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Apple iPhone - To Be, or Not to Be?
An anonymous reader writes "With the Apple WWDC looming on Monday, the internet once again beats itself silly over what Steve Jobs has in store. At the most fanciful end of the scale, there's talk of the Apple iPhone, to which CNET says, 'keep on dreaming', and Gizmodo says, 'no visible evidence'. The only solid evidence of an iPhone, beyond the endless mocked-up images, is the discovery of hidden phone-related code in a recent iPod updater. Macrumors has some info on what the keynote may contain -- and there's no mention of an iPhone. So, as the rumor mill continues to grind over the weekend, let the predictions begin. Is there an Apple iPhone, or is there not?"
I think apple knows it would lose tons of money in this saturated market.
"To be, or not to be. Not to be." [sets of iExplosives]
Similar to the upcoming US election results
The only kind of i-Phone that I would like, would have the user use the click wheel like one of those turn dials phones that proceeded touch tone. That would be cool!
I have serious doubts that the iPhone will ever come to be. Apple is focusing on media as its second core competency. The move to Intel chips and the looming possibilities opened up by virtualization will keep Apple moving in interesting and exciting directions for the next couple of years.
Combining and iPod, Newton and cell phone is an interesting idea, but we have seen that there is some consumer resistance to combining gadgets. Unless Apple can really come up with a new and exciting way to 'do' the cell phone, I don't expect Jobs will entertain the notion.
I know that there have been patents for mobile devices filed by Apple, but I expect many of those are part of their Mutually Assured Destruction stockpile of patents.
My 2 cents, for what its worth.
I'll lay odds that the first iPhone will be kinda clunky anyways. I'll wait for the iPhone Nano (maybe even the alumninum iPhone Nano).
Well, maybe if they make it the same shade of off-white as my David Hockney sculpture and make the little Apple logo a bit more silver, I might think about it...
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
Who'd turn off their iPod full of Rammstein just to answer a phone call from your Dümass friend? Seriously, though, if I buy a device for the purpose of listening to music, I don't want anything to stop it to answer a phone. If I'm listening to my music on my iPod on the way home from work on the subway or bus, I don't really want to be bothered in general; I can always check my phone to see if it's anyone important. If it's someone who may have critical news, then I'll probably answer it, but otherwise- well, the Music > the Conversation. What's with this whole "one piece stop shop" MP3 phone obsession anyway? Throwing all of your eggs into one basket will only leave you eggless and unhappy if that one basket asplodes, or gets stolen. I'd rather keep my devices separate, for both backup reasons and convenience reasons. I can also go camping with my MP3 player without having to be tethered to a cellphone...
Keeper of the Wang
Nevermind syncing features, like Bluetooth or ir. I would expect Apple to want to give that to their users.
So far, I have found few phones as functional as my (old) Nokia 3650, and it's broken. Is an iPhone a phone for me?
Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
Well, the current iPod is not a video iPod according to Stephen, so maybe the next one will not be a phone?
Makes sense.
I choose to remain celibate, like my father and his father before him.
Any idea which one is real? Any of them that do not have the numbers in a 3 x 4 grid with right angles should not fly. There's no reason for those odd angles which make you have to look to find every button.
Where were you when the voynix came?
Honestly, how many people love having more phones in their history than bad dates? Telephones should be complete replaced with instant-message devices. Use phones as they were intended by Mr. Bell....digitally. Digital was there first (telegraph), will be there last, and all inferior technologies that interrupt movies, plays, meals, and other important things, just so we can hear the mildless drivel of some half-wit on the other side should be eliminated (only in a digital medium can a horrible sentence like that be feasible b/c you can re-read it over and over). If it was not for my immediate family and my job I wouldn't own a phone ever again. E-mail is good enough for me. I may have a VoIP line just for emergencies or job interviews (nobody else can see the greatness of the phone-less world) but that's it. Lose the expense with its dozen taxes.
... I would randomy put in things like 'phone related code'. Imagine the fun of sitting back and seeing what rumors would start.
It seems that Apple has something clever up their sleeve according to Robert Scoble: "Speaking of Apple," Mr. Scoble concluded, "they are readying a dizzying amount of new products. I wish I could camp out at an Apple store during the World Wide Developer Conference on August 7th. I wish I could say more, but that'd get me sued by Steve Jobs and I don't need that kind of heck right now." http://www.macobserver.com/article/2006/08/03.8.sh tml and http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/07/31/mclaws- is-right-on-windows-vista-ship-date
Ok, ok ... so this isn't really news, but it is still fun to work oneself up into a lather about the latest and greatest from His Steveness.
Now that I live in London I can't really attend these fab Apple confabs. I was there in NYC back in whenever it was when Steve said, "now reach under your seats" and found a lovely new Apple Pro Mouse. Those were heady days, indeed.
As a wannabe photographer (http://homepage.mac.com/nevermore/), I keep hoping for speed boosts to Aperture ... though I'm sure it'll scream on the new MacPro's ... or is that Mac Pro sans article (as in, don't eat iPod, say hello to iMac)?
And I'd really love to trade in my trusty olde iPod (10GB 2nd Gen - battered from falling into the cross-trainer at the gym, but still very much functional) for something with a wide screen that plays movies.
Apple tend to hold off on things like this until they can deliver a superior product that differs significantly from the competition. Right now, I don't think Apple are capable of building something like this, although they almost certainly have prototypes that work to a degree. Perhaps in a couple of years time when they have better, cheaper components to work with they'll consider it to be ready for the market. Right now, what they have would be too expensive or lacking in some critical way like battery life, making it too lacklustre to get the reputation Apple wants its products to have.
What the hell - it's Friday and I've karma to burn...
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
I'm doubting its ready for debut yet. I also think its a big enough deal that when the *do* show it, they won't mix it in with a bunch of other announcements at WWDC. It will get its own, big time show.
This is a market they will address. During their last earnings telephone conference they basically let everyone know that they are aware that the phone and iPod markets are converging and that they are not sitting still. So its a matter of when, not whether.
But a phone? Uh, no. That's a consumer item, and those are not usually part of WWDC. No iPods, no phones, no iMacs. It's always possible, but it would be atypical. So as you read rumors, keep in mind the target audience for the WWDC. Ignore rumors that talk about consumer releases.
