iPhone Dual Dock; Apple Store downtime; new Apple video

[AppleInsider]

Apple will include a standard iPhone dock alongside each iPhone purchase but will reportedly offer a second dock with added capabilities. Meanwhile, the company is expected take its online store offline for approximately three hours on Friday. And a new iPhone video tutorial has been posted to Apple's iPhone website.

iPhone dock and Dual dock

It appears that Apple is planning to offer two distinct docking stations for iPhone when it goes on sale later this week, the first of which will be called "iPhone Dock" and come standard inside each iPhone box. Also inside the retail box will be the iPhone itself, a stereo headset, dock connector to USB cable, USB power adapter, documentation and cleaning/polishing cloth.

Meanwhile, a second iPhone dock -- reportedly dubbed "Dual Dock" -- will feature built-in charging stations for both the iPhone and Apple's $129 Bluetooth headset accessory. People familiar with current pricing data for the iPhone accessories claim the latter dock will fetch $49 as a standalone product. However, other reports indicate that the Dual Dock may be included with the purchase of the $129 Bluetooth headset.

It should be noted, however, that Apple has not released official pricing for any of its iPhone accessories. Pricing ($129 for the Bluetooth headset and $49 for the Dual Dock) could theoretically change ahead of Friday's launch, when the company is expected to provide more details on available iPhone add-ons.

iPhone features the same 30-pin dock connector as the iPod, so many properly designed iPod accessories should also work with the new Apple handset. However, Apple on its iPhone Q&A page warns that iPhone may cause audio interference with some iPod accessories. Products that are engineered and certified to be compatible with the iPhone will carry the "Works with iPhone" logo on their packaging, the company says.

"iPhone Dock" pictured on left, "Dual Dock" pictured on right.

Apple Store downtime

Meanwhile, people familiar with operations over at the Apple Store claim the online shop will be down for approximately three hours on Friday as the company prepares to accept online iPhone orders.

The store will be taken down around 3:00 p.m. Pacific time and will not resurface until approximately 6:00 p.m. Pacific time, those people say.

iPhone keyboard tutorial

Finally, Apple on Wednesday expanded its iPhone education tutorial by posting yet another video guide, this time demonstrating the device's virtual keyboard and smart correct typing software.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[eazyway1@mac.com]

I hope that the new imac comes with a virtual keyboard option. So much easier to keep clean and I wouldn't make nearly the same number of errors.

[BdeRWest]

I highly doubt Apple would charge you $130 for a bluetooth headset and NOT include a way to charge it, instead forcing you to spend another $50 for a charging dock.

Not their usual way of doing things, IMO.

[Bageljoey]

Originally Posted by eazyway1@mac.com

I hope that the new imac comes with a virtual keyboard option. So much easier to keep clean and I wouldn't make nearly the same number of errors.

I guess that is out of the box thinking, but...
The only reason they use that virtual keyboard on the iPhone is because of space constraints. It appears to compare well with other smartphones because typing on their tiny little keyboards is dificult also. But when you have the space--i'm sorry, maybe you were joking.

Now, with the iTablet? Maybe...

[mrjoec123]

Originally Posted by BdeRWest

I highly doubt Apple would charge you $130 for a bluetooth headset and NOT include a way to charge it, instead forcing you to spend another $50 for a charging dock.

Not their usual way of doing things, IMO.

Apple could easily just include a cable to charge the headset and then charge the $50 extra for the convenience of the dock. That's very much Apple's usual way of doing things.


$130 does seem a bit steep for the headset itself, though. Sure, it's small, but it doesn't offer noise reduction like the Jawbone.

[JupiterOne]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

The store will be taken down around 3:00 p.m. Pacific time and will not resurface until approximately 6:00 p.m. Pacific time, those people say.

Wow, so no orders through Apple until 9:00 PM on the east coast? People will be pissing themselves wanting to order!

[Mr. H]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

your at $927, or approximately $70 short of the entry level $999 MacBook.

I think you mean "you're".

[PBG4 Dude]

Originally Posted by Mr. H

I think you mean "you're". And $927 is exactly $70 short of $999, not approximately $70 short.

927 + 70 = 997, or, approximately 999.

927 + 72 = 999

Also, the MacBook costs $1099.

[TenoBell]

After seeing the keyboard demonstration. I see why Apple emphasizes trusting the keyboard. It attempts to think two or three steps ahead to predict the word you are attempting to spell.
Even anticipating the next letter you are going to push. Raising the target area of that letter and decreasing the target area of its neighboring letters.

[thedillydotcom]

Originally Posted by BdeRWest

I highly doubt Apple would charge you $130 for a bluetooth headset and NOT include a way to charge it, instead forcing you to spend another $50 for a charging dock.

Not their usual way of doing things, IMO.

i was thinking the same thing

[Mr. H]

Originally Posted by PBG4 Dude

927 + 70 = 997, or, approximately 999.

927 + 72 = 999

Also, the MacBook costs $1099.

Oh fuck. Well, I'm sure that gave a few people a good laugh. What is wrong with my head today? Tail between legs

Anyway, good points, thanks for correcting me.

