Tomorrow's World

Checking out the apple website, and looking at the iphone, it does look like another amazing apple product. I'm definitely hooked on the looks alone, however, just as the nano looked great too, it originally had fragility problems. Lets see how the iphone has any bugs before trying to grab one of these (expensive) beauties!

The phone looks great but where were the new Mac features; Leopard or machine operates. Does the name shift of dropping 'Computer' From Apple Computer, Inc show a company majorly shifting its priorities here?
Time will tell..

Not sure it's fair to say that Samsung, Nokia or Motorola make decent phones... I spend a fortune on my contract, just so I can pick up the latest and greatest handset de jour... Always hoping that "please this time, don't let it be a disappointment"... And that hope's always dashed by poor battery life, poor performance, software unreliability, and poor sync.

The iPhone looks awesome, and I want one very much... But if it falls victim to any of to any of the above, it'll be just as much of an overpriced bookend...

The quoted price is the equivalent of a contract phone price over here, you are required to sign up to Cingular Wireless for a minimum of 2 years.

With that contract is other tariffs (the 2 year smartphone plan), making the phone very expensive indeed.

Well I am not a gr8 microsoft fan but I love its product more than operating system. I am hardcore Linux fan over 10 years. This new release of iphone is not a new concept. Well this technology is already available in Verizon V-cast phones. They have everything, music player, phone service to gps help. So what is new in iphone? I don't think any thing new and interesting. Specially, check the cost? it 4GB for 499 and 8GB for 599! I am not a fool to spend this much money on this i phone. Instead i love to by a new T-series think pad at same cost. I am sure that this time it is hype from Mac world and they have nothing to show new here. Guys to if you have enough money to buy this iphone go ahead but my suggestions? soon you will find a laptop which will cost only $400 bucks and provide you everything. You know how, think about Microsoft road trips 2007 with gps receiver, an excellent product.

As an XDA owner for the past three years and three models (currently an XDA Mini S with an extra mini SD card)I'm wondering what exactly is 'new@ about the iphone...

Not only does the iPhone look good but I think there is another announcement hidden in todays show. Why would Apple trial a phone by playing a Beatles track? Are we about to see the Beatles finally appearing on iTunes?

When will we get an OS X operating system running on PC-s?
I'm fed up with MS Windows.

Hmm, those iPods are a bit pricey, too, aren't they? Wonder how many of those they sell? Never mind, the phone won't need to dominate this market (just like the Mac doesn't need to dominate the PC market) to make Apple a healthy profit. It just needs to appeal to people who want something amazing in their pocket.

Baggsy first to suggest a class action against Apple when those lovely big screens start snapping as people sit on them!

HOLD EVERYTHING !!

The iphone hath arrived.

This will take over the world -hottest gadget I can remember. Replaces everything. Does everything. I want it.

Tip: Buy Apple shares. Buy them. Buy them now. Now I tell you. Now!!

So where are the Mac upgrades we need?

Apple have forgotten that computers are what we need, not fancy colourful gadgets.

I predict a new spate of iPhone crime - you had better be sure you buy that life insurance with your new phone - the streets will be very mean.

Considering the EU and Asia are the primary markets for mobile phones, both dwarfing that of the US, it seems odd an unnecessarily cruel to force Europeans and Asians to wait 12 months or more for this product.

Couple that with the astronomical cost of $499/$599, which will probably translate at about £350/£450, with a two (read it, TWO) year contract with it's own monthly fees, and it's a good job this is Apple or no matter it's features, this thing wouldn't sell.

It is very good, and Apple fans will buy it no matter what, but at 499/599 including contract subsidy, this appears to be one of the most expensive mainstream phones of... all time?

In itself it is revolutionary, and exactly what the industry needed, but one can't help but think that maybe a couple less features could have made for a more realistic price point, and that perhaps given the release date, it could have waited until MacWorld San Francisco *2008*!

A heavily muffled big bang.

My 18 year old - studing marketing at University and Mac mad - devoured every word of the Jobs presentation live. I'm not so sure though: when a cutting edge product is announced 6 months before it is available it gives the competition just the shake-up they needs at the top. Competitors will not take this lying down: the phone market is already carved up and they will not take kindly to a new boy.

Apple walks the same tightrope of Sony Corp., another small-ish maverick whose problems started when they failed to follow the success of the Walkman. History may well repeat itself if Apple had misjudged its own capabilities, resources and market. I won't be investing.

Want one! When can I buy it in Europe?

The iPhone is not just another phone on the market. It's a ground-breaking revolution in gadgetry in particular and computing in general. Where else can you get a touch sceen with a built in sensor that knows when you turn the device? Oh, and it makes phone calls, views ordinary web pages (not just wimpy WAP), plays music and video, and takes pictures. I'll assume jet lag caught you sleeping through a part of the presentation. Also, if you're going to keep writing about Apple products would you please spell them correctly? "iPhone" not "Iphone" and "iPod" not "ipod." Thank you.

Looking from the pictures the phone looks amazing. I cant wait to get hold of one near the end of the year.

I think you hit on a big point with 'being a fan of a company'; but that point can be turned around - how different is it to be a fan, of, say, U2? Don't they 'want your money' too? Arguably, Apple are at least more open about it ...

At last, a mobile phone for the rest of us.

A bit too expensive of course, especially when Apple apply their unique exchange rate between the Euro and the dollar.

But, this is hopefully going to encorage other manufacturers to improve their UI experience.

And, maybe, it will encourage more people to shift to the Mac platform and break BG's monopoly.

Apple have sold 80 million iPods. Not sure how many of those are video iPods? The iPhone does look a good product. As a content producer I welcome anything that makes it easier for the public to access media content.
iTV is a welcome addition. Now we will have YOU TUBE
as a TV channel which you can schedule yourself.

The new Apple TV is an odd device. It outputs only 720p HD video, and yet videos sold from iTMS are less than standard SD quality, so people will be finding the videos look a little bad!

So all the hype was just about a PDA from Mac... whats new about it?

The aTV is just not what it should be.. streaming your iTunes library to your TV? Frontrow on a mac mini gives you better options anyway.. £199 seems quite a lot for what it is anyway.

iPhone is a good concept and a nice vision for the future. But there are so many unanswered questions about this product, which I;m sure we will find out as release date looms.

If there was the product without the phone capabilities, it would probably appeal to a lot more people - and plus we in Europe wouldn;t have to wait till Q42007!! ;)

But this was supposed be to the opening of MacWorld.. where were the Mac related products?

No extra Leopard features unveiled or updated iLife app announcements. Spring is just around the corner now, and we don't want a delay on this OS.

On the whole, it was a bit disappointing for what I had expected, especially with the company name change.
It seems more obvious now that Apple may start concentrating more on consumer gadgets rather than their computers and OS!

Just my 2 pennies worth.

Well if past experience is anything to go by when it is released over here (UK) they will simply replace the $ with a £ and I can't see many people paying £500 - £600 for a phone/ipod when you can get phones that do the same for about £100

Has anyone actually noticed that not only has apple changed its name, but its playing beatle records. Have they made a deal with the beatles label also known as Apple. For years the two were at logerheads over the name.

It's not hugely more expensive than an iPod, considering the amount of functionality crammed into there. But then again you don't need to sign up to a two-year contract and pay a monthly fee to use an iPod.

Certainly a very impressive device, though. If it was sold as a standalone device that I could stick my existing SIM card in there I'd definitely be tempted.

Apple have a long history of good and simple design (at a cost).The iphone looks very stylish.Many people said the ipod was too expensive compared to the opposition.Who looks stupid now?

I can't believe you wallies are still spelling 'iPod' 'Ipod'. You sure look pompously ignorant when you do that.

Well, I have only had my video ipod a few months and already its full of bugs and cant even get it to turn off with very little support either from apple..so can imagine how this telephones going to work out

Um... I may be already suffering from Gadget Lust.

I love my iPod, and love my Motorola V3i. But having an all in one so beautifully designed and promising to be so easy to use has to be appealing.

(I'm typing this on a new MacBookPro, so I may be biased...)

Indeed. I think the iPhone will do very well for Apple, especially in the USA, but due to cost (don't you just know it's going to be £500 over here?) and form factor I doubt it will take the rest of the world by storm.

Well, Apple is known for doing things better than anyone else. If Apple tried to oust giants with all their products, they wouldn't be able to cope. Paul's right: Jobs will do just fine. But I do just wonder, iPods filled a poorly filled niche and have done spectacularly. Might Apple TV do better than the iPhone (a name which, incidentally, I think the BBC reported the other day as the property of Cisco Systems)?

I'll confess I've not read your entire blog posting here Rory. It's quite late and I need to get to bed.

I'm sure the iPhone thing is very good but reading the quote from Jonathan Ive, I can't help worrying a little.

The only other person I've heard use the phrase "not too shabby" is a colleague of mine who's got only a few days before she gives birth.

She's frantically unpacking boxes since her recent house move too.

I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lets just hope you have to buy it form apple and not phones 4 u etc as that would drive me mental...

oh but lets not forget

I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE I WANT ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I title this comment "Who Cares?" Microsoft has been making mobile phones that offer mp3 capabilities, wide screen video and 802.11g wireless capabilites for over a year. Oh yes,I do own one. By the way I bought it for less then 150 US dollars and my 4gb mini SD card for less then 60 US dollars. A fraction of what Apple will sell anything to you for. Good job press. Nothing like more free advertising for Apple. Why don't you take a look at what MS has to offer. They have so many phones that it would take years for Apple to catch up.

Did the Starbucks deliver those lattes? And did Jobs pay for them?

Jobs' Macworld keynotes have generally been more about shiny gadgets in recent years than core upgrades. Still, this was very much about Apple the consumer appliance company than Apple the computer maker. I suspect there's more to come -- heck, the Airport Extreme rolled out without a mention, suggesting a wider move to 801.11n -- but we'll have to wait a little longer. So yes, for those who wanted it all served up today, it is a little disappointing.

2-megapixel camera... what a mistake (or chance to sell future versions) Come on the latest batch of phones in South Korea have at least double that.

