Anyone get their I phone yet?
- Thread starter DDankew
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Used one yesterday and works great! I have a motorola A1200ming that looks like an flip phone I-Phone except smaller and has a clear flip down cover. It also is touch screen and it feels odd not being able to feel the buttons but you get used to it.
Coming soon.
Wi-Fi is high speed internet.
True, but that's the price you pay to have ultra-small/thin. I'm okay with this. Certainly it hasn't hampered my enjoyment of my iPods for the last 6 years. Come to think of it, I haven't ever removed the battery from my current cell phone either.
True. Not a big deal to me given sufficient built in storage.
What? It's a Video iPod. IMO that's as decent as it gets.
True. I've never had a voice command phone so I won't miss this feature but I can see where it would be nice to have.
These last few years have been tough for the Apple haters.
Web 2.0 applications are NOT 3rd party apps that get installed on the phone. It's just a web based application you run in a browser. Big whoop.
He means UMTS/HSDPA, though I'm sure you realized that.
I find it ludicrous to think a non-removable battery was not included because of technical limitations in order to achieve a thin device. Clearly there is some ulterior motive here.
He means UMTS/HSDPA, though I'm sure you realized that.
I find it ludicrous to think a non-removable battery was not included because of technical limitations in order to achieve a thin device. Clearly there is some ulterior motive here.
Ski_Banker
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Of course, it's smart business -- ensures ongoing revenue. Think of your $50 HP inkjet printer that needs new $20 cartridges every few months. The $79 battery replacement fee probably costs $10 in time & materials, so $69 falls to the bottom line. Probably not much different than fully loaded contribution on a new product.
BTW, it sucks for me as a consumer because my 2 year old Ipod Mini crapped out finally. Battery life dropped from 3 hours to 45 mins. Bought an 8GB nano and the sucker works for at LEAST 10 hours straight.
It's a web based application that will live in the phone and run in the browser that also lives in the phone. I don't think most users will know or care about the difference.
I have some gripes about the iPhone myself. Most notably the lack of a visible file system and inability to take video. But, it's a version 1 device. I don't blame Apple for concentrating on what they thought was important for the launch and realize that customers like us aren't their initial target audience.
It's incredible how much gadget geeks complain when iPhone (or any device) doesn't check off every box on their wish list. The thing to remember is that 90% of the complaints are things that can and will be updated via software. That includes things like voice dialing, 3rd party software, A2DP, mass storage, etc. This is version 1.0, as bodypainter notes, and it's exciting to see a new platform that will no doubt grow and evolve in the coming months and years.
I'm having lots of fun with mine, and although I can see and agree with many of the complaints, it's clear they focused on making a core set of features work extremely well in a polished way. Exactly what the iPod did in spectacular fashion (which was also rejected by geeks at first). This phone is just what non-geeks need to get an introduction to smartphones. Just the essentials and a few extras, done in an easy-to-use way.
And on the 3G/UMTS issue, look at it this way: It's a balance of compromises. Considering that current 3G chipsets take significantly more power to operate than EDGE (as noted by my friend at Qualcomm), there is a design cost to incorporating them. Suppose you shoehorn your favorite 3G hardware in. The phone now needs to be thicker because the chips are physically larger. You also now NEED that replaceable battery because you lost 40% of your battery life, whereas before, the runtime was good enough that the permanent battery didn't matter to most people. Now, you have a phone that is bigger, clunkier, and doesn't have the power budget to power that screen at such a bright level. If these features were as simple as just adding them, they would do it, but it's not that simple. Look at how fat the Nokia N95 is, and it still has a really short battery life anyway.
You can be sure that when the power requirements and physical integration of the chipset improves, 3G will be added in the next version.
I'm having lots of fun with mine, and although I can see and agree with many of the complaints, it's clear they focused on making a core set of features work extremely well in a polished way. Exactly what the iPod did in spectacular fashion (which was also rejected by geeks at first). This phone is just what non-geeks need to get an introduction to smartphones. Just the essentials and a few extras, done in an easy-to-use way.
