iPhone release date, Availability and Third Party Applications

Steve Jobs had a Q&A with the Wall Street Journal's "D : All Things Digital" where he answered some quick questions on the iPhone.
He Confirmed that the iPhone would be available by late June.
When Mossberg (WSJ's technology columnist) asked him if it might be the last day of June, Steve replied "Uh, yeah ..."

When asked if there would be enough iPhones to make it available to more people on the release date, he quipped "I don't know, I hope not "

On allowing third party application developers, Steve said "This is an important trade-off between security and openness. We want both. We're working through a way, we'll find a way to let third parties write apps and still preserve security on the iPhone. But until we find that way, we can't compromise the security of the phone."

"I've used third-party apps. The more you add, the more your phone crashes. No one's perfect, and we'd sure like our phone not to crash once a day. If you can just be a little more patient with us, I think everyone can get what they want."

So now we know the iPhone will be released in late June, with it being possibly open to Third Party applications. Hopefully availability wont be an issue on release day, but we all know that wont be true.

New Apple Patent to keep iPhone signals clean and interference proof

Apple has developed a way to keep the iPhone and any other future wireless handhelds free of interference, according to a newly granted US patent. The filing, originally made just weeks before the iPhone's announcement at Macworld San Francisco, is meant to address the potentially dangerous problem of interference from peripherals brought near or attached to the device. A detector chip placed inside the hardware could be trained to recognize certain classes of add-ons or individual models and warn the user if a device (familiar or otherwise) could disrupt the main signal; this could occur through either an audio or a visual cue, Apple writes. Synchronizing the main device could provide an updated list of accessories to prevent false alarms.

Although potentially usable to block unsafe equipment, the technology could also be used simply to keep the main unit's wireless signal as clean as possible with some add-ons, the description notes. Software onboard the primary handheld could automatically readjust the antenna or its frequency to preserve a clear signal when paired with an accessory that makes only slight incursions into the device's frequency range.

While the patent makes no direct reference to the iPhone and may not have been incorporated into the product shipping in late June, the patent is specifically meant to address concerns regarding cellphones with media abilities as well as more generic wireless mobile devices, ensuring that Apple can use the patent both for the iPhone as well as other hardware types in the near future.

Source

Quanta shares rise on iPhone speculation....

Shares of Quanta Computer Inc. rose yesterday in the wake of news reports that it is manufacturing iPhones for Apple, with shipments starting in September.

The world's biggest contract maker of notebook computers, Quanta counts Dell Inc and Hewlett-Packard Co among its major clients.

Its share price inched up 0.4 percent to close at NT$50.8 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday.

Two local business dailies, the Commercial Times and the Economic Daily News, yesterday reported that Quanta will make its first delivery in September, sharing the order with the first appointed iPhone assembler, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) -- the nation's largest maker of electronics parts.

The reports added that Quanta's shipments of iPhones would soar to 5 million next year.

However, Vincent Chen (陳豊丰), a research analyst with the investment banking house CLSA Ltd., dismissed the reports.

"We have checked with our industry contact and confirmed that Hon Hai is still doing the iPhone order," Chen wrote in a research note yesterday.

What Quanta is working on is the next iPod model with wireless local area network (WLAN), not the iPhone, he said.

"An order of 5 million units is too big to be true [considering] the challenge Hon Hai is currently facing in raising production yields [for the iPhone]," he wrote.

In a filing to the stock exchange, Quanta refused to comment, citing client confidentiality, but said it was aggressively pursuing new orders to boost the company's sales growth.

Some industry watchers are skeptical about the hype surrounding the iPhone, which is scheduled to debut in the US late next month.

"Apple is targeting to sell 10 million iPhones next year. The figure is only 1 percent of the world's total handset sales," Shiv Bakhshi, an International Data Corp analyst, said at a forum yesterday.

The iPhone may revolutionize the user interface, look and feel of the tele phone, but it might not live up to expectations of being a "market killer," he added.

Quanta has been expanding its production capacity to boost mobile phone and video-music player manufacturing on a contract basis.

Source

Panels for Apple iPhone could come from Japan

Local report from Taiwan says iPhone panels may come from Japan

Although market speculations recently indicated that AU Optronics (AUO) and Innolux Display may receive orders from Apple for its iPhone panels, sources at panel makers recently said the major suppliers for the panels may be two Japan-based players while an unspecified Taiwan-based company may be a secondary source for the iPhone panels.