It would also seem (happy to be corrected) that the camera isn't on the same side as the screen... so you can't make video calls and see the other side at the same time.

Ver 2 maybe the "killer product" but this isn't

A $500 telephone? That can't do email? It certainly looks very, very cool, but where's the beef?

Sharon Watson (above) is right - this iPhone doesn't really have any more/better features than are already available in things like an XDA. I've got an XDA but it's awkward to use, dreadful as a phone, and freezes regularly. As a result I hardly ever use it - all in all a bit like my PC.

What Apple will hopefully bring to the mobile sector is what they have brought to computing for the last 30 years - it does what you want it to do, they way you want to do it. No messing around - it just works. All the current "fancy" phones are a nightmare to use - if Apple can make a great interface tehy are onto a winner, not even considering how amazing it looks.

While I always enjoy Rory's presentation style, I sometimes wonder why the BBC bother sending him on
these assignments, as after a day at CES, then MacWorld;
any coherent or rational reporting goes out the window.
It might be me, but in general terms the BBC seem to lack understanding, as does another on this subject,
any Tech company other than Microsoft.
In response to Paul:
Yes, companies do like to make a profit
No, Apple are not perfect nor saviour's of the universe
Why, would Apple even try to dominate the already Microsoft brainwashed.
All I advise anyone, keep an open mind and
the enthusiasm to try new things....
If not upgrade to 'Vista', buy a 'Zune' and live happliy
ever after??

A few other points.

the user interface is exceptional. perhaps the first one I have seen on a smartphone that you can interact with cleanly (without a tool to lose). this is going to be a seller. have a look at the demos on the website.

the number of applications Jobs demoed is very limited. on the other hand, the use of the OSX platform means they already have a strong programming model with a good sized set of developers. these guys have just got a whole new market.

these days if you are looking for a company phone, then you really do want integration with internal email via VPN. this is an area they are going to fall down on. there is no obvious push-email for example, only IMAP and POP, both 'pull' systems. the other killer app in this space is some sort of integration with Microsoft Exchange (which is why windows mobile phones sell to many businesses). there is no reference to VPN.

the random-access voicemail may not play so well with many european providers. there is no Java implementation (yet). there is no 3G, which you really may find you want with all this fantastic content over the air.

Apple's new I-Phone is hardly round breaking infact they are behind, i already have a phone that does MP3 and media content is called the Nokia N91.

I want one. This is something I wanted before Apple designed it. By the time I can afford one, they'll be relatively cheaper and all the bugs ironed out. And I'm someone who was quite content with a very basic mobile phone...until now.

wow, anyone that thinks this is a "revolution" must have been asleep lately!

i currently have a nokia n91 which dose everything the iPhone (happy i spelt it right Elaine?) does with the exception of the touch screen.

there are many smart phones that are compareable in features and one thing the iPhone is drasticly lacking is 3G support!

and as for the touchscreen id rather have a stylis pen thankyou and touchscreens have been on PDAs for years

and since you can already put linux on phones putting OSX isnt a big step since it runs on a unix base.

i'm sorry there is nothing revolutionary about this

Looks like another excellently designed and properly integrated product from Apple.

I'm surprised by a few things: with such a superb screen, why the measly 2Mpx camera? I would expect at least 3Mpx. With Internet connectivity so integral, why no 3G? And putting the two together, it needs a camera on the front for video calls.

Very odd.

I also think they need to look wider than Cingular if they are to gain a market share over here.

Article titles such as "Worshipping at the Apple temple," plug in to a now widely-recognised stereotype of the Apple consumer as an over-avid, perhaps even uncritical, brand-evangelist.

First, of course, the distribution levels of the iPod have created a consumer-base that breaks widely from this stereotype. But for both these newcomers to the brand, and the Apple-philes that attend Jobs's keynotes, a common phenomenon led buyer to product: innovation of quality, intuitive products.

Nokia, Motorola and Samsung are 'making pretty smart phones'? They're making tacky, disposable, inelegant rubbish. When serious jewellers shop for consumer electronics, they must think the entire market's been dominated by Gerald Ratner.

Simplicity,that's the word.Apple's innovations have always had simplicity at the core of their design.
The large screen of the iphone is most appealing,this feature is a big plus.There will surely be a segment of the market the iphone will be popular.However i think 500$ may be a bit over the spending barrier.

The battery life is likely to be the big problem. The apple website is saying up to 5hrs talk, and up to 16hrs "audio playback". Where is the standby time? As a phone it needs to be at least a few days but I doubt this will be the case.

Mobile phones with their expandable memory can already carry 8gb and many of them can play Mp3s; the 2 MP camera, by time this phone comes out in the UK, we will have enjoyed that on phones for 2 years. Touch screen; well give it time and the more reputable brands will have done that, This Iphone is just to make a quick buck off the Ipod.

Apple may be going down a dangerous path trying to enter the phone market. Sony Ericsson are doing very well in this market with the Walkman phones and it may not be so easy for Apple to march into this market and take it over.

Should be interesting...

Thee proof is in the pudding. Nothing new here folks. MS has been doing this for years

https://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/default.mspx

its gonna cost a lot in a phone market where there is a lot of cheap-reliable-easy2use-fit2purpose stuff. and its gonna take sales away from normal iPods... but it was really necessary... it was gettin silly with this phone+camera+iPod+blackberry... the others will have to follow, and that, if you listen to the propaganda, has always mattered to apple more than profits...right.

next the'll have to integrate credit cards and then keys... so we really will have one item in our pocket which does it all

Wow my friends told me that this was going to be revolutionery and I did not believe them. But seeing it myself I realize that they were right. I would love to get one of these phones but it is too expensive...

It seems that the difference between iPhone and existing smart phones or PDAs is twofold. Firstly the increased sensitivity and accuracy of the touchscreen technology, and secondly the interface - which is vastly more simple and logical than current phones (even non-smart ones which do less). Since it's all software, it can also be developed and improved.

I'd say those things alone make it the important device Apple are making it out to be.

In a culture devoted to onanism,
Jobs is a preferred purveyor of lubricants.

Drive a mini

Own at last count 4 Macs

Finally a handheld that really lives up to the potential

All others are now confined to the dust bin of history

Yet more Media Hype pumped up by Apple and gratefully accepted by the ignorant.(not dissimilar to Blackberry selling handsets based on email 'push' technology). I have run an HP HW6515 for 2 years or so - touch screen, internet, camera, full keyboard, mp3 player, watch my mp4 DVDs on it, GPS (yes SAT NAV!) built in, telephone, SMS, word, excel, contacts, floorplan software (estate agency) headphones, 65k color screen, Bluetooth, IR, SD and mini SD addon storage.. shall I go on....and there are OTHER similarly great devices that have been out there for 1-2 years or more. Yes as a sexy consumer good apple package and present their products like SONY used to... but they are a teen/20-something fashion icon and not an effficient all-in-one device that business can use.
A 'Groundbreaking revolution in gadgetry' it is NOT. It is purely market dominant marketing packaged to appeal - it is a sure fire winner and not leading edge.... it takes computing nowhere it hasn't been 2 years ago.. And hey folks - before posting - do your research don't just jump on Jobs' populist bandwagon.

This thing has been two and a half years in the making and it shows. Those who are whining about the lack of anything new... do me a favour, this is Apple's first attempt at a mobile phone and to me it looks like they've managed to design an amazingly well designed phone with a stunningly good looking and completly usable interface and with all the features you could ever want, how's that for something new!

The 'iPhone' was actually launched before Christmas - just not by Apple! Linksys have a VoiP handset on the market using that very name. Expect their lawyers to be getting in touch with Apple's very shortly!

See https://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/18/linksys_launches_iphone/ for details.

Another yawn inducing triumph for the style over substance machine that is Apple. Don't get me wrong, I'm no MS or linux junkie, I've just been around enough techie corners to have run out of enthusiasm for gadgets that always promise more than they deliver. Another comment alludes to the clue being in the term 'fans of Apple'. I entirely agree, the relentless upward price movement indicates the growth of a generation for whom desire has become all powerful and is ultimately never sated for long no matter how elegant the product. If you don't believe me as yourself how long it was before the novelty of your latest iPod variant wore off and you wanted another one. This product will not make your life better.
The hackneyed old saying says it best, 'a fool and his money are soon parted'.

I'm worried about that large touch screen. I have a touch screen phone now without a keyboard and have to use my fingers on the glass to dial, although I can dial with a stylus (not easy) and i hate the smudges that cover the screen. This looks like it will be just one big smudge forcing you to carry a cleaning cloth at all times.

Some concerns:

No 3G why not? The phone will quickly become outdated.

Touchscreen ONLY, will this breakdown first?

As usual it will be limited to itunes service.

Great looking Gadget, with all the things you'd need... at first sight that is.
Then you start thinking...
1. Have they really figured out how to effectively shrink down the web pages designed for big screens? ... don't think so.
2. I've seen better specs on cheaper phones before, I am sure you have too (admittedly none so sexy)
3. Is the iPhone format closed like the iPod? Definitely.
4. Are APPLE loosing market share to other music playing phones? well... atleast the sales of these phones are growing faster than iPod sales!
5. Whats the battery life really like on this baby? Well, I won't be buying it to find out!

Well lets see now.

Too late to market (by about 10 years)
Too expensive (Like all apple products)
Too over hyped (apple standard practice)

This product will bomb. It doesn't do anything new that others don't do. The mobile phone market is overcrowed as it is.
Yes some "gotta buy it cause it's Mac" will shell out for it, but the rest of the world will give it miss.

I'll even let you all into to a little secret. Putting an "i" infront of something is about useful as putting a .net at the end. It's all bloody hype. Stay well away.

I was BLOWN AWAY by this announcement. It's better than anything I could have imagined. There have been rumours of an iPhone, a widescreen iPod, and a tablet Mac, but putting them all together in one brilliant package with a touchscreen -- simple genius. I was already on the market for a new phone, and the existing 'smart' phones/PDA combinations have been underwhelming. Not only does this meet everything I wanted in a phone/mp3 player, but exceeds by putting in a desktop quality operating system, which will undoubtedly sync with my Macs perfectly. For those who think this is nothing new, try reading the actual Keynote address.

