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General discussion

Thoughts on the iPhone?

Jan 9, 2007 2:56AM PST

That sound you hear? It's the collective release of nine million simultaneous geekgasms as the iPhone is announced. Here are my thoughts - please feel free to add yours.

1) Wow.
2) No, seriously - wow. The adaptable, dynamic interface, push email, photos, iPod video functionality, photos and ten thousand other things all in one device is absolutely incredible. Particularly in terms of the touchscreen, this, like the iPod, will have ramifications for the entire tech sector, specifically in how people conceive of the interplay of design, functionality and interface.
3) But - and it's a big one - did they just 'PS3' themselves? $600 US *with* a contract is an enormous amount of money. Like the PS3, it's 'worth it' in the literal sense, but is this so expensive that it will drastically reduce the rate of uptake? I'm not saying that the device itself is akin to a PS3 - it obviously offers something that nothing else does - but I sorta' felt like it was a huge buildup that led to... "six hundred bucks US?!". Are they out of their minds?

Discussion is locked

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Disappointing.
Jan 11, 2007 9:50PM PST

I was hoping for a touch widescreen ipod with at least 30GB capacity. iPhone is way too expensive for me as I am not interested in expensive phone and web browsing services. Hope they come out with an ipod version with ideally 60GB capacity. I would buy that definitely.

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Don't worry
Jan 11, 2007 11:25PM PST

Don't forget, this is only initial release. More is sure to come.

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Are there any cell phones with microdrive?
Jan 12, 2007 2:03AM PST

That's the only way it'll be cheap and high capacity. Else, 30GB of flash memory is going to be uber expensive

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to be cool you have to be accessable
Jan 9, 2007 8:13AM PST

- iPod sold because it was cool, it did stuff that people wanted (!!!) and was just about affordable.

- iPhone will be cool for the rich only or people whose phone bill is paid for by some corporation

- It will not be big enough to use as a serious music / video player

- roll on revision two when Apple reacts to the above by which time maybe a lot of people will have bought into alternatives???

I am a little disappointed.......

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Thank you Apple (or should I say AAPL)
Jan 9, 2007 5:10AM PST

This device is Awesome! Makes my Treo look like a Selectric taped to a can with string. The price is around the same as a treo, add ipod and GPS it's a bargin (kinda). The best thing about this is that I bought a bunch more Apple stock last week in anticipation. Just the up tick from this morning will pay for the phone. I am not a big Cingular fan or at least I wasn't...now they can have a kidney if they want.

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Mixed emotions.. damn that camera
Jan 9, 2007 6:03AM PST

I love the design and interface, and I never thought I'd like combining devices, but this one seems to do them ALL well.

Unfortunately, I'll never be able to get one because I can't bring a camera to my work. This is actually fairly common, but it's getting more difficult to find ANY phone without a camera. I didn't mind not having a feature-packed phone, but now I can't upgrade to the newest iPod either. Sad

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Thoughts on the iPhone?
Jan 9, 2007 6:17AM PST

Right WOW I agree wow the new iPhone looks great I bet my sister gets one from her work Yep Looks great but I will not be getting one I want a blue Razor.

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a few thoughts that should bring some great discussion
Jan 9, 2007 6:32AM PST

Bluetooth:
Now that Apple is throwing in Bluetooth to the device, is it supposed to work with all these cars that are now Bluetooth-enabled. Are car radios going to start being enabled rather than having the dock connector built into the car? Is this going to compete with Ford & MS's Sync product? This may be a Brian Cooley question to investigate further.

Wi-Fi:
I didn't see it mentioned, but will it include iChat or some other software for use online besides the browser and email? Speaking of which, how about Skype? Also, will it integrate with the AppleTV? Can I take it with me to the pool and stream a live video, maybe from the third party EyeTV?

