MacWorld 2007: Apple iPhone
Apple today at MacWorld unveiled their latest take the world by storm device. The new iPhone will be available in June in a 4GB model for $499 and an 8GB model for $599 and will run off of the Cingular cellular phone network.
The Apple iPhone, which runs off of Mac OS X, is being touted by its maker as a device which combines "a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, searching and maps-into one small and lightweight handheld device".
The iPhone is indeed a device that seems to be in a class by itself, using built-in sensors to do things like observing that a user has rotated the device from portrait to landscape, then automatically changing the contents of the display accordingly, with users immediately seeing the entire width of a web page, for example. This built-in sensor feature also detects when you lift iPhone to your ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches. This is on top of a built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusting the display's brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light.
As for controls, the iPhone sports a multi-touch display. This display basically lets you control all functions with your fingers. The iPhone is also relatively thin, measuring 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches. Battery life is reported to be up to five hours for talk time/Web browsing/video watching and up to 16 hours for audio playback.
Here is a further breakdown of features based on the three different directions the iPhone takes:
- Mobile Phone:
- Allows users to make calls by simply pointing at a name or number.
- Syncs all of your contacts from your PC, Mac or Internet service such as Yahoo!
- Construct a favorites list for your most frequently made calls.
- Merge calls together to create conference calls.
- Visual Voicemail lets users look at a listing of their voicemails, decide which messages to listen to, then go directly to those messages without listening to the prior messages.
- A SMS application with a full QWERTY virtual keyboard with predictive text to send and receive SMS messages in multiple sessions.
- A calendar application that allows calendars to be automatically synced with your PC or Mac.
- A 2 megapixel camera and a photo management application. Users can browse browse their photo library, which can be synced from their PC or Mac, and choose a photo for their wallpaper or to include in an email.
- A quad-band GSM phone which also features EDGE and Wi-Fi wireless technologies (802.11b/g) for data networking as well as Bluetooth 2.0 EDR.
- Widescreen iPod:
- Touch controls that lets music lovers scroll through entire lists of songs, artists, albums and playlist.
- Cover Flow, which lets you browse your music library by album cover artwork. When navigating your music library on iPhone, you are automatically switched into Cover Flow by rotating iPhone into its landscape position.
- A 3.5-inch widscreen display.
- Touch controls for play-pause, chapter forward-backward and volume when watching TV shows and movies.
- Syncs content from a user's iTunes library on their PC or Mac, and can play any music or video content they have purchased from the online iTunes store.
- Internet Communications Device:
- Features a HTML email client which fetches your email in the background from most POP3 or IMAP mail services and displays photos and graphics right along with the text. iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so you can be reading a web page while downloading your email in the background.
- Yahoo! Mail is offering a new free "push" IMAP email service to all iPhone users that automatically pushes new email to a user's iPhone, and can be set up by entering your Yahoo! name and password.
- iPhone will also work with most industry standard IMAP and POP based email services, such as Microsoft Exchange, Apple .Mac Mail, AOL Mail, Google Gmail and most ISP mail services.
- Runs a version of the Mac Safari web browser for viewing web pages and lets one zoom in to expand any section by tapping on iPhone's multi-touch display with their finger. Also includes built-in Google Search and Yahoo! Search, automatic syncing of bookmarks from a PC or Mac.
- Support for wireless Internet usage via Wi-Fi or EDGE.
- Built-in Google Maps, featuring Google's online maps service and iPhone's maps application, lets users view maps, satellite images, traffic information and get directions.
Comments
I want it! But I don’t think I can wait until June. I need something now!
Too much $$$ for too little. I’ll stick with the Blackjack.
I want it because it combines three technologies into one plus I am sick on my current cellular carrier.
What about including iCAL and AddressBook and the ability to SYNC with the Mac, making it a FULL FLEDGED, device.
Seems neat if you like Apple products. Too pricey but it will probably be cheaper to buy with a new contract or upgrade.