Combining and iPod, Newton and cell phone is an interesting idea, but we have seen that there is some consumer resistance to combining gadgets. Unless Apple can really come up with a new and exciting way to 'do' the cell phone, I don't expect Jobs will entertain the notion.
I doubt that an iPhone would compete with an iPod. I too want to see bits of the Newton restored to a (modern) product we can actually buy and use. I am so unpleased with modern handhelds and cellphones, that 'I want to believe' that Apple will make a useful product in this arena, where they are conspicuously absent.
Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
An iPhone makes no sense for Apple as a company. They are traditionally a high-cost, high-margin vendor who adds value to their products by marketing. There is no room for that in the cell phone market, which is oversaturated with low-margin Asian manufacturers/vendors whose phones are often given away for free.
I think Apple is content to license iTunes to phone manufacturers themselves; indeed, the only reason Apple has to enter the cell phone market is to push iTunes. Mobile phone vendors are also notorious about locking out certain functionality within their products (i.e. Verizon disables Bluetooth file transfer on all their phones so you have to pay $3.95 a pop for ringtones) and Apple has never been one to go for crap like that.
Add to this the fact that cell phone based music download services haven't exactly caught on like wildfire, and it starts to become clear why even if Apple had a prototype iPhone, they wouldn't release it. The market doesn't make sense for them; they would be better to position themselves as a phone applications developer. Passing regulatory concerns worldwide has already proven a thorn in Apple's side with iTMS, and I don't think they want to go through it again for a low-margin consumer device where they would be playing underdog to one-time best friend Motorola.
An iPhone would be a huge waste of money; there is an abundance of stylish phones and I don't think Apple would be able to charge $300 for a phone like they would probably want to.
There is a difference between camping, and partying in the woods.
The time for Apple to release a cellphone was five years ago. Not because it would have been a roaring success - its success would probably have been identical then to a release today, moderate sales, sitting as an overpriced niche product next to the phone enabled Treos and the Nokia 9000 series. Maybe higher - the RAZR proved people still value aesthetics and will pay a premium for it. But what was then is not now. Today Apple has the iPod. The iPod is of critical importance to Apple's medium term future.
And the iPod is facing a competitor, the MP3 playing mobile phone. They're not that good right now, but capacities are going through the roof, so they will be soon. Indeed, get something like a Motorola V635 (which has a transflash port) and you can get a gigabyte card for it today and store a significant amount of music with you, listening to it on bluetooth headphones. iPods in this environment become a way of playing iTMS tracks, and pretty much nothing else. As long as the interfaces in these phones are "good enough", and they have enough capacity, there's no compelling reason for someone to buy a separate MP3 player.
Now, here's the problem. If Apple enters that market with a phone, they're fucked, because whether it's 2001 or 2006, their phone will be the niche - or at most "significant player amongst ten others" - product I mentioned. RAZRs are doing well, but they're not 3/4 of the market. So Apple's percentage of the MP3 player market will plummet. This has direct consequences for the long term viability of their multimedia business.
Apple's one chance at continuing to control the market the way it does today is to license the technology. If they act as a neutral party (rather than a competitor), they can continue to profit from the lion's share of the MP3 players out there, and can continue to grow and control their multimedia business.
If they sell a phone, they become a competitor. They will have problems licensing the technology, and they will become an also-ran.
Everything you're seeing that "points" towards Apple involvement in cellphones points equally at licensing schemes, and often points away from standalone phones. Nobody's (Apple or anyone else) going to make the iPod nano firmware the basis of a mobile phone operating system, but they may be willing to incorporate an iPod nano's core into a mobile phone.
Apple's one try out in this area was the ROKR. The ROKR was a stop-gap, and by all accounts Apple, not Motorola, deliberately crippled it (the 100 song limit, for example.) This should not be judged as "what Apple will do if they take licensing seriously", instead it should be seen as Apple trying to delay mass consumer acceptance of MP3 playing cellphones until the technology is good enough the things just can't be resisted any more.
No Apple cellphone will come from Apple. You'll see cellphones "with iPod(tm) technology" from a variety of manufacturers, but Apple is not in a position to make cellphones and almost certainly doesn't want to enter that particular snake pit of a market. If Apple releases a cellphone over the next few months, an Apple designed and branded unit not mostly owned by Nokia, Motorola, or some other manufacturer, I'd advise selling whatever AAPL stock you have, because it'll be their XBox: a product they'll be subsidizing for years trying to get into a market they have little experience of.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
meet rotary phone dial....
After all, everything old is new again right?
Some people would prefer to carry a separate iPod and phone. It's not like Apple are about to stop selling iPods. An iPhone would have a low capacity and compete with the nano. It wouldn't be a rival for the iPod itself.
the more they over-think the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the pipe
No, you don't want a rotary-styled dialpad. Imagine typing SMS messages on a non 10-key-styled keyboard. YOu have to actually look at the keypad as you type. I bought a Nokia 3650, which sports this 'feature'. It is very difficult to type SMS messages in rush-hour traffic with a manual transmission, when you have to look at the keypad as you type. I don't recommend this!
Oh, and please use your turn signal!
Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
Who'd turn off their iPod full of Rammstein just to answer a phone call from your Dümass friend? Seriously, though, if I buy a device for the purpose of listening to music, I don't want anything to stop it to answer a phone.
Odds are it wouldn't interrupt your music, except maybe with a chime to let you know someone is calling. Then you could look at the caller ID to see if you want to interrupt your MUSAK to talk to whoever it is.
What's with this whole "one piece stop shop" MP3 phone obsession anyway?
Carrying around 3-4 devices sucks. Take it from someone with a 2 hour commute.
Exactly. "OMG IT'S LIKE MY IPOD WHICH IS SO COOL (I have a whooping 58 songs on it - I definitely needed the 60 GB video version), I GOTTA HAVE IT EVEN THOUGH MY CURRENT PHONE WORKS FINE".