The speculation that AUO and Innolux may be iPhone panel suppliers has not been verified, though Taiwan-based panel makers said Japan-based players still have advantages in the handset panel segment. Therefore, it is still difficult for Taiwan-based players to land iPhone panel orders, the makers noted.

Sources said iPhone panels will likely adopt low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) panels since the technology features a more flexible circuit design.

AUO and TPO Displays are the only two Taiwan-based panel makers producing LTPS panels now.

Earlier this month, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) quoted Hsing C Tuan, president of Innolux, as saying it landed orders for iPhone panels and the company will ship a great volume of panels for use in smart phone panels. However, Innolux has not yet officially backed up that claim.

In January, Apple revealed it will launch iPhones in the US in June 2007, Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008, in a 4GB model for US$499 and an 8GB model for US$599. The device's 3.5-inch widescreen display allows users to watch TV shows and movies on a pocket-sized device, with touch controls for play-pause, chapter forward-backward and volume.

The current mainstream size for handset panels is between 2.2 and 2.8 inches.

Source

iPhone release date speculation

Speculation is rife on the iPhone's release date and availability. A report from 'BoyGenius' claims it could be released on June 11, based on one of their sources seeing an AT&T poster.

A couple sources of ours have seen AT&T posters saying "June 11th", but Apple usually launches products on a Tuesday. Apple's WWDC is on Monday, the 11th of June. Can we put 2 + 2 together?

CNBC claimed the release date would be on June 20th.

And an Apple Spokesperson Natalie Kerris has claimed a late June release

"We have said consistently that we're looking forward to shipping the iPhone in late June and that has not changed."

Meanwhile there have been reports of some Webmasters seeing the iPhone being used to surf their sites. They identified the iPhone based on it's browser and operating system sgnature.

Now we just have to wait and see when the iPhone might arrive.

iPhone touch screen will be phenomenal

Only 20 days or so and we'll find out for ourselves, but meanwhile, an AT&T employee, says the iPhone touch screen will be the next best thing to sliced cheese....

Glen Laurie, AT&T’s iPhone connoisseur has fed us with a few morsels of information on the soon-to-be released touch-screen phone. While he didn’t let out much in the way of the iPhone’s finer details, he did have something rather interesting to say.

Firstly, when asked about the iPhone’s hyped up price, he replied, “There are some things- you have widgets, some of the Google applications that are coming- there are just so many things here that the price will not be an issue.”

Laurie also spoke to the Seattle Times and said that the iPhone’s touch screen would also surprise people. “I think when people get their hands on it and really experience it- the touch is phenomenal. This touch screen is like nothing you’ve ever used- to experience that, the skepticism, I think… will go away” he said,

Source

iPhone Australia

The iPhone isn't expected in Australia until the end of 2007 and should probably arrive at the same time it arrives with the rest of Asia. However the list of Australian Networks supporting EDGE technology for mobiles is limited to just Telstra. But Telstra has publicly attacked the iPhone calling it 'old hat'. Greg Winn, the Chief of Telstra has also suggested that Apple should forget doing mobiles by saying "There's an old saying -- stick to your knitting -- and Apple is not a mobile phone manufacturer, that's not their knitting." He also claimed the iPhone battery life as being poor and that other phone manufacturers would soon catch up with Apple.

With such a scathing attack from Telstra, it looks unlikely that they would introduce the iPhone.
So the only hope for Australia is that Apple introduces the 3G iPhone that everyone is speculating about and hopefully allows more than one carrier to operate it.

Tired of waiting for the iPhone ? Buy a Nokia N95 instead.

iPhone release date may be June 20th

.....so says CNBC
They got the info from an AT&T store employee.
Meanwhile, 20th June isn't the only date being thrown around. There's also 11th June and 15th June.

Nearly everyone thinks the iPhone is better than their current phone

90% of people think the iPhone is better than their current phone. This, without them ever getting their hands on an iPhone.They were made to watch a video of the iPhone.
I wonder if the results would change when they get to actually hold one in their hands.

Boston, MA - May 24, 2007 - The Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Labs probed consumer perceptions of the iPhone experience in a series of research panels. "Consumer Reactions to the Apple iPhone - Wireless Device Lab Analyzes the "Wow" reports on the iPhone's stellar performance.

In a joint research effort between its Wireless Device Lab and Intelligent System Strategies program, Strategy Analytics explored the appeal of iPhone features, developed comparisons with current products, investigated the nature of the iPhone experience, and gained insights on design criteria for future devices.

