Apple WWDC 2007 Keynote

[Jessterw]

*shrug*

[Jessterw]

As the fanboy I am, I couldn't help but post the latest specs for the iPhone.

[schmosef]

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: iPhone backlash roundup

*shrug*

[Jessterw]

Maybe I should renamed this to "The iPhone Thread"

20-minute guided tour:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/guidedtour.html

[az]

Looks really good. But can I sync my mail with apple mail? Can I voice dial with the headset? And of course how much will a plan in europe be? This thing'd be a waste on anything but a flat rate internet plan.

[Jessterw]

You can sync with Apple Mail and even Outlook (Express as well), but everything appears to be routed through iTunes. Yeah, WTF?

Couldn't say about voice dialing.

No word on plan costs here in the US, save for some rumours that don't quite jive. Given the base price of the phone and the fact that AT&T never offers fair pricing, I don't think this first generation (and maybe the immediate next) is going to worth it to anyone but enthusiasts with the money to burn. Imagine the same is going to be as or more true for Europe. Of course I could be wrong.

[az]

I do have a little hope because our market is much more diversified with regards to providers, so hopefully there won't be an exclusive deal. European Carriers have also called Apple's way of negotiating "incredibly arrogant".

[Jessterw]

Hehe, yeah, I caught that. I don't think telcos/carriers are so used to a phone vendor making the sort of demands that I can see Jobs *ahem*, I mean, Apple making.

AT&T wasn't the first one they approached here in the US. Can't recall who it was, but they balked at Apple's requirements for a deal.

[Jessterw]

The service plans for the iPhone have been announced. There's three levels that all come with unlimited data and appear to only differ in voice minutes.

• $60: 450 minutes, 5000 night and weekend minutes
• $80: 900 minutes, unlimited nights and weekends
• $100: 1350 minutes, unlimited nights and weekends

Of course the jab is that there is only 200 SMS text messages included with each. I'm sure AT&T will happily be offering add-on packs for that. [Edit: Yep, 1500 SMS is $10 and unlimited is $20. ]

There's mention of family plans, but no details. All-in-all, the plans pale in comparison to what I get through T-Mobile, save for the unlimited data (which is admittedly nice). I'm still wishing the Motophone would make an appearance here in the US.

One other detail that was revealed as that the phones are not activated at the store, but rather via iTunes. Speaking on which, iTunes is being renamed iMothership.


[Edit: Here's the actual rate plan page with family plans: http://www.apple.com/iphone/easysetup/rateplans.html ]

[Jammrock]

Holy $#!* that's expensive! I get 500 minutes with unlimited data/web/text/IM/pic/vid for $30 a month! So that's where AT&T is making up their money. Ouch! Remind me never to buy one of those POSs.

[schmosef]

from the secret diary of steve jobs: goatberg gushes

Good thing we got to him with the hypnosis "briefing." Let me tell you, it was close. To see his review, go here. But if you'd rather not wade through all of it, I'll provide an executive summary here, in bullet format. According to Walt, the iPhone:

* adds multiple steps to common functions that are easy to perform on a regular phone.
* runs on EDGE, which is pokey, and the can't be upgraded to run on faster networks.
* does well on Wi-Fi, but this "doesn't fully make up for the lack of a fast cellular data capability."
* won't work with a lot of iPod accessories.
* has no overall search.
* has no quick way to move up and down on pages.
* has no way to cut, copy or paste text.
* can read Excel, Word and PDF documents, but can't edit or save them.
* can make phone calls but in many ways it's a pain in the ass, even more so than with other smart phones.
* boasts voice quality that's "good but not great."
* has no way to get your contact list from your old phone.
* can't turn contact groups into email distribution lists.
* has some third-party apps, "but the few we tried weren't impressive."
* has no instant messaging.
* can't record video with its camera, and has 2-megapixel resolution.
* has no support for Flash, so can't view stuff on some Web sites.
* can't turn your iPod songs into ringtones.
* has no games.
* can't access iTunes Music Store directly.
* costs twice as much as its competitors.
* isn't for the "average person" who just wants a cheap phone for making calls and texting.
* probably isn't for corporate types either.

Conclusion? "A beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer."

Thanks Walt. Much love.

[Jessterw]

Yeah, here's two video reviews from Mossberg and Pogue, respectively.

Mossberg is stiff, but Pogue is, well Pogue

[Update: Here are the written reviews by the aforementioned journalists, as well as one by Steven Levy of Newsweek. They all like it well enough, though there are flaws. The biggest gripe seems to be with the fact that, well, AT&T's EDGE network sucks... badly. From their reviews it seems Apple's claims on battery life are accurate. ]

[az]

Mac or PC rap

[schmosef]

Mac or PC rap

[Jessterw]

Hilarious.