WoW. The iPhone is REALLY slick (MacWorld)

[MetalMusicAddict]

Im reading over the constant updates Engadget is providing from MacWorld. Some really cool stuff. So far, the iPhone is very impressive.

LINK (http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/live-from-macworld-2007-steve-jobs-keynote/)

[spockrock]

:drool: I want........... its sooo expensive though.....:drool:

does it do mp3 ring tones, because it should.....and I can't switch to a phone that does not, I need my death metal ringtones....

[ixus_123]

more features than I need in a phone.

Something smaller with tactile buttons would suit me.

I have to say I think the menus look swish on the videos they have on the Apple.com site.

I'm most impressed with the multi-touch display - great things could be happening soon with apple displays / new ipods

one step closer to a minority report style interface - looks like they leeched a few ideas (& did a better job) from project looking glass & the Go Monkey project

[Brunellus]

Im reading over the constant updates Engadget is providing from MacWorld. Some really cool stuff. So far, the iPhone is very impressive.

LINK (http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/live-from-macworld-2007-steve-jobs-keynote/)
all that, and a 4-hour battery life, too.

That is, you can't let it stand for a working day without charging it.

Forget it. My present mobile lasts for two days between full charges.

When will the world wake up to the simple truth that the best device in the world is worthless when it's out of power? All that geek chrome costs valuable milliamperes.

[Mateo]

yeah, i like to have a phone that does phone stuff really good, a media player that does media stuff really good, and a camera that takes pictures good. i don't want them all together. I'd have to charge the sucker too often. I like to not have to worry about whether I'm going to be able to receive a call because the battery is almost dead because i listened to some tunes.

Nevertheless, I'd almost pay for it and just ignore the mp3/video features. But what is that crap about a "2 year plan"? 2 year plan for what. Does that mean for new phone users, or on top of your phone service plan? i don't use either cingular or at&t anyways, so it doesn't matter i guess.

[ixus_123]

"Jobs promises 5 hour of battery life (talking time, video, etc) and 16 hours of audio playback."
http://events.macnn.com/

no mention of talk time or standby time but that sounds like decent battery life to me. More than enough to compete with todays handsets

[Kayne]

all that, and a 4-hour battery life, too.
Not true.
As I understand, this is the time you can speak with someone in a row.

For music it lasts 16 hours, thus standby time should be longer.

[Mateo]

all that, and a 4-hour battery life, too.

That is, you can't let it stand for a working day without charging it.

Forget it. My present mobile lasts for two days between full charges.

When will the world wake up to the simple truth that the best device in the world is worthless when it's out of power? All that geek chrome costs valuable milliamperes.

ohh wow, i didn't know that. forget it then.

I agree, that's why I don't want an "all in one" player. Until we have free energy or something, i want my devices separate so I don't have to charge them every couple of hours.

[ixus_123]

2 year plan is no doubt to subsidise the cost of the handset.

Current smartphones from Nokia et al are in the region of upto £500 offline in the UK - I wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone costs in teh region of $1000 if you could get it without a network contract

[spockrock]

I want iphone linux............

[DoktorSeven]

I want a phone that's... a phone. That's all. No games, music, stupid ring tones, or other fancy crap. Is that too much to ask for these days?

Apparently so.

[Mateo]

2 year plan is no doubt to subsidise the cost of the handset.

Current smartphones from Nokia et al are in the region of upto £500 offline in the UK - I wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone costs in teh region of $1000 if you could get it without a network contract

i don't understand what you mean... do you mean on top of your service plan? or are they saying that new customers have to commit 2 years...?

[doobit]

What does it do that my ipaq doesn't do?

[Brunellus]

What does it do that my ipaq doesn't do?
gets chicks.

[Kayne]

gets chicks.
Yeah ok, you just seem like the type of someone who just flames Apple for being Apple and are not really into arguments.

"Many people like Apple products, so Apple sucks."

[Brunellus]

Yeah ok, you just seem like the type of someone who just flames Apple for being Apple and are not really into arguments.

"Many people like Apple products, so Apple sucks."
It would appear that dry humor doesn't transmit nicely in plaintext.