"An overwhelming 90 percent of respondents gave the iPhone higher marks than their own handset and over 40 percent of respondents rated the iPhone much better across key functional categories-- including music player, web browsing, voice mail, and phone call management--indicating real innovation in designing a user experience," said Harvey Cohen, President of Strategy Analytics, who conducted this research.

"While the iPhone "Wow" factor is impressive, our user panel indicated that challenges in pricing and positioning may act as a barrier to mass-market success," said Kevin Nolan, Director of User Experience Research at Strategy Analytics. "Nonetheless, the iPhone clearly represents a breakthrough in terms of user experience."

Source

iPhone may get GPS capability in next version...

At least according to Apple Tech News..... Because of the high expectations placed upon the iPhone, Apple is certain to use a chipset using Assisted GPS technology, which cuts down the time needed to determine a location using GPS. (A-GPS) is necessary in urban areas with tall buildings or locations with heavy tree cover.

From Wikipedia

A-GPS or Assisted-GPS, is a technology that uses an assistance server to cut down the time needed to determine a location using GPS. It is useful in urban areas, when the user is located in "urban canyons", under heavy tree cover, or even indoors. It is becoming more common and it's commonly associated with Location Based Services (LBS) over cellular networks.

So who's gonna wait for the next iPhone iteration ?

AT&T Cingular Re-Branding

AT&T is changing the Cingular name.....

Top U.S. phone company AT&T said it will step up its rebranding campaign at Cingular Wireless stores, seeking to raise AT&T's profile ahead of the launch of Apple's iPhone.

The company will replace the Cingular name with AT&T in the interiors of its 1,800 shops on Monday, ahead of the iPhone launch in late June.

AT&T acquired BellSouth last year, a move that consolidated its ownership of the two companies' wireless joint venture, Cingular, which is being rebranded as AT&T.

"The iPhone is one of the most anticipated handsets ever in the wireless industry, and we want to make sure that every drop of equity from the iPhone accrues to the AT&T brand," AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said.

"We want to be as far along as possible with our rebranding in advance of the launch of the iPhone."

AT&T, however, said it will keep the exterior signs of most of the stores unchanged for now, showing it would take time to dismantle the well-recognized wireless brand.

The rebranding is expected to take a year or so, although AT&T has not set a deadline. The company has said it will keep an eye on consumer surveys to assess the public's recognition of AT&T as a wireless provider.

"Our branding campaign is performing above projected levels, we are ahead of schedule, and customer response has been very positive," Chief Operating Officer Randall Stephenson said in a statement.

AT&T said it was launching a new advertising campaign with the tagline: "Your world is wireless. AT&T is wireless."

AT&T will hold on to the iPhone for 5 years....

A report from 'USAToday' says AT&T will have exclusive distribution rights for the iPhone for 5 years in the United States.....

By Leslie Cauley, USA TODAY
The Apple iPhone, due out next month, has been breathlessly hailed as offering consumers the ultimate wireless experience.

It also could give AT&T, its exclusive U.S. distributor, the ultimate experience for a wireless carrier: an easy way to handcuff rivals and steal customers.

AT&T has exclusive U.S. distribution rights for five years — an eternity in the go-go cellphone world. And Apple is barred for that time from developing a version of the iPhone for CDMA wireless networks.

That ban is no small thing. AT&T rivals Verizon Wireless and Sprint are both CDMA shops. AT&T uses GSM, a global standard incompatible with CDMA.

Bottom line: If you want an iPhone anytime soon, you'll have to take your business to AT&T.

Stan Sigman, CEO of wireless at AT&T, makes no apologies for his tough approach.

"I'm glad we have (the iPhone) in our bag," he says. "Others will try to match it, but for a period of time, they're going to be playing catch-up."

Hardball is nothing new in the cellphone industry. But as white-hot growth finally begins to slow, it's getting downright desperate out there.

To keep the momentum, big carriers such as AT&T are rapidly expanding their stable of devices, a proven way to draw people into stores. They're also piling on features — media downloading and photo-sharing are hot — and tweaking calling plans.

Their common goal: add new customers and get them to stay put.

"It's guerrilla warfare," says Jane Zweig, CEO of market researcher The Shosteck Group. "They all want to say 'We're No. 1.' "

Roger Entner, a senior vice president at IAG Research, agrees. "They're battling for every customer."

