iCannot Tell A Lie: iPhone Is Official
Here it is. The long-rumored, long-awaited, long-argued-about Apple wireless phone/iPod combination. Let’s all breathe a sigh of relief, and thank the dweebs in Cupertino who came up with it.
And yes, Virginia, they will call it iPhone. (In spite of the fact that Cisco has had a trademark on that name.)
Steve Jobs’ announcement during today’s MacWorld Conference in San Francisco came about 45 minutes into the presentation. After he told everyone he’s just going to talk about Macs. I hope no one in the room fell for that one.
At about 11 and a half millimeters thin (take that, Motorola RAZR) with a 3 and half inch wide touchscreen display, this is one sexy device. We should say “multi-touchscreen” because it reacts differently to multi-finger touches (no stylus), and shuts off entirely when you put it up to your face to talk into it.
Like Mac’s computer mouse, iPhone has only one button, the “home” button. And like Mac, it runs OS X. Its internet browser is based on Safari.
The rumors about Cingular being the carrier are true; it’s a GSM Quad-band EDGE device plus WiFi, but with one-of-a-kind capabilities like one-touch conference calls and an iChat-like multi-user text messaging capability.
And, oh yeah, it supports iTunes. (No expansion slot, but comes with either 4 or 8 gigs of memory, in case you were wondering.) Full widescreen iPod capabilities from what we’re told.
With seemingly magical touch control and navigation through a zillion different capabilities, it’s like the wireless handset Walt Disney might have created.
How much will it cost? When will it be available? These questions, which we like to answer whenever Nokia comes out with a new cameraphone, seem so trivial.
This is a revolution, don’t you understand? Steve Jobs wants you to revel in this moment.
O.K., the moment’s over. How about $499 for the 4GB version, with a 2-year Cingular deal and all incentives. $599 for the 8GB iPhone. Availability in the U.S. as early as June, in Europe by the end of the year, in Asia not until next year.
Apple, iPhone, Steve Jobs, Cisco, MacWorld Conference, Cingular, GSM, EDGE, Mac, OS X
[via BetaNews]
January 9th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
I am currently VERY happy with my cell phone provider (not Cingular) but am actually considering switching to Cingular so that I can have the opportunity to use the iPhone. That probably would not be a smart move, but I don’t think I’ll be able to resist.
January 9th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
This phone will draw customers to Cingular who wouldn’t have gone near them in the past. I wonder if the price point will keep people away. But as with the iPod, I’d expect Apple to create an entire lineup of iPhones, including something in the $150-$200 range that could pull a huge market share.