The official iPhone discussion thread

[podliver]

that thing looks freakin amazing, but I would like lower price, more memory, no touchscreen, and pretty much turn it back into the 5G ipod .

$500 is waaaayy too much for a 4 gigs of space, and I don't need the phone.

 

[ajm]

Tech...

Right. I think the iPhone is a wonder of technology...but...

8gb space? Well its ok now, not really enough, but when it gets to the UK in almost a year will it have got bigger with time? I have significantly more music than that, not even taking into account pics and video...

2mp Camera? Err, my sony currently as a 3.3mp camera and again, in a years time in the UK a 2mp camera will be horribly outdated.

Running OSX? Hmmm, I dont know this (so any response is appreciated) but can you load things onto it? Would be nice to edit documents on the move or at least view them. And witht the notes bit if you dont have a stylus I dont see an easy way of just jotting stuff down.

If this ships in the UK in a years time with a better camera and more space (nice but not a necessity) and OSX options then I am a given buyer. Until then I'll just wait for the reviews in america!!!

 

[Phillyzero]

Looks like I'll still be savin some more money for an 80gb iPod, 8GB is the major downfall that and the price (switch one or the other =P)

 

[Jesse Hollington]

Well, I think the other factor here as to why they took this approach (an all-in-one device) rather than a standalone iPod was to ensure a much bigger and stronger impact for the iPhone itself.... In order to partner with Cingular from a position of strength, Apple had to ensure that they could bring something absolutely groundbreaking to the table.

If they had released this as just an upgraded iPod, much of the "wow" factor would be gone when the iPhone itself came out, since it would just be adding phone features to an existing iPod, and would therefore be much less exciting by comparison.

I'm sure there will be Cingular customers who are going to be all over this thing just for the iPod-based capabilities.

 

[Arkonnan]

Well, I think the other factor here as to why they took this approach (an all-in-one device) rather than a standalone iPod was to ensure a much bigger and stronger impact for the iPhone itself....

I have no doubt that this is exactly why they debuted only one iPod device. The impact would have been severely diminished had they debuted an entire lineup. But I also don't believe that Apple would abandon their high capacity market segment, especially if they ever plan on expanding their movie/media offerings. Let's face it, 8 gigs is paltry.

But Steve Jobs has said before that video just isn't there yet. I agree. I don't think we will see another high capacity media-oriented iPod until Apple gets more movie distribution deals under its belt. They won't release this thing unless they have product to go with it, just as I believe they would not have released the phone without a carrier to offer service(they could have, but for simplicity sake I doubt they would have).

 

[Jesse Hollington]

I think it's fair to say that there will definitely be a higher-capacity version of this device, probably without the phone/wireless capabilties, and Apple now has at least six months before they need to worry about it. Even when it does debut, since the iPhone is the far more complex device, there will be far less R&D to worry about in debuting it.

As for partnering with a carrier, that's almost a necessity in the mobile phone business. Further, I don't know if Cingular is subsidizing this or not (as Apple's deal with Cingular is far from a standard manufacturer/carrier relationship), but if they are that would be necessary to keep the costs reasonable (this is priced in the same way as the early Palm Treo's and Blackberries were, and it's a much more sophisticated device).

Also, let's not forget that Apple has partnered with Cingular to also provide a better experience for things like the visual voicemail. This requires carrier-side integration to pull off successfully.

 

[podster1]

This is not the next generation iPod. It is the first generation Apple phone. It's not meant to replace the iPod Video. It's meant to compete in the Phone/PDA market. So if you take that into consideration...It's a pretty good product. I'd bet if it were only $200 EVERYONE would buy it.

 

[Nader172]

Wait, I haven't done that much research so don't flame me. Is this a touchscreen?

 

[Arkonnan]

Wait, I haven't done that much research so don't flame me. Is this a touchscreen?

Yessir, it is.

 

[Nader172]

Wait, I haven't done that much research so don't flame me. Is this a touchscreen?

Yessir, it is.

Unfortunately I knew something like this would happen. I guess I feared the worst...

 

[bobb-mini]

Unfortunately I knew something like this would happen. I guess I feared the worst...

Oh comeon, have a little faith. Am not a fan of touchscreen either but Apple would not have released such thing wo a wizzybang super high-tech highly scratch resistant screen (I can be proven wrong of course!) Will see, when the hands-on reviews start to come in.

