Jobs talks up Apple cell phone
Apple Computer chief executive Steve Jobs has been boasting about his company's much-rumored iPod cell phone amongst inner circles, AppleInsider has been told.
The remarks are uncharacteristic of Jobs, who is often regarded for his obsession with secrecy -- especially when it comes to unannounced products from his own company. But it's been said that Jobs' own excitement over the device has produced a number of zealous ramblings amongst personal acquaintances dating back to this spring.
One person familiar with the ongoings believes the Apple cofounder has commissioned the release of cell phone prototypes to at least two potential OEM manufacturing partners in recent months. Current designs are said to conform to Apple's integrated model and leverage its tightly-knit digital media franchises, that person added.
Speaking on conditions of anonymity, a second informant has told AppleInsider of an incremental buzz surrounding the phone, which has heightened in recent weeks. The informant, who flourishes a nearly unblemished track record in predicting Apple's future music directions, has said the device is slated to turn up earlier than some people may be expecting, in the form of a "big bang" introduction that will catch even some insiders off-guard.
By now, the notion of an Apple-branded iPod cell phone has grown from rumor to expectation, fueled in part by analysts on Wall Street who have become increasingly vocal in their convictions that Apple is developing such a device.
Upon exiting a meeting with the company's leadership earlier this year, Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff said it was his belief an iPod phone was "in the works." Similarly, Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research, recently stated his "firm" belief that Apple has been working on cell phone technology.
Wu said the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is likely to adopt an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) strategy, where it will not own a licensed frequency spectrum, but instead resell wireless services from larger providers under its own name. Such an approach would allow Apple to maintain tight control over the phone's user experience, he said.
However, Wu is like a handful of analysts that are doubtful Apple will be able to roll-out its mobile strategy until mid-2007 at the earliest. Instead, the analyst believes the company is still working out its go-to-market strategy and may need the additional time.
For Apple, a long-running concern about offering an iPod cell phone is the risk that it may cannibalize the low-end flash player market, which includes its 1GB and smaller capacity iPod digital music players.
"The company has said it is possible that a music-enabled phone could cannibalize the demand for a lower priced iPods," PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster recently told his clients. He equates the conflict to the inclusion of digital cameras in cell phones, which did not impact demand for higher end cameras, but weighed on the lower-end market.
"While we continue to believe there is a high chance that Apple will launch an iPhone in the next 12 months, the company says that the right path for Apple is to continue to pursue devices with one primary feature and not focus on multiple functions in one device," Munster said.
Still, Apple has been known to make diversionary comments in an effort to safeguard its future product plans. During a conference call with media and analysts in October 2004, a member of the company's executive team stated that Apple had no plans to enter the sub-$800 PC market and would instead focus its efforts on its booming music business and related products. Less than three months later, Apple introduced its first sub-$500 computer: the Mac mini.
For these and other reasons, the mainstream media has been unwilling to relent in its probes into the possibility of an iPod cell phone. At times, even Jobs appears to have been caught slightly off guard by the barrage. At the launch of the Apple Store Fifth Avenue in Manhattan this May, a CNBC reporter abruptly asked the Apple chief when consumers would be able to buy an Apple iPhone.
"You know, we never talk about unannounced products," said Jobs, "...but if we ever do announce something like that I'd love to talk to you about it then."
Jobs may have been speaking literally, say insiders, who note that he is unlikely to proceed with plans to bring the device to market unless all the pieces fall smoothly into play at the right time. "It must function as seamlessly as it looks," said a source. "That's the only way he will have it."
The mercurial CEO has watched new product initiatives span well into their respective development cycles before deciding to pull the plug for one reason or another. A known perfectionist, Jobs has also gone on record in saying that he is just as proud of the products Apple has shipped over the year's as he is with the company's deciscion not to ship others.
But it's looking increasingly unlikely that Apple's mobile initiative will fall by way of the ax. Perhaps the most telling piece of evidence to this end came during the company's quarterly conference call last month. During the call, an analyst pressed members of Apple's leadership for their thoughts on the tremendous growth Sony has realized with its relatively new Walkman phone. Apple's chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer fielded the question by saying, "We don?t think [...] phones that are available today make the best music players. We think the iPod is, but over time that?s likely to change." He then added, "And we are not sitting around doing nothing."