Zune? What's a Zune?

Just looks like another incremental improvement in mobile phone design. If Nokia had announced this, nobody would have raised an eyebrow. One step closer to a Star Trek the Next Generation PADD though, so I suppose that's something.

For everyone complaining about what is new here...the ipod was nothing new, i never understood how the ipod was so popular when i was using cheaper, better and smaller mp3 players years before the ipod came out.

I don't buy the Apple hype - and I don't buy their products.

I think a lot of people rushed into buying iPods before realising how unreliable they are - I can certainly think of a few friends who wish they hadn't bought theirs.

$500 for a damn phone? No chance.

deeply, deeply disapointing

its a sony ericsson W950i with a 2mp camera bolted on.

oh and no keypad

seems like an imature "innovative" entry into what is a very mature market. i'll believe OS X on a handset when I see it, Windows Mobile devices can be notoriously unstable and that is after 5 years of developement and months of network tweaking pre release. An XDA or similar with a 4gb memory card does everything this will do, now AND you can get sat nav on board.

might do well in the states but its seriously behind the times here in the UK

Very nice,not sure it will do that well in the european market as it's a bit pricy and appart from the touch screen nothing new.

What I want to see is the iPod part of the device in a stand alone unit, now that I would buy.

It truly amazes me how ignorant some of you can be.

First of all, its not simply an 'Apple PDA', and if you think that is all there is, then shut your computer down, throw it out the window, and tell your friends and family that you have just about had enough of your newfangled electric typewriter. Perhaps its possible that you dont have a decent grasp on technology and cant fully understand and appreciate what is going on with this truly groundbreaking product. If that is what you think, then you dont even deserve an explaination.

As for the complaints about bugs in the iPods/video iPods, the only people Ive heard complaints from out of the scores of people who own one, are same people that couldnt figure out that the 900000 popup related installers they put on their PCs is what made it run so slow.

PS:You may own a Mobile Windows phone, but its not nearly as elegant or sexy as this marvelous piece of technology. jerks.

As the owner of a Palm Treo I could not be more underwhelmed by the actual news that this phone brings. I like the look, the interface (if it is as good as the promo video promises), the large screen and the functionality. But... the price and 2 year contract, as well as the fact that you can get the same features from other manufacturers at a fraction of the cost and no need for a 2 year contract... I would think again about wanting one... seriously rethink...

What is wrong with you people. This is a phone... Tech advancements are fine and dandy. MP3 players are cool and so is being able to access your email but why must you be plugged in all the time in one little thing. I guarantee you if you go out and do something to improve your health or get more intouch with oyur self out doors, you are going to break your pressious LCD screen and then boohoo you will be out four hundred dollars and you'll be more concerned about what you lost than what you gained. Take a look back at your self and think.

But can it make toast?

Take existing technology, add nothing new, paint it white, make it expensive and brand it under the Apple name. With sharp marketing maybe Apple could make this a success, but with consumers becoming more technology-savvy I will remain unconvinced!

Plenty of posts complaining about the pricing of the iPhone. Please make an effort to look at the way pricing of mobiles work in the States. Smartphones that are currently availablein the UK "free" as part of a network contract are $500 as part of a 2 year contract in the states. It's likely the iPhone will have similar subsidies in the UK as the current smartphones and be available for £100 - £150 plus line rental. Pretty much the price of an iPod.

This is what Apple are offering: A mobile phone that has a user interface that makes current mobile phone interfaces look like a CP/M command line. A mobile phone that truly integrates all the different applications you want from a mobile device in a way hitherto unseen. A mobile device that has an enormous amount built into a form factor that is governed by screen size. Until the roll-up LCD screen truly becomes a reality, a big-screen phone is going to be big; it's the nature of the beast.

Yes, it's expensive, yes it's only available in the US so far, but as far as ease of functionality is concerned it's a massive leap forward. This may just be the kick up the backside the big mobile companies need to persuade them to create a sensible interface for their phones.

It's a crowded market, far more crowded than the music player market, but it seems that again Apple has opened the door and shown the way forward just as they did with the iPod.

Oh, and it does do email, and web browsing (proper web browsing) and other stuff too. This may not be the killer that the iPod was, but it shows how things can be done.

Nice looking piece of kit in terms of both hardware and software, but i have to say the phone hasn't really blown me away, in fact its just "ok". kinda backed-up by a lack of claps from the crowd on the introduction of it by steve - compared to previous products.

When i looked at it on the apple website the screen seems to have no protection. For example i have keys and lose change in my pocket and sometimes i run, and sit down - ummmm i think the screen might be the worse for wear in a matter of days.

Also i cant help thinking that apple and steve are becoming nothing more than a flashy and slick advertising agency - honestly. Perhaps mr steve will be lanching internet explorer 25 in the distant future!

I like the iPod but I already have a phone that does all these things with a touchscreen that works well and it looks similar also - the M600 from Orange which is actually made by HTC in Taiwan.

Granted the Apple device looks neater but my HTC is more than a year old and these things progress rapidly. The Apple label will probably ensure a lot of initial sales but this product feels 12 months late already. More evolution than revolution I would say. And how good is the camera on the Apple phone - no coverage of that so I suspect not that good or we would have heard about it. Still the more choice in phones the better for we consumers.

It is quite clear what is going on here, some posters are Mac fans, some dislike Apple and some, more level-headed commentors, are impartial. Basically, Apple do provide a much more stylish product with an elegant and accessible UI, however to get it you do have to pay a premium and in many cases lose a little functionality (such as push e-mail in this case).

Ultimately the product is undoubtedly going to sell, and it will do very well. However, personally I feel the price plan is high, especially when contracts have to be considered, the absence of competetion among providers a distinct worry, and that the memory is so limited when compared to what people have become accustomed to with their media players.

Also, I have a hard time seeing Apple breaking into the large sectors of business market with the iPhone, where Smartphones and PDAs really make their money. Not because of cost, but of the association with entertainment that Apple has acquired, in the more straight laced corporate world, businesses will frankly want to give their emplyers something more 'boring'. Although I'm sure every Foxtons agent will have one right away.

All said though, it appears to be a great product and in two or three years time, when there will be a +30gig version, with all the kinks cut out and competition amongst mobile service providers, I will likely get one and love it.

For those that think the price tag is hefty, simply look at the cost of the treo750 with a 2 year contract on the Cingular or Verizon sites.

And the iPhone looks way way better!

Rory, in your article you mentioned a lot of things, but you forgot the most important one: the interface, which is truly outstanding. Anyone who would like a glimpse can go to the Apple website and take a look... it's like in a Science Fiction movie.

The negative reactions are always as amusing as the excessive Apple Fanboy comments. "Ten years too late", and "Style over substance" - just as uninformed those people are trying to wind up. Yes, Apple fanatics are easy to provoke. Get over it.

People may already have their phones and PDAs and MP3 players that they're happy with, and have save a few quid on over the Apple equivalent. But the simple fact is that the vast majority of people find simplicity to be by far the most appealing factor in adopting technology. 6-ish years after the iPod launched and very few other companies have cottoned on. This isn't purely 'style' - usability is the substance.

Watch all the iPhone animations on the Apple website. Now name one current phone or PDA that provides that functionality-usability ratio. That's the thing Jobs is interested in. And that's the thing millions of people will buy into.

I'm not sure how many of the comments from the Applelergic posters come from people who have seen the full demos of the iPhone. As a long term fan of PDAs, phones and Apple, I am quite happy to say that looks like a seismic-shift product. Certainly the first that's like likely to bring proper mobile internet to the masses. I say that as an old Avantgo user on the Palm. The implementation of Google Maps alone will put these in punters palms.

And while the HP HW6515 can do an awful lot, I just checked it's price point and it retails between US$600-750, so you're not exactly talking Walmart prices there, either. And frankly, there is not existing PDA or Smartphone on the market or even near the market that looks likely to touch the iPhone in integrated functionality. It's a classic Apple job - there might be others clumsily cramming all of these functions in little black and silver boxes right now, but Apple has bided their time and come out of the box with something that makes them all feel, well, like rotary-dial 1G iPods.

My advice is if you're curious, go have a look over at Apple's site at the demos. It does a lot more than the article alludes, including Push IMAP mail. It will be interesting to see what work will have to be done negotiating with the big mobile operators here in the UK. I suspect Cingular is subsidising some of the hardware cost in exchange for the contract term, and they actually had to make infrastructure changes to accomodate iPhone functionality like the visual voicemail.

This year will not end fast enough!

Its amazing comparing some of the above posts to reality. Looking at the windows site (https://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/default.mspx), it beggars belief how one can compare one of those monstrosities to the iPhone! I mean, imagine calling someone with a QWERTY keypad on your ears! This prouct (as with many other Apple products) is all about seamless integration - it can play the same movies and music that your iPod and Mac/ Window's iTunes can play whilst still offering a fully functional VoIP and mobile phone and internet browser - all the time being the same size as an iPod. Take a step back and realise that the iPhone is comparitive in price to the Sony PDAs in the States; that its been in development for five years; that its related to the 62% market leader in MP3 players. Apple must be doing something right - you can't gain that kinda marketshare just through pretty plastics.

"
1. Have they really figured out how to effectively shrink down the web pages designed for big screens? ... don't think so."

Yes they have. Watch the keynote at apple.com. Watch the full page of amazon or nytimes, and how the zoom function wroks.

You'd be surprised at how much thought went into this phone.

It is a smart phone done right, just like the ipod was an mp3 player done right.

the 6 month delay is really sad, though. I wonder if the FCC is really the delay. If so, they could launch this in europe first.

You mac junkies should come to asia and see what we have here, there's nothing new about the iphone. I'm not suprised they rushed through macTV, that's so old, I've been running TV out on pc for years, but that's because I've been able to upgrade my graphics card. Just remember people, Mac stands for
Masquerading As Computers

Apple's first attempt at a phone and you get this!
M$'s first attempt at an iPod and you get Zune LMAO.
And finally a phone that integrates with my mac!