I doubt Apple would ever make an iPhone, it seems like an idiotic business decision -- phones are a whole different creature from mp3 players, if this was not FUD then we would have it backed up by "hey, Apple hired a bunch of *insert cell-phone manufacturer here* employees"... but if they did make one, I would have to take an oath to shove each and every iPhone I saw up the users iAnus.
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
Which is kind of ironic, when you look at it...
That didn't really make sense. But I'm going to post it anyway.
Before I begin I must say that I really doubt that Apple would even consider forcing all new ipods to also be phones so you will be able to buy your plain old ipod to play music and have a seperate phone. Having said that ...
Is it hard to imagine that someone could build an audio player/phone combo where the user would decide what happens to calls when audio is playing? From mixing the two to pausing/muting the audio to take the call to putting the phone on silent, preferably with tweakability based on whether a number is in your phone book, what group(s) or even just if it has a CallerId or not.
Next, if Apple made a cell phone I would imagine they are far more likely to design it for the end user then most mobile manufacturers who design them for the networks. As a result you may even be able to turn off your phone/network without powering the whole device on and off (don't waste battery on the cellular network along with not being interupted). They may even (but I doubt it) build a unit to take two sim cards and allow you to have multiple networks (preferably simultaneously) so you could turn off your business/personal line at suitable times.
As for whats with the eggs in one basket ... simple, why carry multiple devices? Why not carry a swiss army knife instead of a dedicated blade, screwdrivers, pliers, corkscrew etc (if it is suitable for your needs)? Why have to backup multiple devices when you can backup one (and why don't mobile phones have a standard irda/bluetooth/card/cable dump and restore function, to a common open format).
Bottom line is the mobile industry is screwy, and will remain so until the end users take the purchasing power (curiously I've heard reports that bundling/subsidising phones with network contracts is illegal in Norway, the home of Nokia). Until then the phones you can buy will only be the phones the networks want you to be able to buy.
Never underestimate the dark side of the Source
"What's with this whole "one piece stop shop" MP3 phone obsession anyway?"
Pocket space.
"Throwing all of your eggs into one basket will only leave you eggless and unhappy if that one basket asplodes, or gets stolen."
You'd have fewer 'stealable' items to keep track of.
"I can also go camping with my MP3 player without having to be tethered to a cellphone..."
Do you go camping a lot? The reason I'd want my phone to play MP3s is because I'm often at places where I have my phone but not my player. 90% of the time I only have my phone, my keys, and my wallet in my pocket. If I start carrying more than that, I quickly find myself uncomfortable. I also haven't had a phone theft or 'asplosion' to deal with in nearly 10 years. Even if I did, phone insurance is $6 a month. Renter's insurance may cover a stolen iPod, but I doubt it'll cover one destroyed by a fall. (Of course, I'd like to be corrected on that if I'm wrong.) There's plenty of reasons to want a phone to do more. I've actually taken more photos with my phone than with my camera this year. Convenience.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
I think iphone is out of the scope of Apple, personally. But not to go too off topic, here's something I don't think phone companies, MPAA, RIAA, and god knows how many other acronyms would like to see at all. Think of it this way. You have the latest release from . You really like it. In comes a hacker who finds a cool method to phone a friend, let them listen to the latest tune, and the friend, who also happens to have this new program, record the data streaming to them, which btw wouldn't have interference etc, because the mic on the senders end would be disabled for the duration of the call. Welcome to yet another level in software piracy. Oh and for the standard users, the towers are all loaded up with data from people doing this. In Europe or South Korea something like this wouldn't be a problem, but in the U.S., with such a crappy infrastructure in all but the most urban of areas, this would cause a lot of issues and probably a ban on iphones from cellular providers.
I think Apple's experience with the (Motorola, was it?) last third party phone proved that it would be a risky proposition at best. Most people I heard griping about it were slamming how few songs it would hold. Add more flash memory, or a hard drive, and your power consumptioon would go up, so there goes your stand by time on the phone half of the device, especially if you spend a lot of time listening to music, or conversely, talking on the phone. Both functions take a lotta power. Put a big honkin' battery in there to make up for it, and you'd need an auxilliary power pack on yer belt!
I don't think it'll work. I do think tho, that the references to a phone in the iPod updates may refer to a bluetooth connectivity with the iPod. Didn't see what the references were, tho, so I could be off base.
I think this is just pure speculation. Fun speculation, to be sure, but speculation nevertheless.
Bring on the Reality Distortion Field! Its affect on me must be fading...
"Money is truthful. If a man speaks of his honor, make him pay cash." Notebooks of Lazarus Long, Robert A. Heinlein
The Motorola SLVR L7, the ROKR, the V3i w/ iTunes. Apple doesn't need to make an "iPhone".
If Apple ever produced an iPhone it's pretty likely that they'd include a plane mode right from the start which disables the phone aspect.
Which wouldn't make any difference whatsoever. A phone's a phone in the eyes of the airlines; they're not going to start up different regulations for different makes and models. "Oh, if it's an Apple model, *and* you can verify that "plane mode" is switched on, then it's ok." No way that's gonna work.
An Apple phone will have the same problems as every other type of phone, including the inability to use it on a plane. For now, at least.
If you haven't seen the iTalk spec commercial for by award winning filmmaker Christopher DeSantis (design by Gregory DeSantis) you should check it out. In past speculative posts on /., it seems that the biggest reason "Apple will never do this" is that "the people" don't want a device like this. With the success of the iPod, I don't see how people *wouldn't* want a device like this. Millions of people want an iPod... I'd guess that most of those people are also cell phone users. Why wouldn't I want one device that does both assuming that Apple does it right?
I think it would be a huge success should Apple decide to build an iTalk that is a high quality phone, maintains everything we expect in an iPod, has decent battery life, and has the popular Apple style. I haven't had a decent cell phone in years. I find most of today's phones too small, lots of plastic and very lightweight. Count me in the camp that hopes they build one at some point.
World Wide Developer's Conference
It's where the Apple developers get together and talk development of Apple related products, and Apple gives them a sneak peak (a VERY LITTLE fuzzy peak) at their future plans.
