iPhone - Official Thread

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Humphrey Bogart said:
SOFTWARE.
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you said facts. There are no facts about adding IM, downloading videos, downloading tunes, using mp3s as ringtones. Just supposition.

I'm assuming the phone can be updated like ipods. So that is likely a fact. But any additional functionality is guesswork. All we have to go on is what it does now.
 
Apple said they're gonna update software, and it's not like you didn't see it coming.

why argue with yourself?

look, im not trying to argue here, and i hate to be a defender, but what you guys are saying is non sense.
 
From what I know, it doesn't. As a matter of fact, I don't really understand family line pricing. I thought the $80 would include at least 2 lines, but it doesn't. Each additional normal line is 9.99, or 29.99 for another iPhone.
 
Shogmaster said:
Sure it does. It's the nature of the phone business in the States. You subsidize the device for the plans which drives most of the profit. Apple is in the hardware and software business, not service plan business. They are selling closed off device. The only real profit for them is from the profit from the device, but that's not where the real money is.

AT&T is desperate for big marketing cache so pull the trigger on the gamble of iPhone. It's not a gamble for Apple, because they will make profit for every device sold, but that's far from the case for AT&T. They are hoping that the hype of the device will drive more subscribers, but they definitely are not confident about it's usability (hence the 2 year commitment, even though you can't use the device with any other provider).

iPhone will be a successful product for Apple in that it will make them money. But don't expect the iPhone to take over the smartphone world like iPod took over the MP3 player world. it's just too late and too flawed for the target market.
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You're crazy if you don't think Apple is getting a piece of the iphone service plan pie. Absolutely crazy.
 
I'm agreeing with both of you.

Shog says the iphone is underspecced - I agree

you say it doesn't matter - I agree. It should matter but it doesn't
 
xsarien said:
Outlook syncing: So for those of us who don't like using mail clients that have a history of being about as secure as wet paper bag, what are our options (e.g., Thunderbird)?
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Dude, this isn't 2001. :lol
 
commish said:
You're crazy if you don't think Apple is getting a piece of the iphone service plan pie. Absolutely crazy.
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You think AT&T is gonna give Apple money for exclusivity, subsidize the damn phone, AND give them slice of the only pie that they make money from?!? Is AT&T run by monkeys? :lol
 
not run by monkeys, but the only ones smart enough that know they should play by apples rules.

im sure the reason verizon and etc, didn't sign on because they didn't want to deal with Apple's...... well, ownage.
 
I don't know. Europe as is Asia is a few years ahead in the mobile space (specially Asia). A smartphone without some key features isn't going to fly.




Hell, look at the Mac & iPod penetration in the US compared to Europe and Asia. Maybe iPhone Gen.2 when they've smartened up will be a mainstream hit. I can only see technology and Mac-buffs buying this insanely expensive, although in some ways impressive device
 
shantyman said:
I'm not sure how the phone is under-specced hardware wise aside from the lack of 3G. Is a Mini SD slot THAT important?
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HSDPA is basically 3.5G...



And the option to running your own applications is HUGE. Not to mention video and the whole ringtone fiasco.
 
Hooker said:
And the option to running your own applications is HUGE. Not to mention video and the whole ringtone fiasco.
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Does anyone still seriously think it will be a closed platform forever?

Every valid complaint (aside form lack of 3G, SORRY, 3.5G) is software, and I can guarantee the majority of them will be addressed sooner or later.
 
Well, Apple is close towards striking a deal with Vodafone for the European distribution of the iPhone.


Rumours are a €500 pricetag (no specifics of which version) and no information regarding an upgrade of the internals (EDGE > UMTS). As EDGE isn't really being used in Europe, or supported. Hell, here in Holland they pulled it in favour of faster networks.

Look at the list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Data_Rates_for_GSM_Evolution

They kinda have to upgrade the thing
 
shantyman said:
Is a Mini SD slot THAT important?
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IMO, no.

