Apple stuns Macworld crowd with multi-function iPhone device

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  • Reply 41 of 439
    kishankishan Posts: 732member
    So did anybody notice that at the bottom of the widget photo, there is a ticker symbol for Genetech (DNA). The other companies on the list are obvious, but what the heck is Genetech doing there?







    Also, what do we make of the fact that Steve seems to be playing Google and Yahoo off one another? Push email from Yahoo, but not Gmail? I'm not giving up my Gmail account!
  • Reply 42 of 439
    AppleInsiderAppleInsider Posts: 63,192administrator
    Apple on Tuesday made a bid to change the world once again with the introduction of iPhone, a revolutionary mobile phone that also combines a widescreen touch-control iPod and breakthrough Internet communications device.



    The iPhone introduces an entirely new Mac OS X-based user interface built around a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software that lets users control the device with just their fingers. iPhone also ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.



    "iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone," said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs. "We are all born with the ultimate pointing device -- our fingers -- and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse."



    iPhone is a Revolutionary Mobile Phone



    The iPhone lets users place calls by simply pointing at a name or number. It syncs contacts from their PC, Mac or Internet service such as Yahoo!, so that users always have their full list of up-to-date contacts with them. In addition, the device can easily construct a favorites list for the most frequently made calls, and easily merge calls together to create conference calls.



    iPhone's pioneering Visual Voicemail, an industry first, allows users to visually browse a listing of their voicemails, decide which messages to listen to, then go directly to those messages without listening to the prior messages. Just like email, iPhone's Visual Voicemail enables immediate random access those messages that are most vital.



    Apple said iPhone includes an SMS application with a full QWERTY soft keyboard to easily send and receive SMS messages in multiple sessions. When users need to type, iPhone presents them with an elegant touch keyboard which is predictive to prevent and correct mistakes, making it much easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smartphones. iPhone also includes a calendar application that allows calendars to be automatically synced with your PC or Mac.







    Included with each iPhone is a 2 megapixel camera and a photo management application that is far beyond anything available on a cellular phone today. Users can browse their photo library, which can be easily synced from their PC or Mac, with just a flick of a finger and easily choose a photo for their wallpaper or to include in an email.



    iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone which also features EDGE and Wi-Fi wireless technologies for data networking. Apple has chosen Cingular, the most popular carrier in the US with over 58 million subscribers, to be its exclusive carrier partner for iPhone in the US.



    iPhone is a Widescreen iPod



    iPhone also duals as a widescreen iPod with touch controls that lets music lovers "touch" their music by easily scrolling through entire lists of songs, artists, albums and playlists with just a flick of a finger. Album artwork is presented in stunning fashion on iPhone's large and vibrant display using Cover Flow, Apple's visual software for browsing music libraries by album cover artwork. When navigating a music library on iPhone, users are automatically switched into Cover Flow by simply rotating iPhone into its landscape position.



    Apple has built a stunning 3.5-inch widescreen display into each iPhone, offering an unrivaled experience for watching TV shows and movies on a pocketable device, with touch controls for play-pause, chapter forward-backward and volume. iPhone plays the same videos purchased from the online iTunes Store that users enjoy watching on their computers and iPods, and will soon enjoy watching on their widescreen televisions using the new Apple TV.









    iPhone lets users enjoy all their iPod content, including music, audiobooks, audio podcasts, video podcasts, music videos, television shows and movies. It syncs content from a user's iTunes library on their PC or Mac, and can play any music or video content they have purchased from the online iTunes store.



    iPhone is a Breakthrough Internet Communications Device



    In addition to its cellular and iPod features, iPhone also features a rich HTML email client that fetches email in the background from most POP3 or IMAP mail services and displays photos and graphics right along with the text. iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so users can be reading a web page while downloading their email in the background.



    Yahoo! Mail, the world's largest email service with over 250 million users, is offering a new free "push" IMAP email service to all iPhone users that automatically pushes new email to a user's iPhone, and can be set up by simply entering your Yahoo! name and password. iPhone will also work with most industry standard IMAP and POP based email services, such as Microsoft Exchange, Apple .Mac Mail, AOL Mail, Google Gmail and most ISP mail services.



    Apple said iPhone features "the most advanced and fun-to-use web browser on a portable device" within a version of its award-winning Safari web browser. Users can see any web page the way it was designed to be seen, and then easily zoom in to expand any section by simply tapping on iPhone's multi- touch display with their finger. Users can surf the web from just about anywhere over Wi-Fi or EDGE, and can automatically sync their bookmarks from their PC or Mac. iPhone's Safari web browser also includes built-in Google Search and Yahoo! Search so users can instantly search for information on their iPhone just like they do on their computer.