[BRussell]

oops.

[david_oc]

iLounge are stating the dual dock will be included with the Bluetooth headset.

http://ilounge.com/index.php/news/co...charging-dock/

[tcl]

<quote>Add on $60 for the cheapest iPhone service plan plus the one-time $36 activation fee and you're at $927, or approximately $70 short of the entry level $999 MacBook.</quote>

Ok, I spent the extra $70 for the MacBook, but I can't figure out how to make a call with it

[CI0002]

Very bad move to open the online store all across the country at one time. Having 200 million of us potentially accessing the store at the same time will likely bring it down.

Much more sense to roll it out at 6pm by time zone. If the east coast stores (AT&T and Apple) are going to begin selling at 6pm local time, the online store should be there also.

[pazimzadeh]

Originally Posted by PBG4 Dude

927 + 70 = 997, or, approximately 999.

927 + 72 = 999

Also, the MacBook costs $1099.

Unless you're a student or educational faculty or w/e, it's $999 for them. On the same note, do you think Apple will extend their college student $200 discount on iPods to the iPhone too? That's what I really need when I buy mine next year (I am a junior right now).

[BlackSummerNight]

I may be alone in this, but I've always hated predictive spelling on my cell phones.

Originally Posted by TenoBell

After seeing the keyboard demonstration. I see why Apple emphasizes trusting the keyboard. It attempts to think two or three steps ahead to predict the word you are attempting to spell.
Even anticipating the next letter you are going to push. Raising the target area of that letter and decreasing the target area of its neighboring letters.

[zzcoop]

Finally, Apple on Wednesday expanded its it's iPhone education tutorial by posting yet another video guide, this time demonstrating the device's virtual keyboard and smart correct typing software.

Oh, the irony!

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by BlackSummerNight

I may be alone in this, but I've always hated predictive spelling on my cell phones.

I haven't used it on a cell phone, but yeah, I could see it being really obnoxious. I hate it when MS Word is always trying to guess what I'm doing.

[CI0002]

Call to Apple got response that as of now it is planned to have the Apple online Store open at 6 pm local time in each time zone.

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by CI0002

Call to Apple got response that as of now it is planned to have the Apple online Store open at 6 pm local time in each time zone.

And how exactly are they going to do that?

[tcl]

Originally Posted by CI0002

Call to Apple got response that as of now it is planned to have the Apple online Store open at 6 pm local time in each time zone.

That'd be a neat trick...

If it's done though iTunes (i.e. iPhone sales), then I could see them pulling that off as it would be aware of your address when you logged into your account.

The logistics otherwise are pretty mindboggling.

[DaveGee]

Originally Posted by Mr. H

I think you mean "you're".

Hey.... YOUR rite...

[DaveGee]

Originally Posted by BRussell

And how exactly are they going to do that?

Why it's simple... EVERYONE knows that each time zone has a different address range!

[arnez5]

I trust the person you talked to on the phone, but there seems to be some inconsistency among the Apple reps. In an online chat I had 2 minutes ago, the rep was careful to say I could purchase at retail store at 6pm local, but online would be 6pm PST. I do agree, however, that it shouldn't be difficult to bring the back up according to time zone.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by BRussell

And how exactly are they going to do that?

That's easy to do. That's what computers are for.

They know where your computer is located when you enter the site, so they know what time zone you're in, all they have to do is direct you to pages that are appropriate to the time.

[bignumbers]

I'm curious if any education, government, or developer discounts will apply to the iPhone. I'm guessing no, but it might be worth waiting until the store reopens to see. I hope the online store does reopen 6pm locally so I can check before walking into my local AT&T store!

iPod discounts exist, but are minor.
80GB iPod retail: $349
Government: $328 (6%)
Developer: $314 (10%)

Not sure about Education, probably around Government.

[BdeRWest]

Originally Posted by bignumbers

I'm curious if any education, government, or developer discounts will apply to the iPhone. I'm guessing no, but it might be worth waiting until the store reopens to see. I hope the online store does reopen 6pm locally so I can check before walking into my local AT&T store!

iPod discounts exist, but are minor.
80GB iPod retail: $349
Government: $328 (6%)
Developer: $314 (10%)

Not sure about Education, probably around Government.

WTH do developers get a 10 percent discount for the iPod? Oh, well I guess they can make games for it.. But other than that isn't it a closed platform?

[bignumbers]

Originally Posted by BdeRWest

WTH do developers get a 10 percent discount for the iPod? Oh, well I guess they can make games for it.. But other than that isn't it a closed platform?

Just about everything Apple-made on the store is discounted at least a bit. Spare MBP batteries, power cords, etc. Unto itself it isn't worth the $500 annual membership, but it's a nice thank-you from Apple to developers. Big-ticket items can be break-even or better. A stock MacPro is $500 off, so break-even. A 7GB XServe RAID is a mere $9919, but that's $2480 off. You only get one computer purchase per year (meant for development purposes), but accessories don't seem to be tracked.

[TenoBell]

I may be alone in this, but I've always hated predictive spelling on my cell phones.

