hope it to be, I'd love it to have built-in iSight with iChat AV capability. iTunes integration is probably expected, but really unnecessary for me. The only cool thing about that would be the ability to download directly from iTMS. But a mini/mobile version of Mac's OS would be the best thing about it. Not only would the obvious integration with my home Mac be really sweet, but just think about the possibilites: If it became anywhere near as successful as the iPod, it would mean millions of phone users would become quite comfortable and familiar with Apple's OS platform -- making the idea of switching much more attractive.

The only drawback to that is in order to make it really work and be successful with ALL computer users, Apple might need to make a PC version (not unlike iTunes) of some of their other OS apps -- maybe lite versions of iCal, Safari and Mail. Not sure if they'd EVER want to do that -- but then who ever thought they'd do iTunes for PC?

 

[Maccus Aurelius]

Would it really eat into MBP sales, though? From perusing these boards, most pro types wouldn't touch a 15" MB with integrated graphics with a 10 foot pole. (And even if it did eat into the sales, just 'cause a MB has a lower cost, doesn't mean it has a lower margin).

But there are plenty of folks who would like a larger screen than 13" MB offers, but don't want to pay two grand for notebook.

A lower cost 15" notebook would fill a hole in their product lineup. So too would a 13" or 12" MBP. IMO, both are likely first half of 07.

Remember also, the outer casing, though in reality insignificant, will make it very distinguishable from the pro. Here's one dilemma that i see with a larger, and, i assume, more expensive macbook model: The premium on the black model, if available with this mythical 15" would have to be abolished, since it would bring the MB right into MBP territory with regards to price.

 

[Clive At Five]

I hope the iPhone is not called the iPhone instead I would prefer no "i"s and pPod is a bad idea too. Hmm how about RojoPhone?

I was hoping someone would say that... I didn't have a proper segue myself. COMMENCE!

Am I the only one who thinks the "i" prefix has been beat into the groud? And not just on account of Apple, but also of industry imitators who see/saw it as trendy and started adding, "i" in front of everything they produced.

iMac, I'm sorry, I know you have sentimental value to many of us here and at Apple, but for real, you gotta change your name, buddy. You just don't fit into the naming scheme anymore. You gotta be just "Mac." I don't care if it sounds stupid, that's just the way it goes. And ask MacBook when his little brother, MacBook Mini, is going to be born. He's holding up completion of the product matrix.

k, sorry guys, I'm back.

"iPod" is in the "gadget" (non-computer) class, and is so iconic that it (unfortunately) can't afford to lose the "i," so I'm just praying that Apple doesn't start using the "i" prefix for all its gadgets, i.e. iPhone, iTV & others. I think I would commit myself. Come up with something original! PhonePod, TelePort, RAMPod, hell, I don't know, just DO SOMETHING ELSE!

iThink Differently! Why can't you?!

-Clive

 

[Maccus Aurelius]

The only drawback to that is in order to make it really work and be successful with ALL computer users, Apple might need to make a PC version (not unlike iTunes) of some of their other OS apps -- maybe lite versions of iCal, Safari and Mail. Not sure if they'd EVER want to do that -- but then who ever thought they'd do iTunes for PC?

It's likely that apple will NEVER make its web browser, calendar and mail program available, for the same reason apple doesnt license its OS to other hardware manufacturers.

Actually iTunes, and indeed the ipod, would've been a major flop if it didn't support PC, because mac users constitute the minority, so apple would've been stupid to ignore this very good opportunity to spread its star over both mac and pc platform. So, its likely that the iTunes' PC support wont reflect on those apps. The only kinds of apple software that would ever be dual-support would be for interface software for consumer electronics that people would want to use while sticking to the computer they already own.

I was hoping someone would say that... I didn't have a proper segue myself. COMMENCE!

Am I the only one who thinks the "i" prefix has been beat into the groud? And not just on account of Apple, but also of industry imitators who see/saw it as trendy and started adding, "i" in front of everything they produced.

iMac, I'm sorry, I know you have sentimental value to many of us here and at Apple, but for real, you gotta change your name, buddy. You just don't fit into the naming scheme anymore. You gotta be just "Mac." I don't care if it sounds stupid, that's just the way it goes. And ask MacBook when his little brother, MacBook Mini, is going to be born. He's holding up completion of the product matrix.

k, sorry guys, I'm back.

"iPod" is in the "gadget" (non-computer) class, and is so iconic that it (unfortunately) can't afford to lose the "i," so I'm just praying that Apple doesn't start using the "i" prefix for all its gadgets, i.e. iPhone, iTV & others. I think I would commit myself. Come up with something original! PhonePod, TelePort, RAMPod, hell, I don't know, just DO SOMETHING ELSE!

iThink Differently! Why can't you?!

-Clive

You can't just dump a trademark because posers use the same prefix. iMacs have always been iMacs, and to tell you the truth it sounds a heck of a lot better than eMac. That sounds like a star wars creature of some sort. Although apple could very well just call any upcoming imac iterations the "Apple III" and simply keep going up the number line. eh, just a thought.

