Support NeoGAF

[imastalker co.]

Possibly, but I personally think Apple fans and those who buy iEverything on day one will boost iPhone sales more than tech-freaks, who probably have all this functionality available to them already by some other means thats already on the market ie Dopod 838, N95 etc.

man, what's it gonna take to get you to understand that it's not so much functionality, but the interface that makes the iPhone special.

functionality (and design while im at it) is just icing on the cake.

 

[mrkgoo]

man, what's it gonna take to get you to understand that it's not so much functionality, but the interface that makes the iPhone special.

functionality (and design while im at it) is just icing on the cake.

I agree somewhat. I think it's a bit of everything - interface, design(aesthetics), functionality, and without any one of the pieces, the iPhone wouldn't be as attractive. Interface is probably the highest/most important. But if it looked like crap, had no storage for the media stuff etc...the interface would mean crap all to most people.

But I do agree is taht it's teh interface that makes it special. Pretty much like all the Apple gear. The functionality of a mac/ipod is pretty much standard. The aesthetics are good-to beatiful (subjective), but it's the interfaces that makes these products so popular.

 

[Fusebox]

stalker that doesn't make any sense with regards to my last post, do you honestly think the 'tech-freaks' that were just being discussed are going to upgrade from one expensive device to another, simply for what is currently a closed operating environment with a slightly prettier interface?

That's the reason why Paris Hilton will own one, sure, but it's not going to get tech-freaks (like me) to hand over (in my case) the WLAN/HSDPA/5mp/GPS equipped phone I've been using for a while now.

 

[ant1532]

I think it's a bit of everything - interface, design(aesthetics), functionality, and without any one of the pieces, the iPhone wouldn't be as attractive.

That applies to every electronic product...

 

[mrkgoo]

That applies to every electronic product...

Of course that part is true - but what I meant is that the iPhone is more than just a sum of its parts. It's getting attention because it has a nice interface AND has functionality/aesthetics (and also a lot of hype in general - when Apple talks, people listen).

But things like the MotoRazr got popular on basically aesthetics alone - the rest of the stuff was adequate.

 

[imastalker co.]

slightly prettier interface?

there you go again with the crazy talk. it's not slightly better, it blows the competition away interface wise. that's not open to debate.

you can talk specs all you want, but you really need to stop selling the interface short.

 

[ckohler]

Back to the new commercials. After going frame by frame, I've noticed a bunch of changes/addtions Apple has made to the iPhone interface since it was shown in January. I made a thread about them on my forum. It includes screenshots. Rather than repost the whole thing here, here's the link:

Hidden Details from the iPhone Commercials

So, is there a 12th app on the main menu now? Take a look for yourself.

 

[tedtropy]

I want to have sex with this phone, but as is typically the case with sex, it'd wind up costing me far too much money.

 

[Fusebox]

it blows the competition away interface wise. that's not open to debate.

Well, considering you've never even used the iPhone and you won't tell me what phones you've owned previously, if any, then yeah I'd say your opinion is still way open for debate at this stage.

But regardless of you being Captain iPlanet, do you honestly think that tech-geeks will upgrade (or in my case downgrade with regards to HSDPA, GPS and camera-specs) purely for a different interface? If not, then can you at least stop jumping in and screaming INTERFACE at me everytime I try to explain this?

 

[xsarien]

Back to the new commercials. After going frame by frame, I've noticed a bunch of changes/addtions Apple has made to the iPhone interface since it was shown in January. I made a thread about them on my forum.

How about you just post it on this forum instead?

 

[Vyer]

stalker that doesn't make any sense with regards to my last post, do you honestly think the 'tech-freaks' that were just being discussed are going to upgrade from one expensive device to another, simply for what is currently a closed operating environment with a slightly prettier interface?

That's the reason why Paris Hilton will own one, sure, but it's not going to get tech-freaks (like me) to hand over (in my case) the WLAN/HSDPA/5mp/GPS equipped phone I've been using for a while now.

What phone are you using now? And what are some of these other devices you keep referencing? I would like to find something that is as all-in-one as the iphone seems to be, but if it's already available (and decently priced) I'd look into it.