Does anyone still seriously think it will be a closed platform forever?
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I think as "open" as it may get would be to open widget-making under strict memory restrictions. Personally, I don't see the problem with it being closed. I had an HD PDA a couple years back. It was great...until I started adding 3rd party software to it. Little games, IM software, better notepad software, Pac-Man. Hobbled the thing's performance to the point where it wasn't very enjoyable to use anymore.
 
shantyman said:
Does anyone still seriously think it will be a closed platform forever?

Every valid complaint (aside form lack of 3G, SORRY, 3.5G) is software, and I can guarantee the majority of them will be addressed sooner or later.
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Keyboard
Flash on Camera
Removable battery
 
Hooker said:
Well, Apple is close towards striking a deal with Vodafone for the European distribution of the iPhone.


Rumours are a €500 pricetag (no specifics of which version) and no information regarding an upgrade of the internals (EDGE > UMTS). As EDGE isn't really being used in Europe, or supported. Hell, here in Holland they pulled it in favour of faster networks.

Look at the list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Data_Rates_for_GSM_Evolution

They kinda have to upgrade the thing
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If they make a deal with Vodaphone then this most likely means whenever Iphone gets to Japan, it will be Softbank.
 
shantyman said:
You have a point on the last 2, but the top one is a conscious design decision, that has nothing to do with being under specced.
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It is when most businessmen have smartphones with expensive high speed dataplans so that they can check, compose and return email from anywhere.
 
Shogmaster said:
It is when most businessmen have smartphones with expensive high speed dataplans so that they can check, compose and return email from anywhere.
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Now, now. It's not FOR businessmen. I don't know who the hell it IS for, though. It's like the middle of a Venn Diagram and it's missing a few the main components for each class of user.
 
I suppose the 3G comments are warranted; it'd certainly be preferable to have the option for 3G service. But, isn't 3G rather expensive at the moment?

I'd imagine most iPhone consumers will be using the bulk of their iPhone usage in areas that have access to WiFi, e.g. at home, work, the library/school, etc...and WiFi is largely free and has faster speeds than wireless cellular networks. The EDGE network will primarily be there to fill in the gaps during time when you don't have access to WiFi. Obviously, this may depend on how each person intends on using it, but I can imagine the majority of time iPhone users will have WiFi access and EDGE will seldom be used.
 
Shogmaster said:
It is when most businessmen have smartphones with expensive high speed dataplans so that they can check, compose and return email from anywhere.
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I assume you have read the reviews? At least 2 of the reviewers said it is a learned behavior- you just need to get used to it and it was soon effortless.

I for one hope the rumor posted yesterday saying ActiveSync is coming to the iPhone is true. http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=643
 
M3wThr33 said:
Now, now. It's not FOR businessmen. I don't know who the hell it IS for, though. It's like the middle of a Venn Diagram and it's missing a few the main components for each class of user.
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Swiss cheese Venn Diagram is all the rage these days I heard.
 
Ringtones are coming in some way shape or form, as we already saw an image of iTunes with a "Ringtones" tab. It seems like it's been disabled for now, but you know it's coming. The question will be if they are selling them to us (likely) or if we can do our own. (possibly) It's not like Apple and AT&T are the first companies to restrict what ringtones can go on a phone, or the first to want to make money by selling them to us. And by the way, in that "introduction to the iPhone" video, there looked to be a lot of tones already on the thing.

As for IM, I would be willing to bet we'll see IM added before too long. It should be a fairly simple thing to implement. Unfortunately, it'll be iChat which is an AIM client, while I personally prefer Yahoo IM. I'm planning on using Meebo anyway, so it's pretty much a non issue.

I'll also admit to being a little skeptical about the use of the web to provide "apps" for the iPhone, but honestly I've been pretty impressed with some of the things I've seen already. I can actually see the possibilities of some very cool things in the works and I'll bet we'll have a lot to choose from in no time at all.
 
apparently Vodafone is garbing the iPhone for the European release, which should be out by Q4 2007.

I hope they add MMS and 3G/HSDPA to the mix.
 
IDK...

I think I am just going to let my co-workers get theirs and play around with it. Alot of the stuff (like MMS and AIM) I don't use even though my current phone (sony w600i) can do it. Has anyone commented on how loud the speakers are? My current phone is actually loud enough to act as a boombox in a hotel room :lol Actually one of the features I think I will miss most is that the flash on mine can be used as a flashlight to find your keys!
 
