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Steve Talks Up The iPhone?
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Doesn't Europe have many many carriers in each country? There's no carrier that spans the entire EU, is there?
Who wants to pay 400$ for a phone that will look like an antique 12 months from now? That's a lot of money to pay for the status of having a brand new phone.
Who wants to pay 400$ for a phone that will look like an antique 12 months from now? That's a lot of money to pay for the status of having a brand new phone.
motulist
macrumors 601
cait-sith said:
I think you misunderstood. By "delays that could set it back as far as next year," I interpret that to mean calendar year. So my reading of what the rumor is suggesting is that at the most it'll be released sometime within the first 3 months of 2007, or 7 months from now.
ccrandall77 said:
Hahahahaha you do not know much about the cell business here in the U.S. T-Mobile uses Cingulars network in a better part of the country, and Cingular uses T-Mobiles in the other parts, under a roaming deal agreement they made when Deustche Telecom bought Voicestream creating T-Mobile.
Which pretty much means your contradicting yourself by saying T-Mobile sucks and Cingular is better coverage wise.
Fact, Verizon does have the best coverage and it bends its customers over price wise due to that fact.
Fact, T-Mobile offers some of the best minute price packages of any U.S. carrier and works quite well in most metropolitan areas.
In fact they are great on the west coast, heh on Cingulars network. Which they actually are buying, becuase Cingular is trying to migrate to ATT wiresless's 850mhz GSM network. Which ATT was building when Cingular bought them, in the whole SBC gobbles up a majority of the smaller land line carriers to cobble together the new ATT!!
Sprint/Nextel? well Sprint has gotten better , but Nextel blows and is only good for the push to talk walkie talkie network.
Fact GSM is a world standard, yes CDMA is better yes W CDMA is great but until everyone is full 3G it does not mean ****.
5 years ago they were talking about going 3G next year. 5 years ago!!
Hell I have only now seen 3G phones that can handle UTMS ( Japan).
To bring my post back on topic.
Apple doing a Cellphone? bad move in my opinion as bad as Microsoft doing the Ipod. Wait, Microsoft is doing that, hahhahhahhaha. Fear Apple going down that road. Its a really rough business.
That said if they fill certain requirements I have for a cell phone I would buy it. Preferred unlocked.
http://www.t3.co.uk/news/247/communications/mobile_phone/jobs_blabbing_iphone_details
This is an interesting take from my 2nd favorite magazine. Nokia and apple.. I just think nokia are launching an music downlaod service but see what T3 say... (1st favortie is Top Gear.)
This is an interesting take from my 2nd favorite magazine. Nokia and apple.. I just think nokia are launching an music downlaod service but see what T3 say... (1st favortie is Top Gear.)
Hahahaha you obviously have not been a customer of either T-Mo or Cingular. And if you looked at their coverage maps, Cingular's coverage is quite a bit better than T-Mobile's. Yes, they do share SOME towers, but not all.daveaudio said:
Hahahha coverage maps don't mean jack.Everyone in the wireless business knows they are gross approximations of the reality.ccrandall77 said:
I was on Cingular from when they were PacBell wireless through 2 years of Cingular. I am on T-Mobile for 3 plus years. I have friends on all the major carriers as well so I have compared. I use a Unlocked Motorola V620 yes a European phone never officially sold in the U.S. It Alpha tags off the Tower not off the sim chip. T-Mobile and Cingular did a good job of software programming so their phones would Alpha tag off the sim chip instead of the Towers for their branded locked phones.
I can pretty much travel anywhere in the country and tell you exactly who's Tower is being used. All of California is Cingular Towers. Oregon is T-Mobile, Chicago area is T-Mobile and oh yeah works really well.
I know the cell business pretty damn well. you might as well give up your losing this debate.
phelix_da_kat said:
I dont think that the iPhone will be an all-in-one smartphone replacement. The demographic using those kinds of phones (for the MOST part) are business people who mean business when it comes to their phones. They'll want to keep the windows/palm integration which works so well with their PCs.
That being said, it might be a good move to drag in some more switchers and showing the business world that apple means business, and can handle business.
All in all though, I really think it'll be a normal cell phone with great mp3 capabilities , possibly video chat, and some new feature that we can't think of.
Said it before, will say it again
If Apple does decide they're going to compete with, rather than cooperate with, existing cellphone manufacturers, they will lose their dominance over online music.
They have to cooperate with cellphone manufacturers because MP3 playing cellphones will end up being the future of portable music. Apple cannot make its own phone and expect to have even 10% of the entire market. Without its dominant market share, the iTMS will end up looking less attractive to the music industry - an industry already, by all accounts, upset with and wanting to get away from, iTMS - and will be deserted faster than you can say "90% of phones support Windows Media".