Wall Street is the driver. Carriers are valued, in large part, on how many subscribers they add each month. That was a lot easier a few years ago, when it wasn't uncommon for cellphone companies to add 25% a quarter.

Now that the major carriers are elephantine in size, that's a lot harder to do. AT&T currently claims about 62.2 million customers. Verizon and Sprint have 60.7 million and 53.6 million, respectively.

About 78% of U.S. households have a mobile phone, says Charles Golvin, a wireless industry analyst at Forrester Research, vs. 53% five years ago. Total subscribers: about 210 million.

For the most part, Golvin says, anybody who wants a cellphone has one. Those who don't, he says, "are the very young, the very old and the economically challenged." Those groups are not particularly attractive to the big carriers, which also are valued on how much revenue per subscriber they generate.

Rustling up revenue

That leaves the carriers with one option, basically, for adding customers: steal them.

"Today's market is not about finding new opportunities," Golvin says. "It's about stealing somebody else's customers."

The AT&T and Verizon Wireless rivalry is particularly fierce. AT&T has slightly more customers; Verizon has more revenue. Both claim to be No. 1.

They also sparred over the iPhone. As previously reported by USA TODAY, Verizon passed on the opportunity to become the exclusive U.S. distributor, balking at Apple's demand for control over distribution, pricing, marketing and more. That left an opening for AT&T — then called Cingular — to cement a deal. (AT&T on Monday officially dumped the Cingular name and store signs now are being switched. The move came slightly ahead of schedule.)

Denny Strigl, Verizon's chief operating officer, decided to pass on the iPhone deal and says he has no regrets: "Time will tell" if he made the right call, he says.

Strigl doesn't think the iPhone will be that hard to compete against. Why? Because, he says, for five long years it will be tied to AT&T's wireless network. His point: A phone is only as good as the network it runs on, and he thinks Verizon's is better.

"The issue is not the Apple-ness of the iPhone itself, but with the cellular network that it is running on," Strigl says, picking his words carefully. "That will be the true test of the iPhone: What will the iPhone experience be?"

Given Apple's cultlike following, however, Verizon isn't taking any chances. Strigl says Verizon is already working with a manufacturer — he declines to say which one — on an answer to the iPhone.

"We do have a very good response in the mill," he says. "You'll see that from us in the late summer."

Source

iPhone availability may be suspect

News report from 'Macsimum' says the iPhone may be in short supply during the initial launch...

A quick survey by the Channel Checkers research group shows that demand for the iPhone is probably going to surprise everyone when the device launches. The firm expects “sell-outs and complaints about lack of availability of the phone.”

The Channel Checker survey of 36 stores showed that 64 percent reporting a waiting list. The remaining 36 percent said sales were on a “first come first serve” basis. The average number of names on each waiting list was 25 people (there are roughly 10,000 Cingular Wireless outlets).

“We did have one outlier in New York City, which we excluded from our average, that had 1,979 people on its waiting list,” say the Channel Checkers. “Another store said ‘we cannot give out that figure but the waiting list is running into the thousands.’ Another store reported that the number of calls for the phone was ‘indeterminable’ as the numbers were massive.”

The firm also that the HonHai firm is having trouble manufacturing to schedule and is running behind due to some part delays. It appears that the initial 12 million unit run rate won’t be available by mid-June, the Channel Checkers say.

Source

iPhone VS Palm Treo 700p

The Palm Treo 700p looks very similar to previous Palm Treo's, but has a more rounder look than the previous Treo's. It uses the same processor as the Treo 650, and even the operating system looks the same as the previous version except for a few changes. With a price tag of around $299, the Palm Treo looks very competitive against the iPhone. But the iPhone OS does look to be superior and in a recent British survey conducted recently, one of the major factors why people might buy the iPhone is because of the superior user experience. (And the iPhone has not even been launched yet ! )

Comparing the two phones, the iPhone does come out superior, except in the price department.
iPhone VS Treo 700p specifications......

	Apple iPhone	Palm Treo 700p
Screen size	3.5 inches	2.5 inches
Screen resolution	320 by 480 at 160 ppi	320x320
Input method	Multi-touch	QWERTY Keyboard / touchscreen display
Operating system	OS X	Palm OS® 5.4.9
Storage	4GB or 8GB of internal storage	128MB MicroSD card available
GSM	Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900)	CDMA 800/1900
Wireless data	Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0	Bluetooth® 1.2
Camera	2.0 MegaPixels	1.3 megapixels
Battery	Up to 5 hours Talk / Video / Browsing Up to 16 hours Audio playback	Talk time: up to 4.5 hours Standby time: up to 300 hours
Dimensions	4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches / 115 x 61 x 11.6mm	58x113x23 mm
Weight	4.8 ounces / 135 grams	178 grams
Price	$499 for 4GB, $599 for 8GB	$299
Official Website	Apple iPhone	Palm Treo 700P

View Other Comparison..........

