Why would I want it? To begin with, it looks great, and it's thin (11.6-millimetres). And its 3.5-inch display can switch from vertical to horizontal orientation as you change the way you're looking at it. Plus, of course, there's the Apple iPod cachet. And, in case you didn't realize, it plays music just like an iPod, with a four-gigabyte model (at $499 US), and one that holds eight gigs of music ($599).
So it's song-filled and attractive, but what's unusual about it? Lots of phones these days let you play music. And I already have an iPod. First of all, the iPhone has no keyboard and has no eye-boggling plethora of buttons. There's just a lonely home button on the front, and a few buttons on the side. You make your way around by screen-based icons and buttons. Also, your finger substitutes for a stylus. And it operates on a as-yet-undetermined variant of the OS-X operating system.
No buttons? How do I make a call on the iPhone? You click on the Home button, a main window at the bottom left pops up, and you give it a tap. You can then either type a number on the virtual keyboard, or turn to your list of contacts, recent calls or favourites and choose a number.
What do the buttons on the side do? There are a pair of volume controls, and a ringer switch. On the top are the audio connectors and a sleep-wake toggle button.
There has to be more than that. What else does it do? You can use it for e-mail, for SMS messaging, as a PDA, head out onto the Web (using a version of Apple's Safari browser), and, oh, yeah, Google's search and Google Maps are both integrated.
If I use it for e-mail and sending messages, then I'll have to be able to type. And that seems like it could be a struggle on a phone with no physical keypad. A lot of people do find it harder to type without finger-feel, but Apple says it has error correction built-in to the iPhone, so that mistakes will be corrected automatically. And when you press down on a key it enlarges, which will help hunt-and-peck typists at least.
Does it have a camera? Natch. Two megapixels. And the phone has photo-management software included.
Can I put my own applications on the phone? No. However, Apple might allow developers to come up with new apps, but they would have final approval over what could be loaded on the phone. This has annoyed a lot of Apple buffs who want the phone to be wide open to customization.
So, where can I get one? Well, you can't. Not yet. It's coming out in June in the U.S., but there is no word yet on a Canadian carrier. However, here there are only two options: Rogers Wireless and Fido (also owned by Rogers), because they operate on a GSMnetwork, which is what the iPhone, at least initially, is designed to do. And Rogers is keeping its corporate lips firmly sealed as to the possibilities.
networks@png.canwest.com
source:http://www.canada.com/
No buttons? How do I make a call on the iPhone? You click on the Home button, a main window at the bottom left pops up, and you give it a tap. You can then either type a number on the virtual keyboard, or turn to your list of contacts, recent calls or favourites and choose a number.
What do the buttons on the side do? There are a pair of volume controls, and a ringer switch. On the top are the audio connectors and a sleep-wake toggle button.
There has to be more than that. What else does it do? You can use it for e-mail, for SMS messaging, as a PDA, head out onto the Web (using a version of Apple's Safari browser), and, oh, yeah, Google's search and Google Maps are both integrated.
If I use it for e-mail and sending messages, then I'll have to be able to type. And that seems like it could be a struggle on a phone with no physical keypad. A lot of people do find it harder to type without finger-feel, but Apple says it has error correction built-in to the iPhone, so that mistakes will be corrected automatically. And when you press down on a key it enlarges, which will help hunt-and-peck typists at least.
Does it have a camera? Natch. Two megapixels. And the phone has photo-management software included.
Can I put my own applications on the phone? No. However, Apple might allow developers to come up with new apps, but they would have final approval over what could be loaded on the phone. This has annoyed a lot of Apple buffs who want the phone to be wide open to customization.
So, where can I get one? Well, you can't. Not yet. It's coming out in June in the U.S., but there is no word yet on a Canadian carrier. However, here there are only two options: Rogers Wireless and Fido (also owned by Rogers), because they operate on a GSMnetwork, which is what the iPhone, at least initially, is designed to do. And Rogers is keeping its corporate lips firmly sealed as to the possibilities.
networks@png.canwest.com
source:http://www.canada.com/
Will there be other iPhones?
Probably. Think in terms of Nano vs. Video vs. Shuffle. It will happen.
Can I get an iPhone without the phone i.e. Get the touchscreen video iPod?
Cingular doesn’t know, but don’t expect them to put up a very big fight if it happens.
Who approached who in the initial stages?
Jobs approached Cingular after working with their teams on the ROKR, one of the shining examples of partnerships gone horribly wrong. However, it was Motorola’s fault with the ROKR, and we can assume his Jobness forgave the carrier.
How many iPhones will be available at launch?
Jobs said he expects to sell 10 million units in the first year. Will it happen? No, but it’s not like they won’t try. Will you be able to buy one on June 1st? Probably not. Expect the waiting list to be huge.
So they’re really launching on June 1, 2007?
As far as Cingular knows, they will. Apple rarely announces things it can’t deliver, although they’ve been “pre-releasing” things like Apple TV recently, which gives us pause.
Does it sync via Wi-Fi?
Not yet, but they’re not ruling that out. As of now it’s “side-loading” which means you plug in a USB cable.
I’m pretty resourceful. I’ll unlock it and make it work with carrier X. But what will I be missing?
Apparently you’ll only miss the visual voicemail tool. Presume that there will be also carrier specific data coming down the pipe that may or may not be usable on an unlocked phone.
Is this phone for my grandma?
Nope, unless your grandma makes $100K a year and drives an SUV. This is a high end product.
