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?"

Comments

Rumors

[distilledprodigy]

I think apple knows it would lose tons of money in this saturated market.

Re:Rumors

[Crash Culligan]

I think apple knows it would lose tons of money in this saturated market.

<sarcasm>Hey, yeah. And remember that time when they opened up a chain of retail outlets despite the fact that many other such outlets were tanking and analysts were sure they were smoking something? Boy, did they screw the pooch in that deal!</sarcasm>

The thing you must never lose sight of is that Apple finds its own way of succeeding sometimes by doing things the way no other "sane" (read: "hidebound") person would do.

Will the iPhone become a reality? I'd say no, for completely different reasons than "everybody's doing it already."

Re:Rumors

[Overly Critical Guy]

iPod succeeded because it was easier to use and was seamlessly integrated with iTunes. I'd love to see Apple make a cell phone that finally doesn't suck. Not to mention one that will sync contacts with OS X.

Re:Rumors

[Onan]

What I envision: an iPhone that not only has a built-in PDA based on either Palm OS or some slimmed-down Mac OS X, and not only has an iPod built into it, but one with a video iPod integrated as well. Oh, and you can add this optional GPS package for $X. Throw in built-in wifi and bluetooth connectivity

Gah! No! Stop throwing things in!

The primary problem with cellphones these days is that they're all maniacally throwing in additional crap like cameras and music players. The last thing the world needs is one more "feature"-laden monstrosity that's five times the size it should be.

If Apple were to enter this market, I think they would have the sense to see that what's really lacking is a simple, elegant telephone. That does its job with grace and speed, and doesn't try to be everything else in the world.

This is certainly one of the great strengths of the ipod, that most of the "ipod killers" don't get. They all try to conquer the ipod by telling people, "But you can listen to the radio, and record audio, and use it as a pda, and a cellphone, and a wireless access point, and a floor wax!" And while Apple has caved a little bit on photos and video, they for the most part have kept sight of the fact that people don't want to do those things. More features is not automatically better.

Sadly, I don't see any reason to believe that Apple actually is entering this market. Not so much for technical reasons as for the bureaucratic morass of dealing with cellular service providers, competing international standards, regulatory bodies, manufacturer subsidies, and the whole rest of the convoluted mess that is the cellphone industry. Apple is currently doing a pretty good job navigating a similar mess in the music industry, and starting to tackle the ones in the television and movie industries. I don't think they'd want to overextend themselves by taking on the telco industry at the same time.

A shame, though. I'd switch in a heartbeat to whatever provider offered an Apple phone.

I really doubt it

[Moby Cock]

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.

Music Conversation (at least on a cellphone)

[Imbolc]

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...

Is it a good unit?

[drewzhrodague]

If it is a good phone, I'll get in line. I have been extremely disappointed with modern cell phones. It seems like phone manufacturers (and the seriously evil Verizon) are on crack, don't understand what mobile phones are for, what they should do, and how sensemaking such a device can be.

• What I want to know is:
• Does it work as a phone (without an annoying interface)?
• Can I run programs on it (without having to buy them only from Apple)?
• Can I develop for it (without having to pony up for a dev license)?
  
  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?