Although the iPhone looks a very sleek and cool product, as with any first-time gadget, I would wait until it's been tried and tested by the tech community, and the general public.

There is actually a keypad as part of the touchscreen technology, but some things, as noted above, are worth considering: it's not a 3G phone; the camera is inferior compared to other phones, and doesn't work both ways; the touchscreen is as liable to cracks and messy fingerprints as the screen on an iPod (apparently it has a "smudge-free lens coating"), and a simple protective cover or case won't solve this; no iChat video device; no memory expansion slot; no SAT NAV; and, of course, the usual bugs, battery limitations, software problems, playback time and so on that always occur with a first product, even one of Apple's. The inclusion of the Mac OS X and Safari are a bit off-putting, as I'm used to Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Internet Explorer 7. Seems like they're both there just to get pushed shamelessly by Apple into the mainstream.

I would love to wait for all these to be added, as well as maybe mini-DVD playing capabilities, more flash memory to store songs (as well as a normal-sized iPod dependent entirely on flash memory) and wireless headphones (not related to Bluetooth), but those are a while off. I would wait until the 2nd generation comes out. In the meantime, why indeed did Steve Jobs choose The Beatles to play? I do hope it's a sign that we can expect the entire Beatles catalogue on iTunes very very soon...

Still, well done to Apple for the innovations. It is still very, very appealing.

This device is too big, too pricey and its UI is a big unknown. I think we could have a flop here. Just my 2c.

Whilst I love the look of the iPhone, and will invariably end up with one, I'm disappointed to get no news of a 'regular' widescreen iPod, or no new news regarding the rumoured clovertown-laden 8-core Mac Pros...both devices I've been holding off buying until they...erm...exist!

Please everyone, go read everything on the iPhone before you post something about it not having this or that.

No 3G? Here in the US it has Cingular's EDGE network which is basically their version of 3G.

Not innovative? Nor was the iPod it took a previous concept and perfected it and everyone is still trying to catch up. You should really also watch the videos and THEN tell me it's not innovative or intuitive.

Too similar to phones out already? Look at your HP or Nokia or whatever you have, if you just picked it up and never used it before would you even know what to do with it and how to operate it? I am an extremely tech savvy guy and I still get frustrated trying to run these "smart" phones. The iPhone's menu plain works, one look and there is no doubt how to run it.

Too expensive for a cell phone? It's not a cell phone, and any "smart" phone with any kind of similar functionality out there is up in that price range anyways, in the US at least.

Just plain too expensive? Possibly, but look at what is built into it. It's a Sidekick, Mylo, iPod and a cell phone in one.

Screen too fragile (susceptible to scratches or breaking)? Let's find out at the time. Also I'm sure Apple's had people working on that. And also you will be using your finger not a screwdriver to operate this thing. I have a 2nd gen iPod, that has gone through rainy motorcycle rides and freezing snowboarding days, and it works perfectly so all those people who say how their iPods are broken due to Apple not making something up to par obviously aren't taking care of their stuff. I'll put my faith in Apple to make something that works.

The iPhone out by LinkSys? Go read about the agreement they have been working on. Also it's a VOIP only phone (the iPhone from Linksys).

And lastly LOOK at the pictures and video...

That thing is sleek and clean without a cluttered bottom half covered in a horribly laid out QWERTY/number keypad as well as some arrows and a few other buttons. It's not the size of a Buick either (as many other of those "smart" phones are, even the ones with the flip down keypads)

Really, check into things before you start blogging/posting on them.

rather worryng is the tech specs for the Apple TV. The US version runs in high definition and has content to match from iTunes. The UK one is only is standard definition and can display your home movies only at this point. Chocolate tea pot, anyone?

60 says it all.

Since Pocket PC2003 Second Edition and through WM5 devices with full front screens and slide under keyboards (If you are typing on the screen - how do you see your content Steve?) HTC's phones branded with many phone vendors and also available as unlocked unbranded phones have dominated the converged device market for at least three years. We have been listening to music, watching videos, streaming TV content from all over the world, writing documents, spreading spreadsheets and connecting with Text, MMS and pushed email with our iPod killers for years. And of yes - they double as phones!

A fashion accessory an iPhone may become - a business tool it is NOT!

Hi Thomas Eady,
I would believe OS X is running fine on the iPhone. Windows CE probably does still have bugs. I've recently been working with WinCE on a development project and it is very NQR in places.

BTW - OS X and Linux (Unix) are still immune to viruses and spywear - because they're better. Better by design.

Windows is like a fruit cake. All bits and pieces, poorly stirred together to make a cake. Before you take a byte you don't know what you'll get, after of course it's too late!

The one extremely important new breakthrough feature in this phone is the way it accesses internet. Before, you had to do so with telephone signals through the carrier, amounting to huge costs. The iPhone does so using WiFi, which can be accessed at the local Starbucks for free.

See the difference?

Let's face it, you buy this iPhone, you will use it. And once you use it, everything else by comparison will look as though it belongs in the dark ages.

I remember wondering what I would need a mobile phone for… and now I can't live without one. It is now a necessity. If I'm ever lucky enough to get my hands on an iPhone, it will become information at my fingertips.

Give Apple time - this product is so far ahead, the mobile networks need time to get their technology right. Remember when Apple were the first to ditch the floppy disk drive and everyone thought they were mad? They said "you will email all these small files"… and they were right. The world caught up eventually.

Apple aren't stupid, by the time the fifth generation iPhone comes out, it will be able to work on any network. By that time they will come with 40gb hard drives and will sell at the same price they are today. And by that time, everyone you know will want an iPhone… just like the iPod today.

They just need a major network (like Cingular) to guide them at this early stage.

Sorry but no 3G no deal.
Odd how Apple try to claim they are five years ahead of Microsoft and then release a pda which only suppoorts second generation data speeds.
I don't see any European early adopters paying the £600+ it will cost us to take a step backwards from our 3G vario/xda's.
"elegent and sexy" as another poster put it is all well and good but us "jerks" as he put it know style over substance when we see it.

Ok I am a mac head - but as a professional in UI and ergonomics. This phone is not a revolution in terms of how many/few things it does - implementation is key, as ever with Apple Inc.,

to be unprofessional for a moment - where do idiots get off on all this 'but I have had this for years, mine's more of this, 'floor-plan' software - you are completly missing the point. Its is idiocy to think of great products as being a one off, out of the blue phenemenon, equallt moronic to think of greatness as being a function of how much crap/how many buttons is made possible by the produce - you are supposed to be an end-user, not used by the product/company. In fact some of you sound like the kind of people who go around contemporary art galleries saying - 'i could do that'
As with the home PC (Apple), the mouse (Apple), the clickwheel (Apple) and the iPod (Apple) products like this mobile will be revered in hindsight for the significant design and implementation impact they made.

There is a reason why people who use apple products seem fanatical, and it aint stupidity!

It is rather amusing to see that the majority of the media seems entirely oblivious to the fact that Linksys already has an "iPhone". Or, to the fact that Apple's product is just another small step in the evolution that PDAs and phones have already been going through. Can you say, "groupthink"?

Why are people moaning about two-year contracts in the UK and the price of the phone?

Most top-end phones in the UK cost the same as the iPhone is likely to. The Sony W950i, the Tréos, the XDAs etc etc, cost the same. Phone contracts in the UK are 12-18 months. Nobody buys a two-year contract in the UK. But, two-year contracts are the norm in the US.

Jobs was right in his presentation - the user experience with current smartphones is appalling. I have a Tréo 650 and even adding a contact is a hideous process. It's the interface and the way it works that will really differentiate the iPhone (as it does with the iPod over other music players).

Plus the fact that it's GSM-based means it will be available unlocked at some stage and available for general, contract-free purchase.

The only downsides I can see is in a few of its actual specs (2MP camera is average these days) and I'm not yet convinced on the touch screen for messaging/e-mail, but we'll have to see.

Don't sweat the price/contract though. It's 90% certain that's for the US only because that's the way the market works over there.

People are missing the point. Jobs said that the killer app of this phone is phoning people. Companies like Nokia think that people really need useless things that they'll never ever use. The Apple phone gets back to basics.

I'm going to buy one because my current phone (Motorola) is so poorly designed that it takes me ages to find anything in the menu. It has a menu option called "Organiser" in which they just dumped everything that they couldn't shoehorn into any other category.

Yes, many of these features have been out for a while, but they have not been integrated in such a fashion as the iPhone. Remember that Apple did not invent the MP3 player. They entered the market late and made it easy to use. There are lots of MP3 players that are more advanced than the iPod but they do not sell as well because they lack the interface and the iPod+iTunes integration.

Also, someone above mentioned that it does not send email. It does, and I would advise going to Apple's site and reading about the phone before you give your opinion on it.

Expensive? Perhaps but a quick look on my local Vodafone website shows other PDA phones, such as the VPA IV at a similar price. Here in Germany a 2 year contract is the norm, not an exception.

I've been using Apple products since the Apple 2 in the early '80s so I guess I'm a fan. However the hype of this latest announcement faded quickly for me. The phone is very US-centric, and that can be understood since the US is Apple's biggest market. However that doesn't forgive Apple for leaving out 3G support, GPS capability and much more seriously, no real integration with Skype and iChat: no video conferencing seems possible (the camera points the wrong way). Given that the handset supports WiFi, why was this left out? The upcoming Nokia N95 is far more feature rich than the Apple offering.

The obvious selling points of what Apple offers are style (as usual) and a Mac OSX operating system. I wonder how much of the OS is supported though? Will it be a "CE" version?

What I have been waiting for (and still am) is a subnotebook. I expect that there might be something coming in the next few months, based partly on the technology of the iPhone. But that would have been a heck of an announcement this time huh? Too bad we got more hype than substance.