    Furthermore, iPhone includes Google Maps, featuring Google's groundbreaking maps service and iPhone's new maps application, offering the best maps experience by far on any pocket device. Users can view maps, satellite images, traffic information and get directions, all from iPhone's remarkable and easy- to-use touch interface.



    iPhone's Advanced Sensors



    The iPhone employs advanced built-in sensors -- an accelerometer, a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor -- that automatically enhance the user experience and extend battery life. iPhone's built-in accelerometer detects when the user has rotated the device from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display accordingly, with users immediately seeing the entire width of a web page, or a photo in its proper landscape aspect ratio.



    iPhone's built-in proximity sensor detects when you lift iPhone to your ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches until iPhone is moved away. iPhone's built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display's brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, thereby enhancing the user experience and saving power at the same time.



    Pricing & Availability



    iPhone will be available in the US in June 2007, Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008, in a 4GB model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac. iPhone will be sold in the US through Apple's retail and online stores, and through Cingular's retail and online stores. Several iPhone accessories will also be available in June, including Apple's new remarkably compact Bluetooth headset.



    iPhone includes support for quad-band GSM, EDGE, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR wireless technologies.



    iPhone requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.8 or later and iTunes 7; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2). Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended. Apple and Cingular will announce service plans for iPhone before it begins shipping in June.



    Learn More About iPhone



    To learn more about iPhone, users can visit Apple.com or watch the video of the iPhone introduction.
  • Reply 43 of 439
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Thelonius View Post


    Well yes I will give you the cover art regardless of how many songs, but if you look at the demo on apples site they are scrolling through WAY more than 7 albums. Add to that 7 albums a movie or two, various videos of star wars kids and monkey's sniffing their butts, and a bunch of photos and 8gb doesn't feel so big.



    exactly. Give me the same thing with Wifi and VoIP, and I'll be stoked. You can keep the Cingular stuff. I'll keep the camera for video chat. And make it 100GB for $450.



    And while I'm on Santa's lap, can I use it to stream to Apple TV?
  • Reply 44 of 439
    dentondenton Posts: 725member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Thelonius View Post


    Just looking at the video of this phone on the apple website and I have to think on the ipod demo that all of those albums they are flipping through couldn't fit on 8gb.



    Apple suggests 128kbps AAC on its music players (even if you don't use this). At that bitrate, supposing 4 minutes per song, they claim that 8GB will hold 2000 songs. This is 8000 minutes of music. If the average CD is actually about 60 minutes long (which is probably an over-estimation), then the iPhone will hold 130 albums. With this number in mind, I don't think that the cover flow view mis-represents this number of albums.
  • Reply 45 of 439
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Boukman View Post


    Here's how I see it: today, we are talking about a phone, but tomorrow, it will grow into an entirely new computing platform.



    Not before today could we envision the convergence of the necessary technologies to make this happen :

    - Fast low-power processors with 3d graphics embedded in them

    - Lots of affordable flash memory for mass storage

    - VGA resolution screens in small sizes

    - New touchscreen technology that enable a new form of UI input and makes actual physical buttons almost irrelevant

    - Next generation wireless standards to achieve broadband speeds anywhere one might go



    What Apple needs to do now is to make the right stack of software to enable this new paradigm in computing. You have to remember that Apple is about making the computer personal. What is more personal than your mobile phone? Bring your music and videos, take pictures and show them on your phone, surf the web, edit your data. This is not about making a phone anymore, but rather about building a platform to enable people to do common tasks on their mobile. Maybe it would require a "dock" Ã* la iPod in order to do even more stuff on a big screen with a keyboard and mouse when one feels like it. Maybe it will need to be synchronised with some sort of "home server". Maybe everything will be backed up online on your .Mac account. I don't know. All I know is that people are now purchasing laptops instead of desktops computers, and in the future (5-10 years from now) their phone will do it all, given the right software.



    Another advantage is that millions (if not billions) of people who have never used a computer before would suddenly be able to access more computing power than what we could imagine in a PC only a few years ago. This will enable them to do all the things we take for granted today with only one small integrated device.



    Apple rules!
    calispheric
  • Reply 46 of 439
    mr omr o Posts: 1,046member
    I love the Cover Browser on the device. Also, the way a cover flips to reveal the play buttons on the back truly is a genius



    And all the rest is CRAP Sorry to say this about Apple.