The remarks are uncharacteristic of Jobs, who is often regarded for his obsession with secrecy -- especially when it comes to unannounced products from his own company. But it's been said that Jobs' own excitement over the device has produced a number of zealous ramblings amongst personal acquaintances dating back to this spring.
One person familiar with the ongoings believes the Apple cofounder has commissioned the release of cell phone prototypes to at least two potential OEM manufacturing partners in recent months. Current designs are said to conform to Apple's integrated model and leverage its tightly-knit digital media franchises, that person added.
Speaking on conditions of anonymity, a second informant has told AppleInsider of an incremental buzz surrounding the phone, which has heightened in recent weeks. The informant, who flourishes a nearly unblemished track record in predicting Apple's future music directions, has said the device is slated to turn up earlier than some people may be expecting, in the form of a "big bang" introduction that will catch even some insiders off-guard.
By now, the notion of an Apple-branded iPod cell phone has grown from rumor to expectation, fueled in part by analysts on Wall Street who have become increasingly vocal in their convictions that Apple is developing such a device.
Upon exiting a meeting with the company's leadership earlier this year, Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff said it was his belief an iPod phone was "in the works." Similarly, Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research, recently stated his "firm" belief that Apple has been working on cell phone technology.
Wu said the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is likely to adopt an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) strategy, where it will not own a licensed frequency spectrum, but instead resell wireless services from larger providers under its own name. Such an approach would allow Apple to maintain tight control over the phone's user experience, he said.
However, Wu is like a handful of analysts that are doubtful Apple will be able to roll-out its mobile strategy until mid-2007 at the earliest. Instead, the analyst believes the company is still working out its go-to-market strategy and may need the additional time.
For Apple, a long-running concern about offering an iPod cell phone is the risk that it may cannibalize the low-end flash player market, which includes its 1GB and smaller capacity iPod digital music players.
"The company has said it is possible that a music-enabled phone could cannibalize the demand for a lower priced iPods," PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster recently told his clients. He equates the conflict to the inclusion of digital cameras in cell phones, which did not impact demand for higher end cameras, but weighed on the lower-end market.
"While we continue to believe there is a high chance that Apple will launch an iPhone in the next 12 months, the company says that the right path for Apple is to continue to pursue devices with one primary feature and not focus on multiple functions in one device," Munster said.
Still, Apple has been known to make diversionary comments in an effort to safeguard its future product plans. During a conference call with media and analysts in October 2004, a member of the company's executive team stated that Apple had no plans to enter the sub-$800 PC market and would instead focus its efforts on its booming music business and related products. Less than three months later, Apple introduced its first sub-$500 computer: the Mac mini.
For these and other reasons, the mainstream media has been unwilling to relent in its probes into the possibility of an iPod cell phone. At times, even Jobs appears to have been caught slightly off guard by the barrage. At the launch of the Apple Store Fifth Avenue in Manhattan this May, a CNBC reporter abruptly asked the Apple chief when consumers would be able to buy an Apple iPhone.
"You know, we never talk about unannounced products," said Jobs, "...but if we ever do announce something like that I'd love to talk to you about it then."
Jobs may have been speaking literally, say insiders, who note that he is unlikely to proceed with plans to bring the device to market unless all the pieces fall smoothly into play at the right time. "It must function as seamlessly as it looks," said a source. "That's the only way he will have it."
The mercurial CEO has watched new product initiatives span well into their respective development cycles before deciding to pull the plug for one reason or another. A known perfectionist, Jobs has also gone on record in saying that he is just as proud of the products Apple has shipped over the year's as he is with the company's deciscion not to ship others.
But it's looking increasingly unlikely that Apple's mobile initiative will fall by way of the ax. Perhaps the most telling piece of evidence to this end came during the company's quarterly conference call last month. During the call, an analyst pressed members of Apple's leadership for their thoughts on the tremendous growth Sony has realized with its relatively new Walkman phone. Apple's chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer fielded the question by saying, "We don?t think [...] phones that are available today make the best music players. We think the iPod is, but over time that?s likely to change." He then added, "And we are not sitting around doing nothing."