Souldriver said:
God, the man doing these tours is horrible. :lol
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Something about his hand gestures makes me want to punch him in the throat...and then take his iPhone and run.
 
Souldriver said:
God, the man doing these tours is horrible. :lol
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I like him. It is funny that he's medium height, dark hair, wears a black long sleeve shirt, and glasses.

It's like he's a younger Steve Jobs clone.
 
That keyboard video does do a much better job of explaining the value and benefits of a virtual keyboard. I especially like how the key hot-zones enlarge to match predictive key presses and how it learns common names over time. Also, I'm glad to see it's easy to position the cursor. Maybe they can add simple text copy/paste functionality in the future using two fingers or something but for now, you'll just have to retype.

At any rate, of all the things people complain about the iPhone, I think the "lack of physical keyboard" is a total non issue. Maybe, just maybe, the solution Apple came up will prove to be superior over time. I believe everyone gave up with software keyboards on PDAs and smart phones because those virtual keyboards were too hard to use and required a stylus. Apple's approach seems to have rectified those issues.

As for lack of 3G, that was definitely a missed opportunity they are saving for Version 2. On the other hand, if having it would have sucked the battery dry... I'm glad they didn't include it.
 
I am not sure if this has been posted yet, and I dont want to search this entire thread... but here are some points about the iphone from some of the 1st reviews out there:

engadget.com said:
Well, the first reviews are in. But you may have missed some of the more interesting factoids unearthed by the trio of gadget reporters deigned worthy by El Jobso to get a pre-launch iPhone. Here's a few fresh n' interesting iPhone facts right off the presses:

-The mobile version of OS X or whatever it is the iPhone runs takes up 700MB of the device's capacity. Damn son!
-There's no way to cut, copy, or paste text! WHOA! Big, big mistake.
-No A2DP support. That, friends, is such a huge bummer right there.
-Sorry, music can't be used as a ringtone -- even if it's just a raw MP3. No additional ringtones will be sold at launch.
-On a PC the iPhone syncs with Outlook for calendars AND addresses! Noice.
-It supports Exchange in some capacity, according to Walt, but he doesn't exactly say how.
-Pogue again confirms document file reading -- but not editing -- for PDF, Word, and Excel (only).
-Adobe Flash support is officially out. It's just not in the browser. Neither is there any other kind of embedded video support. Sorry everybody, that's that.
-It will take snaps, but won't record video. How can Apple love YouTube as much as it does and not realize cellphone-shot movies make up a sizeable chunk of the crazy crap you find on there?
-Oh, and no MMS. And sorry, no voice dialing, either.
-Contact groups can't be emailed as contact lists.
-Apple sez between 300-400 charges the iPhone will lose battery capacity -- you'll send it in and get the cell replaced for a fee. Meh. We knew this would be the case, but still, meh.
-Apple can (and supposedly will) be rolling out periodic updates -- no surprise there.
-Battery life is, somehow, almost as mind-blowingly good as Apple claims for calls, music, and movies.
-As we suspected, users are prompted with lists of WiFi networks if you're not nearby a trusted hotspot. We've seen this on other phones, and we're afraid this would get friggin annoying.
-It's said to be very scratch resistant. The facade both front and rear apparently just doesn't pick up marring like regular iPods do.
-Voice quality is said to be good -- not great.
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ckohler said:
As for lack of 3G, that was definitely a missed opportunity they are saving for Version 2. On the other hand, if having it would have sucked the battery dry... I'm glad they didn't include it.
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And waiting several times longer for webpages to load won't? The reliance on EDGE is easily the phone's biggest caveat.
 
I think I did pretty well against the Apple hype - didn't even think about getting an ipod until about a year ago when I got a Nano. But I'll probably be out of work early on Friday to pick one of these up. My SE S700i is starting to show its age (the charger doesn't work properly anymore, it displays like it's using an 8-bit color pallette, and its been dropped way too many times =P). It's been a pretty good phone though, just time to decommission it and jump on the hype bandwagon.
 
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