OT: Apple TV and phone

re iPhone: It's Quad band GSM so as long as you can get it and get it unlocked, you should be fine.

Hmmm... not sure about just "unlocking" the iPhone. Interface to network might be fine on another network, but funtionality might be crippled. In the Keynote, Stevie makes a reference to the Cingular network providing some advanced functionality (software?) that the other providers couldn't. I'd like to have one, and could probably suck it up after the first price drop, but I'm not really interested in Cingular - coverage sucks in my part of the country.

As for the AppleTV... looks really, really nice. Not sure about streaming .ts to it. QuickTime (and Apple apps) have been notorious about not playing nicely with files not in a QT wrapper. Hopefully, somebody will build some hacks for it as was done with the Airport Express to stream the computer audio to it. Crossing my fingers... looks like a neat little box for $299.

SC

iphone looks cool from a phone perspective... but the claims of going after the smartphone market I don't know. Smartphone excels in mobile email. Can't see how this would do that well at all? A soft keyboard just doesn't cut it compared to actual buttons when trying to type.. Time will tell.

The iPhone looks cool and I'm already a Cingular customer but, are you f-ing kidding me. $499 and $599 for a phone. Here I thought the PS3 was overpriced. You can get a 8GB iPod for half the price of the 4GB phone. I know it will probably sell but, I just can't believe people will be willing to pay $500-$600 for a phone. Yes, I know it does more the just make calls so, why not call it an iPod with cell phone functionality built in. Calling it a phone makes it sound way over priced IMO. That's just me though, I can never bring myself to spend much on a phone. I usually wait until I can get one for free. This thing will have to drop to around $150 before I even start considering it. I don't think other cell phone companies need to worry about Apple at these prices but, if Apple comes out with a sub $200 phone they could be in trouble with how popular Apple products are these days.

On thing that intrigues me is that it is a touch screen but, how will you put it up to your ear to talk without pushing all kinds of buttons?

Edit: Just saw that they are going after the smartphone market, didn't catch that before. This explains the price but, still seems high to me (although I admit, I have never really priced smart phones).

I'd like to see someone thumb typing with it. I've become pretty comfortable typing on my Crackberry 7290 and was more then glad to say goodbye to predictive texting.

What I find hard about the price point is that I've already spent $280 on my 30GB video iPod and $250 on my BB7290. Perhaps in 2-3 years when it's time to say goodbye to my iPod and Blackberry I'll replace then with an iPhone. Hopefully it will be at least 32GB of solid state by then at the same price point.

If I had a spare $500-600 now I could have a Core Duo Mac Mini or a 24" LCD widescreen monitor for what the iPhone would cost me. Or two new pairs of jeans

I guess like everything it's about your current needs and priorities. Well that, and plain old gadget lust

UNDERSTATEMENT of the day. I wasn't even excited about the rumored phone... then, I saw it. Once again, Apple didn't invent anything new, they just reinvented it and made it better, cooler, easier, faster, etc.

Have you looked at the videos on Apple's site? The interface looks absolutely incredible. A Blackberry or whatever isn't even in the same league as this device. I'm blown away. If it actually works as cool as it looks like it should, I think it will blow people away. Another good thing is that all the other wireless handset makers now have new design goals!

SC

Here's some tech specs on the AppleTV device audio/video:


Looks like it's pretty h.264/MPEG-4 based at the moment - which is what all the content on the iTunes store is. It looks like, for right now, the device is pretty centered around enabling you to watch or listen to your iTunes store purchases (movies, TV, music, etc.) on your TV without a dedicated computer in the living room or dragging a computer there. So, to me, it looks like the device is alot about selling more iTunes video.

I was pretty excited about it, but now I'm thinking, "Hmm... it's 3/4 the price of an X-Box 360...

SC

Depends upon how you define "invent". Yours seems so stringent that I don't think anything get's invented by your def.

Personally, I think they did. Using two fingers on a touch screen to zoom a picture is genius. The use of the accelerometer for that as well as navigating things like the phone book--again genius. Both of these do fit the definition of "invention" in my book since they are non-obvious advances.

Dave

What I want to know is where is the HD content? When is it coming. As of now, the only content available for the device is WORSE than DVD quality--why would anyone want that?

Dave

720p max killed any intrest in this for me. Phone looks stunning, like most apple products the cost of the hardware just constantly makes you think two and three times about the purchase. Once I think that third time I always opt for the less expensive less sexy products. Love my Ipod and loved my original Powerbook back in 97 but can't justify the expense now. Especially when I have to pay for my MP V2 Mods!

Mark....

They apparently also fit the Patent Office's definition, since Jobs talked about Apple having patented all this technology.

I think people who are nay-saying the iPhone because of its price may not remember that quite a few people said the same thing about the iPod when it first came out "Really cool, but no one will buy it at that price." Yeah, right. The price looks high, but they'll probably sell a gazillion of them because . . . well, because they're just so cool. And the price will probably drop by $100 after six months, anyway.

John C.

I don't see how the price is out of line. Look at a Treo or Blackberry that does less and not nearly as well. How is it overpriced?

Dave

I edited my post and said that I didn't realize at first that they were targeting the smartphone consumers. I though at first, that they were going after the general cell phone users. While some general cell phone users my shell out the cash for this because it is really cool, I don't think many will. Most of us general cell phone users get our phones for free or dirt cheap after rebates by signing our life away to the carrier.

The iPhone is sooo cool and for the price you get - besides the phone - an iPod and a wireless mini-computer. I will get it - if I can - EVEN if I can't use it as a phone in my country!!! Think away the "phone" part and what else you get and I even think you'll find it cheap then!

IF discounting is available on the product then yes pricing might not be an issue but I picked up a Treo 650 for $190 back when big delta between that and the 4G.