Comments
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...=italk&pl=true
And if I, who is one of the world's last cellphone holdouts, would buy one, what about those who live with their cellphone attached to their ears? They will not only sell phones but it'll also move people to buy MACS because you know that iLife will be set up just for it. Very exciting stuff.
this would be a huge slap on Bill Softies Zune piece of "South Harmon Institute of Technology"
i want to stop seeing the chocolate comericals on this site....it blasmey.....please
I also have a feeling it won't be a flip phone, that just wouldn't match the Apple aesthetic.
I agree.
Monday, October 23rd 2006.
Uh oh, here you go again!
I agree.
as do i....... sigh.
I like flip phones better.
as do i....... sigh.
I like flip phones better.
Why so?
Why so?
cuz my phones generally get thrown around a lot, and in a flip phone the screen is better protected.
That and I feel so snazzy when I flip my phone open
And which thread will your 5K'th post end up in, Mel?
You just made it happen.
Now Sunil can't laugh at me anymore.
I do not have a cell phone. I have never had a cell phone. I have borrowed my wife's on occasion and can see that benefit but haven't really found something I'd care to carry around with me 24/7. If Apple comes out with a unit the offer the same experience we have become accustomed to with Apple products, I will buy one.
And if I, who is one of the world's last cellphone holdouts, would buy one, what about those who live with their cellphone attached to their ears? They will not only sell phones but it'll also move people to buy MACS because you know that iLife will be set up just for it. Very exciting stuff.
Welcome to the boards halhiker.
I have a phone but I'd ditch it in a hearbeat for an Apple phone that syncs flawlessly with OS X Address Book and iCal. I'd love to have a larger screen than what I generally see I'm not all that concerned about how much music. 50 songs would be fine for me in a phone.
And if I, who is one of the world's last cellphone holdouts, would buy one, what about those who live with their cellphone attached to their ears? They will not only sell phones but it'll also move people to buy MACS because you know that iLife will be set up just for it. Very exciting stuff.
I don't live with my phone to my ear but it is with me every where I go because it is a Palm OS Treo and I've been using a Palm based PDA of some sort for almost 10 years. An iPod phone would be cool, but I'm more interested in having a device I can keep track of appointments, to do lists, my finances, my music database (I'm a DJ), my email, etc.
As for working with Mac applications: if the phone was to have Treo type PIM features then the first thing they better do is figure out a way to put repeating To Do items in iCal! I've worked with PIMs for years and never have I seen one where you can't set a To Do to repeat!! (I'm hoping the new To Do's and Notes in Leopard will fix this but the on-line previews don't indicate it). Then they'd also have to improve iSync's ability to handle complex conduits because it's horrible with "smart" phones like the Treo.
My prediction: I'll still have my Treo (or maybe the newer one); and I'll be listening to music and watching videos on the next gen ipod with large touch screen!
...he is just as proud of the products Apple has shipped over the year's
:sigh:
This is still my favorite prototype of an Apple iPhone.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...=italk&pl=true
well even though I think that is an interesting design it is however, fairly un apple like.
I say un-apple-like because I think the design is too elaborate in terms of moving parts etc.
Even though I like the design, In a sense, I think it's far more likely that apple will release a monoblock.
although, one thing which I think will make that particular design (your link) much better is this:
change the clickwheel to the other side of the lid it's sitting on now.
this means that when the phone is closed, you will have the clickwheel underneath the smaller display for basic iPod functionality, when a call comes in the display will show you the adress book image and name of the person calling. When you flip the phone open to reveal the large screen, you don't need the clickwheel anymore as it can be generated on the touchscreen itself, as pending patent or patents pending have revealed.
as the design is now, the clickwheel in my opinion is at an awkward, fragile and useless place on the product. I hope you agree.
then again, I may well be overlooking something blatantly obvious.... I am a man after all!
I have a phone but I'd ditch it in a hearbeat for an Apple phone that syncs flawlessly with OS X Address Book and iCal. I'd love to have a larger screen than what I generally see I'm not all that concerned about how much music. 50 songs would be fine for me in a phone.
I too would get an Apple iPhone
However, I have a Nokia N70 and it syncs flawlessly with OSX Address Book and iCal. I'm very happy with it. It also sends and receives IMAP based mail which is very effecctive. I would like it more if it synced post-it notes, auto transferred some of the low res pictures the phone takes, and synced my inbox and sent mail.