Apple iPhone VS Motorola RAZR V3x

Apple iPhone VS LG KE850 Prada

Apple iPhone VS the Helio Ocean

The Apple iPhone VS the Nokia N95 VS the Blackberry Curve

The Apple iPhone VS The Sony Ericsson W950i

iPhone in Asia

The iPhone will probably arrive in Asia (which has some of the fastest growing mobile networks) sometime during the first half of 2008. And if the rumor of Apple adding 3G capability to the iPhone is true, it should sell like hot cakes in Asia, at least according to an informal poll among Indian mobile users. But 3G networks are costly to install and some industry analysts say could cost up to 300 Billion to install worldwide. (Source : Asia Pacific Research Group (APRG) ) The list of Asian 3G operators doesn't look very large, but with the arrival of the iPhone and increased consumer demand for content based services on mobiles, mobile service providers in Asia could be forced to change and upgrade their networks.

Asian 3G Technology Companies

Asian 3G Operators and Licences

The iPhone UK Poll.......

Would You buy an iPhone when it arrives in the UK ? Take part and view the results of the iPhone UK poll and see what most internet users will do when the iPhone arrives in the UK.

The Apple iPhone VS The Sony Ericsson W950i

The Sony Ericsson W950i is a cool phone, and the lack of a camera doesn't really matter to me. I rarely use the camera on my mobile. (That's what real cameras were made for.) But the high price ($419-699) is a turnoff.

Technical Specifications of the Sony Ericsson W950i compared to the iPhone...

	Apple iPhone	Sony Ericsson W950i
Screen size	3.5 inches	2.6 inches
Screen resolution	320 by 480 at 160 ppi	240x320
Input method	Multi-touch	Touchscreen, with stylus and handwriting recognition / Mobile Keypad
Operating system	OS X	Symbian OS
Storage	4GB or 8GB of internal storage	4GB of Phone memory
GSM	Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900)	GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 UMTS 2100
Wireless data	Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0	Bluetooth /
Camera	2.0 MegaPixels	No Camera
Battery	Up to 5 hours Talk / Video / Browsing Up to 16 hours Audio playback	7 hours 30 min of Talk Time 340 hours of Stand By.
Dimensions	4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches / 115 x 61 x 11.6mm	106х54х15 mm
Weight	4.8 ounces / 135 grams	112 grams
Price	$499 for 4GB, $599 for 8GB	$419-699
Official Website	Apple iPhone	Sony Ericsson W950i

View Other Comparison..........

Apple iPhone VS Motorola RAZR V3x

Apple iPhone VS LG KE850 Prada

Apple iPhone VS the Helio Ocean

The Apple iPhone VS the Nokia N95 VS the Blackberry Curve

The iPhone in the UK

The iPhone isn't available in the United Kingdom and probably will not arrive there till the latter half of 2007, but Amazon.co.uk has already started displaying the 8GB iPhone. But it's not for sale though.
I wonder how legal this is, considering how the iPhone will be available for sale in the US only at Apple and select AT&T stores. Would Amazon even be allowed to sell the iPhone in the UK ?
Amazon also displays a paperback - 'The iPhone book" by Scott Kelby (also not for sale). I wonder what the book is about.... ?

iPhone may increase interest in Music and Video phones

Reuters
Published: Friday, May 18, 2007

NEW YORK -- Cell phones sporting bigger screens, music, video and Web-surfing capabilities may try to steal some of the spotlight when Apple Inc.'s iPhone debuts next month.

Although few have seen or used the gadget, it could draw consumer attention to other pricier, high-end handsets, executives at the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit said this week.

"One of the great advantages of iPhone for us is that it will heat up the music (phone) market," said Denny Strigl, chief operating officer at Verizon Communications Inc.

"We're already seeing an interest in music on cell phones we didn't see just a quarter ago, and the gearing up the industry is doing in preparation for it," he said.

AT&T Inc. will be the only U.S. carrier to sell the device for at least two years. It will compete with phones made by Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG Electronics, Samsung, Palm, and carriers Sprint and Verizon.

