Posted on 01/09/2007 11:03:39 AM PST by FYREDEUS
SAN FRANCISCO (CNNMoney.com) -- Apple announced the long-awaited "iPhone" at its annual Macworld expo Tuesday. Company chairman Steve Jobs also disclosed that Apple (up $5.33 to $90.80, Charts)'s iTunes will sell Paramount films, and that the AppleTV device will be available beginning in February.
Jobs called the iPhone is a "revolutionary mobile phone" that will feature an iPod, phone and "Internet communicator." The phone is rectangular, with the entire front surface a touch screen. The device is run entirely by touch. It runs the Mac OS X, scaled down to a cell phone. "This is a day I've been looking forward to for two-and-a-half years," Jobs told the crowd at San Francisco's Moscone Center. He especially touted the device's Internet browsing capabilities. "It's bad out there today," says Jobs of mobile Web browsers. "It's a real revolution to bring real Web browsing to a phone." As a example, Jobs called up the New York Times Web site. The full page displayed, not a special version or oddly formatted page that most smartphones show. He then called up Google Maps to find a nearby Starbucks. He actually prank called it and ordered "4,000 lattes to go." Jobs says the "killer app is making calls." The iPhone will operate on the GSM protocol, but will not have third-generation broadband initially. It will sync with the Mac's Address Book application. Jobs played a voicemail on the phone from former Vice President Al Gore, a member of the company's board, congratulating the Apple chairman on the new device.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Maybe it ought to be called the LibPhone?
Pics and specs.
"This is Al Gore. The inconvenient truth is that I'm not available for non-buffet business at the moment. Please leave a message for me using your iPhone, which I invented. Thank you."
Al Gore is on Apple's board of directors. Get over it already.
It's neat, but hardly revolutionary. Lotsa hype.
Bit like most Apple products.
And I avoid supporting liberals whenever I can.
Have a great Samsung MP3 player. A quarter the price of an iPod, twice the storage.
Made by hardworking communist vietnamese, whom I gladly support more than Apple.
ping
I think I'm reaching a point of technology-fatigue.
For music, give me vacuum tubes and vinyl any night of the week......
It will only call other iPhones?
I'm surprised that Cisco hasn't already come out swining at Apple with trademark infringement cases.
If memory serves me correctly, Algore is also on the board at Google.
In unrelated news from Redmond...
Microsoft announces that they will begin development of a "Zhone"
They expect prototype models to be ready for alpha testing in around 2011, barring any kind of setbacks.
Whoop de doo. It wont be available till June. So who cares about it now? Talk to me in 6 months, Jobs. And why is it locked into the Cingular network? Sell it as an unlocked phone and let people use it with whatever carrier they want. But, no... you have to sign a contract with Cingular for at least 2 years. It thought Apple was about giving people power over their technology, not making them serfs to some God-awful cell carrier. Cingular has the worst customer service I've ever had the misfortune to experience.
The phone itself is cool but I am not impressed with the other details of the deal. Big letdown. Lots of hype so far, and nothing but more hype for another half a year, at least.
Capitalism lost the war, but won the peace...
Isn't that special!
I like it, from what i've seen...but
I have a few germaine questions in regards
to me being willing to buy it...
1. How much does it cost? 1K? 2K? (sarc)
2. How much am i going to have to pay
for minimal airtime usage?
1. Can i use it *while* it's charging?
I can't wait...I WANT IT!
I'm watching the video of Jobs presenting it right now...amazing technology...just amazing.
I'm not sure what Cingular's plans cost but I'm sure this will have the same prices for that. And I imagine you can use it while it is charging. If you can search iPhoto and send email while on the phone you should certainly be able to charge and talk.
Big deal.
Hmmm... When I checked on Samsung MP3 players, I found the prices to be maybe 10 to 20% below an iPod for the same amount of storage, certainly not a quarter of the price. The shuffle, with 1 gig storage is $79, but I didn't find any $20 Samsungs with 1 gig storage. The 2 gig Nano is $150, I didn't find any 2 gig Samsungs for $38. The 4 gig Samsung ran $170 compared to $200 for a Nano. To be 1/4 the price, it would have to run about $50.
Probably more computing power (and definitely more memory) than the entire Apollo program. ;')
Apparently your research did not get you to the sale at Rex TV & Appliance, where my purchase decision took place.
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