As far as Apple products in general go: The products are a very mixed bag. Powerbooks and iBooks were excellent pieces of hardware. I admit (somewhat grudgingly) that the iPod is also a well-engineered, if overpriced and under-specified, piece of hardware. At their best, Apple products are well put-together, decently-thought out, and seamless.

At their worst, however, they are overpriced, overhyped, and nothing more than vehicles for the best vendor lock-in machine seen in the history of commerce since the First Opium War.

I'm a cynic when it comes to marketing announcements. The iPhone is simply too much, too expensive, and too power-hungry to be practical. I'm going to call "hype" on this product launch.

[spockrock]

and I am sure the first batch of iphone will have problems like every apple product, and wont play ogg vorbis or mpc :( *sigh*

[fuscia]

looks pretty neat. too bad i hate phones.

[Mateo]

looking more up on smartphones (I've owned the same flip phone for 3 years), and I'm guessing this additional contract is a separate contract for internet, email, etc.? i don't understand why the phone company doesn't have those services themselves.

[happy-and-lost]

Yeah. How easily is that going to get scratched and damaged? I've dropped a Sony Ericsson in a puddle before, and it came out with not a scratch on it and working fine (having been left in a warm, dry cupboard for a day). It doesn't do anything my w810i already does, except a higher res screen, which is quite nice.

There isn't much mass market appeal for stuff like web browsing here (UK) yet, WAP access is too expensive. I doubt it'll do well on these shores, as the only people who really need all those features also need a full QWERTY keyboard, which iPhone ain't got. Edit... fine. It does. But I can't see anyone daring to take one of these bars of gold anywhere. It'd get swiped faster than you can say "I think I left the oven on" And battery life'll be crap. I had a Sendo which could go 3 months on standby with an average of 2 hrs calls a week. The demos on the site make me feel dizzy, however slick they are.

[mostwanted]

Hm, maybe I'm missing something, but what exactly does this phone have that makes it revolutionary compared to other phones (besides the price)? It looks like an Internet Tablet like those Nokia makes. In fact it looks a LOT like the new N800 model from Nokia (http://www.nokiausa.com/N800), the difference being that the N800 runs a portable version of Gnome instead of a portable version of OS X. I also think the design of the iPhone is very un-Apple'ish and not very inspiring. It looks kind of bland.

I usually like what Apple puts out (ignoring all the proprietary stuff), but this is very disappointing to me.

[ixus_123]

All mobile phones are expensive bits of kit - especially modern smart phones. If you were to buy the without airtime / a contract (offline) you'd be looking to pay around $500 for top of the range sybian nokias for example.

The phone networks subsidise the cost of the phone by signing you up to a contract - so you can get a swish phone for "free" if you sign up for a 12 month contract. The iPhone must be pretty pricey as you have to sign up for 2 years & pay $400+

i don't understand what you mean... do you mean on top of your service plan? or are they saying that new customers have to commit 2 years...?

[MetalMusicAddict]

Hm, maybe I'm missing something, but what exactly does this phone have that makes it revolutionary compared to other phones (besides the price)?

If you read the link I posted you'll get all the details.

[Lord Illidan]

These say it all :

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2007/01/dsc_0175.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2007/01/dsc_0232.jpg

Personally, while I like the interface pretty well, and the technology looks really good...I still can't help the feeling that this will be another attempt by Apple to control the market, and monopolise it.

[mostwanted]

If you read the link I posted you'll get all the details.

I did read the details. I was asking what was revolutionary about it?

If Steve says magic I expect magic. A touch screen that mysteriously works without a stylus is not a revolution in my book.

[ixus_123]

The iPhone (like a lot of other smart phones in the UK at least) has wifi - all you need to do is find a hotspot & you're good to surf the net or use what ever VOIP client you may have installed - skype for example

WAP is old news - we've had 3G in the UK for years now. Unfortunatly the iPhone doesn't support 3G - I think the fastest standard it supports is EDGE

Yeah. How easily is that going to get scratched and damaged? I've dropped a Sony Ericsson in a puddle before, and it came out with not a scratch on it and working fine (having been left in a warm, dry cupboard for a day). It doesn't do anything my w810i already does, except a higher res screen, which is quite nice.