And on the 3G/UMTS issue, look at it this way: It's a balance of compromises. Considering that current 3G chipsets take significantly more power to operate than EDGE (as noted by my friend at Qualcomm), there is a design cost to incorporating them. Suppose you shoehorn your favorite 3G hardware in. The phone now needs to be thicker because the chips are physically larger. You also now NEED that replaceable battery because you lost 40% of your battery life, whereas before, the runtime was good enough that the permanent battery didn't matter to most people. Now, you have a phone that is bigger, clunkier, and doesn't have the power budget to power that screen at such a bright level. If these features were as simple as just adding them, they would do it, but it's not that simple. Look at how fat the Nokia N95 is, and it still has a really short battery life anyway.
You can be sure that when the power requirements and physical integration of the chipset improves, 3G will be added in the next version.
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Please pardon my ignorance:smile:. I don't have iphone yet. I do have a few questions before taking the plunge.
1. Every single review I read, someone mention about slow EDGE network. Is it really that much slower than 3G/3.5G?
2. Assuming the newer version of Iphone with 3G chipset is released in Q1/08. Is it possible to buy the newer version, sell the old one and use the existing ATT 2 year contract without having to sign up for another 2 years or even better just add it to the family line, so we have 2 Iphones?
I have been checking out various phones at this sites:
http://www.coolsmartphone.com/
http://www.phonescoop.com/
http://www.dynamism.com/htc-s710/main.shtml
A lot of phones pack a lot of punch/features, look great on paper, but Iphone still seem by far the most attractive, reasonably priced "COMPARE" to Nokia E90, N95. HTC touch, LG Parada, etc. I see a lot of smart phones in $299~$400 range. I don't see any reason why not pay a little bit more for the Iphone. Please educate me.
1. EDGE is quite a bit slower than UMTS, which is the 3G network that AT&T is currently building. It makes surfing the web kind of painful, so you won't be surfing for fun that much. When you need to look something up though, it works quite well. Also, the speeds vary depending on where you are, and how busy the cell tower is at that moment. I have gotten between 60 and 170 kbps over EDGE. However, the phone does have wifi, and it is pretty fast in that mode (but not as fast as a fast PC, of course). Currently AT&T's 3G coverage is pretty sparse, if you look at their coverage maps.
2. No one has announced any upgrade policy, and I imagine they won't announce anything until they are ready with the next phone.
3. I suggest you go to an Apple store and play with one a bit. Play with other phones as well so you can judge for yourself. Another couple of good reviews are here:
http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=3526&source=HOMETOP
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/iphone-review.ars
People are already starting to make some useful webapps for the phone. There is a pretty good IM client already (iphone.beejive.com), which I have been using.
Also if you're considering dropping $300-$400+, I'd recommend checking out a PPC/PDA type of phone rather than a smartphone. A few of us on this forum just picked up the HTC Hermes (Cingular 8525) for virtually free and that phone has a real keyboard, expandable memory (microSD), runs windows mobile (comes with WM5, upgradeable to WM6), has WiFi, UMTS and HSDPA support, 320x200 (which is lower than the iPhone), it comes with lame voice command, but you can install Microsoft voice command which is the #1 must have application IMO, 2 megapixel camera if you're into that, quad band, and if you want to pay the extra, Cingular offers push-to-talk service for it. It would be the perfect device if it had a VGA screen and GPS. The forthcoming HTC Polaris (VGA/GPS but no keyboard) or Kaiser (AGPS) should be even better.
BTW, I'm in the northeast and ATTs UMTS coverage here is excellent (and I even find areas with HSDPA which is even faster than UMTS).
BTW, I'm in the northeast and ATTs UMTS coverage here is excellent (and I even find areas with HSDPA which is even faster than UMTS).
Well Apple has announced a cheaper version of the I Phone to debut in December in the $ 300 range. It won't have as much memory but for $ 300, I think a lot of people will wait.