 

[Karma Kramer]

I want to have sex with this phone, but as is typically the case with sex, it'd wind up costing me far too much money.

:lol

Awesome post. Will read again.

Spoiler

seriously

 

[ckohler]

How about you just post it on this forum instead?

Fine. Reposted from: http://www.actioncorp.net/index.php?showtopic=18994

-----

Apple has changed the buttons on the iPod screen. They replaced the "Artists" button with a "Podcasts" button and the "Songs" button with an "Albums" button. They also changed the order. These might be configurable options as to what appears down there, although my gut says it's not.

As I predicted in my "Hidden Features from the iPhone Keynote" podcast, Apple has added two buttons to the bottom of the Google Maps application. They appear to be up and down arrows on the left (directions) and a car on the right (traffic). I think I totally nailed this, especially the left button which still looks more to me like arrows than a fork and knife like most people assumed.

Also, Apple added a "Directions to Here" button on the Google Maps location detail screen.

Not a big change, but Apple changed the Safari icon to say "Safari" instead of "Web" beneath it.

When viewing the available photo albums, it now displays the number of photos in each album beside the name.

When viewing the contents of an e-mail folder, the screen now shows a brief preview of the first two lines of the e-mail after the subject. Also, they've replaced the toggle button in the uppler right that used to switch between "split view" and "list view" to just an "Edit" button.

Look closely at the icons above the finger in this screenshot. Notice anything strange? No? Well, there appears to be an additonal icon (12 instead of 11) on the main menu. There are two closeups like this in the commericals. All of the other screenshots of the main menu only show 11 icons. Is Apple hiding a 12th app from us in this screenshot?

 

[sprsk]

Fusebox, really, seriously, you need to go get laid or something.

 

[ant1532]

Back to the new commercials. After going frame by frame, I've noticed a bunch of changes/addtions Apple has made to the iPhone interface since it was shown in January. I made a thread about them on my forum. It includes screenshots. Rather than repost the whole thing here, here's the link:

Hidden Details from the iPhone Commercials

So, is there a 12th app on the main menu now? Take a look for yourself.

Awesome post. I wonder if they just rearranged the icons or if there really is 12 icons.. Hmmm.

 

[Karma Kramer]

Fusebox, really, seriously, you need to go get laid or something.

:lol

 

[xsarien]

What phone are you using now? And what are some of these other devices you keep referencing? I would like to find something that is as all-in-one as the iphone seems to be, but if it's already available (and decently priced) I'd look into it.

If I'm not mistaken, he's using a Nokia N95 which, at least in the U.S., will run you anywhere betwen $750-$800+. By all accounts, and given that the iPhone runs a fun-sized version of OSX, I'd give Apple the leg up on overall handset stability. The N95 is good if you like toys and I'd take an Apple OS that's just been shown over Symbian any day of the week. Apple's entire corporate philosophy is centered around usability.

As for the physical guts, and it being a "downgrade" - I hate that word, incidentally - strictly speaking, it's true. But I doubt it'll generate as many "Out of memory!" messages than high-end Nokia "multimedia computers" can be known for.

 

[imastalker co.]

Well, considering you've never even used the iPhone and you won't tell me what phones you've owned previously, if any, then yeah I'd say your opinion is still way open for debate at this stage.

first off, i can see how awesome the interface is without having to use it. the videos and demonstration, plus Apples track record speak for itself.

as for what phones i've had... Nokia 2115i, Samsung T509, and a Blackjack. i've answered your question, so where are you doing with this?

 

[Fusebox]

Fusebox, really, seriously, you need to go get laid or something.

Sif. Hot girls only sleep with guys who have the future IN THEIR HANDS so I'll have to get an iPhone to compete with all you iStuds.

If I'm not mistaken, he's using a Nokia N95 ..

As for the physical guts, and it being a "downgrade" - I hate that word, incidentally - strictly speaking, it's true. But I doubt it'll generate as many "Out of memory!" messages than high-end Nokia "multimedia computers" can be known for.

Yep, the N95 - it's my first S60 phone and I got warned about memory errors before I bought it but I haven't seen a single one yet - not sure if they just fixed whatever was causing them or what, I dunno enough about N-series to comment really.

