Apple iPhone: Drool Worthy
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke
>
Yes, magic: A drool worthy piece of techno candy, and All I can say is I want one. (See this for detailed video).
Many of the expected reveals were true: iPhone, with a touch screen iPod, combined with full web access:
click any of these pics for a video of that functionality:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Web Apps . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Touch screeen iPod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Full iTunes Music, TV and Film access . . . . . . . . . . . . 
I had Cingular a few years ago -- awful -- but that was prior to the AT&T merger -- now its a much better network, although where I live on the hilly North Shore of Long Island near the L.I. Sound, nothing works well but Verizon . . .
UPDATE: January 9, 2007 4:31 pm
Ouch! Apple v Palm v Rimm intraday chart (via Andrew)
Thanks, Andrew!
Tuesday, January 09, 2007 | 03:24 PM | Permalink
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Comments
doesn't it just make Zune look like even more like the pathetic miserable exercise in mediocrity that it is...
Posted by: Bob A | Jan 9, 2007 3:35:39 PM
does it come in brown?
Posted by: emd | Jan 9, 2007 3:39:32 PM
I was more excited when they made it sound like they had 3 devices coming out - a phone, a touchscreen ipod, and a small browsing device. Together this all looks a little unweildly.
Posted by: Tina Choi | Jan 9, 2007 3:41:41 PM
Cingular ONLY, barry.
Posted by: Slothrop | Jan 9, 2007 3:47:23 PM
I'm gonna wait on this one. Need to know the following......
1. How durable is it? Screen looks like it will scratch and/or break easily
2. How long is the battery life? This could be a major issue.
3. Storage seems rather small at this point.
4. How will it work in real life situations. Looks rather wide to me. I prefer a smaller phone (maybe they'll release a 'nano' version.
5. What about battery life? and is the battery replaceable? (problem with ipods)
anyway, it is a beautiful piece of equipment. I'm just not ready to jump on it yet
Posted by: emd | Jan 9, 2007 3:47:54 PM
Except that is on the At&t betwork, not CDMA...
But pretty cool
Posted by: dave | Jan 9, 2007 3:48:51 PM
All I can say is I want one.
For some reason, that single sentence resonates with me. It pretty much sums up our "need" for plasma TVs, surburbans, and McMansions with granite countertops and other goodies.
Not bashing BR. It's just that statement struck me so poignantly.
Posted by: Michael C. | Jan 9, 2007 3:59:50 PM
Blackberry just tossed into the trash . . .
Posted by: txchick57 | Jan 9, 2007 4:00:19 PM
I think T-Mobile missed a golden opportunity here.
I HATE Cingular and am now forced to weigh the excitement of a convergence device (that is a little bigger than I would like to see) with my hatred of Cingular (although nothing tops my dislike of Sprint).
I am going to stick with T-Mobile for the time being, but this will be neat after they work all of the bugs out and offer a larger flash drive.
I do wonder; is this the death knell for handheld GPS?
Posted by: Chad | Jan 9, 2007 4:05:41 PM
That thing sure looks sexy, but then again, I still think the DynaTAC 8000X is sexy..
Posted by: James Bednar | Jan 9, 2007 4:11:51 PM
wow...the market perceives it as a RIMM (and TREO) killer. Palm and RIMM got reamed today.
Posted by: S | Jan 9, 2007 4:12:32 PM
Apple couldn't really go with T-Mobile, because T-Mobile doesn't (yet) have EDGE, or any other high-bandwidth capabilities. This phone EATS bandwidth, and you don't want to have a situation where it really only works properly in wifi situations.
But Barry -- if you're worried about using this phone at home, don't be -- so long as you have wifi at home, you'll be fine. I think.
Posted by: Felix | Jan 9, 2007 4:13:30 PM
Posted by: Andrew | Jan 9, 2007 4:18:39 PM
EDGE? Are they kidding me? Is that a typo? For a high end phone EDGE is not going to cut it. And the irreplacable battery is the final death knell.
Posted by: bartleby | Jan 9, 2007 4:18:58 PM
This ain't magic. It isn't even advanced technology. What it is is excellent, packaging. Thats what Apple does best. Packaging and creating fads. Hence the constant need to re-invent themselves.
The only real innovation they've made in the last few years was the 'wheel' in the i-Pod. They really didn't come up with MP3 or the micro disk drive. Others did. Same with the Mac - the CPU was never their's - in fact its the CPU used by 'rest of us' for a long long time. The OS is based on Unix, Ma Bell's Unix. They did repackage it - but thats what they do. Even the Apple II was never really the best machine of its time. Only the best packaged.
So as long as these guys can keep the buzz going they're OK. Once something cooler comes along its gonna be one bad Apple - and will take down a bunch.
Keep munching. But don't inhale.
Posted by: Bluzer | Jan 9, 2007 4:31:20 PM
Innovation: Touch screen, Full Web access, orientation sensors, packaging, integration, call merging, multi-product integration, etc.
Posted by: Barry Ritholtz | Jan 9, 2007 4:35:41 PM
Make a Verizon version. I have had AT&T and Cingular in the past - NO way I ever go back to them. Verizion is the only company that I have renewed contract with - four times now.
Posted by: beechdriver | Jan 9, 2007 4:38:14 PM
Keyboard looks sucky - but who knows until you try one - plus it's get smudged with and infinite layer of finger prints.
And of course, battery life. That's the key question.
Posted by: blaze@blaze.com | Jan 9, 2007 4:49:54 PM
I'm not sure what all the hubub is? I can listen to music, watch videos, surf the net, read emails, and make phone calls on my phone now. I can even change the battery. Now that's innovation.
Posted by: xsham | Jan 9, 2007 5:02:29 PM
Somewhat interesting that Cingular's exclusive deal didn't net big gains like Apple's.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?t=1d&s=AAPL&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=PALM%2CRIMM%2CT
Posted by: Alex | Jan 9, 2007 5:05:14 PM
Seems like this won't be available for a good while. The small print on Apple's site says...
"This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained."
I would think that FCC certification is absolutely fundamental so something like this.
Anyone know when it will be available? And will Jobs and iPhone ever co-exist at Apple?
Isn't there something that goes..Innovation (pseudo or otherwise) delayed is innovation denied....or something to that effect?
Posted by: Bluzer | Jan 9, 2007 5:11:47 PM
How do I get out of my Verizon contract?
Posted by: semper fubar | Jan 9, 2007 5:47:02 PM
A newly extinct species:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear
Posted by: Eclectic | Jan 9, 2007 5:53:04 PM
I switched to Cingular when I got my Treo 180 and have been a more or less happy customer ever since. I absolutely loved my Treo and was very sad when it died and I couldn't afford a newer Treo. My current Razr is nice, but I have been thinking about going back to the Treo .... although after today, not so much.
Lucky me, my current Cingular contract runs out about the time the iPhone will come out; I expect to be in the market for one unless some huge showstopper comes up in the meantime.
Posted by: fiat lux | Jan 9, 2007 6:45:35 PM
Apple did announce they will be selling one online & in stores - will theirs be 'unlocked?"
Posted by: jbelkin | Jan 9, 2007 7:12:24 PM
