Apple's new iPhone

OK, I sat through the webcast of the keynote of MacWorld like I seem to have done ever since it was possible … pretty cool stuff.

Apple Product page

Engadget page with loads of pics.

Sweet, glorious specs of the 11.6 millimeter device (that's frickin' thin, by the way) include a 3.5-inch wide touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the sensor when it's close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, 4GB or 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth with EDR and A2DP, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, and quadband GSM radio with EDGE. Perhaps most amazingly, though, it somehow runs OS X with support for Widgets, Google Maps, and Safari, and iTunes (of course) with CoverFlow out of the gate.

Apples!!??!! I'll pray for you!!

A year away and probably at the price of a computer. I will most likely not get anything similar for quite a while, but it does show in which direction technology is heading - phones that include everything.

Originally Posted by Maylander
phones that include everything.

Right, and that is something I don't like. I had to buy phone with mp3, radio and 2mbpx photocamera just because I couldn't find decent one without these features.
I've not used any of these and I doubt I'll in future. Mainly the photocamer seems to be really unecessary piece of machinery that I didn't want to pay for.

I don't own one at all, simply because you can't buy just a simple phone. I won't pay for stuff I neither want, nor need. I have a 20 gig MP3 player, I have an 8mpx digital camera, etc, etc, why can't I just get a phone that's nothing more than a phone!!!!

Gimmicks = turnover/profits, it's been going on for years. It's just a matter of getting the right balance of gimmickry to arouse interest in mass sales that seems to pay off.

Even the argument "all of the functions are used so it suits me fine" might be true for some but when broken down into separate components then each of those components can be bettered if bought as single units. The camera for example will never give quality shots/pics because the lens will not "cut the mustard" - even a simple cheap digital solo camera will beat these phone-camera's hands down. But then the argument that 'well it suits me for sending email/phone shots" crops up, true - that is when quality is sacrificed for "handiness" - a clever ploy if nothing else.

I was talking about this with my wife last night as it was on the news. She knows I'm a long-time gadget-hound, and asked "so are you getting one"? My answer of "no" surprised her, but I said:
- I barely use 10% of the functions on my cell phone now (Samsung A900)
- My iPod is 3 generations old (40GB version before the click-wheel) and serves all of my needs.
- I actually switched back from a new (3 year old) Palm to a 15 year old HP200LX as my organizer because it meets all of my PDA needs (and has my beloved RPN calc built in)
- I have *never* watched a full movie on my PSP
- having pictures on my PDA or PSP is just a novelty that I don't really use.

I also wonder if they are 'pushing it' with the price. Historically people have viewed Apple as being too expensive, but recently that isn't so true - my MacBook Pro is *very* competitive with my Dell XPS laptop, and I think that thevalue to price is pretty good for iPods as well. But when looking at the iPhones, I expected $50-100 less than what was stated … and I don't know how that will impact things.

I bought used nokia 3310 four (?) years ago for 30€ and it still works just fine. Still using the same cell even.

Whenever hubby gets a new one, I just take his old cellphone. I never really use these things except when I'm on the road, and then I use them for calling my family at home to ask how they're doing. When my cell phone *does* ring, it's because someone mis-dialed. The only other function I use is the wake-up call/timer.

Say Mike. You tried that Orcs & Elves? It sounds like a peculiar confluence of your gaming interests: RPG, FPS & mobile. I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

All the gimmicks are necessary. The unwashed masses perceive "more features" as "more value". I would prefer a simple device which perfectly meets my demands, but the masses wouldn´t be willing to pay a premium price for something simple.

Originally Posted by abbaon
Say Mike. You tried that Orcs & Elves? It sounds like a peculiar confluence of your gaming interests: RPG, FPS & mobile. I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

Y'know it is funny you mention that game in particular … I've never really played a cell phone game (don't count 5 minutes of trying them out as 'playing') - but I was looking at that and considering grabbing it. But my handheld gaming doesn't extend to phones. Who knows … I might still try it …

I actually like this all-in-one thing. I can't stand carrying a lot of stuff around with me, so I prefer having a single item instead of five items, despite the five items giving overall better performance.

I am also a gadget fan (compact digital camera's, mini music sequencers etc') i'm not against this new iphone in it's pure concept, it's just that there are other views and pointers to be aware of - here's just one of several web pages emerging.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphone…cks-228100.php

Originally Posted by Wulf
I am also a gadget fan (compact digital camera's, mini music sequencers etc') i'm not against this new iphone in it's pure concept, it's just that there are other views and pointers to be aware of - here's just one of several web pages emerging.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphone…cks-228100.php

Yeah, like anything, these guys come out with their 'it iz teh sux0r' lists to grab hits - but there are valid points being made … they are just lost in the completely unbalanced anti-hype.

Many of the issues are intrinsic to the iPod as a platform - no expansion, sealed battery, etc.

I think that Apple is arrogant in assuming that what is good for the iPod is automatically right for the iPhone.

There are other options like Nokia 880 internet tablet that runs linux. It has bigger (touch) screen and you can install your own programs into it:

http://planet.maemo.org/

Originally Posted by zakhal
There are other options like Nokia 880 internet tablet that runs linux. It has bigger (touch) screen and you can install your own programs into it:

http://planet.maemo.org/

Those things are cool but marginal - nobody believes that the iPod is the most capable MP3 player, yet everyone has one. The Palm was never the best or most capable PDA, yet it beat back challenger after challenger … and so on.

I wonder how many people buy Blackberry or Treo on their own (compared to companies) … I know my work would never fork out for me to have a iPhone instead of a Blackberry.

I would say those are 'unanswered questions' … and I've seen sites with *20* rather than just 5 … we have a few months to see if it will be a hit or a flop - but it certainly won't answer everyone's needs for every device.

BTW, how about its design? I quite like it. Generally I like all Apples designs even though I've never had their product.