The iPhone Cometh
UPDATE: Jobs announced that the price of the iPhone will be $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8GB model--that's WITH the two year contract through Cingular. Also, the iPhone will be an exclusive for Cingular through 2009, however, Europe will see it launch in Q4 and there is that recent ruling about the legality of unlocking phones... hmm. The phone will also be WiFi enabled, run for 5 hours between battery charges, and include a sleek, black pen-cap-like BlueTooth headset. The earbud headphones will also include a mic now.
Here's the original post...
As if awakening from a Jobsian nightmare in which the world was awash in non-Apple branded, ear-budless, talk-centric mobile phones, today's historic speech by messianic consumer icon Steven Jobs allowed every cellco subcriber to breathe a collective sigh of relief. With one handset to unite them all, the entire human race thanks Jobs for ushering in a new era of world peace and prosperity.
Steve Jobs announced the "iPhone" today, yes, he's going to call it that. The device is also an "Internet communicator" and a wide-screen video iPod all rolled into one. The iPhone will run on OS X, on Cingular's network, and have no keypad or buttons, just a large touch screen. As Jobs said "Let's not use a stylus, we're going to use the best pointing device in the world--our fingers. We have invented a new technology called multi-touch. It works like magic, you don't need a stylus, far more accurate than any interface ever shipped, it ignores touches, multi-finger gestures, and BOY have we patented it!"
Other interesting features includes a sensor that can tell if you are holding it in portrait or landscape mode, a sensor that detects lighting in your environment and adjusts the screen's brightness accordingly, and a sensor that can tell when you hold it up to your ear so it shuts down the screen to save power. The phone is only 11.6 mm thick, but boasts a 3.5 inch screen with 160 ppi resolution. -Brian
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Comments
By Anonymous | Posted 3:38pm | January 9, 2007
where's the rest of the story? the "details"? You click for it and enter some idiot kind of loop where nothing finishes and everything repeats.
By Anonymous | Posted 3:45pm | January 9, 2007
Yeah...fix the link or write more. :-)
And oh, by the way, "messianic?" That seems a tad harsh.
By jacomo | Posted 4:42pm | January 9, 2007
You missed the big one: It is WiFI enabled. It does not support Cingulars new HSDPA upgrades, but might not need it when it is deployed in the new Metro Area Wireless Mesh Networks.
Not sure which 802.11series spectrum will be used. Probably 802.11a/g, even though 802.11n (5Ghz) would rock.
The Video and Audio downloads and the potential for online multiplayer gaming (P2P) will require the real WiFi networks to really shine.
Jacomo
By F1Fan | Posted 6:08pm | January 9, 2007
Why not give credit when its due? This device may be more evolutionary than revolutionary but Apple has a way with making the mundane fun. I for 1 can't wait for its arrival!
By Anonymous | Posted 7:02pm | January 9, 2007
Over-hype will deflate this summer. Apple will be losing money in this luxury phone biz.
By Elmar M. Gomez from Mobile Arts | Posted 7:04pm | January 9, 2007
Think of how much and the variety of content we can sell to the phone owners if the delivery can be both WiFi and mobile (i.e. 3G, HSDPA, WCDMA, etc.)
By Dannyk | Posted 4:57am | January 10, 2007
I agree, the comments are too harsh. Let's give Jobs credit for yet again showing the way. I've personally been waiting for thr full screen usage of a handheld device since for a while and let's face it: Jobs hit the nail on its head with the sensor driven wheel touch pad on the Ipod. And some commnents in other articles suggest high price point. Well let me just say that some unlocked Nokia N series fetch for about 1000$ in Europe. And Nokia doesn't not command the same consumer loyalty anywhere close to as Apple does. I'll agree to evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary... but let's hand it to Jobs, the man does not cease to surprise us and tell us how backwards and slow the R&D in computer and IT and now handset engineering fields are.
By PDoddy | Posted 9:55am | January 10, 2007
A $499 - $599 device will only appeal to a small group of hard-core iPod users... most people still purchase sub $100 handsets. With a 2 year contract needed, plus the fact that so many people already own iPods, I see this as a niche product and not a big seller.
By JimB | Posted 12:18pm | January 10, 2007
Nice product. I have been shopping for a phone/pda. I was not overly impressed with Job's demo of how to type with one finger. So I have two burning questions: (a) will the touch screen QWERTY rotate 90 for two thumb input; and (b) will the product come with modem capability so I can painlessly connect my laptop to Cingular's network and/or involve the other 8 fingers to the laptop when that makes most sense. Does anyone know?
By admin | Posted 2:13pm | January 10, 2007
The original link in the newsletter should have pointed the reader to this updated article with the pricepoints for the 4GB and 8GB models. My apologies for the confusion. -Brian
By Anonymous | Posted 4:12pm | January 10, 2007
the main thing is that Apple wil now be given credit for features and functions that are more of less available currently because they have taken the proposition to the consumer in a way that they can understand it. The average person doesn't aspire to a TREO750 but everyone wants an iPhone whether they can afford it or not.
By Ravi Krishnan(GemPad) | Posted 4:29pm | January 10, 2007
Great on "form" and still has some gaps on the "function" side. Exceptional MultiTouch is cool and very useful though primarily navigational. On the input side, the iPhone QWERTY appears to just have the alphabets(at least as seen in the video. At first glance it seems like just a larger Palm PDA onscreen keyboard, and so to claim it as a full QWERTY is a stretch...and that too for a high end smartphone segment, I don't get it ?
By Anonymous | Posted 7:35pm | January 10, 2007
Does anyone know if the 2 megapixel camera has auto focus or a macro mode. Does it take quality images comparable to a 2 megapixel DSC?
By Chris Coles | Posted 7:40am | January 11, 2007
No mention of any form of camera. What system are they using for E911? Have Cingular any plans for a Video 911 service? If no camera today, does Apple have plans for an upgrade or is it to be totally focused on itunes?
By Anonymous | Posted 11:23am | January 13, 2007
THIS IS GOING TO BE TRASH, CINGULAR EDGE NETWORK IS SO SLOW AND USELESS
By Anonymous | Posted 3:06am | April 15, 2007
My question is why should I replace my Palm with the iPhone?
As someone who's used Macs for years, it pains me to say -- I can't see the screen "QWERTY" really working. I never liked that on the Palms either. Has anyone actually used a prototype to see if somehow Steve made it better than Palm's?