iPhone, iPhone!!!!

I think people are getting confused between talking and standby.

As it gets closer to the actual release, I'm sure more will be made clear.

I also think Jobs is monitoring the response of people and they're going to "fix" as many complaints as is practical in the next six month.

And for the mac of the future.....eventually there won't be any keyboards. It will be voice controlled. Shades of Asimov's Foundation.

 

i started with voice recognition software when only discrete speech (distinct pauses between each word was required) was necessary. so a lot of advances have been made, sure we have a long way to go, but we will get there.

 

Just a few updated notes about the iPhone:
No java, but there might be flash.
google docs (excel, word, etc) should be available for use on the phone. http://docs.google.com/

mp3's as ringtones: undecided as of yet - reports of a definite "no" have been exaggerated.

It will have a calendar program - however it is still in development.

No one has seen the ability to lock the phone, but it's expected to be there since it's standard on the iPod.

No one has seen any speed dial functionality yet...

the screen - it's the same polycarbonate screen used on the iPod, with a new type of finish to resist scratching and finger smudges. It won't work with gloves on, only skin contact!

3G will be available when it's more widely available - right now, it's not available in all cities.

rotating the phone: only works in some applications where it's "logical", and only works in a counter-closkwise direction.

And finally, it'll automatically (and supposedly seamlessly) switch between EDGE and wi-fi, which should save some money on the wireless data plans.

 

Here are a few interesting facts about eWaste and consumer electronics (from GreenCitizen):

--eWaste is the largest contributor of carcinogenic toxins in the U.S.
--Toxic componenents from electronics constitute as much as 2-5% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream, and the percentage is growing.
--The 4-8 lbs. of lead in computer screens and TVs represents nearly half of all the lead in U.S. landfills
--Dumped electronics also contaminate golbally: For example, in the name of "reuse," 500 40-foot containers of electronics are shipped to Lagos, Nigeria every month, but only 25% are actually useable. The other 75% is dumped into swamps or burned(!!)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think it's important to further technology and our know-how (and it seems that increasingly consumers are now footing this bill directly, out of pocket and with increased stress levels as involuntary beta testers)...but it's also important to recognize its ecological footprint.

Hope I didn't post in the wrong place; at home with a s--l--o--w internet connection and I didn't take the time to check.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jan 9 2007, 04:51 PM) [snapback]373291[/snapback]</div>

That's true, even with salt they don't taste like chicken Being restricted to only using Cingular (soon to be AT&T) is revolting so I won't iPhonin' any time soon :lol:

 

I downloaded the speech he made, watched, and am still sold.

I guess I have drank the Kool Aid, but it just looks, and sounds, great.

and that idea of a Bluetooth Keyboard? That sounds plausible. Why not? I use my bluetooth keyboard on my laptop when I need to, otherwise, I use it all the time for m iMac...it would be great to do as suggested, have it pop up on your wide screen, via the Apple TV...

Although, in the Truth Be Told Department, with my current iTunes set up, and my PC hooked up to my 56 inch HDTV already, I can (and have), watched LOST that I downloaded to my iTunes on the iMac in my bedroom, via the wireless network in my house, so I am not sure what the Apple TV offers that my iTunes via the PC already does...Maybe looking at photos? Not sure.

 

The other added bonus is simplicity - Setting it all up on your own intimidates a lot of consumers (which wires do i need? how do i know it will work with my TV? etc, etc, etc). The prospect of having something as simple as the Apple TV (plug it in just like a VCR with the included cables!) sounds a lot more attractive.

True, the Apple TV doesn't do much that the "technical elite" haven't been doing for years (maybe even a decade?). i know I've had a computer almost constantly hooked up to a TV for the past 7 years - it's cheaper than buying a TiVO box, since i already was going to build the computer anyways - less than 100 bucks for a TV tuner (current prices), Hard Drive prices dropping every day, etc - it just makes sense, if you have the know-how.

Also, please keep in mind that my post earlier about a possible connection between Apple TV and the iPhone is pure conjecture and wishful thinking - it can't do that (yet).

 

hmm, i downloaded a lost episode thru itunes and played it on my 55" HDTV and it was a VERY noticable drop in resolution probably as bad as digital cable.

now i admit, i have a 1080i DVD player which is WAAAAY better than cable for picture quality, so i maybe spoiled, but what looks great on an ipod (looked ok on my 17" widescreen laptop too) was disappointing on my big screen.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Jan 16 2007, 04:36 PM) [snapback]376449[/snapback]</div>

I'm not sure I agree that even the strongest version of Steve Jobs' "Reality Distortion Field" can make me believe that Apple's ever really been capable of providing the 'plug and play' functionality you suggest.

I'm not a first generation of Mac user, but I do go back to the late 80's; my first brand new Mac was a 33mhz Quadra 800 in 1993 (wish I'd waited for the 840AV, but that's another story) and I've used 'em pretty much constantly since then.

This weekend past I replaced my chronically overheating Cube (that's what I get for souping it up too much, I guess?) with a cute little Mini...