"Money is truthful. If a man speaks of his honor, make him pay cash." Notebooks of Lazarus Long, Robert A. Heinlein
My phone plays music, and it's not even DRM protected:
:P
Dial:
6,5,4,5,6,6,6
5,5,5...6,6,6
6,5,4,5,6,6,6,6,5,5,6,5,4
(By the way, I am not responsible for any long distance or airtime charges you may incur)
I agree with you that Apple isn't into entering previously saturated markets so much. However:
There is no room for that in the cell phone market, which is oversaturated with low-margin Asian manufacturers/vendors whose phones are often given away for free
Saying phones are currently "given away for free" is hardly right. They're wedded to contracts with the phone companies. My Motorola got soaked this February out whale watching, and I can tell you it wasn't "free" to replace the thing with a much worse phone.
And all that said -- if the current business model for phone sales seems completely irrational, and it does, one can at least imagine some clever Apple niche-redefinition around a new device. Yeah, it seems implausible. So did Apple's getting major record labels to sign onto the iTMS, in the day.
Plus, we do have the RAZR market-testing as a toe Apple put in the water, very carefully. You'd think they'd have learned to stay out based on that, but...
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
welcome our speculation overlords!!
Got MILF? It does a body good!
What is this obsession with Apple branded phones? I am sorry but I have a RAZR and a nano and they are suffice to what I need. Both are small enough to carry together (I usually have 2 or more pockets) or I can leave iPod if I don't need it. Moreover, both invidually are great at what they do! When Moto try to converge the cell phone and the ipod (ROKR), it looked awful, had limitations, and was expensive. Personally, with WWDC around the corner, I am more interested in Leopard (Vista killer?) and the new Mac Pros.
You don't have to be smart to use a Mac, you just have to be smart enough to buy one
I think there's room for apple in this market.
The main problem of today's cellphones is that they're extremely clunky an unintuitive. My parents have difficulties in using them and they end up using only a fraction of their functionality. Since I'm more tech savy I can figure out how they work with no major difficulties, but even I am getting tired of the 30 little icons, and clicking on a button five or 6 times just to see who was it that tried to call me. My old Siemens C45 is much better than most cellphones in the market.
With a good interface and slick design there is definitely room for a phone by Apple. Around these parts, even though there is no "iPod fad" (since they're too expensive for most people) they still sell very very easily. It may not be the dominant "mp3 player", but the slick design and amazing interface will convince those that can afford it. And its worth it. I own an iPod nano, and I'd buy an Apple cellphone if they were to produce one. I'm even thinking of buying a MacBook when I can afford it, and I am former win32 user converted to Linux (Ubuntu breezy).
There's always people willing to pay extra for the design and/or interface. I know my parents would be better suited with a cellphone with less functions but simpler and more accessible.
I think you've got it backwards; Gay men seldom have the same penis anxiety that straight ones do.
I mean, this is Apple we're talking about.
"I felt a great disturbance in this pointless discussion, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."
Hacker1: Something WAS in the iPod. The code leads off in this direction.
Hacker2: [holding up a print-out of a code] "Look, sir: iPhone!
Apple lawyer: Don't act so surprised, your highness. You weren't on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions about iPhone were beamed to this site by Apple workers. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you.
Internet Journalist: I don't know what you're talking about. I am a member of the Journalist Union on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan...
Apple lawyer: You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away!
and last, but not least:
Chief Engineer: It seems like you've managed to cut down our usage of thermal paste.
Engineer: Maybe you would like it back in your cell, your highness?
Can it run Photoshop and let me edit movies?
"One day your going to wake up and realize that your not as witty as you think you are." -Me.
90% of the time I only have my phone, my keys, and my wallet in my pocket.
Clearly, we need a converged iPod/Phone/Wallet/Keychain/spare change holder device.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
I predict they will team up with Nike to produce an iShoePhone
If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
In light of the additions to firmware, it might make sense to think of Apple as bringing together the markets. I think, and this is just my opinion, that Apple is laying the ground to make your Cell Phone and iPod work together, similar to how they worked with Nike to combine the nano with their shoes. Let me explain further. Lets imagine that Apple's new iPod, to be released at the Paris Expo, will have bluetooth capability. Now, with the new nano firmware, this feature lets you do some really cool stuff. Imagine that your nano can bluetooth to your phone, which is also bluetoothed to your earpiece. You can listen to your music through your phone's headpiece, change music using your iPod, and when you get a call, the music pauses to let you pick up. As soon as you hang up, your music resumes. To me, this seems like the most likely method of use for the new iPod firmware additions. The nice thing is that this firmware is completely and totally independent from the phone manufacturer's decisions. You can imagine more integration too, since your iPod can store contacts. Same thing as using your computer to call someone, but now you can navigate to your address book on your iPod, push the center button and it beams the number to your phone, which calls it. It could be far fetched, but it is more likely than an iPhone, even if I would want one of those :-P
Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted. - Aldous Huxley
I work as a Director of Technology and I find it interesting that my Apple reps have been courting me so much these last few months. So much that they have not only given me a free pass to WWDC, but have invited me to sit in the VIP section at Jobs' keynote and to attend a special reception for IT professionals Monday evening.
Now, it may be that Apple always does this sort of thing to convince people like me to buy Macs. And we surely know that the Mac Pro will debut (as well as 10.5). But the full court press that I am getting suggests that this year's WWDC is as much about people like me as it is developers. Does this indicate anything about the content of Jobs' keynote? Probably not. But the treatment that I am receiving when I have almost nothing to do with development suggests that they are trying to garner as much interest as possible, and as much buy-in as possible.
Reason the point was gotten: Specialized devices USUALLY do perform better than these all-in-wonders. Plus, if you aren't satisfied with one device, you can upgrade the individual components as you wish instead of a wholesale change of devices.
I use a PDA phone because of the synchronization aspect. I make changes on my desktop and they are synced to my phone (contacts (ie phone numbers), calendar, files, etc) and so essentially that handles my backup problems. I can get a new phone, transfer all of my data from my pc. Or if I got a new computer, I could transfer all of my data from my phone.
That convenience does come at a cost though. The form factor isn't as good as a "normal" phone. If I were to go back to a normal phone, I would want a barebones model that was small and "just worked" like the old-school nokias.
I don't know, but it is a little out of hand though.