Yawn.... another toy for perennially-bored techno-geeks.
I've been a Mac user from the start and therefore like Apple products, but... More expensive than a Mac Mini... a 2mP camera? (Useful for filming executions, no doubt.) It's certainly a clever piece of kit but "revolutionise the industry"? Maybe. It could prove useful to a few people; it will no doubt be snapped up by the carload by lots of others who simply can't live without the latest expensive toy, but personally I just want a phone to be a phone. And with an old-fashioned ring tone built in, thank you.

Apple is actually bringing itself to its own demise, by releasing products like these. Apple should be more concerned getting their computers to operate in the manner windows computers do (right clicking mouse, desktop icons etc). I can't tell you how many times I see people at the apple store, spending like 15 min trying to find where the internet browser button is, or saying the mouse doesn't right click. They are already using Intel processors, they are losing the "we build our own pc image" By building all these gadgets they are making, they have to make them all windows compatible, as a majority of the computer markets users have a windows based pc. So while they are focused on creating products that are gadgets, and these gadgets that work with windows...they will lose their market share of the pc (Spending millions on Research & Development on devices with a short life cycle). Once they go out, they will have trouble selling PC's to people who only knew what apple was because of an Ipod, and won't even consider them, after it’s gone. I can't tell you how many times people at college, tell the guy with the apple; "Why did you buy it, and spend all that cash?, you don't edit movies". Ipods and I phones, will all have their life cycle, where its a hit then its gone, nothing lasts forever. Computers however are here to stay. Once they abandoned the pc market, and go to small gadgets, and those die out, so will Apple. Toyota has been smart in its slogan "moving forward" they are providing things that consumers need, that others don’t necessarily provide at the current time, at reasonable prices. With Apples new market line there are too many cell phones out there, too many devices you can buy. But reliable PC's are hard to find, and if they don't focus on letting the younger generation learn how to use Apples, they will go too. A great example of what I am trying to say can be seen with Manual cars. Only select few can drive them, and they do provide better performance than automatics (ie apples performance to windows). However, because sticks aren’t in every household (apple is lacking this), the youngsters learning to drive are driving mom and dads automatic car (windows pc). Rather than focus on unnecessary items like adding GPS or something special to manuals (iphones, itv), the paddle shifter was created. It allowed for close performance to that of a manual, with the enjoyment of changing gears manually, and something that mom, dad, and little Harry can drive, without much of a lecture (ie like using an apple pc right off the bat like a windows pc, without intensive learning of new names, locations, keys and other stuff on the pc). Conclusion: At my school we have two computer labs, and the windows lab is always full, where as the apple one has only about 3 people in a 50 computer room. Why? Not because apples suck, it’s because people don't know how to use it. They don't want to sit for a few hours trying to figure out how to do something, but want it instantaneously done.

Why are people moaning about two-year contracts in the UK and the price of the phone?

Most top-end phones in the UK cost the same as the iPhone is likely to. The Sony W950i, the Tréos, the XDAs etc etc, cost the same. Phone contracts in the UK are 12-18 months. Nobody buys a two-year contract in the UK. But, two-year contracts are the norm in the US.

Jobs was right in his presentation - the user experience with current smartphones is appalling. I have a Tréo 650 and even adding a contact is a hideous process. It's the interface and the way it works that will really differentiate the iPhone (as it does with the iPod over other music players).

Plus the fact that it's GSM-based means it will be available unlocked at some stage and available for general, contract-free purchase.

The only downsides I can see is in a few of its actual specs (2MP camera is average these days) and I'm not yet convinced on the touch screen for messaging/e-mail, but we'll have to see.

Don't sweat the price/contract though. It's 90% certain that's for the US only because that's the way the market works over there.

What is wrong with some of you people?! Do you actually think that the iPhone is just a cell phone that plays music and video? Have you done ANY research or have you just listened to what your local news is reporting? Have you checked out the demo and specs at apple.com? What makes the iPhone so special is the complete package - the design, UI and user friendliness, and unique features. Yeah, lots of phones have some of these features, but so many of the coolest aspects are not offered by any other design.

Hi Rory,

Can you post some pictures of the iPhone in this blog? I think many will buy this phone as much as iPod.

You people complaining about the lack of megapixels in the iPhone are putting WAY too much stock in that spec and don't really understand digital camera technolgy. My old Sony 2.1MP Cybershot takes better pictures that my wife's brand new 7.2MP Cybershot. It's because it handles white balance, ISO, and focus better. Try any iSight camera as you'll realize this!

Apple is very good at industrial design and the GUI, yet they lack the technical ability to lead in this market. Technically there is nothing new or groundbreaking in the iPhone, though it's appeal is easy to understand.

"Technically there is nothing new or groundbreaking in the iPhone..." It can run thousands of mini apps called widgets written by average users from all over the world. It detects when you've rotated the device and then it rotates the display accordingly. Yeah, nothing new or groundbreaking.

If you try really hard you might be able to pull your head out of...

Very impressive product. Why is it that Apple always seems to get things right? They create innovative, and tasteful design that works better (and easier) than all competitors, and then the product is copied with a mediocre version and sold much cheaper by larger companies (that most of us end up buying)? Not for me- not this time.

I was excited about Zune, and now will wait for iPhone. I was excited about Windows Vista, and now will wait for Mac OS X Leopard. I know I will pay a higher price, but have decided the quality and superior performance and design are worth it. I am upgrading to the Mac!

Still, why does Apple seem to have the market on cool stuff? All other products, by other companies (computers, mobile phones, and MP3 Players) are boring, fade into the wall, and lack imagination. Is Steve Jobs THAT good?

Well it's just another overpriced waste of money from Apple! He may take swipes at Microsoft but he's well aware that Microsoft is miles ahead of his company! The whole Iphone seems an over priced waste of time, i wanted an MP3 player i got a sony one cos it's good value and reliable. It's not white and overpriced. So i dislike apple but only for their attitude (and that i think their stuff is a rip off)

Hayward, Apple filed more than 200 iPhone related patents, many focused on the UI. Patents mean there was innovation :P

Here's the link to the keynote

https://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/j47d52oo/event/

Its probably a good idea for people to watch it before they start saying things like "nah mate, you can't even make a call or send a text message on it an' my Ericsson T68 does everyfing and more wot it does"

I write Windows software for a living, and I have a Mac at home.

Kevin wrote "Apple should be more concerned getting their computers to operate in the manner windows computers do (right clicking mouse, desktop icons etc)"

That has got to be one of the funniest comments of the year.

It's always noticeable that many of the comments about Apple product are clearly by people who have never used them. "Who wants Mac's colorful, child-like design?' when it's Windows that looks like Fisher-Price and OS X that is shades of grey, and is built on Unix, with its command-line when you want it.

Back to the iPhone. Bear in mind that many people who already own the iPod and don't want to buy 2 devices will end up buying this product. That alone will put it as an advantage.

Specs? Why are people so obsessed with specs? We don't choose our car by specs alone, where we live, the kind of work we do, the best football player etc. Gadgets too. There are some things that can't be measured. Surely by now with the success of the iPod people would have worked that out. A 2MB camera produces a photo about 1600px by 1200px. In other words, it's the most efficient size for computer use being smaller memory yet fitting the largest screen. A 4MB camera may be useful but only if the lens is any good and you're going to later print the picture.

I agree with most of you about the iphone's potential cost. Even so, as for the actual technology? first of all, the iphone may not sound like a technological breakthrough, due to other mobile phone manufacturers & companies already incorporating similar technology into their mobile fones, i.e. email, web browser, and so forth. But for me, what sells this iphone, is not only its stunning looks & design, but it runs on Mac OS X therefore making it remarkable and incredibly stable, enabling the user to multi-task with the stability of the Mac OS.

Mobile fone thefts may sky-rocket like never before & you may even need to take out a life insurance policy at the apple counter, but thats not Apple's fault in my view.
These are social problems due to poor housing, drug & alcohol problems and a lack of resources & prospects available for young people in there local communities.

I'm a huge fan of Apple's products, I've never owned an ipod, but i am a lover of the Mac OS X operating system & Apples range of computers, particularly the ibooks & Macbooks.
In my view, the iphone is another remarkable product from a company which offers reliability, performance & innovative designs with rock solid stability.
This is an exciting release of another product in the Apple range. One day, I'd love to own an iphone :) and no I don't work for Apple!

Steve Jobs? If your reading this, Gimme a job at one of your stores!!

I think it's incredibly sad that Apple has turned into a tech Versace.

And the followers are no different to the hoards that buy Hello! and all that other guff.

However, if I owned Apple stock ...

If you take away the hype and compare the iPhone to existing smartphones it does not look so good. For example, why is the battery not replacable ? When you typing an email then nothing beats a keyboard such as the one on the Qtek.

Also I wonder what the real battery life will be.

I love jokes, like it does multitasking....like Windows Mobile for example.

So far my impression of Apple is that their products demo well but when you use them you realise that is what they are demoware. I have mac mini gathering dust under my desk. I just found it a nasty confusing interface and one that wanted to control me and not the other way round. I don't think Nokia, Sony-Ericcson or Microsoft have much to fear with this v1 phone.

I just loved the iPhone when i opened the apple.com and i was like "I want to have one", Apple Rocks....

Yawn, yawn, yawn. The hp6515 I have been using for nearly two years has more functionality than this.

Colour me underwhelmed.

So it's a mobile 'phone with a small capacity MP3 player and low resolution digital camera? Oh how radical! Well done Steve Jobs for spinning that into a "revolutionary and magical product"

I have a Windows Mobile 2005 phone with a 2gb memory card. It was free on contract and can do all of this today, so I'm not going to pay $500 for a shinier one.

Apple could clean up in the PC world if they lowered the prices.

An awesome phone, will i? won't i? more wills than wont's and my only grip with apple is why am i getting ripped of with the price? i have a powermac pro. absoloutly goregous! superb service.... and so it should be for the price i paid.. you pay for what you get though so nokia WATCH OUT!!!

I love all these PC/Microsoft types- putting it down-trying to say there is already things like it on the market.They dont realise that the thing about ANY mac product is it is always light years ahead of anything microsoft have ever offered and always will be, as steve jobs is not so money grabbing as Gates, and is more concerned with how a product will work rather than how it will sell.This will be no exception.