 

[Poff]

I'm holding out for one too.

Here in Norway it is almost impossible to buy a mobile phone without mp3-player nowadays. Apple really needs to catch on. Youths 14+ statistically exchange their phones twice a year for the latest tech. That means everyone has a phone w/mp3 soon. And the only thing driving ipod sales is coolness factor.

 

[lmalave]

I agree. I work for a SP and we are introducing a new International Roaming Service using the Motorola a840 phone, which allows you to roam internationally on both CDMA and GSM networks - that way you can take your phone anywhere in the world and it won't matter. I think limiting the phone to either CDMA or GSM networks would be silly.

But the iPhone is going to be expensive at full retail price, so I think Apple will want the Telecoms to be subsidizing this cost for the customers.

What's to say the iPhone will be U.S.-only? If Apple makes a GSM phone, why can't the also sell it in Europe, Asia, etc.?

I'm holding out for one too.

Here in Norway it is almost impossible to buy a mobile phone without mp3-player nowadays. Apple really needs to catch on. Youths 14+ statistically exchange their phones twice a year for the latest tech. That means everyone has a phone w/mp3 soon. And the only thing driving ipod sales is coolness factor.

Twice a year!!!! WTF, you Norwegians are crazy!

Here in the U.S. phones are replaced more like once every two years, not twice in one year.

It's likely that apple will NEVER make its web browser, calendar and mail program available, for the same reason apple doesnt license its OS to other hardware manufacturers.

Never say never. I could definitely see Apple releasing PC versions of its Address Book, iCal, and Mail in order for the phone to have something to sync with (not sure why Safari would be needed, though). It needs to have *something* to sync with by default, right? I mean, Palm PDAs and Treos have always shipped with the Palm Desktop, because they can't assume that the PC that they are synching to will have Outlook. So i don't know what the iPhone will ship with, but they will have to have *something* to sync with the PC.

 

[0010101]

Well Apple is about due for a good flop.. and the iPhone, if it ends up being a iPod and a cell phone all in one would be that flop.

 

[~Shard~]

Well Apple is about due for a good flop.. and the iPhone, if it ends up being a iPod and a cell phone all in one would be that flop.

Maybe they'll call it the iFlop then...

If not, then maybe just the "Newton Jr."

 

[emotion]

Well Apple is about due for a good flop.. and the iPhone, if it ends up being a iPod and a cell phone all in one would be that flop.

Maybe. Sony's Walkman branded phones appear to be doing well here (in the UK). Presuming Apple manage to get the carriers on side what's the difference in the devices in concept?

 

[Clive At Five]

You can't just dump a trademark because posers use the same prefix. iMacs have always been iMacs, and to tell you the truth it sounds a heck of a lot better than eMac. That sounds like a star wars creature of some sort. Although apple could very well just call any upcoming imac iterations the "Apple III" and simply keep going up the number line. eh, just a thought.

WRONG. The Apple was sans-OS, whereas all Macs are avec-OS, hence the beginning of the current naming scheme. We're still on OS Ten, right?

And yes you can dump a trademark! Why not? I know some people who still think the iMac is translucent blue. They won't miss it. And what's more is that with the iMac, it goes through a radical design change every time there's a new one. How about next revision amputates the "i" once and for all??

And I have accepted "i" for the iPod and can excuse it for iLife software, but that's it. iCal, iMac; get a new name. And I'll be damned if my next phone says "iPhone" on it. If this is the case, I will scratch it out and write "PhonePod" on it with a sharpie and I'll post the photos to prove it. You have my word on that.

-Clive

 

[Thanatoast]

I'd like a fullscreen 80-gig touch-bezel smart iPhone, please.

It just sounds neat.

 

[g7by08believeit]

iWant

 

[MrCrowbar]

Putting out just a prettier phone isn't going to have people flocking to it. It has to REALLY be something different, the way the iPod was different from all the other mp3 players that came before.

You're wrong, people DO buy a phone based on the looks. Example: the Razor V3 is an average/outdated phone, but it looks great. Most women don't really care/know about the tech specs or interface, they say "oh, this one looks nice!". And who spends more time and money on the phone? Right, teenage girls. So I say the "iPhone" doesn't need fancy features the average non-tech-savy chatter-addicted won't know how to use. It just needs to be pretty and be available in pink.

I don't really expect something stunning from the Apple phone. I guess it'll be a basic phone with nice and working syncing and a usable interface. Maybe a camera (iSight) and the ability to use your iTunes tracks as ringtones, but don't count on it. Personally, I'd love the current iPods to have a GSM module added, so you can't only see your Address Book's Contacts, but also actually call them.

 

[fixyourthinking]

I'd like to hear your ideas. To me, most of the features allow for incremental improvements. The iSight video calls are the only innovation i can think of that would provide Steve that "oh, and there's one more thing..." moment. What can you think of? Or more importantly, what can Steve...? What ARE our expectations?