When I have a kid, I want to put him in one of those strollers for twins and then run around the mall looking frantic.
i think we can expect something nifty...
A good product, along with good marketing and a little luck, will always do well in a saturated market. Look at the MacBooks... though I wouldn't buy one (a little overpriced and underpowered), for a college student who needs basic word processing and a shiny exterior it's a great product. It has sold despite it's high price point and the fear of not going with windows.
Imagine an iPhone, available in white and black, which is fully a touch screen device capable of multiple points of input at a time. No buttons except perhaps a scroll wheel on the side, and a switch for silent mode. Hold it in portrait and it's a phone, or an ipod, or a pda. Hold it in landscape and it's a widescreen video player or ebook reader (with a special grey contrast ratio to reduce eye strain). It has 40GB of storage with 8GB of ROM to preserve the battery. Heavy enough to feel sturdy in your hand, small enough to put in your pocket. Bluetooth, maybe WiFi....
I'd sure as hell buy one.
Jobs already thought of this. Rumor has it the upcoming WWDC will see also the release of an iPlane. The plane is piloted by Jobs look-alikes, fitted with plush velvet seats with integrated cinema displays, and (most relevantly) a Reality Distortion Field generator powerful enough to keep the interference from iPhones from messing with the radar. It comes in translucent Tangerine and Blueberry.
Here's a review for it. You can run whatever you want on it. You can write your own programs in C++, Java or probably other languages too. At least my unit has no stupid lockings. I can install whatever mp3 songs I want as ringtones or for listening. And there's even a third-party internet radio player that you can install.
I think we'll see a phone from Apple, with dedicated hardware - possibly they will sell it with service bought from other companies kind of as Virgin Mobile does it today, or possibly Apple will be more like motorola and offer a phone that other carriers will then directly provide service for.
That could make a lot of sense because then Apple would be able to control design of the total device and software, which is really the thing that Apple could bring to cell phones that would be comeplling to buy.
Simply re-licencing FairPlay access to cell phone makers does not really make a lot of sense to me. I, like others, would not mind a device that could replace an iPod and a cell phone and provide simple, targeted functionality.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
What if apple did a little tradeoff with a cell manufacturer. Let them use the ipod name in there phones which apple would get a cut of (& phone companies would kill for right now) -while they make ipod phone components for apple's use. End user gets a sudo-hippster-douche bag gadget that makes phone calls.
brilliant!
why not put a damn phone in ipods & free up a pocket..
Kill your TV
It is mostly where Apple tries to educate developers about their latest programming APIs.
There are several technologies that Apple comes out with that depend on 3rd party support. For example, Spotlight works better when third parties make adopt its protocols to make data spotlight indexable/searchable. Dashboard is another example.
The main reasons people don't adopt these new APIs are: lack of education and need for backward compatibility.
WWDC also is a good place to give feedback to Apple about what they are doing right/wrong/could improve. Also, if you have specific issues you need resolved, it is a good place to go in order to speak with Apple employees.
For example, I had a specific issue in an application I was developing with OpenGL. I was able to arrange a meeting at WWDC to speak with the manager of the graphics group. I was able to show him my application and explain why we needed this particular issue addressed. All of the people from DTS (Developer Tech Support) who are used to dealing with 3rd party developers like to never make hard promises. However, this particular manager told me "this WILL be fixed in 10.3" and it was.
This year, I have a short list of issues that I want to speak with Apple about.
I can't say I've ever come away from WWDC with specific information about future hardware products, but I have come away with specific knowledge I need in order to guide my development roadmap.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
It was announced months ago that Apple was partnering with Softbank, a Japanese phone company. I can't believe no one remembers this.
h tm
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/05/12/1648586.
I was using my treo on the last flight without any problems. A flight attendant did ask if it was switched off, and I said the phone was off and she accepted that. Any phone that can clearly say "Flight Mode" or "Phone Off" will not be a problem.
Look at how well something like the RAZR has done. That's not "free" by any means, nor cheap - it's cheap to consumers because phone companies subsidize the cost through long term service plans.
Why could Apple not be the producer of the next RAZR, where different phone companies resell the hardware and Apple provides the same compelling hardware/software integration they have with the iPod, with Apple perhaps dictating terms to the phone companies so that they could not disable features.
Also, Apple would probably be smart enough not to produce a phone with a camera (or at least a model without a camera). Genius.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I really never have stood behind the iPhone idea, I think it might be kind of interesting, but it seems very unlikely, since Apple tends to concentrate on simple, elligant, and effective devices that do one thing, and one thing well. I think any increase in Apple's involvement in phones will be through their continued partnership with Motorola.
On the flip-side, it's hard for me to believe that the WWDC will go by without any iPod announcement. It's been nearly 9 months since any change in the iPod lineup, which they tend to stagger the releases of the line at about 6-9 month intervals. It's been about a year since the Nano's introduction, and it's doing so well, it's almost more appropriate to say that "hotcakes are selling like iPod Nanos". I think it's very unlikely that we'll get through the WWDC without at least some minor change in the iPod lineup. I predict an increase of memory to the Nanos, possibly some redesigning of the iPod Shuffle, something like that. I don't think we'll see any major changes, but we'll see some incremental increases in the product line.
iTMS will probably be a large focus of WWDC as well. Apple's finally going to have competition, in the form of Microsoft no less. I think it would be very stupid for Apple to not have some fairly major announcements up its sleeve (black turtleneck, of course) regarding their iPod / iTMS / iTunes infostructure. I think we'll see the official announcement of the beginning of feature film distrobution, and some new distrobution methods. Disney's already on board (who didn't see that one coming), we're just waiting for the official announcement, and this seems like a good time to do it. Apple's going to have to pour a lot more into their iTMS division from now on, seeing that they're going to have some pretty stiff competition, which will probably be fairly rigged.