I have to say that the 'plug and play' aspect has once again gone missing somewhere, at least in my case, and Apple's (no longer, ahem, Apple Computer) customer service is as spotty as ever. I've never thought of Macs as idiotproof, either; as I said, I think this aspect of them is a bit overrated.

Entertainment-wise, there is simply no way I want to deal with having all of my music on some proprietary Apple device, beholden to listening only whatever is available in their proprietary format...and their hardware and customer support.

So the idea of further consolidation around Apple is a bit scary to me, honestly...too much reliance on a single 'system.'

Apple has simply not earned my trust enough.

I'm curious, do y'all think that my experiences have been more the exception than the rule? I'll be the first to say that I'm not particularly a techie...but I think I'm reasonably smart and can usually (if I want to, that is) follow directions...but now, after nearly 20 years, I've gotten to the point where I *dread* buying a new Mac, but kind of have to...

Honestly, do you think that the iPhone will be well enough supported by Apple, or will it turn out to be more of a hassle (support-wise) than it's worth? Clearly, y'all are much more savvy about this stuff than I.

That said, I still think I'd feel lots better if it were made by Palm!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Jan 16 2007, 10:07 PM) [snapback]376585[/snapback]</div>

To keep my cube from overheating, I stuck a fan behind my cube to blow air through the 'chimney'. Keeps it cool as can be.

 

IMO, customer support from any computer or software manufacturer is crap - even Dell, back in the late 90's when they won all those awards for customer service, wasn't really all that good.

That being said, my experience with Apple seems to have been a better experience than yours. I haven't had to go through their tech support (luckily i can fix most problems - PC or mac - myself...), so i can't comment on that side. However, when it comes to upgrading a computer, macs are usually easier than PC's - all you do is take it into the apple store and they take care of it for you. You know it's going to work because the part you're putting in was made by Apple too, and they said its going to work. With PC's, you add an extra card and you never know if its going to work or not. You may have to experiment with different drivers (for one network card in one of my PC's i had to test 7 different versions of the drivers before i found one that worked...). You don't have those problems with macs.

As far as the plug and play capability: for the most part, Apple products are simply plug and play. I recently got a new MacBook, and after getting all my music on it, i just plugged in my iPod and it worked, no hassle. Back in the day, before iPods, i had a Rio music player - syncing that up to my PC was one of the biggest PITA i've ever experienced with a peripheral.

Next, the consolidation. There's currently a lawsuit against Apple for the DRM (digital rights management) they put on music downloaded through iTunes (http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/topnews/wpn-60-20061231AppleFacesLawsuitOverDRM.html). Like you, many people don't like the idea of purchasing media that can only play on one device from one company. I own an iPod, i don't ever see myself switching away from the iPod, but i have yet to purchase a single song through iTunes because of their DRM. From a legal perspective, the lawsuit should succeed, and thus force apple to open up their DRM so that other players can work with media downloaded from iTunes. it'll be a win for the consumer.

Last week, Microsoft announced their newest foray into the home entertainment market. While it doesn't directly compete with the Apple TV, it's very close. You can be sure that Apple won't be the only one trying to get this idea to work.

Finally, Palm. They're a great company that makes an amazing product. From a device standpoint, they were leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else. However, they're currently tied to an aging OS (operating system) that just doesn't work well. the Palm OS is pretty much as bad as it can get - even worse than Windows CE. On the other side, OSX is one of the easiest and most intuitive operating systems out there - and i've had experience with just about all of them. If the striped down version they put on the iPhone is able to retain the same essence OSX has, then it'll be much better than anything Palm has.

 

Just to add what i said earlier:
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2007/01/20070117025248.shtml

 

Verizon rejected Apple iPhone deal.

"Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. cellphone carrier, passed on the chance to be the exclusive distributor of the iPhone almost two years ago, balking at Apple's rich financial terms and other demands."

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jan 29 2007, 07:02 PM) [snapback]382502[/snapback]</div>

GRRRRRR. Verizon is my carrier. What were they thinking? Maybe Apple wanted them to lose their lame GetItNow program (charge you $15 a month just to enable the ability to buy songs and ringtones). Would consider switching when iphone comes out if not for a) poverty and B ) cingular's horrid reception in the Chicago area.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MegansPrius @ Jan 29 2007, 06:05 PM) [snapback]382504[/snapback]</div>

No. They didn't want it sold at WalMart and wanted control over repairs.

 

yep that really sucks to hear that they would not give us the option at any price.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jan 29 2007, 07:08 PM) [snapback]382506[/snapback]</div>

No.

Apple didn't want to slap VZW's lame Get-It-Now interface on their phone, and Apple didn't want to be beholden to VZW's UI guidelines. VZW is moving towards a unified UI, for better or worse, and Apple didn't want to be a part of it.

Of course, Apple has their own Microsoftish vision of the future for their phone...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Jun 4 2007, 02:15 PM) [snapback]455041[/snapback]</div>

I might. If APPLE pulls the same stunt they just did with the AppleTV, and releases a larger hard drive version mere months after the launch, I will wait for a larger hard drive version of the iPhone.