So when the iPhone Nano comes out, it will be on T-Mob…
Nope. Sorry to cut you off, but it’s Apple+Cingular=iPhone for the foreseeable future.
What does Cingular get out of this?
Billions in revenue and a shot in the arm after a number of slow years. They are now the big monkey in the tree when it comes to the smartphone consumer. Watch sales of smartphones between now and June - they will be as flat as the Nevada desert.
What does Apple get out of this?
A nice gift basket from the Cingular CEO. What else, in all honesty, could Cingular offer them?
Will they call it the iPhone even though they haven’t hashed things out with Cisco?
That’s a very good questions. Look at the iTV. They can always fall back to the Apple Phone if all goes south. Again, the ball is in Apple’s court.
OS X on a phone? What’s all this then?
OS X’s underlying OS, Darwin, is based on BSD. The BSD kernel is small enough to fit on MP3 players and potentially electronic toothbrushes. So generally the iPhone will run OS X, albeit with a completely different UI layer. Therefore, instead of a half-assed lumpy OS like MS Mobile 5.0, it will have a real version of OS X.
Probably. Think in terms of Nano vs. Video vs. Shuffle. It will happen.
Can I get an iPhone without the phone i.e. Get the touchscreen video iPod?
Cingular doesn’t know, but don’t expect them to put up a very big fight if it happens.
Who approached who in the initial stages?
Jobs approached Cingular after working with their teams on the ROKR, one of the shining examples of partnerships gone horribly wrong. However, it was Motorola’s fault with the ROKR, and we can assume his Jobness forgave the carrier.
How many iPhones will be available at launch?
Jobs said he expects to sell 10 million units in the first year. Will it happen? No, but it’s not like they won’t try. Will you be able to buy one on June 1st? Probably not. Expect the waiting list to be huge.
So they’re really launching on June 1, 2007?
As far as Cingular knows, they will. Apple rarely announces things it can’t deliver, although they’ve been “pre-releasing” things like Apple TV recently, which gives us pause.
Does it sync via Wi-Fi?
Not yet, but they’re not ruling that out. As of now it’s “side-loading” which means you plug in a USB cable.
I’m pretty resourceful. I’ll unlock it and make it work with carrier X. But what will I be missing?
Apparently you’ll only miss the visual voicemail tool. Presume that there will be also carrier specific data coming down the pipe that may or may not be usable on an unlocked phone.
Is this phone for my grandma?
Nope, unless your grandma makes $100K a year and drives an SUV. This is a high end product.
So when the iPhone Nano comes out, it will be on T-Mob…
Nope. Sorry to cut you off, but it’s Apple+Cingular=iPhone for the foreseeable future.
What does Cingular get out of this?
Billions in revenue and a shot in the arm after a number of slow years. They are now the big monkey in the tree when it comes to the smartphone consumer. Watch sales of smartphones between now and June - they will be as flat as the Nevada desert.
What does Apple get out of this?
A nice gift basket from the Cingular CEO. What else, in all honesty, could Cingular offer them?
Will they call it the iPhone even though they haven’t hashed things out with Cisco?
That’s a very good questions. Look at the iTV. They can always fall back to the Apple Phone if all goes south. Again, the ball is in Apple’s court.
OS X on a phone? What’s all this then?
OS X’s underlying OS, Darwin, is based on BSD. The BSD kernel is small enough to fit on MP3 players and potentially electronic toothbrushes. So generally the iPhone will run OS X, albeit with a completely different UI layer. Therefore, instead of a half-assed lumpy OS like MS Mobile 5.0, it will have a real version of OS X.
I have had a load of questions about Apple's new iPhone. So many that it's not worth me answering each one individually so I decided to create this FAQ.
What network can I hook the iPhone up to?
Cingular.
How long until other networks get the iPhone?
At least two years is what I've heard.
Can I swap SIM cards with another phone to hook it up to their network?
No, from what I gather you're stuck with Cingular for the first 2 years.
Can it be unlocked?
Maybe … certainly not legitimately within the first 2 years.
Can I replace the battery?
Nope. Well, kits are bound to be available, but taking a cellphone apart isn't an easy job, and your warranty will evaporate by doing so.
Does it support 3G?
Not in the US.
Can it take headphones/earphones?
Yes, it has a standard 3.5mm stereo jack socket.
Can you load Mac OS software onto it?
No.
Will the touchscreen work when wearing gloves?
No.
Does it support voice dialing?
No.
Is there a GPS on-board?
No.
What's the screen made of?
The same material that the iPod screens are made of.
Can it open Word/Excel/PowerPoint documents?
No
Can it open PDF files?
Yes.
Can it record video?
No.
Does it support the iPod dock?
Yes.
Are there games installed?
Not yet, but this might change.
Is it a one-handed or two-handed phone?
Some features seem designed for single-handed use, but others look best suited to two-handed use.
Does it support Bluetooth?
Yes.
Does it support Flash?
Maybe.
Does it support speed-dialing?
Doesn't look like it does yet, but I would imagine that the final version will (it's a pretty standard feature).
Does it support JavaScript?
Yes.
Does it support Java?
No.
Will it work in other countries?
Yes, it's quad-band GSM phone so worldwide coverage should be good.
Does it have a speakerphone?
Yes.
Will it support my iPod accessories?
No idea.
What if a better iPhone (2nd gen) comes out within the first year? Will Cingular let me upgrade?
It's hard to get a definitive answer on this. If you're gonna be wanting to upgrade then my recommendation is that you make sure your contract states that you'll be allowed to do this. Get it in writing, don't take someone's word on it.