Space:
I didn't see it mentioned, but 8GB for a true video widescreen iPod?? If Apple starts selling HD movies through the iTunes store to be used on AppleTV, like they probably will be before the end of the year, is Apple going to provide a smaller/compressed version for the iPod, or are they going to sell different versions, or are we going to have to compress it ourselves?

Now, I realize that in order to fit all the cell phone tech in, they probably had to use the same flash tech they use on the Nanos, but didn't some of these companies announce they've gotten up to 20 or 30 GB on a flash drive? They couldn't use that instead? Once again, a case where the next gen might be better then the current.

No camera?
With Cingular getting ready to introduce cell-to-cell video conferencing, I'm surprised there is no iSight or some other camera. You'd think with how popular cell phones with cameras are these days, they'd thought to include it.

Output:
If this is supposed to be the true video iPod, will the typical A/V out cable for the iPod work? Can I connect it to a TV when I'm traveling or away from home?

Airplane mode? I didn't see the ability to turn off these feature so you can just watch video or listen to music on the plane. I'd assume they threw this in somewhere.

This is just off the top of my head that I've been meaning to mention. I'd be curious to hear some of these issues getting addressed as no one seems to be going to into it. Discuss.

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Two points
Jan 10, 2007 3:08PM PST

1) Space - I just want you to remember that in order to move up from 8GB to 20-30GB in flash storage would, at the absolute very least cost an extra $100 for a device that many people are already calling too expensive.

2) Camera - There's a camera. 2 Megapixel. I imagine it can also do video.

I don't really know about anything else.

-Ryan

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Also....
Jan 12, 2007 2:49AM PST

AFAIK, 20-30GB flash memory is only small enough for laptops, not handhelds

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These'll obviously sell out, but price matters in the long
Jan 9, 2007 6:44AM PST

plus cingular only / 3G sux0rs!

id drop 600 on it, but would the general pop? prolly not. rich geeks? yup.

Would i carry 600 in my pocket? hells yea, i did w my 3g ipod when it came out, all the time.

i want: gps, and tv. and i think ill hold out till then. my vx6700 already does everything the iphone does, just less pretty...

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(NT) DIALING WITH A TOUCH SCREEN IS A NIGHTMARE!
Jan 9, 2007 6:45AM PST
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Not really innovative when you think about it...
Jan 9, 2007 6:50AM PST

take my utstarcom 6700:

1. portrait or landscape (not auto, but slide out keyboard is effortless)

2. plays mp3s and video in wide screen (including divx, which is a huge plus for me)

3. Email TXT etc

4. Weather, Stocks (easily get an RSS feed reader)

What my phone lacks: duh the iphone is beautiful outside and in
BUT my phone as also 200 bucks (66% cheaper) and is for verizon. a 400$ premium for elegance... i guess yall can put ur money where your mouths are.

ps ill say again... NO TACTILE KEYS SUCKS!!!!!

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What people want, not what people need
Jan 9, 2007 7:59AM PST

>>ps ill say again... NO TACTILE KEYS SUCKS!!!!!

So what was it like actually using one Rob? What's that? You say you didn't actually try one so have no F'ing clue how well it functions in your hand? Bummer... I thought maybe one of us had a chance to try it. Silly

The interface looks amazing and I can't wait to use it. Again, if this product were shipping today, I know 5 of the 8 people just in my office alone (including me) who would have one on order.

How many times must I say - People spend money on what they WANT not what they NEED. If you need nothing more than a stupid phone, go get one for free with your 1 year service contract. If you want a next generation killer iDevice, get in line behind the rest of us.

-Kevin S.

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correction - Karl :)
Jan 9, 2007 8:02AM PST

Sorry, I called you Rob instead Robstak and I believe your name is Karl (hopefully with a K) Happy

-Kevin S.