I'm just surprised at these particular announcements, because they're all aimed at the mac elite crowd. This is the time where, more than ever, Apple must continue to appeal itself to the masses, this is not the time to clam up and preech to the choir, so-to-speak. We're likely to see a lot more concentration on mass marketting. XServe means nothing to most of their audience. I think all these announcements seem like reasonable assumptions, but I think we're more likely to see some more, all-encompassing announcements as well. Now, REALLY would be the time to release that iMini Media Center, start building some livingroom-based services.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
My iPod's battery life is shitty enough as it is and I for one rather enjoy the fact that I don't have to recharge my phone every day. Until I see batteries that will support an mp3 player and a cell phone for a decent amount of time (say four hours of and two days of normal cell phone use) I'll be keeping my devices seperate.
Need I say more?
I know of 3 that have been hired, 2 from Atlanta and one from Palo Alto (ex-Danger RF antenna guy)
while I suppose its possible that they're not doing a cell phone of some sort the type of people that they've hired
says otherwise.
And it's manufactured by SonyEricsson of all companies... More on that later though.
The iTunes phones will never gain critical mass acceptance as is because of the 100 song limit. That was Apple imposed as to not to interfere with iPod sales. One would have to believe that any iPhone that Apple (may) implement would have that in mind, that it would be not to interfere with its current Cash Cow, the iPod (and the Nano). So, if there would be an iPhone, I wouldn't see any Memory Card Interface and be limited to perhaps 512MB or 1GB of on-board memory, as a Shuffle replacement, with UI to match perhaps.
The Walkman Phone that I have (w800i) is surprisingly iPod like in its interface and its choice of Codecs (MP3, WAV, and AAC/MP4). When you press the Walkman Button, the playback screen, the UI, the entire experience is surprisingly iPod like, though changed in certain aspects. That with decent (just decent) information management, fast JAVA engine for Opera Mini action, and very clean interface makes the Walkman line of phones very credible competition for the iPhone.
Unfortunately, it has received zero marketing here in the US, and only one model's subsidized by any carrier (w600i by Cingular). So, it's very much an unknown quantity here in the US.
Which brings me to my final point. Unless Apple starts their own MVNO (and integrates with iTMS), or is willing to let Verizon with its VCAST and what not play nicely with their phones, it would likely be not picked up by any carriers for subsidy. And without that "Free" or "$99" price tag, I'm not sure if it'll be picked up by the public. After all, what's better than a Free RAZR?
My old and broken Nokia N-Gage for one. But then again...
[VODAK - Apply Directly to the Mouth!] [VODAK - Apply Directly to the Mouth!] [VODAK - Apply Directly to the Mouth!]
Cell phones are one of the worst designed consumer electronics out there. Of anything, I wish Apple would choose to do a phone next, providing they can make a little money on it.
My Motorola SLVR is thin, can have up to 2 GB in memory and has itunes. Why would I buy a phone from Apple?
I say no iPhone for one simple reason: Too many cellphone companies means too many deals with too many ones specifying restrictions. It took Apple 2 years negotiating with the music industry just to get the ITMS up and running. Imagine negotiating with all the various cell phone networks on what the iPhone can and won't do?
You think Verizon will allow users to download songs directly from ITMS, and bypass their network?
Of course, I was wrong about the Apple stores and Apple switching to the Intel processor. I don't have a very good track record
Even though I'm rather an apple fan, I think this would be a bad idea. Compare it to TVs with built-in DVD players. You can get 'em, but they don't sell well. Nobody wants to have to upgrade their phone everytime they upgrade their ipod, or vice versa. I think that's the source of the resistance to by 'combo' devices.
Plus, one must face the old engineering saw: "As complexity approaches infinity, mean time between failures approaches zero."
Thinking outside my Head
me too, along with the other 20 people who had treos on the plane. grandparent post is crazytalk.
there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
If Apple ever does produce a phone, it will be a Wifi phone, not a cellular phone.
Jonathan Pearce jonathan@pearce.name
3EAAFB2A http://www.jonathan.pearce.name/
There is no way in hell Apple is going to be able to make phones and be the maker of MP3 playing phones that has a higher market share than everyone else put together. They can license the iPod/iTunes names, and software to present an iPod experience, and even hardware, to all the other phone manufacturers and have that hold on the market. But there's no way they can make and sell a cellphone that would end up being the most popular cellphone in the US, let alone the rest of the world.
That comment is probably going to look pretty funny hanging up on the wall in about a year.
However, why would the phone alone need to surpass all other phone sales? It would not, it would simply have to continue to grow the space ITMS audio and video could be sold into. If the combination of standalone iPods plus iPod phones is still the lions share of MP3 players in the market, Apple has succeeded - even if the iPod phones are not the leader in that single segment of the market.
I do think though that an Apple phone with the right feature set could easily surpass even the RAZR for sheer popularity, primarily because Apple is really good at industrial design that marries with software really well. Computer integration is still not as good as it could be with any phone out there today, partly because phone service providers want you to buy things over the network instead of loading them from your computer.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
here is some semi physical evidence on you tube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v520U3vS2iI
I contacted gizmodo, hopefully they will post it
Alright, so in my mind at least, Apple is going to come out with bluetooth enabled ipods, the ones with screens, and ship them with mic built into the headphones and have it hook up to your phone or internet connected laptop. So you can dial and receive calls, but not much more than than from the ipod, remember Apple likes the simple functionality. The ipod won't care about how the call is being placed, TDMA, CDMA, Wifi, etc... It keeps Apple out of a really crappy market, the cell phone market, while letter them work with any carrier around the globe sans modifications or extra support.
I almost never see someone with an ipod that doesn't have a purse or backpack, so there is a place to store the unsightly phone, while you only have to use your ipod, which you always keep in reach. I mean, Come on, very little extra hardware, usefull functionality, no carrier contracts, no new phone rat race, etc...
Bah!
blackberries have an option to turn off the radio. which i hate because i will hit it without knowing and wonder why i get no calls.
Will you people ever give up on a stupid apple cell phone?
for christs sake this has been going on for years, its not gonna happen get over it.
The phrase "more better" is acceptable English. suck it grammar Nazis
...for use on ATM machines, or for Internet access on DSL lines.
Of course, they'd also have to make them available for use on OSes built with Windows NT technology.
Or, at least, about specific future hardware products. People presumably came away from WWDC 2005 with the specific information that most if not all future hardware products would have x86 processors in them.