And yet again for the record, I wouldn't even tell people it's a better phone than the iPhone, it's just different - its weird, I just feel compelled to laugh and comment when I hear guys like stalker make statements like, "it's more than a phone, it's the future in your hand." I mean, come ooon guys, perspective.... :lol

 

[rkenshin]

How much would the cost drop with a 3 year contract (prediction)?

 

[joesmokey]

The phone is pretty amazing but it's just too expensive. I don't think there will be that many people willing to spend that kind of money on a cell phone, unless AT&T has some type of plans setup so that people don't have to pay the full retail price.

Most people I've talked to that would be interested in this kind of thing just balk at the price of it. I think most people would rather use an iPod separately and a cheaper cell phone that they don't have to worry about taking care of.

I don't think it'll be that much of a corporate seller either because a lot of businesses these days don't like people having camera functionality on their cell phone.

And yeah like someone else said, I'd be pretty nervous using it in public.

 

[Karma Kramer]

The phone is pretty amazing but it's just too expensive. I don't think there will be that many people willing to spend that kind of money on a cell phone, unless AT&T has some type of plans setup so that people don't have to pay the full retail price.

Most people I've talked to that would be interested in this kind of thing just balk at the price of it. I think most people would rather use an iPod separately and a cheaper cell phone that they don't have to worry about taking care of.

I don't think it'll be that much of a corporate seller either because a lot of businesses these days don't like people having camera functionality on their cell phone.

And yeah like someone else said, I'd be pretty nervous using it in public.

awesome summary... basically read my mind.

 

[bigswords]

Wow looks pretty nifty and I might get one of these but...do Apple Engineers allow to take out the battery from the iphone?

 

[imastalker co.]

And yet again for the record, I wouldn't even tell people it's a better phone than the iPhone, it's just different - its weird, I just feel compelled to laugh and comment when I hear guys like stalker make statements like, "it's more than a phone, it's the future in your hand." I mean, come ooon guys, perspective.... :lol

it is the future.

tell me, in 5 years time, do you think phones/convergence devices are gonna resemble iPhone, or something with 10-25+ buttons?

or what about the next iPhone, or the one after that? im putting my money on video conferencing at that point. if that's not the future, i don't know what is.

the interface is the direction the world is going in. i don't see how someone could argue with that.

 

[Fusebox]

it is the future.

tell me, in 5 years time, do you think phones are gonna resemble iPhone, or continue to have 10-25+ buttons?

Hopefully they'll resemble neither, and I'll tell you what - once you do eventually use your first touch-screen phone and you've spent all night wiping your fingerprints and ear-grease from its sexy screen, come back and we'll have this chat again.

 

[imastalker co.]

you got it. infact, i'll make sure to resemble someone from a N-Gage advertisment for your entertainment.

 

[cvxfreak]

I would buy one this year or early next year, but I'm moving to Japan in early September, so July 2008's the earliest I'll be able to get one (when I return). Hopefully it'll be cheaper and even better than it is now by then.

 

[Lhadatt]

If anyone can solve the smartphone dilemma, it's Apple.

That said, I fear the pricing plan. Look at Cingular's current plans - 1350 minutes for $80/month, plus $50 for unlimited data. That's excessive for most people, but that's what I would need to conduct my business and personal affairs with this device. I'm sure Cingular is going to give some sort of packaged discount, but I don't see this as viable for people on normal budgets until cell phone plan prices drop.

 

[Future]

Could care less about the phone itself. Already got Google Maps on my phone, current Opera Browser does the job, dont mind current voicemail tech, and carry around my 60 gig Ipod everywhere already. Plus I can do typical Pocket PC stuff like access Word, Excel, Pdf, Powerpoint docs and a bunch of freeware apps so I am set. All the new Iphone has over that is a slimmer design and better touch screen (even though I dont like touch screen keyboards...pull out keyboard ftw)

But what I do like is the competition its producing. Microsoft has DeepFish coming to compete with the mobile Safari (Opera 9 will as well), Samsung already is making a touch screen focused phone design and I'm sure HTC and other PPC phone makers will follow suit. No company but AT&T and Apple want an Ipod like takeover of the market with the Iphone.