While so-called smartphones, which marry music and other media features with data and talk features, have been around for years, their sales remain a fraction of the overall market. Typically they are larger and cost more than average phones.

"We were one of the first to get into the music business, one-and-a-half years ago, and it has been very difficult to get traction," Strigl said, adding that Verizon will launch new multimedia phones to take on the iPhone.

At $500 to $600, the iPhone's price tag has been called spectacularly high, possibly opening the door for handset makers with similar models. Still Apple, whose iPod music device and iTunes service dominate the market, expects to sell 10 million of the phones in 2008.

"They (Apple) will bring some things to the table that we have to be responsive to, but we have been investing in this area for some time," Nokia Chief Financial Officer Rick Simonson said. "We are leading in multimedia convergence."

Consumers juggling multiple devices -- such as a phone, digital music player and personal information assistant -- may warm to combined devices, overlooking their steep price tag.

"People are not uncomfortable plopping down a couple of hundred bucks for a music player or an iPod (and) $100 for a voice phone or a PDA," said AT&T's group president for operations support, John Stankey. "If you think about what a customer invests to solve a problem...I might suggest that the price isn't as substantial as it might look."

Still, Sling Media Chief Executive Blake Krikorian said the touch-screen iPhone, which has only one button, may not convert users for whom text-based wireless communication is key. They may stick with keyboard-based devices like Research In Motion's Blackberry, or Palm's Treo.

"I need a keyboard -- I still think e-mail is the "killer app" and (iPhone) ain't that. For that demographic I don't see it happening," said Krikorian.

Regardless of the iPhone's success, convergent devices are poised to grow in popularity, Sony Ericsson President Miles Flint said.

"The phone is capable of doing many other things," he said. "People want to have any content, any time, any where on their device and that is leading to the phone being a mobile Internet gateway entry point. the trend is clear."

Source

iPhone Europe - Poll

The iPhone is slated to arrive in Europe this year end, but it may also arrive, according to some sources, in November.
Would you buy the iPhone when it arrives ?

The iPhone in India ? Would you buy it ? - Poll

The iPhone is slated to arrive in Asia in 2008, and presumably will also enter the fastest growing mobile market (India, for those that didn't know) around the same time.
But would you buy it ?



Why ? Why not ? Please post your comments below.

Where to Buy an iPhone in India ?

U.S. regulators clear the way for the iPhone...

The iPhone is one step closer to being released....

AN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Apple Inc. said Thursday that U.S. regulators have cleared the way for Apple to begin selling its iPhone cell phone in the U.S. next month.

The Federal Communications Commission signaled its approval with a posting on its Web site early Thursday, which sent Apple shares up 2% to $109.44

The iPhone is Apple's boldest attempt to conquer new technology markets since the company launched the original iPod in October 2001.

The phone, which will cost $500 and be available initially to only AT&T Wireless customers, signifies how strongly Apple believes it needs to diversify from its core Macintosh computer line and turn itself into an all-inclusive media-device company.

Apple unveiled the iPhone in early January. The new touch-screen phone will be able to play music, surf the Internet and take pictures, among other functions.
"Apple is going to reinvent the phone," Jobs said on Jan. 9, after unveiling the phone during a keynote speech at Macworld, an Apple-focused trade show in San Francisco. "After today, nobody is going to look at these [other mobile phones] the same way again."

The iPhone uses a new technology called multitouch to do away with the traditional keyboard found on most phones or personal digital assistants, and replaces it with a screen upon which "buttons" will appear for different functions such as its built-in iPod, phone and Web surfing.

It will also have a 3.5-inch diagonal screen and be 11.6 millimeters thick. Apple said that the phone will have a 2-megapixel camera, instant text-messaging capacity, iTunes sync and a visual voice-mail system, which will allow users to read a list of people who called.

Several iPhone accessories will also be available in June, including Apple's new, remarkably compact Bluetooth headset.

Source

Another bunch of iPhone surveys.........this time in Europe and the UK

and what do all the surveys tell us ?...That the iPhone will be a success.....Like we didn't already know !

First the UK iPhone survey (from IPhone.tv)

Demographics

The male/female split worked out pretty nicely - 46.6% were male and 52% female (and yes, a handful either weren't sure, or didn't care to respond)

Most (33.6%) were in the 25-34 age group, followed by 25.1% in the 35-44 age group, 17.1% aged 16-24, 14.8% aged 45-54, 3.5% aged 55-60, and 1.9% aged over 60.