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you're right! (I get that all the time) + Second Thoughts...
Jan 11, 2007 4:25AM PST

After letting the whole iPhone thing settle in I have the following corrections to add...

re: 600 for the phone. The price is right for the phone. Similar smartphones will run you around 500 or so even with contract. It doesn't make it cheap, but it's not too much, esp w/ all the tech features it's touting.

re: no 3G support. aside from the no keyboard thing, I think this is the most annyoing thing. maybe it's cuz it's cingular. But try using 1xRTT and then compare it to EVDO for example. Personally, it makes a big difference (try streaming video). For basic web browsing it's fine, and if that's all you're after then fine. But if you are trying to make the phone that everyone needs wouldn't you make it the best?

Coolest feature: definately the voicemail thing. I see that being integrated into all phones very soon.

Final thoughts: I WANT AN 80GB version! Slap in a harddrive and I'm totally sold. And plz be carried by verizon, cuz cingular coverage blows here in smallbany.

PS: what did you say that got ur post deleted!? Snap. Not in a good mood?

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i have a vx6700 which has touch screen dialing...
Jan 11, 2007 4:16AM PST

so I do know a lil bit... prolly more than most cuz they keyboard is slide out...

Granted the 'double touch' technology I have not tried, and maybe it's spectacular, but I think that'd be quite a technical achievement if it did actually work right... I'll wait to be amazed on that front, cuz speaking from experience touch screen input sux0rs! It's definately what I hate most about the phone.

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There goes Palm
Jan 9, 2007 7:00AM PST

R.I.P. Palm Treo. This thing will kill it in one fowl swoop. Can't talk, amazed, astounded, wowed, I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT ONE!

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Possibly dumb question
Jan 9, 2007 7:36AM PST

Let me start with saying that I am not a Mac guy, so I have very limited knowledge here...but I'll ask anyway.

So if it's running Mac OS X, isn't that a lot of OS to put on the iPhone's platform?

Why would you need that powerful an OS to run a smartphone?

That said, would the unit behave the same as a Mac, i.e. reboot times, application loading times, etc?

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mod. OS X
Jan 9, 2007 9:16AM PST

OS X is very easy to scale down and remove features. The BSD underpinnings would run an a 66MHz proc with ease.
We can only hope that it is as fast with reboot times and app launch times as my intel mac.

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I know what you mean.
Jan 9, 2007 8:33AM PST

More than anything, I'm amazed at how seamless it all appears. One can imagine if Sony tried to do the same thing - it'd probably work, and sorta' well, but would come with a 400-page, clear-as-mud instruction manual that no-one would ever figure out. It really is an astounding feat of engineering *and* design - to me, this is really about the confluence of technical and aesthetic functionality. No, it won't change the world, but as I said before... wow.

I am definitely curious whether the price point will prevent the sort of uptake we saw with the iPod - it'd be a steal at $200 more, but it's still a lot of money to shell out. But in a couple of years from now, when you can get one of these for the same price but with 16 or even 32gb of memory, tech perfection may be achieved...

The cool thing is, now that they've patented this tech, we could see the same technology applied to a standalone iPod. That way, one could have one's touchscreen and 80gigs too.

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not likely, unless they come out w/cheaper version
Jan 12, 2007 6:45AM PST

$500 - $600 may get you alot, but when there are much cheaper Treos that do the some things close enough or missing stuff that average users aren't interested in, then Treos are here to stay.

between the the tr650, tr680, and tr700, there are price ranges from $200 to $550 to suit all price ranges and features.

Besides iPhone is touted more a multimedia, fun data device while the tr700 is more a business device that also does some multimedia and data. Palm OS also boosts thousands of software titles and utilities.

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I want a cheaper version without the phone.
Jan 9, 2007 8:24AM PST

I want the internet device, camera and cooler iPod. I already have a Blackberry so I don't need the phone.

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ipod only?
Jan 9, 2007 9:16AM PST

I think they'll have to release an ipod-only or ipod+internet version, because not everyone will want or need a phone when they go to update their mp3 player. I think that they'd lose ipod customers if they forced them into dropping $300 extra on a phone to go with it.