Good thing the expensive price and limited cellular provider options will prevent it from getting too popular. Not many people are gonna suddenly switch to close to 100 bones a month just for data at non 3G speeds with a 2 year contract

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I agree, the plans are going to be killer.

Looks really hot though.

I'd rather have one of these than a PS3.

 

[Yixian]

If anyone can solve the smartphone dilemma, it's Apple.

That said, I fear the pricing plan. Look at Cingular's current plans - 1350 minutes for $80/month, plus $50 for unlimited data. That's excessive for most people, but that's what I would need to conduct my business and personal affairs with this device. I'm sure Cingular is going to give some sort of packaged discount, but I don't see this as viable for people on normal budgets until cell phone plan prices drop.

Agreed.

People are too used to being able to shop around for the best deals on phones and saving bags of money to go back to paying hefty full price tags on handsets, and nasty 2 year contracts on top of it.

This will never penetrate any deeper than business and afficionados until it's available to all networks, with subsidies.

That said, it seems Apple is perfectly happy with that being the case for now.


But I might pick up an unlocked version on eBay or something - seeing as there is no contract, it shouldn't be any more than 499.

Internet on your phone is so grotesquely overexpensive I wouldn't use it anyway - most people will rely on wifi and the inevitable VoIP app.

I agree, the plans are going to be killer.

Looks really hot though.

I'd rather have one of these than a PS3.

At 499 + (30x24) it'll cost you a hell of a lot more than a PS3 too.

 

[mrkgoo]

Fine. Reposted from: http://www.actioncorp.net/index.php?showtopic=18994

-----

Apple has changed the buttons on the iPod screen. They replaced the "Artists" button with a "Podcasts" button and the "Songs" button with an "Albums" button. They also changed the order. These might be configurable options as to what appears down there, although my gut says it's not.
As I predicted in my "Hidden Features from the iPhone Keynote" podcast, Apple has added two buttons to the bottom of the Google Maps application. They appear to be up and down arrows on the left (directions) and a car on the right (traffic). I think I totally nailed this, especially the left button which still looks more to me like arrows than a fork and knife like most people assumed.Also, Apple added a "Directions to Here" button on the Google Maps location detail screen.
Not a big change, but Apple changed the Safari icon to say "Safari" instead of "Web" beneath it.
When viewing the available photo albums, it now displays the number of photos in each album beside the name.
When viewing the contents of an e-mail folder, the screen now shows a brief preview of the first two lines of the e-mail after the subject. Also, they've replaced the toggle button in the uppler right that used to switch between "split view" and "list view" to just an "Edit" button.
Look closely at the icons above the finger in this screenshot. Notice anything strange? No? Well, there appears to be an additonal icon (12 instead of 11) on the main menu. There are two closeups like this in the commericals. All of the other screenshots of the main menu only show 11 icons. Is Apple hiding a 12th app from us in this screenshot?

Fine-toothed comb indeed. Indeed, apple maybe hiding a 12th app. It might even be called 'settings'. I wonder what it does?
edit: Oh, I get it...you mean they've pushed the settings one down into the 12th slot.
Anyway, I'm also guess the fron menu will be configurable. Don't want weather widget there? remove it. Etc.

I'm guessing all the shortcut buttons in teh iPod section are configurable. Plus there's a more one anyway.

 

[Space Adventure]

What genius said not to invest in apple?

What magician said the iphone was a crock?

 

[mabuza]

its far far too expensive. if you have the money lying around, then i suggest it, but there are far more important things i need right now. maybe in three or four years

 

[Wellington]

I'm still on the fence regarding the screen and durability. I've gone through multiple iPods, and we all know that cases are mandatory to protect at least the screen. If it's going to be necessary to leave the screen exposed for just regular interaction with the device then we might have a problem.

Furthermore, a cellphone is much more prone to a drop than an iPod just by the fact that it is used much more frequently. how are we to be sure that this thing will survive a drop? I'm 6'4", would it survive a fall from where my ears are? I think I will have to wait until not only reviews come in, but the general public has at it.

