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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

iPhone, anyone?

Yes and No - people are actually putting ads on craigslist to hire people to stand in line for them - geez. Plus there's no word if sufficient stock will be in place or how many you can buy at an Apple store. The ATT stores' word is limited one per customer and no word on quantity - the horror.

I'll simply order online since we need more than one with next day shipping and see what happens - that is if the Apple site isn't frozen by the demand. Cool thing is you can activate the new iPhone via iTunes - the genius!
 
I think im going to wait a bit.. there is word that it will drop in price significantly.. the price now is just to get as much as they can while its hot off the shelfs.. I think the 4gig will be down to 250-300 in a few months..

I have tmobile right now and obviously would switch over.. but I was saddened to find out about ATT prices for the plans.. right now i have 1200 anytime min, free weekends and nights. unlimited text/internet for 82.00
ATT would be 100 for 900 min, nights and weekends, unlimited text/internet.
I dont know if its worth it
 
I'm actually pretty impressed by what I've heard so far. In Canada here, we pay exorbitant rates for cell use and any kind of data use. The AT&T rates are extremely reasonable. Right now my current cell plan gives me the unlimited evenings/weekends/incoming + 1000 text messages + 250 minutes and 100 long distance but it ends up costing me around $70-85 a month. That includes absolutely no data. So I figure the iPhone plans are pretty great. Now they just need to stop sitting around and start working on getting it to Canada and shaking up the industry :D.

As far as the actual iPhone itself, there has been a lot of media people who appear to be trying to make it fail, saying all kinds of things about why it won't work. From what I've read though, the majority of the reviewers so far are very impressed with the phone and only have a few complaints. For one, 3G is missing yet from what I've heard, adding that feature would significantly reduce battery life as of right now, which is something the iPhone is apparently pretty good with. The keyboard - I hear from reviewers once you've used it for a couple days you get very used to it and can type as fast on a Blackberry. Those seem to have been the main gripes/naysayers remarks yet I think as a whole, people will be very impressed. I hear there are a few little things such as no copy/paste etc but I'm betting most of these little issues will be resolved come version 2.0 of the iPhone in a year or so. :-)
 
I dunno, I think I'm about the only person that isn't all that bothered about the iPhone. I think the iPod is a wonderful piece of iconic design and it's beauty lies in its simplicity. The iPhone whilst being attractive doesn't have that same visual impact, nor do I care much for most of the features. When you can already buy nokias with 5mp Carl Zeiss cameras and GPS built in I don't see that the iPhone offers a great deal more other than being a nicer looking phone.

I guess it kind of comes down to the "everything for everyman" syndrome. By this what I mean is I'd rather listen to music on an ipod, use a gps instead of simple maps and browse the internet on my computer, can you imagine trying to read these forums on a screen that big, let alone write a reply!

Another issue I have is exposure. iPod's aren't carried around day in day like a mobile is and as such isn't as susceptable to wear as much. I easily get through a phone within 18 months, often enough 12. An iPod on the other hand may very well last for years.
 
PaulClements said:
Another issue I have is exposure. iPod's aren't carried around day in day like a mobile is and as such isn't as susceptable to wear as much. I easily get through a phone within 18 months, often enough 12. An iPod on the other hand may very well last for years.
Click to expand...

Yup, but apparently, according to reviewers, the iPhone is really sturdy and scratch resistant. A reviewer carried it in his pocket allong with his keys, pennies and the like, and the iPhone came out without any scracth. Plus, it underwent an extreme crash test. Plus I think you have to factor in the "wow" factor of an iPhone, which, pretty much like an iPod, you'll be, I think, more careful with its usage than you are with a typical phone...

If it is anything like the iPod nano, then I don't think you have to worry about the lifetime of this device, outside of the "I-want-this-new-wonderful-device!" syndrome when the next big thing come out.

And for the features, I think it is a mix of good design, good user interface mixed with features that makes the iPhone appealing, to me at least.

Granted, it doesn't have a GPS built-in, which would have been a killer feature, however, not everyone need this, nor will miss it.