I've gotta say that you're just wrong on assuming that. If it is so easy to predict, then join the other 3.5% of the investment world who is short Apple... there is not a large number of people that share your belief (disclaimer: of course the % float that is short doesn't necessarily predict market optimism and/or pessimism and doesn't mean you're wrong). You can easily become very rich in a very short period of time if you know with certainty that it will flop - I say go for it if you have that kind of conviction.
Keep this in mind though, I think it is safe to say that the business world has decided to let the iPhone and blackberry coexist. Witness RIM's huge run on the realization that the blackberry will stay relevant in the the corporate world. Also Witness Apple's huge run with their tremendous ability to sell fashion... like the iPod, fashion is all that is necessary for a winning product from Apple.
Ain't happening. Just some bogus rumors that went around for a couple days.
As already posted, Tom Dickson at Blendtec got one! :wink:
Would a 100% flop of the iPhone hurt apples stock at all though? Being they didn't have an iPhone 30 days ago, I wouldn't think the stock price should move unless investors drove the price up in anticipation, which I guess probably did happen?
I give apple 5 years before they're in real trouble. The iPod will eventually be replaced by something cooler. From what I understand about apple as a company, the ipod it the only thing keeping them above water?
The iPod is what is allowing their stock to double every year. Even without iPod, they are doing quite well in sales, especially since the introduction of the Intel based hardware.
A 100% flop would kill their stock if for nothing more than sentiment. However, there is much more than investor sentiment riding on the the iPhone's success... the stock market tends to be a leading indicator of the profitability potential of the underlying company... about 6 months out or so and much longer for companies with negative cash flow. The iPhone started getting priced-in to the stock the moment the announcement of it was publicly disseminated, hence the big upward move on the announcement and the subsequent run up to the release.
The iPod is definitely their revenue driver. What it has managed to do is to make apple hip. The iPod is much more than just another gadget that will be replaced down the road, think hard about it... it is a household name and a cultural fashion statement. Sure, the electronics consumer is fickle, that is why Apple must defend their castle by staying on the offense, but their mote is HUGE.
Now, I don't have a strong thesis on which way I think Apple will go over the next 5 years (I do have moderate conviction to the upside as long as Jobs is captain), but I would be willing to bet they won't be down and out as you have mentioned... they have way too much intellectual capital and brand appeal. As it stand right now, Apple is not just keeping its head above water, it is throwing off tons of cash that is going right back in to the company's growth - hence the appreciation in its equities.
Seriously, if you can formulate a very strong thesis as to why Apple will go under in 5 years, and you have undying conviction... you can become a billionaire in the stock and derivatives market over that time frame. Honestly, this is how many multi-millionaires are born, by going against popular consensus and focusing a relatively small amount of money on their belief (though they usually ride the upside as apposed to the downside).
As for my personal feelings on the iPhone, I don't want one because I don't like the carrier. If there were carrier choices, I would have one in my pocket right now because I would love to have a video iPod and phone in one device. Apple does have patents in for a smaller sized iPhone like device, so that is something that'll probably be popping up in news headlines next year if the move on it (though Jobs will have to deny the idea, he can't deny the patents, as any project that they decide not to go through with and is already priced-in will hurt his shareholders). We'll just have to see where that gets us. Either way, if you took the iPod nano and gave it basic phone functionality, I bet you'll see a lot of teens running around with one of those.
haha... when I talk about subjects that are analytical or technical in nature, I tend to speak in the sometimes cryptic language of the subject - I think I do this in an attempt to be as explicit as possible. I'm actually a software engineer (with my education in computer engineering and computer science), I just make the great majority of my income in "the markets." Not to be nitpicky but CFA is "Chartered Financial Analyst" not "Certified Financial Analyst." I know because I've considered getting it. :tongue: :biggrin:
As for the $160.00 projected price target, that sounds about right to me. At this snapshot in time I calculate them to be worth about $145 on the fundies - but as we know the fundamentals don't always drive prices. That projection you have gives extra premium to growth, and it should since it is probably a 12-18 month target and Apple is a proven earnings grower... I've also seen much higher projections.