It seems to be announced very early - which is always worrying.

I've been waiting for the Sony e-Reader for almost 2 years: still not on sale in UK...

One of the BBC reports on the new iPhone starts like this;

Cheers and tears for Apple's iPhone
By Elizabeth Biddlecombe
BBC News, San Francisco

3rd paragraphi in;

'The largely white and male crowd had just spent the last two hours gasping, clapping, and cheering Steve Jobs at'

What the !!!!! Whats white and male got to do with anything??
If she put that the crowd was largely black and female there would be an uproar.
Did she put that because she's black and female? Whats the point there??

BBC editors please edit and have a word!!

2 comments to support "this is just style over substance" views:
1. Large screens on thin devices break (I've been through 2 ipaq 4150s).
2. Check out HTC's P3300 (GSM phone, pda, GPS receiver in-built, great UI, lightweight, includes FM radio, MP3, video, email/internet over GPRS/Edge/wi-fi, Bluetooth, 2MP camera).

iPhone looks awesome but pricey. I'm more anxious to see when the next gen touch screen iPods are announced. My 1st gen iPod mini has taken a beating over the years. I am not buying the current iPod with its stone age click wheel so Apple can release the next gen touchscreen 1 month later.

Plus, call me old fashioned, but I like to grab my iPod when I want to listen to music. My phone when I want to make a call. My MacBook Pro when I want to surf on the go. With the beating my mini has taken over the years, I'd hate to lose my phone, iPod, laptop and $600 in one butterfinger moment.

Hear me Steve Jobs: Make a 60GB iPhone so I can get my whole library into it. Then incorporate a belt clip like the iPod mini has. (I Don't like my portables to be wrapped in so much leather it looks like a dominatrix) Then I can't drop it as easily. Then I will easily send another $600 you way.

The phone is more than what i've been waiting for and puts to shame all the mock-up visuals that have been guessing how it would look for the last 3 years!

However I feel like Ive been given A Christmas present that I cant open until next Christmas!!!

The only problem is its release date.
If it doesnt make it to the UK until next Christmas then certain elements of the phone will seem quickly outdated. These include the 4 and 8gb memory sizes and the 2 mega pixel camera.
Will Apple update these elements before the European release?

The chances are the Nano iPods will soon outgrow their 4 and 8gb sizes this year which will leave the iPhone looking inadequate in the iPhone/pod range.

We are still smarting from the mis-selling of the IPOD video.

My daughter wanted one for Christmas; they were displayed in the shop showing "Pirates of the Caribbean". It was very expensive, 10x an MP3 player, but in reality it does no more. The UK iTunes store does not sell videos (other than some shorts which no one has ever heard of) and the Apple software won't handle any format my 4 different video editing suites will produce.

I spoke to Apple and they confirmed they don't sell videos in the UK iTunes store, pointed me at some third party software and reminded me it was illegal to rip off DVDs. So there is no way we can legally get videos onto the iPOD and no way we could do it illegally with the Apple software.

This is mis-selling on a grand scale. I won't be purchasing anything else from Apple.

Looks like something from Blade Runner. Nice. But nowhere can I find specs on the hardware connectivity or the camera lens or sensor. Will you be tied to iTunes (which sucks) again? The five-hour battery life will translate into three in the real world, and how scratch-resistant is the screen? Wait and see, folks.

Also the time lag and limited connectivity is a great opportunity for someone to get an iPhone killer out in Europe. My Nokia might be chunky, but I was doing more on it than the iPhone can last year. Good luck, Steve!

Whether the iPhone becomes the "killer app" or not,
they've raised the design bar once again.

So I think the announcement of the iPhone serves 3
purposes

a. to develop a new market for Apple ( phone )

b. to show existing customers what a full-screen iPod
may eventually look like ( and keep them waiting )

c. to out-design Zune and make it look like a older-
generation device. I wouldn't be surprised if Zunes
sales take a hit.

Seamless integration is what Apple offers. If you have a Mac, you just know the iPhone will be an extension if it. No dodgy downloads or patches to get them to work together. I have a Sony Ericsson M600i right now (a great phone), however, it's annoying it doesn't integrate fully with my Mac. The iPhone will be my phone as soon as I can pre-order one!

All those people saying "I already have an XDA, my Nokia plays MP3s, blah blah blah" are missing the point, which is that Apple don't just make shiny consumer goods; they are at the bleeding edge of interface design.

Who bothers with email and the web on their mobile at the moment, apart from the ultrageeks? Not only does it perform poorly, it's not instinctive to set up. Apple have perfected the art of taking away rather than adding. The amount of features on my mobile is amazing - their actual usefulness is not.

I agree that this will be an expensive piece of kit, but Apple's innovation could cause a stir amongst competitors which drives down the price.

However this turns out, this is a push in the right direction for mobile devices.

There are literally more cell phones in the world than people. And this although millions don't even have a cell phone...yet. Where are we going to dump all those toxic batteries? Who's going to take out the trash? I love Apple products, I hate Microsoft, but get real, people! Don't upgrade just to be cool. I have one tri-band phone that works on all continents, and I'm going to use it till it dies. I want to leave some space for our children to bury their dead phones in the future :P

Further to my previous, did Jobs demonstrate the achievable typing speed with one finger on a software keyboard? No, thought not.

I wonder why tech companies always leave Africa out of the equation. We are the ones who are really pushing the envelope when it comes to mobile phone usage so why are we being ignored?
I know this phone would have many takers and just by a quick survey in my office in Nairobi, everyone seems to agree that $499 seems to be a fair price. I have been looking for a phone with Wi-Fi capability to take advantage of all the hotspots that are popping up in Nairobi as I do not want to be dragging my laptop along everywhere I go. I was shopping around for a smart phone (phone + wi-fi) and the iPhone has all that I need. One thing that Steve jobs has pointed out, the competitors gadgets have too many buttons and for someone like me they are mostly too small so that I end up pressing two buttons at the same time...basically this is what has kept me from getting the Palm Treo or Nokia E62. I for sure will try to get my hands one one the minute it hits the market.

A phone with 4GB MP3? Already done.

Touch screen? Already done.

Orientation sensor? Already ...

GPS? Alrea ...
The only thing novel about the Iphone is the price, suckers.

I have to say, that although this might not be anything new in tech spech with regards to other 'smart' phones, It makes all other mobile phones look like something from 5 years ago.

This I think will be its selling point.

Another overpriced piece of nice looking rubbish from Apple tying you into bloatware. I won't be buying it.

It's not revolutionary, it's evolutionary.

It has no 3G so surfing speeds will be slow. The touch screen will still get finger prints (something that a visually appealing device could do without).

The sensor which detects the orientation will be useful for some, but if you're reading your phone when lying down then it will get confused.

Apple has looked at what is available on the market, has improved in many aspects. But it's not a technological leader, this phone will be a leader in user experience and usability like all other Apple products.

The revolution is that Apple have entered the market, it's not a revolutionary product.

Steve Jobs is brilliant. The 21st century equivalent of the snake-oil salesman. He could sell snow to an eskimo. The iPhone is aleady out of date, overpriced and under spec'd. The only thing new is that it comes from Apple which will be good enough to lighten the pockets of more than enough people to keep Apple in business comfortably for a couple more years.

It is quite funny reading comments about people being called 'pompously ignorant' by spelling iPod as 'ipod' or 'Ipod'.

I think the greater pomposity of the issue is seen in the level of "It's something new by Apple, it will be marvellous and change the world for the better" that appears in the majority of comments.

In all fairness, it is a new gadget that could be good but will it suffer from the typical Over-price and Over-Sell. "It's so expensive it must be good." (note: sarcasm)

I think it's definitely a case of wait and see.

... and lo, upon the third day, man invented the wheel.

"Bit round, isn't it?" said the naysayers. "What's the point of that then?"

... verily, on the fourth day, was the bicycle invented.

"Pssh", said the mob. "Got legs, ain't I?".

... on the fifth day and the sixth came the hairdryer and the television set, the light bulb and the electric toothbrush and still the mob were not sated: baying and drooling, they cawed things like "duh! we can already do that, matey" and "cor blimey, what a lot of moonshine innit, fool".

- whilst, yea, in the corner sat a small, quiet clique of individuals known as "those with brains", who lived to enjoy this moment called "life" and recognised a good thing when they saw one: elegant, sophisticated, simple.

And the mob roared and Gates wept, and Jobs saw that it was good.

Here endeth the lesson.

It's the size of a bus!

Here we go again. Apple take existing ideas and remarket them. They rely on their sheep-like followers. There is always a better cheaper version than apples. As for that set top box, Sony locationfree over 1 year ago. Apple is the new Microsoft.

The cost will be reduced with contracts. Remember that phones themselves are not cheap pieces of tecnology but are often given away free.

People who complain about style over substance are missing the point.

Pretty much every cellphone with GPRS and J2ME support can browse the web (not just WAP) and do email and chat (with opera mini and the various java im applications). The difference is not made in offering this functionality (since almost every phone can do it), but in making it easy enough to use that non-nerds can use it. Current windows mobile based pda's and smartphones are horrible to use. I know because I own and operate one. The UI is badly designed and difficult to configure. And the windows mobile smartphones are the best of what's out there.

What the iPhone will do is democratize smartphones by making them easy enough to use that people will actually make use of the "smart" functionality. That alone is worth the price tag. The sleek looks are just a nice bonus.

No 3G, rubbish camera, and I bet we don't get to see it until 2008. I don't think Nokia, SE et all are tha worried.

Interesting to read Nokia's reaction though - https://techdigest.tv/2007/01/nokia_responds.html

I ask the doubters to take some time to watch the iPhone part of the keynote. Stevey's right in that modern smart phones are really difficult to use. I've just bought a new phone that isn't a "smart" phone, but like all my previous mobiles, it's just tough to use. Why do I get so many choices? Why is there a button for every option? Why can't I get rid of the buttons when I'm not using them?

The iPhone is cool because it lets each application create it's own interface. A telephone call doesn't need most of the buttons on the average phone so the iPhone doesn't show them until you need them.