But, yes, Apple doesn't do roadmaps, so you won't hear things such as "we'll be coming out with a quad-Kentsfield Mac mini in six months" at WWDC.
like how to make a screen that doesn't break, a surface area not so easily scratched, and a battery that can be replaced by the end user.
There is no room for that in the cell phone market, which is oversaturated with low-margin Asian manufacturers/vendors whose phones are often given away for free.
How is this any different than the computer market? It too is saturated with cheap, low margin PCs and some are even tied to certain services. Yet people still continue to pay the "apple premium" for the pretty boxes and interfaces.
Isn't it the same with the MP3 market, too? There are tons of cheap MP3 players out there, yet people want the iPods regardless of the price.
Look at the RAZR phones. They aren't cheap and everyone seems to have one. That fact alone may mean the market is ready for another "premium" phone. RAZRs used to be status symbols (hello, iPod), but now everyone seems to have one.
I don't really follow Mac rumors at all, but if they've done their homework, maybe this really is the time to get into the market.
---John Holmes...
Read an editorial in the current issue of Sound & Vision magazine. (yes, actual print on dead trees!)
The writer pointed out that the old Sprint telephone ads for their land lines suggested they were so clean, you could hear a pin drop. Now, Cingular is advertising they drop the fewest calls for cell users. (they don't say they don't drop ANY, just fewer than the competition)
He states that most cell call voice quality is AWFUL and that he thinks the "culprit" is convenience. Typical consumer will choose convenience over quality appears to be the point.
If that's true and Apple intros an iPhone that's excellent technology, but pricey and restricted in some fashion, then it will go the way of Newton, the TeleCompaq (Compaq built a really neat PBX console in the 80's...died an immediate death) and peace in the Middle East.
For me, I prefer a phone, that's simply a phone, that works. Period. I have an iPod for music...I don't need or want it to be a telephone, garage door opener, or sex toy. (the shape is ALL wrong, etc.)
A friend at work just replaced an "old" 3G Pod with the new 60GB unit and I am impressed with the video on it. I actually watched a couple of ABC News podcasts and a few minutes of the movie 'Monsters, Inc.' and liked it.
So if Steve wants my vote, I would buy an iVideo before an iPhone. Note, my phone does music and can play video, but I have a smaller screen than a Nano, so it's useless for watching anything, doesn't have the capacity for a movie, and the music sounds worse than a crystal radio set I built 40 years ago.
An iPod I could carry on one of the zillion plane flights I take every year would be "convenient" for me as I could listen to high quality music or watch the 'Lost' episode I missed as I chose. And I could use it on a plane whereas the flight attendants always get twitchy about phones.
2 cents...
I am my own gestalt.
Apple announces the new FairCall DRM for cell phone calls.
Apple now asserts ownership of all calls, texts and content made to or from an Apple IPhone.
Apple bases this claim on SBC/ATT's precedent setting claims of ownership of you personal info and that they can do what ever they want that info.
This allows Apple to claim ownership of all IPhone content and communications giving Apple the rite to do what they want with it.
All this new content will open up many new revenue options to apple.
A new voice recognition call monitoring feature will allow advertisers to interrupt calls with targeted ads based on the current discussion or special purchased key words.
Coming soon ICalls ware you will be able to buy anyone's phone calls for only $0.99 and download then to you IPhone or IPod. ICalls will be implementing a volume discount pricing plan for "W" and the NSA.
Apple stock rose based on the expected earnings from Government sales.
It's very simple. Apple likes to have total control over their products, and doesn't own a wireless network. Their is simply too much risk of someone else damaging their image for them to try this.
Try http://www.iphone.org/
Battery life is decent and the interface is simple to use (maybe not as simple as an iPod but very close). Some newer phones have WiFi making it even easier to get music on them.
Why would I want to carry another mp3 player with me when my cell phone is small and I need it anyway? Soon people will realize that the mp3 player is dying a rapid death and Apple is too smart of a company to not understand this.
I wish i worked for microsoft's advertising dept. for the last couple months. It would be so fun (& easy) to rip apart the Mac user image =D
MS has less self respect than a fat lady in spandex @ the trailer park... pathetic
Kill your TV
Clearly you have not traveled by air in the past three years. The airlines are well aware that modern cellphones can operate in "game mode" or "plane mode", and have been for some time. In fact, the flight attendants will specifically announce that phones can only be operated in those modes while the plane is in the air.
Did you also know that most airlines now allow you to switch into "phone mode" as soon as the plane touches down on the runway, without having to wait until the plane pulls into the gate? The airlines are not as ignorant of modern wireless technology as many may think.
You're so close. So very close. And yet you ignore all the facts that answer your own question for you.
As I said earlier, MP3 playing phones are a direct threat to the iPod's (and other standalone MP3 players) continued existance. Sooner or later, most people will own phones that play MP3s and have capabilities that match those of the iPod. If Apple doesn't take steps now, those phones will not be locked to Apple's multimedia business.
MP3 playing phones are not a direct threat nor will they ever be because of how entrenched Fairplay has become, and the lack of good computer integration phones have. The only way they will become a threat is if music studios actually start selling MP3's.
You argue that the only way Apple can proceed is by licencing Fairtunes, and only licensing. I agreee that's a good model for them. But Apple doing a phone of thier own does not preclude other phone makers from also licencing the technology, just as Phillips can own the CD standard yet also make players. Or like how Apple produces a QUicktime streaming server yet licences that technology out to many companies.
Nothing of what they are doing or might do precludes an Apple phone living in harmony in that ecosystem along with other options that also support Apple media.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
There are no Intel desktops in the Apple line except for the iMacs. Something needs to replace the PowerMacs, ala PowerBook->MacBook conversion. Desktops. That's what will be unveiled, and no they won't be called "MacMacs."
Then we would have already seen something on the FCC site about it being approved. This is all rumors and there is no fact that they are coming out with an iPhone. As well the code in the iPod updater was most likely related to the motorola phone that did in the past.
I must be missing the definition of Troll and Flamebait here...
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
I agree that as a standalone phone device comparable to the offerings from Motorola, et al, an iPhone doesn't make sense. In the US market, no phone carrier is going to let Apple integrate their phone directly to iTMS -- the US carriers routinely cripple features in phones released here, and the Motorola ROKR and its ilk are sucky devices because the carriers want to keep their chokehold on selling downloadable content.