There isn't much mass market appeal for stuff like web browsing here (UK) yet, WAP access is too expensive. I doubt it'll do well on these shores, as the only people who really need all those features also need a full QWERTY keyboard, which iPhone ain't got. Edit... fine. It does. But I can't see anyone daring to take one of these bars of gold anywhere. It'd get swiped faster than you can say "I think I left the oven on" And battery life'll be crap. I had a Sendo which could go 3 months on standby with an average of 2 hrs calls a week. The demos on the site make me feel dizzy, however slick they are.

[Brunellus]

These say it all :

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2007/01/dsc_0175.jpg

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2007/01/dsc_0232.jpg

Personally, while I like the interface pretty well, and the technology looks really good...I still can't help the feeling that this will be another attempt by Apple to control the market, and monopolise it.
I doubt "control and monopoly" is in the cards--not when most cellphone users are in emerging economies that are more likely to see the OLPC than the iPhone.

[Lord Illidan]

I did read the details. I was asking what was revolutionary about it?

If Steve says magic I expect magic. A touch screen that mysteriously works without a stylus is not a revolution in my book.

But then you are not part of his reality distorting bubble that makes Apple slaves drool and slobber all over their keyboards...

[drFUNK]

Very very slick indeed. This phone actually made me consider leaving Verizon for a second, but I'm still holding out for something that will sync in Ubuntu. I can't wait for someone to hack it.

[Lord Illidan]

I doubt "control and monopoly" is in the cards--not when most cellphone users are in emerging economies that are more likely to see the OLPC than the iPhone.

Monopoly as in the sense, you can only use this and that software with the Iphone, and mp3s only from Itunes, etc...

[Quillz]

I want one.

[Mateo]

I did read the details. I was asking what was revolutionary about it?

If Steve says magic I expect magic. A touch screen that mysteriously works without a stylus is not a revolution in my book.

really? if you know of another phone with no buttons, completely touch screen, let me know. i'll probably get it.

[sloggerkhan]

I look at it and all I can think is how smeared it will get from my fingers.

[Quillz]

I look at it and all I can think is how smeared it will get from my fingers.
They should throw in a free pack of iKlear or something.

[Macintosh Sauce]

But then you are not part of his reality distorting bubble that makes Apple slaves drool and slobber all over their keyboards...
Sorry, but I am a long time Mac user and I most certainly don't go drooling and slobbering all over my keyboard. :-k

[Super King]

I like the features (WiFI for web browsing), look, and size, but don't like the touch screen (will get greasy, scratched, sucks for typing/dialing), contract, and price.

[Mateo]

I like the size too. I hate the fact that most of the smart phones are so wide. I guess it's to fit the keyboard. I don't need that stuff, though. I actually don't care about the features. If they released a version of this without the mp3 player, internet, I'd definitely be into it.

[RAV TUX]

moving to the Apple (Mac OS X) forum

[doobit]

really? if you know of another phone with no buttons, completely touch screen, let me know. i'll probably get it.

My ipaq phone will work completely touchscreen, but has buttons if you want to use them. Also has wifi, and will play most codecs on it's mobile windows media player.

[banjobacon]

I know this device runs a version of OS X, but is the OS X forum really the right place for this thread? This thread is about the iPhone device, not about it's software. If this were an iPod thread, wouldn't it have stayed in the Cafe?

I really hate the over-moderation that goes on in here.

[3rdalbum]

But then you are not part of his reality distorting bubble that makes Apple slaves drool and slobber all over their keyboards...

It's a documented fact:

http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Reality_Distortion_Field.txt&sortOrder=Sort%20by%20Date&detail=medium

But in the real reality, the iPhone will be approximately as successful as the Pippin. PDAs still haven't really taken off, mobile phones with inbuilt MP3 playing are rarely used for listening to music, and only the most cashed-up people buy phones on top of a contract. (where I come from, most people get those "free" phones that come with a 24 month contract, or they buy a prepaid starter kit for $70 Australian which includes a phone)

Also, noticing how often my mother's iPod gets database corruption, I would NEVER entrust important information to an Apple device.