Its probably personal preference but clearly it saves you time if you don't have to spell out the entire word. And they show you can skip the suggested word if its not what you are intending.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by bignumbers

Just about everything Apple-made on the store is discounted at least a bit. Spare MBP batteries, power cords, etc. Unto itself it isn't worth the $500 annual membership, but it's a nice thank-you from Apple to developers. Big-ticket items can be break-even or better. A stock MacPro is $500 off, so break-even. A 7GB XServe RAID is a mere $9919, but that's $2480 off. You only get one computer purchase per year (meant for development purposes), but accessories don't seem to be tracked.

If you can break even with a Mac Pro purchase, and then come ahead with accessory purchases, the question is whether they care if you're actually developing anything.

Do they keep track of that in some way, or do they just leave you alone, except for sending you updates and such?

If they don't bother, it would pay to join, just for the info and discounts.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by melgross

That's easy to do. That's what computers are for.

They know where your computer is located when you enter the site, so they know what time zone you're in, all they have to do is direct you to pages that are appropriate to the time.

How accurate is that?

The most accurate I can think of is if you already have an account and the cookie is still in your computer, then they can look up your account.

[Haggar]

Finally, Apple on Wednesday expanded its iPhone education tutorial by posting yet another video guide, this time demonstrating the device's virtual keyboard and smart correct typing software.

And Apple STILL doesn't tell us whether the keyboard can rotate to landscape orientation.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

How accurate is that?

The most accurate I can think of is if you already have an account and the cookie is still in your computer, then they can look up your account.

They don't need to have your account for that. Every site that you go to knows where you are, what computer and OS you're using, which browser, what time it is where you are, and your IP address.

[bignumbers]

Originally Posted by melgross

If you can break even with a Mac Pro purchase, and then come ahead with accessory purchases, the question is whether they care if you're actually developing anything.

Do they keep track of that in some way, or do they just leave you alone, except for sending you updates and such?

If they don't bother, it would pay to join, just for the info and discounts.

No, they don't track. Many developers do contract work and in-house work that wouldn't be trackable. They charge you the $500 to join, and the rest is on the honor system (although it is spelled out as part of the contract). It would be rude if people take advantage just to save a few bucks. If anyone does, I hope they avail themselves of the cool developer tools/beta reviewing, and file bug reports and learn a few things. It's really a good program.

And if you do buy an XServe RAID for a $2400 savings, spend some of that savings on a ticket to WWDC and learn some serious stuff!

[bignumbers]

Originally Posted by melgross

They don't need to have your account for that. Every site that you go to knows where you are, what computer and OS you're using, which browser, what time it is where you are, and your IP address.

I don't think the client local time is part of the HTTP info sent by the client. I could be wrong, but I don't see it show up in my docs.

Many (but not all) IP address are easily trackable back to at least the general location. I have a cable modem; my IP tracks to the closest major city (about 20 miles away). You can see this at http://www.ip2location.com/free.asp

[melgross]

Originally Posted by Haggar

And Apple STILL doesn't tell us whether the keyboard can rotate to landscape orientation.

They would have no reason not to, and every reason to, I would suspect that as they show the phone revolving for other features, they would surely show it for this critical one as well. No phone reviewer has mentioned a horizontal keyboard layout.

Since they don't, it's not likely that it does.

But, this is one of the things that a software update/upgrade could correct, as it is just a program, and isn't hardwired.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by bignumbers

No, they don't track. Many developers do contract work and in-house work that wouldn't be trackable. They charge you the $500 to join, and the rest is on the honor system (although it is spelled out as part of the contract). It would be rude if people take advantage just to save a few bucks. If anyone does, I hope they avail themselves of the cool developer tools/beta reviewing, and file bug reports and learn a few things. It's really a good program.

And if you do buy an XServe RAID for a $2400 savings, spend some of that savings on a ticket to WWDC and learn some serious stuff!

I agree. I haven't programmed for years, but keep thinking to join just to study the software, and play around with the developer tools.

Who knows, that might lead to something. But, you never know until you try.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by melgross

They don't need to have your account for that. Every site that you go to knows where you are, what computer and OS you're using, which browser, what time it is where you are, and your IP address.

All but the time zone is sent to the server by the browser, and a lot of that information can be spoofed by some browsers, if not all of them. Well, I'm not so sure about computer type or OS, unless it is interpreted from or given in the user agent string. So where does the time zone information come from? If the browser does send the time information to the server, then it shouldn't be that hard to fake it, a West-Coaster can just spoof the time to get an east-coast order time. All this seems like a dubious exercise anyway.

[cameronj]

Originally Posted by BRussell

I haven't used it on a cell phone, but yeah, I could see it being really obnoxious. I hate it when MS Word is always trying to guess what I'm doing.

Everyone who feels that way, in my experience, has simply never been shown how to use it properly. I've had several people say that to me, and I pull them aside and show them how you use it and the response, 100% of the time, has been OOOOOOHHHHH! That's how it works!

Remember to type a word like Apple, you type 17753, and don't worry about what is happening on the screen until you hit the 3 key. Bet that helps