.Mac, iTMS, and a whole range of services syncing messaging and data back and forth between the iPhone device and one's home computer, laptop, etc.
.Mac, customer service, financial processing for iTMS, and more) in place, and has shown how seamlessly they can integrate use of iTunes into other iLife apps as well as the OS -- it's this type of service that would make an iPhone a compelling device, regardless of what the phone would actually look like.
That said, Apple could be one of the few companies who could successfully launch an MVNO in the US market. If they become a virtual carrier, not only can they integrate iTunes with the phone in a seamless fashion, they can offer a widely expanded service combining
Imagine instead of buying ringtones for $2.99 and up for 30 seconds of some song, being able to just go into iTunes, pick a clip of your favorite song, and have it automatically Bluetoothed into the phone, and with no extra charge, since you already own the music. Home videos on the phone, or imported from your phone camera into iMovie. iPhoto libraries shared and syncd between your phone and home computer.
Apple has much of this infrastructure (billing systems for
Yes! ...I mean, No!
uh... wait, wait... Yes, ummm, errr... or No
well, uh... maybe.
RTFM; please, I beg you.
One of the most critical features I need is a way to connect the iPhone to my non-mac and sync up files. iPods ability to work with my non-mac OS is the critical reason why it took off. Please don't make me manage my sound files on a tiny interface, I want to do that on my non-mac OS computer. Amd hey, if my music pauses while the phone rings, I can deal with that.... ... But hey, I agree with you on one point - I can't talk to people via a standard headset, I dont want to have a bluetooth device shoved in my ear all the time, and I doubt they can have a phone with external stero speakers that have good enough quality... without being clunky.
I'll stick to my throw-away nokia, and my iPod shuffle. A little super-glue, and the 2 are mattied happily ever after! :)
Horns are really just a broken halo.
Just don't forget to let me know when Steve Jobs presents the really ultimate "one more thing" to a baffled world... err... WWDC crowd, such as the iCan, a can opener not seen by mankind before. And boy, will he be "excited" as he is habitually on such an occasion...
Walter
If Apple ever produced an iPhone it's pretty likely that they'd include a plane mode right from the start which disables the phone aspect.
Hmmm, you just perked up my mind with that comment. Is there some sort of 'plane mode' signal or protocol out there now that disables cell phones? Is it something built into airplanes? Do you have a schematic diagram of it and/or a source for the module or chip that emits the signal?
I have always had this liking for airplanes and if I could carry a little bit of '747' in my pocket that also put the cellphones of anybody in hearing range into this 'plane mode' it would be most excellent.
Has it ever occured to anyone to go back and think about the *history* of the iPod, and why these mysterious "phone codes" might be in there?
Pixo, a small Valley start-up, got a huge break when Apple bought their mobile OS/UI system for the then-unknown iPod.
What people need to remember, and don't, was that Pixo was planning on selling their system not to companies producing digital audio players or the like, but to cell phone companies in hopes that Pixo could accelerate the development of the phone software and make the total cost of production come down.
Is it really that hard to believe that vesitages of Pixo still exist in current iPod firmware, especially considering the UI is pretty much the same UI they've been using since Day One?
Sounds to me like you are letting your feelings about that two hour commute channel into the rest of your 'geek device fetish' experience.
I only have a fourty minute commute. Much of the pain is alleviated by the device cited in my tagline.
Or are you stuck on a bus or a train somewhere?
While i'm not actually concerned if Apple do or don't i do know someone who was landed a job at Apple last year. They came from the same university where im doing my PhD and he specialised in Planer Inverted Folded Antennas (PIFA). PIFAs are used in nearly all mobile phones today and he worked for a UK based company which developed antennas for nokia. So from this i would say yes they are.
Here's a /. article about the lack of news about rumors about WWDC.
/. will vanish up its own fundamental orifice.
One more layer of recursion here and maybe
I carry both a phone and a PDA, and I really hate taking both of them with me. I'd get a decent phone/PDA combo if it didn't suck. I hate trying to use the extra goodies on my mobile, so I'd rather it's interface and design be more like a PDA with a built-in phone than a phone with PDA functionality. I hope that makes some sense. Basically, of the PDA features I really only want my address book, calendar, and phone all in one package.
There is no "airplane mode" signal but a lot of phones (especially smartphones/PDAs and other high end phones) have an "airplane mode" option that, when turned on, disables the cell phone parts (and probobly bluetooth too I expect) whilst still letting you use the non radio parts of the phone.
I think the Motorola V3 series has it for example.
Or are you stuck on a bus or a train somewhere?
Two trains from NJ to NY, then two or three subways, then a five block walk or a bus ride if the weather is really bad.
Option one is to produce a new iPod or addon for iPods that implement Bluetooth and other features and basicly allows the iPod to pair up with a cellphone.
For example, when a call comes in over the cellphone, the iPod would stop playing music and route the cellphone audio through the iPod headphones like it was a bluetooth headset.
Also, the iPod could hold a contact list synced with the apple contact list software (iCal or whatever it is) and then you select one from the iPod interface and it dials the number on your phone.
Could include other features to allow phone & iPod linkup (for example, some way to use the Java and GPRS/internet features present on all phones to allow one to download a song from the iTunes store on your phone using the internet and then transfer it directly to the iPod).
Option 2 is for apple to partner with a 3rd party (such as Motorola) and produce something that I forsee as being similar in base architecture to the Motorola EZX products. Basicly, it would have a dual CPU setup with all the radio stuff (SIM card access, talking to the cell tower, bluetooth etc etc) being handled on one CPU (with the hardware and software being provided by the phone maker) and the application layer (music player, phonebook/contact list, application stuff) being on the other CPU and being written by Apple. Apple would also be responsible for the design, look & feel etc of the phone.
He was at my desk bitching and moaning about the imac I bought to "test." Saw Parallels Desktop running WinXP, and I could see him rethinking his "corporate standard" spiel.
The fact that it has just three cables running out of it (power, USB keyboard, and network) makes a big difference as well.
An imac makes a great office desktop.