 

[imastalker co.]

once again, if you drop it, kiss it goodbye.

unless you have luck on your side.

 

[mrkgoo]

I'm still on the fence regarding the screen and durability. I've gone through multiple iPods, and we all know that cases are mandatory to protect at least the screen. If it's going to be necessary to leave the screen exposed for just regular interaction with the device then we might have a problem.

Furthermore, a cellphone is much more prone to a drop than an iPod just by the fact that it is used much more frequently. how are we to be sure that this thing will survive a drop? I'm 6'4", would it survive a fall from where my ears are? I think I will have to wait until not only reviews come in, but the general public has at it.

As much as I'd love one, I'd rather wait also, just for it to get to a better revision. Mostly, though, it'll be likely it stays teh same, and just gets software revisions, at least for sometime. But hopefully an ipod with the same interface comes out - I'd be all over that. Knwoing apple though, they'd probably gimp it, just to make the iPhone more of an attractive premium product. Such is life, though.

 

[Diatribe1974]

Apple HAD to release this product simply because the normal cell phones with MP3/Audio playback with decently sized screens/features were honestly to the point that not owning an iPod was almost a legitimate possibility for the average person. Why lug around both an iPod AND a cell phone, when you can just use your cell that does both and sounds pretty darn good too?

It's not to say that the iPod franchise was going to just DIE as a result overnight, but the sun was setting for the brand if the "Same old, Same old" kept going the way it was going. This way, this keeps them in the market and with the same market dominance they've been enjoying for some time now. The only possible drawback is the touch screen itself. Let's face it: Folks are idiots when caring for their crap. How many 499-599$ "oh crap, mom, I cracked my iPhone screen again....we'll have to buy another iPhone" before Mom & Dad say "Here's a TracPhone, now shutup you clutz."? I know I wouldn't trust my own kids with one.

 

[mrkgoo]

Apple HAD to release this product simply because the normal cell phones with MP3/Audio playback with decently sized screens/features were honestly to the point that not owning an iPod was almost a legitimate possibility for the average person. Why lug around both an iPod AND a cell phone, when you can just use your cell that does both and sounds pretty darn good too?

It's not to say that the iPod franchise was going to just DIE as a result overnight, but the sun was setting for the brand if the "Same old, Same old" kept going the way it was going. This way, this keeps them in the market and with the same market dominance they've been enjoying for some time now. The only possible drawback is the touch screen itself. Let's face it: Folks are idiots when caring for their crap. How many 499-599$ "oh crap, mom, I cracked my iPhone screen again....we'll have to buy another iPhone" before Mom & Dad say "Here's a TracPhone, now shutup you clutz."? I know I wouldn't trust my own kids with one.

While I don't agree that Apple HAD to release the iPhone for the reason you stated, I do think you bring up a good point about the quality and capacity of cellphone devices to play music. The iPod will be around for quite some time - just because the ease at which it is used with iTunes, and through that, the iTunes music store. You might argue that with teh arrival of DRM-free songs on iTunes, the iPod might even dwindle further, in favour of cellphones. I doubt it though. iPods are hugely successful despite most people not actually purchasing songs from iTunes.

To alay what you're suggesting, teh iPod needs to evolve (as it always has). I just don't believe that the iPhone is the next evolution - I believe it to be a sort of a third pillar for Apple, Inc.

 

[imastalker co.]

the next iPod will more than likely be an iPhone, stripped of everything but its media features.

the way i see, the Click-Wheel is as good as dead.

 

[Captain N]

I need to get a new phone this month anyway...soooo I guess this is a great step in the right direction for me.

Sales +1

If I'm not mistaken doesn't this have multi-touch?

 

[GDJustin]

I can't believe the bullshit being spewed from both sides in this topic. Both the lovers and the haters.

It's pretty freaking clear that what sets the iPhone apart from its peers (blackjack, etc.) is:

1) It's UI - the multi-touch, the menu system, etc.

2) The hardware form factor. It's sexy as hell and has a giant screen, for a phone.

Now - is that worth $500-$600? There is no definitive answer to that question. For some people... it is. For others, it isn't.