A better camera is a big deal .... I use my camera on my phone quite a bit, and so do my friends ... I know I would (and so would they) be happier with a better 3 or 4 megapixel camera. It's a crock that cellphone manufacturers haven't filtered these specs into most phones - it's like the car industry with gas mileage.

I would like to see wifi built in and be able to use Skype/skype like services with it so you could make calls for free or reduced from your cell minutes.

I definitely want a GPS - this is the coolest feature on my best friend's Verizon phone and it works really well.

I would actually use an iPod for something other than storage if it were integrated into a Phone - like music! ;-)

 

[iMikeT]

So I guess this means that the iPhone is currently in production?

 

[robertnq]

true love waits...

All I know is that when my contract expires in August 2007...it better be out by then because I'm not waiting any longer than that....I been holding out for just the right smartphone....and I hope apple has that solution up there sleeve....i'm really tired of my razr...LoL

 

[Sun Baked]

So I guess this means that the iPhone is currently in production?

Soon ... can't remember the typical lag between contract granting and shipping product for new items.

Just like the Foxconn MacBooks will be entering the supply chain soon and joining the Asustek MacBooks (which expects a one-third drop in notebook orders in 2007), however one of them will likely be the source all the BTO machines.

Edit: The Foxconn MacBooks will be here by the end of the year, adding a third supplier to Asustek and Quanta.

 

[PODshady]

I would buy and iPhone if...

If Apple does release an iPhone I would only buy one IF...

(1) It is as thin and compact as my MotoRAZR
(2) It is under $500
(3) It has good battery life
(4) It has the right amount of features for the price
-AND-
(5) If it will work on the Cingular network (because I have about a 1.5 years left on my contract and it would cost a fortune to cancel my family plan w/ 4 lines)

 

[iMacZealot]

You're wrong, people DO buy a phone based on the looks. Example: the Razor V3 is an average/outdated phone, but it looks great. Most women don't really care/know about the tech specs or interface, they say "oh, this one looks nice!". And who spends more time and money on the phone? Right, teenage girls. So I say the "iPhone" doesn't need fancy features the average non-tech-savy chatter-addicted won't know how to use. It just needs to be pretty and be available in pink.

I don't really expect something stunning from the Apple phone. I guess it'll be a basic phone with nice and working syncing and a usable interface. Maybe a camera (iSight) and the ability to use your iTunes tracks as ringtones, but don't count on it. Personally, I'd love the current iPods to have a GSM module added, so you can't only see your Address Book's Contacts, but also actually call them.

I think the RAZR's success is due not only to its looks, but also its price and how carriers (mainly Verizon) have beaten it to a stick promoting it. Have you seen that new commercial where some guy asks for the latest Motorola products and the salesman talks about how the RAZR is the coolest and best and newest phone ever.

I agree. I work for a SP and we are introducing a new International Roaming Service using the Motorola a840 phone, which allows you to roam internationally on both CDMA and GSM networks - that way you can take your phone anywhere in the world and it won't matter. I think limiting the phone to either CDMA or GSM networks would be silly.

I think CDMA networks are silly. They're used only by six carriers here and a few in Korea and South America. Since GSM had a six year headstart on CDMAone/IS-95, I think it's the way to go. Our dual CDMA/GSM A790 by Samsung on Sprint never got as good as service as my aunt's T-Mobile quad band phones when we used them this summer.

 

[Rojo]

You're wrong, people DO buy a phone based on the looks. Example: the Razor V3 is an average/outdated phone, but it looks great. Most women don't really care/know about the tech specs or interface, they say "oh, this one looks nice!".

Sure, many people will buy a phone just for looks. I bought a Razr myself mainly for this reason. But just because people would do this, does this mean APPLE would only put out a phone that's just like any other phone, but happens to be prettier?

I don't think so.

Apple's going to want to make this special BEYOND just looks. Because that's the kind of company they are. It's not about putting something out there to make a quick buck, but to actually make quality products that actually enrich people's lives. I buy Mac computers and iPods not just because they look pretty (though that's a small part of it), but because their products are the best out there, and offer things that other companies don't.

 

[Clive At Five]

(2) It is under $500

OMG, Apple would kill any chance of market penetration with a $500+ phone. Even $300 is pushing it. I would personally consider a phone at $200 if it had the right features.

-Clive

 

[PODshady]

OMG, Apple would kill any chance of market penetration with a $500+ phone. Even $300 is pushing it. I would personally consider a phone at $200 if it had the right features.

-Clive

True

 

[asphalt-proof]

I understand its a rumors site, but this is the Moby Dick of all Rumors because this is what, the 2nd year we've all gotten hyped up over this thing and they didn't release it? And then everyone gets their hopes up at the next Keynote and then they don't release what you all Wished they would release and everyone starts griping and being all bitter at Apple.

I love rumors, I really do. But this one has Cried Wolf one too many times for me to bother caring anymore.

Not even close to the Moby Dick of all rumors. That would be the G5 Powerbook on Tuesday rumors. This is more like a largish bottlenose dolphin. With a bad flipper.