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I agree!
Jan 10, 2007 2:02PM PST

I want this without the phone part too - just give me my music and my screen - I have my phone and pda hooha needs nicely setup with a Treo. But I would like a nice big screen like that on a pod...

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iPhone: terrible name
Jan 9, 2007 9:43AM PST

First off, the iPhone is a terrible name for this device because many will immediately think:
phone? $599? Forget it!!!!

The iPhone with it's true web browsing functionality (plus mail, photos, music, etc) essentially encroaches on ultraportable notebooks' functionality.

This is in fact, how I think about this product. It's something that lets me leave my notebook at home and the phone functionality is pure bonus.

Also the built-in MacOS tantalizes us with possibilities... will a Keynote/Powerpoint viewer be in the works? How about an accessory keyboard?

If we can plug in (or wirelessly connect) a keyboard to the iPhone and mini Apps (Pages, Quicken, etc.) are made available, this would be the ultimate ultraportable notebook. Smaller than the smallest Vaios, yet cheap as well...

Boy, that Kool-aid sure tastes good! =)

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I agree on one part...
Jan 9, 2007 10:07AM PST

I agree that they might've Sony'd themselves, but I think they made a few design mistakes:
1) NO KEYBOARD. Any device where you need to be productive and write a fair amount, you need that tactile feedback of an actual keyboard. It's something that bothers me about the iPhone, and something that will bother many others. Also, having to provide an on-screen keyboard will take up a lot of screen real estate, something that a slide out keyboard would not do, and on a device that size the keyboard could be pretty sizable and much more comfortable to use than even the Q's keyboard because there'd be much more horizontal space.

2) NO STYLUS ALLOWED. Apparently, this whole "operate it with your finger" thing is cool, except that some of the commands (as far as I know) need two fingers to execute. Now, it's not the fact that you can't use a stylus that bothers me - it's that the whole UI had to be built around the inherent lack of precision and accuracy that your index finger and thumbs have. Take a look at screenshots. A lot of the buttons and such are a lot bigger than they need to be, resulting in Apple not using screen space efficiently, and that almost renders the bigger screen on the iPhone useless.

3) HOLY CRAP, $500?! The price. A lot of people were saying that this is going to be the "smartphone for the general public". Try justifying a $500 purchase to the normal Cingular customer. You can't, really. Especially because Apple doesn't seem to want Cingular to subsidize the price of the phone at all. Anyone who isn't an Apple fan will more than likely be happy with spending up to $250 less and getting something like a BlackBerry Pearl, which is stylish and syncs flawlessly with both Windows and OS X.

I love Apple, but I was let down by every product in the keynote this year.

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500/600 bucks is not that pricey
Jan 9, 2007 10:17AM PST

Guys, keep in mind the 1st gen iPod came out at $499 when it was released in 2001 (I'm still using mine). Of course, you didnt have to get a contract but still, reasonable price and will sell well.

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Price is right
Jan 10, 2007 12:24AM PST

Not that I could afford one, but this iPhone will sell out and you'll be lucky to find one on Ebay for under a grand when you can't find one anywhere. There are people with more money than they know what to do with (just look at the sales of all these gaming consoles). The thing I worry about is the display? Will this thing get hacked up like the nano the first time you throw it in your pocket?

No tactile buttons definatly will make things more difficult to use. (no I haven't tried an iPhone obviously, but I have handled an MP3 player that used a touch screen interface with no buttons and it was clumsey)

Looks cool though and I'm not an apple guy.

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Keyboard
Jan 10, 2007 3:12PM PST

I don't think that some people realize how tightly Apple designs their hardware. Apple designed the iPhone without a physical keyboard in mind, and as such, I can almost guarantee that there is absolutely no possible way to include any form of keyboard in the current form factor. If they were to increase the size of the phone to accomodate the keyboard, then they lose their size and portability, hurting their design image.

-Ryan