I think the difference between a current mobile phone and Apple iPhone is similar to the difference between a typewriter and a word processor.

re 134: Allan Bell, it is possible to get movies onto your new iPod legally, I bought the legitimate PQ DVD to iPod Converter Software (www.pqdvd.com) for approx £19, and can now convert my DVD's to iPod video. the only thing is if you haven't got a fast PC the file conversion can take forever!

From a designer's point of view, the product looks ace and the GUI is a nice touch. However, I would like to see the spec sheet.

Generally there are compromises when it comes to designing mobile phones and certain features maybe missed out - For example, is there space to use Mini SD card, is WiFi a standard feature as in most premium phones - in fact these two are now becoming necessities since data exchange, whether it be music or documents, is a common task on these types of mobiles.

Does it feature a camera of high enough resolution? etc - Questions we need answering before we lay out £300 for a device like this, especially when so many establish competitors can be offering similar devices with better features, and for possibly less.

Odd, the Windows users are moaning already, overhyped, overpriced, blah blah, blah.

Well, do us all a favour and keep buying your junk from Dell and PC World and let us enjoy more fun kit from Jobs, Ives and co.

Having put up with rubbish kit and awful interfaces from Nokia, Motorola ( the worst ) just the idea of OSX on my phone makes me salivate.

Mac Snob? me? Damn Straight I am.

People seem to forget that the original iPod was $499. It wasn't a phone. It didn't play films. It didn't surf the web, It just played music.

People also said the same things. It was too expensive and wouldn't take off.

Time will tell.

Congratulations Apple.

Gotta be honest, it looks nice, but then thats what Apple does best isn't it - apparently the battery life is only 5 hours when the phone is turned on, which is not all that helpfull for a phone, as far as i can see its just a MAC PDA with a phone stuck on the side, its essentially a half way house, inbetween the new iPod and the proper full version of the iPhone. Of course you'll get Mac-Fans running out ready to spend the 400 plus dollars on it, plus shell out a monthly cost to use their phone for 5 hours a day, but not sure how they will make it work in europe, £350 quid for a phone on top of a monthly tarrif would be ridiculous, but i'm sure it will drop with a contract, albeit a ridiculously expensive one.

It does look cool, and i like it, but i don't use half the techy bits and bobs on my phone as it is, cos i've got seperate toys that do a better job. I'll wait a couple of generations thanks.

I can't imagine this doing to well for long, it seems that they've forgotton where phones tend to inhabit, such as my pocket next to my keys. It looks like the screen is perfectly flat scratchy scratchy, it has no 3g so i cant really see it downloading videos and music on the fly. It is not a smart phone, you cannot add software to it or expand its capabilitys. Its resolution is poor, vga phones anyone? Sony erison has a touch phone already out with a 4gb harddrive.

After all the iphone hype of the last few months, what do we get?

A phone that will cost us hundreds of pounds and a phone that's not even going to be available in the UK for a year.

What a load of rubbish.

Also iTV - what's the point of Apple in the UK selling it? You can't buy any TV shows or movies on the itunes store in the UK. And you need more equipment to even use it with your mac (airport, wireless etc).

No news on iLife or the next version of OSX or any new hardware (like anticiapted 12" macbook pro).

This year's Apple Expo had what we were all anticipating - the iphone - but who was expecting the downside? Not out for 12 months and costing a fortune and nothing else really announced. Very disappointing.

"Apple is entering a market where giants like Nokia, Motorola and Samsung are making pretty smart phones."

Well, phones aren´t phones anymore.
They are small computers with cameras you may make calls with.

I have already sold my stakes in Nokia and bought some Apples in stead.

I want one, I want one!!!!

I use a Sony Ericsson P990i, and it is such a let down on the email and web browsing! there's only one reason i still use it....Wi fi.

I think when it's released here it'll probably be free on certain tariffs.

I work for the largest mobile network in the world and i'm pretty sure there will be ways around the price!

Joeri Sebrechts you are 100 percent right and I agree ... until your sentence "The UI is badly designed ...".
The HTC P3300 shows it can be done in WM5 - touch screen, scroll wheel, track ball, a few neat hard quick-start buttons. There are also soft QWERTY keyboards available cheaply to turn the screen into a full keyboard. Micro SD is still only 1GB but it won't be long before we see 2GB and 4GB ones introduced.

Hype.

My Sony Ericsson K800i has a 3.2MP camera (iphone 2MP) I can buy whatever capacity memory card I like for it. It plays music, has a great little speaker, screen is good and I don't really have any problems with the battery.
I fail to see how the iphone is 5 years ahead of its time. Mayb apple were so pleased with all the effort they put into it, like a schoolkid who spent a couple of hours extra on a piece of art homework. Similarly they might get an extra mark or two, - it is their first product and not bad considering.
Seriously get some perspective, its not ahead of its time but it does have the all round package. Looks and an easy user interface are key to most major selling products. This alone will merit the price tag, which isn't any more over-inflated than other mobile releases.

Hype.

Speaking as someone who works in the TV, telecoms & media worlds this doesn't do it for me. Its overpriced, no 3G coverage, underfeatured and Apple's track record with reliability (how many times have you had interface problems with the iPod nano (note the correct spelling for the purists...), the shuffle with iTunes on your computer) will be an issue. Apple have a major problem, the kids at school are all using XP and at college as one of the other posters noted, the Windows labs are full. I will simply sit on the sidelines knowing that MS, Nokia, SonyEriccson, Motorola and Co will simply respond with new features and aggressive pricing. Does Apple have a future; maybe MAC means moving away from computers!

I love the look of Apple products although as a PC user am not a buyer.

I already have a PDA which is a phone as well (not the other way around!). it has Outlook, internet, Powerpoint, Excel, Word, Acrobat, media & a whole host of other extras i barely use. It has a touch screen & a slideaway keyboard. all in the size of a mobile phone. files are not srestricted to what the Apple sites will let you download free or otherwise.

So apart from the look of the Iphone. WHat is there to make me buy it?

History wasnt actually made yesterday.

Computing is finally coming of age. personal PC's are finally being made affordable, usable, and portable enough for everyday use.

I find it hard to believe how few people have actually watched the demo of the iphone. Most seem to have read a few lines of the article from Rory and dismissed the phone as rotten. Sorry but what is rotten is that XDA (the 3rd)device sitting in my desk drawer. Steve jobs demo of the phone took about 45mins and you have to say the product looks classy. The nerds here that go "oh my such and such has done that for years" yeah but is it any good? I had a Creative MP3 player before the first ipod came out and it was so rough it should have been on Eastenders.
If the new iPhone does what Apple says it well sell.

Unreal....This is nothing new. In Switzerland 3G phones have been able to play live TV for well over a year now.
I think this is wowing ludite American geeks who aren't aware that Apple is not launching a new type of device but an existing one. My Nokia N70 plays TV, music and can go on the web.

Just another example of how America isn't aware of what goes on outside its borders such as Americans not using SMS like the rest of the world.

Duh.

There are some big issues on user experience on this phone.

1) Jobs really failed to show that the onscreen keyboard was usable. The success of Blackberry was understanding what a mobile messaging device UI needed to provide. This cannot be a messaging device

2) The soft keys for calling didn´t work. He aimed for 0, hit call. Any one who has used an PDA phone without keys knows they´re awful for a quick call.

3) It´s too big. Mock one up. Try it as a phone. Jeff Hawkins, the inventor of the palm (another revolutionary UI) was very keen on hand feel. In particular, it´s too wide. Feels awful in a trouser pocket

4) You´re going to need a screen protector. And those gestures will become uncomfortable. Your fingers kind of squeeze along the screen. He should have used a clamshell

By the way, I use a Mac and love it.

Re Kevin
[quote]
Apple should be more concerned getting their computers to operate in the manner windows computers do (right clicking mouse, desktop icons etc). I can't tell you how many times I see people at the apple store, spending like 15 min trying to find where the internet browser button is, or saying the mouse doesn't right click[/quote]

M$ copied Apple in their operating systems, and if you use an M$ 2 button mouse you can right click, the one button mouse works fine in the OSX environment.

[quote]Toyota has been smart in its slogan "moving forward" they are providing things that [/quote]

And it's Honda BTW and their slogan is "More fowards please" nice try, close but no cigar ;)

Back to the phone - I would like one, would be a nice addition to my Mac Mini but the price tag is a stumbling block, and as people have said there are phones already on the market that do these things already, albeit not as slick.

I like the look of the iPhone; slick and elegant lines. For the nay-sayers, just take a look at the naff 'mock-up' iPhones that people were frothing over prior to launch; it's easy to run down a design as 'anyone could do it' - until you try doing it yourself.

Reading some of the literature, I think the proof of the thing is when people get one in their hands and start playing with it. There are accellerometers and so on all built in that intuitively work out what the user is trying to do and make the necessary interface adjustments (eg. lift it to your ear and the touch screen disables so you don't start navigating a web page with your ear). This thing really is crammed full of technology that hasn't been seen before.

But it's a bit bulky for my taste. I know it must be a certain size to accommodate the widescreen so it can sensibly display web pages. But frankly that's not what counts for me.

For people who say it's too expensive: suffer in your jocks. Wealthy people buy these things BECAUSE they are expenseive, not in spite of it. Just look at the original iPods...

What the iPhone has done is shown the direction as to how existing things can be done in a simpler and elegant manner.

Sure, there are many phones/PDAs, which can do a lot of the things, but which phone can do all of the things as simply and elegantly as the iPhone claims can be done?

I have seen so many people store different entries for work/home ph1/home ph2/, because they feel intimidated by the UI or simply dont find it easy enough or cannot understand the user manual.

People have talked a lot about this being a non 3G phone. How many subscribers are there for 3G compared to 2G ?

Obviously Apple thinks that Asia is not a big enough GSM market, hence the early '08 date for Asia.

I am from India (currently adding 5 million new users every month) and we dont have any contract system. We have to buy phones off the shelf, so I guess the phone will then end up costing close to $800 - $1000 dollars then ?
I wonder what % for the 1% phone market he will get here !!!