As for me personally... I want one so bad that it almost hurts, AND I came into a large sum of money recently (equiv. of two month's pay)... but I still can't muster up the nuts to treat myself and pick one up. I'm stingy with my money bigtime, so I'll be waiting for revision 2, when the price undoubtedly will be a little lower, and the specs get a bump.

 

[Mejilan]

Hey, I thought official threads could only be posted once we're within 10 days of release. Is that only for the gaming side?

 

[shantyman]

Hey, I thought official threads could only be posted once we're within 10 days of release. Is that only for the gaming side?

I posted that too earlier. Sporsk did not even comment. :lol

 

[soundwave05]

Hopefully they'll resemble neither, and I'll tell you what - once you do eventually use your first touch-screen phone and you've spent all night wiping your fingerprints and ear-grease from its sexy screen, come back and we'll have this chat again.

That's a bit overblown to put it mildly. It's takes a whopping 3 seconds to wipe a LCD screen clean. I recall people saying this same thing would be an issue with the DS. It's really not that big of a deal.

 

[seanoff]

If it doesn't have HSDPA it's not worth the money their asking for it. I want serious speed for that sort of money and if its just CDMA/GSM then forget it.

I'm with Fusebox here.

 

[Roders5]

I can't help but be impressed the more I see of this. I remember being so hyped about windows mobiles years ago, then I moved to pocket pc phones, and at first I thought the touch screen was the best thing ever. Now though the continual crashes, badly designed OS and having to get out a stylus all the time frustrates me more than anything.

Realistically does anyone have an estimate of when a second generation model will be released? I can't get this until the end of the year anyway as I'm in the UK, but I'd hate to just miss out on a 3G model by a few months. How long did the original ipod go before an update?

 

[shantyman]

From the NY Times:

Fever Builds for iPhone (Anxiety Too)

By JOHN MARKOFF

Published: June 4, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO, June 3 — During an onscreen demonstration of the iPhone in Apple’s sprawling retail store here recently, an employee, clad in a black T-shirt, of course, surprised a potential customer.

Nonplused, the customer stammered, “You mean it’s a cellphone, too?”

Such is the spell that Steven P. Jobs has cast on the American consumer.

It has been almost six months since Mr. Jobs, the world’s consummate salesman, introduced the iPhone as the Ronco Veg-O-Matic for the Internet era. Tongue only partly in cheek, Mr. Jobs promised that Apple’s entry into the cellular handset market would be a better phone, Web browser and music player.

Mr. Jobs succeeded in building expectations for what some have called “the God machine.” The bar-of-soap-size phone is being coveted as a talisman for a digital age, and iPhone hysteria is beginning to reach levels usually reserved for video-game machines at Christmas.

Although the phones are expected to cost as much as $600 when they go on sale at Apple and AT&T stores later this month, each company has received more than a million inquiries about the product's availability. Apple disclosed in television commercials Sunday night that the phone would be released June 29.

Further evidence that expectations have been wound up to a fever pitch: the phones, or promises to deliver a phone, are already on sale on eBay for $830. A pundit as unlikely as Arianna Huffington sought out Mr. Jobs directly for advice on being the first to score a phone. (He told her to go to an AT&T store.)

Last week, during an appearance at a technology industry conference in Southern California, Mr. Jobs teased the audience by briefly pulling an iPhone out of his jeans pocket and immediately slipping it back out of sight.

The anticipation, which is intense even by Jobsian standards, has led to some quiet, behind-the-scenes anxiety at Apple. Some Apple executives worry privately that expectations for the one-button phones may be too high and that first-generation buyers will end up disappointed.

Certainly there are skeptics. The high price will limit the phones’ appeal to true believers. The cellular network that the iPhone operates on is slower than those of many of its rivals. Several of Apple’s handset competitors hope that its decision not to include a keyboard, relying instead on a touch-screen virtual keyboard, will limit the attractiveness of the iPhone in text-intensive business markets.

“It’s very media-centric,” said a director at a handset competitor who declined to be identified, saying that his company did not want to elicit comparisons with the iPhone. “It will hit one sweet spot, but not necessarily all of the sweet spots — we hope.”