    So, what went wrong:



    1- Transferring the big screen Safari to a phoney screen Why Steve, why? The widgets are truly great! Let people design more widgets and get rid of Safari as we know it on a tiny screen!



    2- Using a eeneeweenee tiny touchkeyboard I bet I could type so much quicker using a scroll wheel! I actually used to have a scroll wheel on the side of my Sony which was such a joy to use!



    3- Introducing Google maps is a very childish way of navigation, so itsa Exit Apple, enter TomTom.



    4- your fingers are not the best pointing device! Not everyone has beautifull sculpted fingers. + using a finger will obscure all the rest of the screen. Sorry





    Maybe, I should consider leaving cosy chocolateley Belgium and applying for a job in California. Apple could do much better. Sorry Steve, this Windows phone is a joke, isn't it?!
  • Reply 47 of 439
    dentondenton Posts: 725member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mcr34 View Post


    But I, and I would guess many other people, don't want to change my phone number, and don't want to use Cingular as my provider.



    I thought you could port your number to different providers in the US? I might be wrong, we can't do so in Canada, but I have something nagging in the back of my head that I heard this at some point.
  • Reply 48 of 439
    I guess the real question is how long until we see unlocked phones in the marketplace? My guess is around the timeframe of the European launch, but frankly with Apple I don't feel like that's 100% given.
  • Reply 49 of 439
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    The iPhone! Who among us guessed it. Incredible.



    The phone itself is an engineering wonder. Does it take short video clips as well as photos?



    I'll get one when it comes out in June. I'll probably get the 2-year contract with Cingular as well... oh, well, bye-bye T-mobile.
  • Reply 50 of 439
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Feynman View Post


    Yeah I think Apple put them selves in a real tough situation. I want a new iPod that will have much more than just 8 GBs! I think we will see much of the iPhone interface in the new iPod. After all, one is a phone with iPod features and one will just be an iPod. Should be easy enough.



    Apple will do what is logical--- introduce a phone that has the least capacity and as the months go by, there will be upgrades that will include bigger drives and the cost will stay the same. Two years from now, it will be a 60 G device! This is how you draw in new customers and get the original customers to rebuy. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.



    This is an amazing, yet logical device and --- Zune??? Zoom!!!! Bye bye. So, iPods will be updated and the distinction in pricing will become clearer to differentiate the class of device you are buying-- as in, the iPod line will get better and cheaper as the iPhone takes off. Apple never paints itself into a corner!!! Not these days. After all, there are some pretty smart people figuring out the market angles at Apple. I don't think you ever need to worry about them making a big marketing mistake-- not THIS iteration of Apple Inc.
  • Reply 51 of 439
    When I first heard rumors about the new iPhone being Cingular only, I said to myself that even an Apple phone could not make me swith from Verizon. Consider me a big LIAR. The iPhone is totally stunning! What an achievement by Apple. It has surpassed all my expectations of what a good phone should be. I am more than willing to switch carriers to have this thing in my hands. I'm sure people are going to complain about the price and the storage but hey, have you seen how much smart phones are going for? And as fantastic as this phone is, I'm still not going to have it replace my dedicated music player -- my iPod, so having 4g or 8g is just right for my needs. It's going to be interesting to see how the rest of the industry reacts to this.
  • Reply 52 of 439
    tdnc101tdnc101 Posts: 109member
    None of the mockups came even close to the brilliance of the final product.



    Totally unexpected, consider me blown away.
  • Reply 53 of 439
    dentondenton Posts: 725member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mr O View Post


    2- Using a eeneeweenee tiny touchkeyboard I bet I could type so much quicker using a scroll wheel!



    Ya, I bet you could!
  • Reply 54 of 439
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kishan View Post


    So did anybody notice that at the bottom of the widget photo, there is a ticker symbol for Genetech (DNA). The other companies on the list are obvious, but what the heck is Genetech doing there?







    Also, what do we make of the fact that Steve seems to be playing Google and Yahoo off one another? Push email from Yahoo, but not Gmail? I'm not giving up my Gmail account!



    Genetech produces the air dispersed drugs that make the RDF possible.
  • Reply 55 of 439
    tdnc101tdnc101 Posts: 109member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mr O View Post


    I love the Cover Browser on the device. Also, the way a cover flips to reveal the play buttons on the back truly is a genius



    And all the rest is CRAP Sorry to say this about Apple.