If you haven't done so, and you have time (because it is long) take a look at this quick tour of the iPhone features and UI, well worth it I think:

iPhone Quick Tour (long)
 
zakaree said:
I think im going to wait a bit.. there is word that it will drop in price significantly.. the price now is just to get as much as they can while its hot off the shelfs.. I think the 4gig will be down to 250-300 in a few months...
Click to expand...

Still, a lot of people will be pissed if they drop the price to quickly! I know it is normal for electronic devices to see price drop, but if we look at the original iPod for example, it remained at its original price for some time, before seeing a price drop, which, if I remember well, was along side an update to the iPod line.

Time will tell if the same will happen with the iPhone...
 
PaulClements said:
I guess it kind of comes down to the "everything for everyman" syndrome. By this what I mean is I'd rather listen to music on an ipod, use a gps instead of simple maps and browse the internet on my computer, can you imagine trying to read these forums on a screen that big, let alone write a reply!
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! That's how I am. I just want my phone to make phone calls! I know I sound so 1990s, but seriously, if my phone works for calling people, I'm delighted. I have a GPS for navigating. I have a 10 megapixel camera for taking pictures. I have a killer laptop (and a less killer laptop that's smaller) for surfing the net. I really don't want one little device that "does it all" because to me it's just a phone. That's all I want it to do. It doesn't have to play music, show videos, navigate the roads, make me breakfast, scratch my back, do my laundry, wash my dishes, or any other thing! Just. Make. Calls. ;)
 
I'm thinking I'll get one if I can find one, but I'm not going to wait in line for a day to do it. I'm always an early adopter, but for no practical reason.

Nobody needs an iPhone. It's purely a WANT thing.

That said, $600 right now could go towards a couple days of meals on my upcoming feature.

Guess, I'll have to rethink the iphone. :)

PS-Paul is right, there are more practical and effective ways to do all the things the iphone does, but none of them looks so sweet. :)
 
That product should come with a warning... "WARNING: Advertising has made you think that you need this product that you clearly don't need. Experts have put these thoughts into your head without your consent or knowledge. Buy at your own risk." ;)
 
I'll be buying an iPhone on Friday even though it has many features I don't want or need, it does promise to be a lot more user friendly for the things I do need.

I don't need music on my phone; I've got iPods for that. It might be nice to have on a plane, but I question whether we'll be allowed to use it since phones have to be switched off in flight.

What I do want, besides a good solid, reliable phone, is a great contact list, calendar, txt, and email. The iPhone interface looks terrific for these applications and syncs with my Powerbook.

Sure, we all have our favorite scouting cameras, but sometimes you don't have one or you've got to quickly send a photo so a good camera phone is necessary. GPS and maps are a real plus as well.

I don't buy the, "wait for the next generation," argument; there will always be something better around the corner and you could be waiting forever. After all, none of us are waiting for the next generation of Red cameras!

Right now I'm being tortured with a Palm Treo, equipped with software written by the Marquis de Sade and the reliability of FEMA during Katrina. The bloody thing resets or freezes constantly, usually at the worst possible times. I believe there is actually a class action case against them in California.

I won't miss the Treo. Actually, I plan to throw it against a nearby brick wall as soon as possible. It will probably bounce back and hit me in the head as a last act of malice.

Who knows; the iPhone may turn out to be a bomb instead of "the bomb," but I figure it's worth the risk of a few hundred.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo
 
I don't think I'll stand on line for hours on Friday, but I will probably order one from Apple's online store when they go on sale. My current phone is pretty long in the tooth (almost four years old), mostly because I just hadn't seen anything newer that I particularly liked until Apple started showing off the iPhone.

My other hat says "Web Developer" on it, so I can probably have some fun writing little web-based apps for the thing, to help us manage production or whatever. (Probably just for internal use.)
 
Tobeorx said:
I don't buy the, "wait for the next generation," argument; there will always be something better around the corner and you could be waiting forever. After all, none of us are waiting for the next generation of Red cameras!
Click to expand...

That should be a debate stopper on this forum. :)

Seriously, I'm with you on the contacts and such. Right now every phone I've had or others have had a just such a pain.
 
pat@hpnc.com said:
Seems over hyped and over priced to me. So no:)
Click to expand...