The overwhelming majority live in London or the South East (32.1%), with the rest fairly evenly split between the other English regions, Scotland, and Wales. 7.5% came from outside the UK, primarily the USA and Germany.

26% of respondents own no Apple hardware at all, while 70% own at least one type of iPod. 17.8% own a desktop and/or notebook Mac.

Getting the iPhone?

When questioned on how likely they were to buy an iPhone when it arrives, 7.6% said that they'd definitely be getting one. A massive 46.2% said that they'd seriously consider getting an iPhone, but only if the available deal was attractive. 17.4% said they'd get it if nothing better was on the market, while 23.9% said that they were unlikely to get it, and 4.8% said they'd definitely not buy an iPhone.

When asked if the iPhone would replace their current mobile or be used in addition to it, 77% of the 379 who answered said they'd be replacing their current mobile phone, with the remaining 23% saying it would be an additional phone.

The price you pay...

On price, the majority (59.1%) of those surveyed said they'd only be willing to pay up to £200 (around US$400) for the iPhone. 26.7% would pay between £200 and £250 (US$400-$500), with 10.1% willing to pay between £250 and £300 (US$500-$600), and 4% bravely stating they'd pay over £300 (US$600) for the privilege. Of course, we don't know what deal Apple would throw in for the UK price it eventually sets.

iPhone Features and Follies

When it comes to assessing the best features of the iPhone, 24% of respondents ranked how the iPhone looks as its crowning glory. 14.5% noted its touch screen, 11% its Wi-Fi capabilities, 7.1% its multi-touch gesturing system, and another 7.1% just because it's an Apple product.

On the flip side, it wasn't surprising to note that the factors that could let the iPhone down were the cost (37.7%), a poor battery life (13.9%), not having a physical keyboard (10.4%), and being tied to a single mobile network (8.4%). Interestingly, only 4.5% of people thought that not having 3G was a major shortcoming, and in fact only 15% of respondents thought that it was one of the iPhone's three major failings.

iPhone Networking

When asked which UK network people thought would get the iPhone (presuming Apple sticks to just one), 29.8% noted O2, followed by 22.6% saying Orange, and 21.4% saying Vodafone. Only 11% thought T-Mobile should get the iPhone, narrowly beating Virgin (10.3%).

Just 1 in 4 people would be willing to switch their network provider to get the iPhone, with 38% saying they wouldn't, and 36% being unsure.

12.3% of respondents would break their mobile contracts early if it meant they could get an iPhone when it's released, with 61% not willing to, and 26.7% unsure.

The Rivals

When it comes to the iPhone's biggest rivals, over 1 in 4 respondents (26.4%) thought the Nokia N95 was its biggest threat, closely followed by the Sony Ericsson W950i (22.7%) and LG Prada phone (22.2%).

Asked more generally which mobile phone manufacturer is likely to deliver an iPhone killer, 32.8% said Nokia, with 29.8% plumping for Sony Ericsson, 13.3% for LG, 11.2% for Samsung, and 7.9% for Motorola. One respondent noted that the question was stupid - whether that's because no-one's got a hope in hell of killing off the iPhone, or it really was a stupid question, is hard to tell.

(My comments: Also check out the Helio Ocean (probably wont be released in Europe, but still........)

iPhone versus iPod

When asked if they thought the iPhone would damage sales of regular iPods, 62.5% said that it wouldn't, with 18.3% saying that it would, and 19.2% unsure.

Asked if they'd buy another iPod after buying an iPhone, 28.5% said that they would, with 26.7% saying they wouldn't. 44.8% were unsure.

From Canalys......( from PMP Today)

Canalys surveyed two thousand iPod users all over Europe. For these iPod users, Apple ranks top of all cellphone manufacturers and almost half of them say they are very likely to choose the iPhone as their next mobile phone.

“Apple’s rating improves dramatically when you talk to existing iPod owners,” Pete Cunningham senior analyst at Canalys said. “Almost half the respondents who owned an iPod rated Apple as likely to be considered for their next phone, compared to just 20 per cent for those who didn’t have an iPod, and they were five times as likely to give Apple the highest rating. There is a lot of loyalty that Apple can tap into.”

So now I know why I crave an iPhone so much.

Take part or view the results of the iPhone Europe Poll

Apple iPhone VS Motorola RAZR V3x

The Motorola RAZR V3x is a pretty decent phone with a 2 MegaPixel camera(The
first in a MotoRazr), but is it worth buying over the iPhone, despite it's
attractive price tag ?