Anyway, I don't really have any sort of conviction either way for Apple. I think they've carved a nice niche and I believe they can continue to grow at the same rate or much better if they stay innovative. I like their stock for the next 1 to 2 years (btw, I don't own any APPL - too many other good stocks that I know more about). I like the iPhone on different networks and a bit cheaper, otherwise I think it will wobble a bit before it sticks.
Thanks for the suggestion. I did so for about 15 minutes, maybe I should not have done so. Walked out a Little bit confused, puzzled.
IMHO. After spending a week doing comparison, reading reviews and watch countless phone review videos on Youtube. I think for the money it is great bang for the buck, especially considering I don't even have a Ipod and even a crappy Wi Fi device like Sony Mylo cost $250~$300. I really tried hard to convince myself there are better buys, I can't.
About the EDGE network, will there always be support for EDGE even after release of 3G compatible Iphones in the near future?
I thought this review was informative and unbiased from a casual user:
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Well I actually have the phone. Got it the day it came out. I love it. I wish it had MMS and better ringtones, but I feel confident that will happen in the future. I love it so far. I am a previous NOKIA user with an 8801 so this is my second 600.00 plus phone. I think it is worth it if you are a gadget electronic guru type kind of guy, if not dont bother. That's the bottom line. Battery life will get you through the day. No problems with corporate or yahoo email. I think the phone rocks and this is coming from an ACTUAL user and owner!
I'm had my iPhone about 12 days now - it is a beautiful device. Regarding no support for corporate email - that is not accurate. It supports Yahoo Mail, Gmail, .mac and AOL mail via a wizard type of interface, but you can manually configure IMAP, POP and Exchange email access as well. I had my two POP email accounts working on my phone in about 5 minutes. The phone also supports VPNs (L2TP and PPTP) and a proxy for web access so I'm not sure what the "not IT friendly" compliant is all about.
It isn't perfect - here is my list of shortcomings... Bluetooth headset only works for calls, not voice mail access (ie, you can't listen to voice mail via the BT headset). No BT support for stereo headsets, object push, modem or file access. Only about 20 ringtones available - and most are annoying. No video mode on the camera. No zoom or any type of picture adjustment on the camera. No voice commands.
However, I expect firmware upgrades from apple will cure most of these shortcomings. There is no way that Apple isn't going to provide ringtones (and I'm sure that they will find a new way to make lots of money with it).
On the plus side - besides the lovely UI that everyone sees - the iPhone multitasks very well. When on a call, you can access just about any other phone function - browser, email, calendar, contacts, camera, etc - with ease.
People compaining about the iPhone's limitations remind me of people who say that the NSX "is underpowerd" or "is just a Honda" or "is over-priced"... all true, but that doesn't mean that it's not one helluva car!
That said, here are my complaints about the iPhone:
- can only SMS one person at a time
- can't save attachments from e-mails to the iPhone (not even pics)
- can't send/receive pics in SMS (MMS?)
- battery life (for me so far) is only about one day of use (plug it in when I go to bed and unplug it when I leave for work)
- it takes more than 2hrs for a full charge from 10% battery remaining
- no external memory
Still, it's the coolest phone I've ever owned and while people ask to play with it when they see that I have one, I don't own it to be cool or for a status symbol. Anyone who says people are buying them for such reasons surely isn't referring to me. "One should never generalize":biggrin:
That said, here are my complaints about the iPhone:
- can only SMS one person at a time
- can't save attachments from e-mails to the iPhone (not even pics)
- can't send/receive pics in SMS (MMS?)
- battery life (for me so far) is only about one day of use (plug it in when I go to bed and unplug it when I leave for work)
- it takes more than 2hrs for a full charge from 10% battery remaining
- no external memory
Still, it's the coolest phone I've ever owned and while people ask to play with it when they see that I have one, I don't own it to be cool or for a status symbol. Anyone who says people are buying them for such reasons surely isn't referring to me. "One should never generalize":biggrin:
I want my ringtones, and maybe MMS. I'm sure we'll get those in time. I wish the wallpaper would display at all times, not just when its locked.