I don't believe this story. It doesn't make sense. Jobs crowing over a new product which by rights ought to be veiled in secrecy strikes me as insane. Apple producing a cellphone strikes me as insane. If I were a shareholder, I'd be calling up Steve Jobs personally and demanding answers.
That said, if it's any good, it's quadband, and supports EDGE and Bluetooth (and maybe UMA if the carriers can get their fingers out), I might buy one.
If Apple does decide they're going to compete with, rather than cooperate with, existing cellphone manufacturers, they will lose their dominance over online music.
They have to cooperate with cellphone manufacturers because MP3 playing cellphones will end up being the future of portable music. Apple cannot make its own phone and expect to have even 10% of the entire market. Without its dominant market share, the iTMS will end up looking less attractive to the music industry - an industry already, by all accounts, upset with and wanting to get away from, iTMS - and will be deserted faster than you can say "90% of phones support Windows Media".
I don't believe this story. It doesn't make sense. Jobs crowing over a new product which by rights ought to be veiled in secrecy strikes me as insane. Apple producing a cellphone strikes me as insane. If I were a shareholder, I'd be calling up Steve Jobs personally and demanding answers.
That said, if it's any good, it's quadband, and supports EDGE and Bluetooth (and maybe UMA if the carriers can get their fingers out), I might buy one.
buffalo said:
God I hope this is true. I seriously hate that phones and networks are always tied together. I always end up paying more for an unlocked phone because i tend to buy a really nice phone and then keep it for 3-4 years instead of getting the free or super cheap phone from a different provider every year or so. I also hate the idea of being forced to switch to a certain provider to get a certain phone. I suppose someone somwhere will be selling unlocked iPhones on ebay when it comes out, and I'll just buy it that way, the way I did my last phone. Wish I could just walk into an Apple store and buy one, slap in my sim card, and be good to go though... 😀
daveaudio said:
Sorry but that's completely untrue. I too have a European cellphone (a V635. Megapixel camera. Transflash cards. EDGE. BT. Mmmmmm) and I can tell you in Florida there is no such sharing. I'd know this even if I didn't use an unlocked phone - when you're able to get a strong Cingular signal but no T-Mobile, and vice versa, you know they're not tower sharing.
It may be true that in some parts of the country they're tower sharing, but it certainly isn't true everywhere. Certainly the agreement where they did that initially during the original AT&T and Cingular GSM roll-outs expired years ago.
zap2
macrumors 604
Chris Bangle said:
Do you really care that much about what people think? If people have something does that really make it "uncool"? Perhaps you should stop care if people like it, hate it , or kill for it, and make up your own option about it based on your likes and dislike about how it looks, works and acts(in this case how bug the software/hardware is)
BUt i'd love to see unlocked phones that can work on all major phone cell companys, they could be price but if they do lots of stuff people will buy it.. it might also be a good idea to release deals with companys(2 year agreements would get it cheaper but you can still buy it unlocked from the Apple store
sam10685
macrumors 68000
mlrproducts said:
that would be a definite for Apple... also, i think this thing will be really really awesome considering the fact that Steve Jobs himself is already boasting about it... he never does that prior to a release. (unless he's previewing something for us like he just did with Leopard.)
Noob you think you know a lot, but you obviously don't. I work in the cell industry creating software for mobile phones. I have had EVERY major US carrier and as recently as the beginning of this year I've done testing of the big 4 (VZW, Sprint, Cingular, T-Mo) and I can tell you that the coverage differs greatly amongst them. Congrats on your great coverage with T-Mo. As someone who regularly travels in the Midwest, Toronot area, and San Jose, I can most assuredly tell you that T-Mo Coverage != Cingular coverage everywhere.daveaudio said:
Oh, and I doubt the coverage map for T-Mobile is in error in GA, FL, and other states when nearly the entire state is NOT COVERED on their own coverage map.
Weak.
vand0576
macrumors member
wake up people
From what we're read so far, especially the quote that went something like: "it's not like we're sitting around not doing anything." or however it went, and everybody read this:
It's not a question of if, it's a question of WHEN
I just find it rather funny that so many people are already giving it the name iPhone. I think that is the worst name ever, and a little too predictable. Even the false "iChat Mobile" was a far superior name.
jlewis2k1 said:
From what we're read so far, especially the quote that went something like: "it's not like we're sitting around not doing anything." or however it went, and everybody read this:
It's not a question of if, it's a question of WHEN
I just find it rather funny that so many people are already giving it the name iPhone. I think that is the worst name ever, and a little too predictable. Even the false "iChat Mobile" was a far superior name.
iPod Phone
Here are some of the issues with the iPod phone.