Seriously, Mike. And watch out, Carla. I’m on Cingular now and besides constantly stuffing my bill, I get the worst service I’ve ever had — and I live in New York! I’m going to wait two years before even thinking about an iPhone. Remember the first generation iPods?
Wish it was on the Verizon network. If it was, I would surely get one, no matter the cost.
I want it now! And I wish it was on other networks too. But the Price?
praise the lord to hold my pocket until Apple iphone make it happens. I’d surely be ready to buy it with all my heart when Apple iphone is out in June. I know the product is not much cheaper but is well qualified. In fact, Apple Product has great protection against virus. I own three Imacs for more than 8 years. One is out of date but still is good. the second is being abused by toddlers. It amazingly runs good. I just buy new Intel core Imac. I love it. I stay loyal to apple product under Steve Job. I cant wait until June.
Big deal. Mac is always comming up with products late.
Yeah, but no Camera!!!!
hey one of my myspace friends already have one how can this be when they dont come out until june is he lying?
Everyone needs to continue to complain about the pricing! With months to go before it is available, massive negative pricing comments may strike doubts as to the ability to sell 10 million units in 2007 and thus send the bean counters back to their calculator widget to see where the price can be trimmed!
Richard - might want to check again. It actually comes with a built-in 2megapixel camera.
Others - Considering the amount of tools and applications as well as memory, the price is actually reasonable. And figure in the break when signing a contract. How can you complain?
I want it. It is the coolest phone out there. And the price is just right for an iPod and a phone PLUS the best features on any phone. It is way cool compared to the Microjunk phones.
In spite of all it’s features,I bet the battery will not be able to sustain all the features. Additionally, the price seems to be too high for me to consider switching carriers.
needs to be texted, but initially, looks correct, the price as always, expensive, but this is the MAC style.
one point is sure, the quality and service will be EXCELENT.
The most amazing thing planet earth, no wait…the universe has ever seen. All hail apple!
Cool! I would like to have this!
Interesting. Wonder when the release date is for overseas? And whether any other companies are developing similar products.
I might see if I can get my phone to hold out a few extra months, because this is a cool piece of technology, and would save me hurling around an ipod, phone, laptop and pda.
The cost $499 and $599 is with a 2 year contract with Cingular. I think that is ridiculous. Hope they change their minds. Its a great phone, and I personally would like one. However, if GPS was included it might be worth that extra 200 bucks. I paid $250 for a Cingular 8125. Great phone so far. Doesn’t have the 8 GB hard drive but still functionality wise is not so bad.
GSK
touch screen ceel phone right?? so what happens when im leaning on my phone say in the car and i hang up on someone because of my cheek please make sure if you do the touch screen you do it right
Sounds better then pocket PC I have. Cost? -same. Features? -same (is there some kind of office app?) camera? -good. Better touch screen? -use fingers!amazing! 4GB (8GB) storage? -great! applications? -same (but office I guess). Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/EDGE? -same. How about sound? -pocket PC UTstarcom horrable. How about durability? How about accessories? -Bluetooth headphones (I mean big headphones) with mic is my dream. Talk to webmail? -good. work with MAC and PC? -amazing!! Service provider? -dont know but any is better then Bell.ca. So now can I get it and use in Canada??
Even if it is pricey a good mp3 player, a good video player, a convenient 2mp camera, and a good smartphone( with decent internet and email) can add up to 700-800 dollars. The day the Iphone comes out i’m changing cellphone plans and buying it. Plus it looks really cool! and it has only 1 actual button If you don’t belive me go to apple.com and click on the iPhone tab.
Oh yah ,Kevin, it solved that problem too. It has a sencer that can detect it you are using the phone near your ear. It disables the touch screen untill you pull it away from your head .Plus to add on to my previous note it can replace any PDA and most of your money is probably for the 4-8GB of memory.
(i can’t stop talking about it)