People, this is NOT AN iPod, it's a PHONE with iPod features. So don't have a cow and can stop complaining about the paltry 8 gig now.

Removable battery - good point.

 

[SuperNYK992]

i saw it and immediatly i loved it. it was for mne. But then they announced it was for cingular.. ok now i will have to pay for my own plan... not so bad.. lets see cingular's lowest priced one person plan... $40 per month ouch... ok lets see the phones price.. problably $300 like the iPods... ok holy ####ing #### $600? Apple, did you get your price mixed with sony PS3?

lets see.

my current t-mobile(family plan 5th add 9.99 a month) and Samsung T629 slider(Xmas Present) - to me, free bc my dad pays for family plan


Switch to cingular and iPhone:

iPhone - $600
2 years of cingular service at lowest rates: $960


If you switch from a different service provider, the iPhone will cost you $1,500 dollars and you will have to keep it for 2 years

 

[ipodphoto30]

this is frickin' awesome. however i just got my blackberry pearl.

as for the iphone i fell in love with it's looks and features the second i read about it. it's so for me and i want it badly now. however my family's contract is with t mobile and i'm wondering when they'll also provide the phone with t mobile. perhaps a month or two after it releases with cingular. around here cingular has the worse signal.

as for the phone being bought without a contract. probably more than 800 dollars just for the 4gb alone.

this may take some time saving up the money. ridiculous though! 800 dollars for a phone. that money could buy a whole new computer.

.........overall love it but hate the price tag. i must have it though.

 

[Krn iPod]

alot of people want the iPhone, but the PRICE is WAY too high.
I guess i'll have to stick with the krzr, if i'll be able to get it...

Off-topic, neone got and suggestions for phones at or below 100? (krzr is 100 here). From sprint and verizon?

 

[skateboarderx24]

I like it. 8 gigs is enough for me since I would always have my 30 gig video on me at all times and since it has internet, a qwerty keyboard, texting, and all that it just suddenly became more attractive than the sidekick plus its an apple product. Quality engineering.

 

[roger767]

Holy moly 500 dollars + subscripton. I just want the VideoIpod. Hopefully Apple whores out their multi touch screen to the normal ipod. And maybe we will see the true VideoIpod this coming fall (with lots of storage-space).

 

[viper69]

People are going to complain like hell abou the touch pad I bet and the proximity sensor. I see it coming already.

 

[VipFREAK]

So... I guess the 6G is pretty much answered now? Funny that it will cost an arm and a leg though. lol

Anyway, yeah... so I watched the news since I'm out of town and happen to catch the "hype" the news built up. Of course they waited til the end of the news so you'd toon in the whole time.

Frankly, I'm not impressed... especially after hearing the price and that it only has 8gb. We haven't even gotten into the service plan either. No, thanks... My Sprint SLVR and 1yr old 5G is just fine thanks.

Oh yeah, I like how Jobs says "your life in your pocket" or the ultimate device for your life. Ha ha... reminded me of that SNL spoof from awhile ago. Lots of bull.

 

[JMG]

i saw it and immediatly i loved it. it was for mne. But then they announced it was for cingular.. ok now i will have to pay for my own plan... not so bad.. lets see cingular's lowest priced one person plan... $40 per month ouch... ok lets see the phones price.. problably $300 like the iPods... ok holy ####ing #### $600? Apple, did you get your price mixed with sony PS3?

lets see.

my current t-mobile(family plan 5th add 9.99 a month) and Samsung T629 slider(Xmas Present) - to me, free bc my dad pays for family plan


Switch to cingular and iPhone:

iPhone - $600
2 years of cingular service at lowest rates: $960


If you switch from a different service provider, the iPhone will cost you $1,500 dollars and you will have to keep it for 2 years

No... you see alot of us adults actually pay for our own cell phone service. Since I am ALREADY paying $100 for my plan (I have lots of phones and family members on it) then going to cingular will only incur an additional cost of $600. So no, the iPhone doesn't cost me $1500. It costs me $600. I'll be paying for my cellphone service REGARDLESS if I get an iPhone or not.

 

[Kristiano]

I want Skype and iChat AV on this baby and until that happens I doubt I'll be getting one. I think its really promising though and if there are improvements on the first gen or a 2.0 version I might get one. I'm in two minds whether or not to pick up one when I go to UK at the end of the year.

At the VERY least, it'll stop those iPhone rumors that come around every 2 weeks.