The Motorola RAZR V3x




A comparison between the iPhone and the Razr V3x....

	Apple iPhone	Motorola RAZR V3x
Screen size	3.5 inches	2.2 inches
Screen resolution	320 by 480 at 160 ppi	240x320
Input method	Multi-touch	Normal Mobile Keyboard
Operating system	OS X	J2ME engine based
Storage	4GB or 8GB of internal storage	64 MB internel memory, 512 MB of removable TransFlash memory
GSM	Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900)	GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
Wireless data	Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0	Bluetooth / InfraRed
Camera	2.0 MegaPixels	2.0 Megapixel
Battery	Up to 5 hours Talk / Video / Browsing Up to 16 hours Audio playback	145 Minutes of Talk Time. (2 Hours, 25 mins). 250 Hours of Stand By.
Dimensions	4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches / 115 x 61 x 11.6mm	99x53x19.6mm
Weight	4.8 ounces / 135 grams	125g
Price	$499 for 4GB, $599 for 8GB	$239.00 - $290.00
Official Website	Apple iPhone	Motorola RAZR V3x

Motorola Lists the Razr V3x's features as......

• Sleek streamlined housing with large, vivid color external and internal
  displays


• 2 megapixel camera with 8x zoom, macro mode setting and , LED


• VGA camera for 2-way video calling*


• Bluetooth wireless technology* supports wireless stereo sound through
  Motorola’s Bluetooth Stereo Headset and other compatible Bluetooth enabled
  accessories for hands-free communication


• Up to 512 MB of removable optional TransFlash™ memory


• Motorola's SCREEN3 technology solution featuring zero-click access to
  news, sports, entertainment, and other premium content.*


• Progressive downloading to view media files on demand


• Support of AAC+, MPEG4, WMV, WMA, MP3 and Real Video/Audio files


• Advanced speaker-independent voice recognition: state a number/name and
  be connected without pre-recording


• Over the air synchronization with the PC via SyncML*


• WAP 2.0 browser*

The iPhone and Europe.....T-mobile VS Vodafone

Who will get to carry the iPhone torch in Europe ?
One report from Macworld says it's definitely going to be T-mobile......

Europe's mobile networks are battling for rights to distribute the iPhone here – and now it seems T-Mobile may lead the pack.

Contrary to previous reports which have claimed Vodafone or (possibly) Orange as most likely to seal the European distribution deal for Apple's future mobile device, it now seems T-Mobile is going to take the prize.

Source

.....But another on from 'InformationWeek' speculates it might be Vodafone.

Well, for starters, T-Mobile isn't the largest carrier in Europe. With some 200 million subscribers worldwide, Vodafone ranks as number one. Spain's Telefonica holds the number two spot. T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, ranks third overall (and sixth in Europe) with 101 million subscribers. Vodafone was considered to be the leader in the race to secure the iPhone for European markets due to its size alone. T-Mobile, which has half the number of overall subscribers, would limit the potential distribution of the device compared to other options.

Source

Well, I'm sure the Europeans just want want the damn phone to reach their shores.

Take part or view the results of the iPhone Europe Poll

Apple iPhone VS LG KE850 Prada

The LG Prada is a look-alike cousin of the iPhone and was designed by both LG and Prada.
Prada, presumably gave it it's unique design.
On the whole, a nice looking phone, but the low storage capacity and the price ($ 790 !! ) is a turnoff.
Still the Apple iPhone for me please......



Technical Specifications....

	Apple iPhone	LG Prada KE850
Screen size	3.5 inches	3.2 inches
Screen resolution	320 by 480 at 160 ppi	240x400
Input method	Multi-touch	Multi-touch
Operating system	OS X	Windows Mobile 6.0
Storage	4GB or 8GB of internal storage	8 MB internal memory. MicroSD card available
GSM	Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900)	GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
Wireless data	Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0	Bluetooth / EDGE / GPRS
Camera	2.0 MegaPixels	2.0 Megapixel
Battery	Up to 5 hours Talk / Video / Browsing Up to 16 hours Audio playback	3 Hours of Talktime. 300 Hours of Stand-By.
Dimensions	4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches / 115 x 61 x 11.6mm	98.8 x 54 x 12 mm
Weight	4.8 ounces / 135 grams	85 g
Price	$499 for 4GB, $599 for 8GB	$790
Official Website	Apple iPhone	LG Prada KE850