It's EDGE....How bad is that...I'll stick to my HTC TyTN with UMTS HSDPA, thankyou

People have too much money. Of course it will sell. It will see for the same reason that bottled water sells at a 500% mark up. People have more money then sense. And would rather look cool then help there fellow man.

What Apple does - and does extremely well - is take complicated techie stuff and make it easy to use AND look sexy at the same time. No, there is nothing in the iPhone that you can't get in another phone, but boy does it look easy to use. No hidden menus, easy to access keyboard for typing and, as with all Apple gizmos, fun to use. It's not for the geek but the man/woman/grandparent in the street. And yes, I want one, big time, so it can can actually talk with my big, expensive, bloatware-stuffed computer that never crashes and never gets a virus - my beloved iMac.

i think it looks amazing. For the people who moan about or have something negitive to say about it heres a bit of advice. Don't buy it.
I ditched my pc for my imac last April and will never return to windows.
Hopefully this will help more people convert to all things apple.
Better start saving now though!!!!!!!!

As with the iPod, its the content provision that will make or break the iPhone.

As a 'late adopter' in most things, having an improved user interface is not going to make me pay the price premium that Apple appear to be demanding.

However, If the cost to download a song from the mobile network is "around" the same cost as iTunes, and the experience just as slick, I might be convinced. Otherwise, I'll stick my simple phone and a separate mp3 player.

As with a previous comment, I have been using XDAs for years that have all the capabilities of the iPhone, for a fraction of the price (I actually got mine free last upgrade). Don't be beguiled!!!

Not overly impressed

The phone has been designed firmly with the US market in mind - a market used to function over form. Giant Blackberry's with ugly QWERTY keyboards are commonplace over there.

In Europe, SMS messaging is vastly more popular than using email on the phone, and it is heavily about sleek design and being as small as possible. The iphone is big, 'organiser' over 'fun', and a lot of the technology is out of date already. 2mp camera? Come off it!

What exactly is new here? Media playrs to connect to your PC are already in use and the iphone ... all of this functionality and more is presently available on my mobile that cost me less than £100 (albeit with contract)a year or so ago. Sure, it's prettier and funkier but then a year down line every current phone is prettier than mine. That said, Apple's strength has been making technology accessible with well designed interfaces and good reliability. Most people do not make use of all of their current phone's functionality so maybe this product will succeed not because it is new technology but that it will enable everyone to use it. Ultimately the hype will generate enough sales from the trend-led sheep to make it a success.

I like it but as soon as you put it in your pocket and the screen gets scratched then it will soon be useless

Yes, the iPhone looks fantastic. Yes, the scrolling function, Coverflow, and sensor functions (such as switching off the screen if the unit is to your ear to save battery power) look pretty nifty.

HOWEVER, this will be shipping in the US without 3G capability (3G is due for quarter four of this year, so it'll be available for the Europe release), seems to be bound with some truly diabolic contract requirements, and the virtual keyboard demonstrations on www.apple.com seem to rely on the user using their fingers- as opposed to the thumb use that the mobile market is dominated by- for typing. Do Apple seriously think that users will massively shift how they use their mobile phone? Surely, unless you can type with all the fingers on one hand, you'll need to lay the unit down in order to use it in this way.

Another classic Apple product- all style, little function.

I just want an iPhone nano.

The iPhone looks great, but its size makes for a good (if you like it small) video iPod / webbrowser / tablet computer. Not for a great phone.

I'd compromize on screen size to have the phone as small as the nano!

Price is a big concern to mobile phone users. In addition,the 24 month contract is longer than any existing one. Will Apple lose the grip on the users?

This is it. I want the rightsto all things i; iMop, iGlass, iSpoon. Steve has done it again. Does this man have a time machine hidden at his offices?

As a Graphic Designer I have always used Macs (and find PC's the work of the devil - cannot use them to save my life), so when I heard about the iPhone my heart skipped a beat and I knew I would have to buy one! I think it is going to give some of the mobile phone companies a run for their money (and I hope it's alot better than my New Nokia which keeps crashing)!!!

To those saying the price is fine for them, that is cool but there are problems. One poster said that the price would come down with contracts, that may be the case when it finally appears over here, but the US price will be either $499 or $599 before you take out the two year contract, and as there is only one company providing that service, they can charge almost as much as they want.

That might change over here, and you might be able to get it for practically nothing with business plans, but I am really unsure of that.

Looks nice I agree, it anyone using a phone with a nice big screen is constantly having wipe the screen to remove ear and finger prints.

I'm currently using a MDA Vario phone (aka XDA).
It does everything the iPhone does and more, has touchscreen, plays mp3s, plays videos, takes photos, takes videos, fullt web browsing, TomTom GPS, Wap networking, GPRS, 3G. I could go on a lot more, and it's been out nearly 2 years already.

Not impressed by the iPhone just as I wasn't impressed by the iPod

Of course, the really essential keyword here is 'shiny'. The problem with most technology devices is that they forget they are really about as essential as ingrowing toenails, and that civilization has existed just fine without them for a couple of thousand years. So, lets face it, these are toys, so if they're going to be toys they'd better be really good toys. First impression is that the iphone at least is that.
Shiny!

Once again Apple takes pre-existing technology and ideas and dresses them up as "new" and "revolutionary" and the audience goes "ooh!" and "aah!".

>> They didn't invent portable mp3 (I had one before iPod came out).
>> They didn't invent portable video (ditto).
>> They didn't invent the online music store.
>> They didn't invent wireless TV streaming (Sony's two-year old LocationFree anyone?).
>> They didn't invent touchscreen phones (I have a Sony smartphone with mp3 and video support and a touchscreen or a removable keyboard - a choice!).
>> They didn't invent the mobile phone/mp3/video player/internet - you can already buy several different types.

They just act like they did. And people believe it.

Speaking as a user of Macs, Windows boxes and various flavours of Unix:

The iPhone is a decent package, but definitely one geared to the US market. That was summed up for me by the comparative lack of focus on SMS as a major app as it is in Europe. The key thing is that the phone wraps up a lot of existing stuff and bundles them well together, more so than most of the current market leaders to be fair.

Ease of use is a big thing and, while not as simple to use as a standard iPod, is still fairly clean and very well designed. Batteries are also still an interesting question.

The major barrier for me is capacity. People like me who have a nearly full 30Gb iPod are going to struggle with the 8Gb capacity of the iPhone (though that will probably get closer to 16 or 24 by the time it hits Europe). I might think about getting an iPhone when they arrive, but I'm not fully sold on it yet.

I have always been underwhelmed by the apple TV idea though. Why bother with this when for not much more you can have a Mac Mini and an eyeTV digital TV tuner that does more and has a hard disk for recording? I don't really see who the market is for this.

We consumers love items that look good and do the job well.

Any woman would prefer to wear versace than some dress from H&M? Any business person would prefer to go to a savoy tailor than get a suit from Next? If we could afford to do these things, we would.

Apple is an icon, they make products that do a fantastic job, and i do not doubt that this phone will do a fantastic job, and being built on OS X it will hopefully do it very reliably, like all other OS X products.

Yes i do own an iPod, yes i do have a Mac (note i only purchased my first Mac 3 months ago! Yes i do think it is the best computer and OS i have ever owned, but then it does what i want it to do with an ease that seems to be exclusive to Apple products!).

With the iPhone's looks, OS X and all the functionality that will come with that in time, the apparent ease of use of the UI, and of course the Apple name, who cares about the price? If people can afford it they will buy it. I know i will.

Please note, before anyone comments, i did not intend to compare Apple to Versace or a Savoy Tailor, they were just names i used to get my message across. As with many people i would pay more for an item that has the Apple name on it than something with MS or such on it, as i know it will be well made, functional and above all reliable!

I have a great deal of respect for Apple's past and present UI folks. But the product itself seems overly ambitious for a company with increasing frequent production engineering problems (batteries and scratched screens on iPods, batteries on notebooks, the trackball and side buttons on Mighty Mice).

In particular, I feel sure that the phone giants will have experimented with touch screens - they're the obvious way to go for 3G - and decided that there were sufficient problems with them to justify the extra cost and complexity of sliding or folding cases.

However, since the phone doesn't have FCC clearance yet (so how *did* he make those calls at the presentation?), the formal announcement has given the competition ample time to respond, even if it's only to run advertising campaigns along the lines of "So what can you do with a Blackberry that doesn't have a keyboard?"....

Don't get me wrong. The iPhone will be a roaring success - by Apple's standards. But by Nokia's standards, it will probably be a flop.

...and I thought the iPod was a 'mugger magnet'.

I don't accept that its too expensive. For one thing it has 4 or 8gb of memory not the 60 to 80mb of memory typical in smartphones.

I don't accept that its nothing new either. Multi-touch, the auto portrait to landscape thing, full web-browsing and HTML email plus some of the other features look both new and seriously useful to me.

My concerns:

01. One network!! Hopefully this won't be the case when it hits the UK. I understand the need to work more closely with networks than with a standard phone but I would like to have seen at least some choice and competition on the network front. Even two providers would have been better than just one.

02. Not enough memory. Yes vastly more than other smartphones but I have 11gb of music on my aging 20gb iPod. I need room for that, movies, and all the apps etc if this is really going to replace my iPod AND do all it promises. 40 or 60gb and I will be seriously interested.

03. No 3G. Though Steve Jobs did suggest they were working on that, though, and I would hope they have it sorted by the time it gets to Europe.

It's hilarious listening to all the comments about Apple just copying what's been done in the market.

Yes - they're working with existing technologies. Yes - a lot of it is available in other devices. But the fact is the masses have not yet been convinced about adopting those features. Very few people have web/email capable PDAs compared to the size of the mobile phone market. Very few people naturally want to use current touchscreen technology.

The revolution is that the iPhone brings those technologies to the masses. It convinces them that they're easy, usable functions, in the same way that the iPod convinced them that listening to portable digital music could be natural rather than a technological thing.

It's annoying that Apple charge a premium for that, but the evidence is there that people will pay it.