    So, what went wrong:



    1- Transferring the big screen Safari to a phoney screen Why Steve, why? The widgets are truly great! Let people design more widgets and get rid of Safari as we know it on a tiny screen!



    2- Using a eeneeweenee tiny touchkeyboard I bet I could type so much quicker using a scroll wheel! I actually used to have a scroll wheel on the side of my Sony which was such a joy to use!



    3- Introducing Google maps is a very childish way of navigation, so itsa Exit Apple, enter TomTom.



    4- your fingers are not the best pointing device! Not everyone has beautifull sculpted fingers. + using a finger will obscure all the rest of the screen. Sorry





    Maybe, I should consider leaving cosy chocolateley Belgium and applying for a job in California. Apple could do much better. Sorry Steve, this Windows phone is a joke, isn't it?!



    Your problems don't seem to be with the iPhone, instead, with functions like touchscreen electronics in general. Please, stay in chocolatelely Belgium, your design comments (Widgets instead of Safari!) I think contradict the general feelings of most Mac users. I could be wrong, but this is from my impressions.
  • Reply 56 of 439
    mr omr o Posts: 1,046member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Denton View Post


    Ya, I bet you could!



    Okay! Let's have a competition here! ScrollWH vs BabyKB:



    Let's type the whole damn article on our phone!







    Cheer ladies, get all shaky!!
  • Reply 57 of 439
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Thelonius View Post


    Add to that 7 albums a movie or two, various videos of star wars kids and monkey's sniffing their butts, and a bunch of photos and 8gb doesn't feel so big.



    I'm going to need the monkey pissing in it's mouth in HD as well.
  • Reply 58 of 439
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    First I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of new hardware introductions today of the PC type. Some products are just due for refresh.



    That however is not IPhone related, but even here I'm disappointed.



    First; the phone costs way to much, especially if forced into a 2 year contract with Cingular. I'm hoping that by June they realize the errors of their ways and set a more reasonable price. I haven't seen Cingulars contract for this device, but lets face it it won't be to the users advantage.



    Second; Way to little storage especially considering the price. I'm hoping again that Apple sees its errors here by release time. I mean really they try to sell a multimedia device with barely enough room for a few tunes and pics, 8 gigabytes should have been the minimal configuration with 16 and 32 gigs of solid state storage offered. For this device I very much want solid state storage.



    The other concerns I might have won't be answerable right away, at least I did not see the info anywhere. The questions I have are somewhat technical but revolve around the following.

    1.

    What is the processor in the unit. Is the machine code compatible with current Intel based Macs or is this an ARM based machine?

    2.

    What is cross development like?

    3.

    Does the installation of user apps, assuming it is possible, impact storage for your multimedia stuff. In other words does the machine have a separate storage area for OS/X apps and data so that multimedia storage space is not impacted? For example if I'm on the road for a week, will all the E-Mail received plug up storage space for the iPod storage? This could very well be a huge issue with the rather small amount of storage available.

    4.

    Does the unit retain all of the traditional IPod Apps. That is the stop watch and such.

    5.

    Can the iPhone operate as a USB host. That is can one use an adapter cable to hook up to a portable USB storage device. This could be very useful and with a few OS/X scripts would allow the off load of a lot of data that doesn't need to be kept on the iPhone.

    6.

    On a variant of the above I'm wondering if Apple or Cingular will support easy access to off line storage through .Mac or what ever. This in place of item #5 above. The goal would be to make this off phone storage transparent to the user.

    7.

    I do hope that they support in flight mode.



    ************************************************** ******



    All in all an interesting effort. I suppose this early release has something to do with getting the public FCC approval. I'm slightly hopeful that the info currently offered up relative to storage is preliminary and that they acknowledge the need for far greater solid state storage. No mention was made of extra user installed storage either.



    All in all it looks like an interesting effort that is grossly over priced. Kind of typical for Apple. I won't make up my mind though until I can actually walk into a store and try it out. June is a long ways off but right now it appears to be a bit of a boondoggle.



    Dave
  • Reply 59 of 439
    I'm surprised that there's no mention that the phone will operate on Cingular's new 3G network. I would not buy this phone if the internet runs on EDGE - it's slow - painfully slow.



    Disappointed although hopeful that Apple and Cingular will fix this prior to release.
  • Reply 60 of 439
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Incredible. The most impressive device to come out of Apple IMO. I've been watching demos of the device at Apple's website and it is amazing. I will definately be getting one. RIM, Moto and Nokia; I feel sorry for you. Your marketshare is about to evaporate.
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