In order to make the biggest splash, it will have to be available in both GSM and CDMA versions so that all of the big 4 carriers can use it. GSM is the international standard, so I'm sure they will have that *at least*.
In order for it to matter, it will have to be able to access the music store over the air. Have you tried downloading an MP3 file, even on an EDGE connection? It sucks.
The delay here has more to do with the networks. Until the 3G networks are fully rolled out (EV-DO on Verizon, UTMS on GSM, etc. etc.) and available beyond a few cities, this phone will just frustrate people. (Verizon's rollout has gone much further, but I would think given that CDMA is rare outside of the US that that fails to compensate for the fact that the GSM 3G is still in just a few markets.)
The latest rumor is that wide-spread UTMS roll out will be in Q1 2007. When that happens, we'll see an iPod phone. It's not as if Apple couldn't have made an Apple-rific phone by now. The limitation isn't theirs, it's the networks'.
In the meantime, you can get an HTC Tytn that will use 3G world wide and will play MediaPlayer... if you're into M$.
Here are some of the issues with the iPod phone.
In order to make the biggest splash, it will have to be available in both GSM and CDMA versions so that all of the big 4 carriers can use it. GSM is the international standard, so I'm sure they will have that *at least*.
In order for it to matter, it will have to be able to access the music store over the air. Have you tried downloading an MP3 file, even on an EDGE connection? It sucks.
The delay here has more to do with the networks. Until the 3G networks are fully rolled out (EV-DO on Verizon, UTMS on GSM, etc. etc.) and available beyond a few cities, this phone will just frustrate people. (Verizon's rollout has gone much further, but I would think given that CDMA is rare outside of the US that that fails to compensate for the fact that the GSM 3G is still in just a few markets.)
The latest rumor is that wide-spread UTMS roll out will be in Q1 2007. When that happens, we'll see an iPod phone. It's not as if Apple couldn't have made an Apple-rific phone by now. The limitation isn't theirs, it's the networks'.
In the meantime, you can get an HTC Tytn that will use 3G world wide and will play MediaPlayer... if you're into M$.
AvSRoCkCO1067
macrumors 65816
vand0576 said:
I don't think anyone actually thinks it will be called the 'iPhone' - instead, we're just using that highly generic name until we find out what it really will be called...
boncellis
macrumors 6502
There's something fishy about this "story." The premise just seems unlikely.
That said, I think Apple will end up doing something about the gradual encroachment of their market share by mobile phone manufacturers. There are some qualifiers, however:
* It can't cannibalize iPod sales, which means either the "iPhone" will somehow be limited, or the iPod will see new features separating the two.
* It will have to be more than just a mobile phone with iTunes, integrating essential smartphone functions and something else that makes it stand out (maybe VoIP capability).
These are pretty obvious when you think about it, and I'm sure Apple has been thinking about it for some time. An Apple mobile phone could be imminent, you can sometimes tell by looking around the industry and spotting the "preemptive" or anticipatory products from competitors. It's not an accident that the LG "chocolate" phone looks a lot like the iPod Nano, in my opinion.
That said, I think Apple will end up doing something about the gradual encroachment of their market share by mobile phone manufacturers. There are some qualifiers, however:
* It can't cannibalize iPod sales, which means either the "iPhone" will somehow be limited, or the iPod will see new features separating the two.
* It will have to be more than just a mobile phone with iTunes, integrating essential smartphone functions and something else that makes it stand out (maybe VoIP capability).
These are pretty obvious when you think about it, and I'm sure Apple has been thinking about it for some time. An Apple mobile phone could be imminent, you can sometimes tell by looking around the industry and spotting the "preemptive" or anticipatory products from competitors. It's not an accident that the LG "chocolate" phone looks a lot like the iPod Nano, in my opinion.
ccrandall77 said:
Well, to be fair, your radio ROM/software can have some effect on your reception, and different companies release different radio software at different times, and that can have some effect.
My 8125 has a t-mobile radio ROM, but I run it on cingular. There are a few wrinkles in that, but you are generally correct.
gugy said:
There is no way there won't be a GSM version. Maybe you'll have to buy it in Europe or Japan, and it might not be quad band, but there will be. There are only a handful of countries besides the US where there is anything but GSM.
I predict any Apple phone will be available at apple stores, unlocked, and for GSM/UTMS.
vand0576
macrumors member
bigmc6000 said:
They are failing because they believe media content is what is important to people. Pumping their phones full of media and "services" which only are really advertisements that don't help anyone but Disney and ESPN. They are phones with superficial artificial sustainance.
Technology wouldn't be such a boom if people couldn't advertise with it some way. Apple will only succeed if it can avoid this and make a product that is functional and serves a true purpose in the consumer's life without the bullcrap content.