[pete]

The iPhone (like a lot of other smart phones in the UK at least) has wifi - all you need to do is find a hotspot & you're good to surf the net or use what ever VOIP client you may have installed - skype for example

WAP is old news - we've had 3G in the UK for years now. Unfortunatly the iPhone doesn't support 3G - I think the fastest standard it supports is EDGE


Yeah, that's the big no-go for me right there. Jobs' demo of browsing NYT and Google maps sure looked slick, but you can bet he was attached to a fat wifi AP. As far as I know, the iPhone only supports GSM and EDGE, which run 200-450kbps, not nearly so nice for web-surfing, and definitely not for any kind of streaming media, especially if you're in a less-than-optimal coverage area.

[MetalMusicAddict]

I know this device runs a version of OS X, but is the OS X forum really the right place for this thread? This thread is about the iPhone device, not about it's software. If this were an iPod thread, wouldn't it have stayed in the Cafe?

I really hate the over-moderation that goes on in here.

I thought to put it in that forum but I thought general was better. Oh well. Its just chat and really not that important. ;)

Anyway, the phone is damn cool. Anyone of you yahoos would buy it if it were linux-powered. :-P

Now lets see how hackable it is. :)

[spanella47]

agreed. should really stop criticizing and help figure out how linux can create an interface that slick. this is exactly the functionality that ideas behind "Gnome 3" have been touting. Its here now (well June to be exact) and its in Apple's hands first...

[CCBalla10]

Personally I really like the phone. But only having it for one service provider is really going to kill their sales. Sure Cingular has millions of customers, but there are also other big cell phone companies out there that would probably really enjoy selling this phone. U know there are kids out there that are totally wrapped up in this world Apple has created. Put a lower case i in front of any word and it will sell. But as for the looks of the phone, and the web browser i would buy it, if only it came out for Verizon......

[hanzomon4]

I like it, it's so slick and pertty lookin....
Really it's nice and I'm looking for a phone, but I'm going to wait for the one that can do video calls, it has to be coming...
Off topic: Why the hell can't OSS package something this nice.
I mean really, you folks got the software.
The only thing apple does better then anyone else is packaging.....

[Aetherius]

Very very slick indeed. This phone actually made me consider leaving Verizon for a second, but I'm still holding out for something that will sync in Ubuntu....


Sony Ericcson, they're B*stards but their phones sync with ubuntu

[Jussi Kukkonen]

If the interface works, it might be cool. I'll believe it when I see it.

The obvious problem I see is web browsing. First, the modern web doesn't really work at 320x480, even if the browser is good at scaling. Second, the modern web doesn't really work with EDGE.

[doobit]

If the interface works, it might be cool. I'll believe it when I see it.

The obvious problem I see is web browsing. First, the modern web doesn't really work at 320x480, even if the browser is good at scaling. Second, the modern web doesn't really work with EDGE.

Many sites now have parallel sites that are optimized for mobile devices.

[laxmanb]

is apple a microsoft in the making?? or is it already microsoft??

[Jussi Kukkonen]

Many sites now have parallel sites that are optimized for mobile devices.

Sorry, but that's one step over WAP... Web is what it is precisely because you can find pretty much anything, anywhere (often you have no idea where you'll end up when you google things). Restricting my choices is the last thing I want to do.

I've been using mobile web for some time and as a personal opinion I can say that I'm never going to use EDGE anymore if I have a choice.

[farang.geek]

hmmm... maybe the mods can merge this thread with this thread (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=335088&highlight=iphone)

Cheers!

[Quillz]

If the interface works, it might be cool. I'll believe it when I see it.

The obvious problem I see is web browsing. First, the modern web doesn't really work at 320x480, even if the browser is good at scaling. Second, the modern web doesn't really work with EDGE.
If the iPhone Safari is anything like the web browser on the Nokia N80, then it should work pretty well.

[Jussi Kukkonen]

Quillz, my 770, which I consider an ok web experience, has a resolution of 800*480, the iPhone is 320*480. That means that the iPhone screen is only 40% as large.** That's a major difference, but even more important is the width: most of the content in the web expects 800 pixels or more. No amount of scaling and content rearranging is going to make the iPhone a nice web experience, as nice as it may be as a phone.

** in pixels, that is. The difference in inches is a lot smaller as the density of the screen on the 770 is so much bigger: 225 vs 160 ppi