As has often been the case during the last three decades, Mr. Jobs’s timing may be impeccable.

While entire industries have been struggling for more than half a decade to find the right combination of features to merge cellphones and computers, Apple appears to have stepped in at precisely the right moment.

“These devices have become ubiquitous, and there’s an enormous hunger out there,” said Peter Schwartz, the chairman of Global Business Network, a consulting firm based here.

Most analysts believe that Apple will easily exceed its initial goal of selling 10 million phones by the end of next year.

“It will be just 1 percent of the handset market,” said Jagdish Rebello, director of wireless communications research at iSuppli, a market research firm based in El Segundo, Calif. “But it is essentially shifting the balance of power into the hands of the mobile device manufacturers.”

News reports out of Asia in recent weeks indicate that Apple may have placed an order for an additional five million phones with Quanta Computer, a Taiwanese manufacturer that is a leading maker of laptop computers. Another Taiwanese manufacturer, Hon Hai Precision Industry, was earlier reported to have been awarded the original order. Apple declines to comment on its plans.

Although a tiny fraction of the global phone industry, a 1 percent market share would make Apple a head-to-head competitor with the high-end version of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software, which is used on a number of smartphones.

During the first quarter of 2007 Microsoft’s software was used on about 3.2 million personal digital assistants, or about 60 percent of the market, according to Gartner, the market research firm. Microsoft has come to dominate the market against competitors like Palm, Research In Motion and Symbian, but Apple’s entry is likely to reset the most profitable high end of the handset market.

“It will change the whole category of what people think a phone is,” said Richard Doherty, president of the Envisioneering Group, an industry consulting firm.

To head off potential consumer disappointment, Apple said several months ago that it would have the ability to add features to the iPhones after they were purchased. The company’s executives say that the capability to upgrade the iPhone in the field will give it a significant advantage over other cellphones, which are usually replaced frequently.

“Other carriers are scrambling to figure out what their strategies should be,” said Chetan Sharma, an industry consultant who follows the wireless data market.

One potentially crucial factor in determining the iPhone’s success that has yet to be clarified by the company: How willing is Apple to permit independent software vendors to develop programs for the iPhone? When he introduced the phone in January, Mr. Jobs seemed unwilling to permit outside software development. He said that opening that door would tend to raise both security and stability issues that were unacceptable in the wireless handset market.

Last week, however, at the D: All Things Digital conference, he seemed to relent. He said Apple was looking for ways to make it possible for developers to create software for the iPhone.

A person briefed on Apple’s plans said that at its software developer conference this month, Apple intends to announce that it will make it possible for developers of small programs written for the Macintosh to easily convert them to run on the iPhone.

Software, Mr. Jobs said last week, is what would make the difference. Poor software, he said, is what undermined the Japanese consumer electronics industry. And by that same token, software is what will give the iPhone what he said would be a five-year lead on the rest of the handset industry.

“If you look at the iPhone, it’s software wrapped in wonderful hardware,” he said.

The last bolded quote is one of its most significant advantages I think.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

I posted similar thoughts in the other iPhone thread we had going, but I'll add them here too.

Yes, it's expensive compared to most phones out there. But lets face it, it's really not that expensive when you compare it to other smartphones when they are first released. The Razr was $500 when it was released and doesn't have the functionality of the iPhone.

I'm due for a new phone. My current one is 3 1/2 years old. I'm leaning very heavily towards picking one of these up on release. I'm waiting to see if they have any special iPhone data plans before I know for sure. I read over on Howard Forums that AT&T has created an "all you can eat" data plan for $40 a month, which many people believe will be the iPhone plan that they'll pitch. For me the $40 voice plan and the $40 data plan would be perfect, although I'd be hard pressed to go higher than that.

The lack of 3G on the iPhone is a bit of an issue that it can be easily knocked for, and battery life in the "Real World" remains to be seen. Guess we'll know a lot more at the end of the month, and hopefully we'll get some stuff next week at WWDC.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Also, just a thought, but the "12th Button" or missing app that they haven't shown yet could be iChat for the iPhone. I find it hard to believe they would launch it with out an iChat app, but we haven't seen one yet.