Damn, I missed the lack of logic in my post. The RED is underhyped and underpriced, so the debate continues. :)
 
In my humble opinion, the thing people most need to realize about the iPhone is that it is an APPLE product...or in other words, it "just works". Apple in both their computers and their iPods creates tools that are easy to use, reliable, and innovative. I currently have a Sony Walkman W810i phone and while it's decent, it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of ease of use, reliability, and solid navigation/user interface. It can often be a pain in the ass to use and you're left thinking why can't I do this while making a call or what not. Furthermore, it's music integration isn't that great (that is when using a computer and playing music) and every now and then when trying to make a call I get this weird freezing up of the phone. I also have to restart the phone (which takes a while because of the stupid startup logos) now and then when coming out of a subway as it doesn't pick up the network. Anyways, you get the point. Sure Apple's iPhone has a lot of great features and sure lots of other phones have these features too, or in some cases even better ones. The difference is the iPhone's will be easy to use, they will work and they will be innovative. Like the multi-touch. Why scroll on a webpage when you can use your fingers anywhere to move around?
 
I'm curious to see the iPhone and I'll go check it out in a couple days. I'm moderately interested in creating applications for it. I currently have phone service through Verizon wireless as they give the best coverage in my area and most places I travel to. But Cingular/ATT isn't bad either... I may switch over to the iPhone if it works as good as it looks. But when it really comes down to it, I wouldn't use all the crap on there. I suppose it could serve as phone and my contact list, appointment book. That's about it. I wouldn't use it for music I don't think or any serious internet use. Perhaps checking email in a pinch. Of course there isn't a phone manufacturer out there that makes a phone like I want... One that is just a damn phone, that actually works 100% every time and is built to withstand any kind of punishment, is compact, yet I can still use the buttons and comfortably talk with it.. etc... I hate cell phones because the ones that are "just phones" usually are complete junk, have protruding antennas and other undesirable characteristics. The whole trend of putting cameras and everything else on them is just stupid. So instead of having a nice phone, I can have a device that's both a crappy phone and an even crappier camera. What a novel idea. My current phone is an LG Chocolate. It sucks, don't buy one. The touch sensitive buttons on the front work fine for about two weeks and then go to hell. Verizon has replaced it twice for me. Same with my wife, so she switched to a Samsung flip phone... Not a bad phone, more practical than the Chocolate and no touch-sensitive surfaces, but still a complete POS. Occasionally it freezes up or the screen won't light and the battery has to be pulled to reset it.
 
To me that's the dealbreaker of the iPhone -- I used AT&T before, it was absolutely, positively terrible service, didn't even get service in the ENTIRE city of Corvallis! Corvallis is a small town, it has 50,000 people, but it also just so happens to be one of the LARGER towns in all of Oregon! If you don't include anything that is really part of the Greater Portland Area, then Corvallis rates 4th in the state behind Eugene and Bend I think. The point is, Oregon State University is there, everyone in college has a phone, everyone in college uses a phone a lot, duh, so if you can't even offer support to a large college town there are serious problems in your service plan. I remember the only way to talk on the phone there was to go all the way to the Interstate (I-5) and make a call! That's when I switched to Verizon, and when they say they have the best network in the nation, they mean it! They do have the best network, hands down. Maybe one day AT&T will catch up, and that'd be great, I don't have any loyalty to any phone company for reasons other than I just want a phone that works. But I've had friends using other services and I always laugh at them when their phone just doesn't work in certain areas. Mine always works. Everywhere. There is nowhere I've ever been where it doesn't work, and that's saying something because with other phones I've had, it was iffy.

I do think the iPhone is pretty cool, and I love Apple, I just need to be able to put my foot down on purchases I really don't need because I've been burning through money like it's going out of style lately! With all of the filmmaking equipment I continue to buy, and with my hobbies (a $50,000+ Star Wars collection and now absinthe, which I love, but at $80 or so per bottle to get it shipped into the U.S. it's also expensive, hehe), it's not hard to spend money fast. That's why I have to pass on something cool like the iPhone that I don't really need now.
 
JonathanLB said:
That's why I have to pass on something cool like the iPhone that I don't really need now.
Click to expand...

That's not like its a one time deal either... if the iPhone is at least half as successful as the iPod is, it is going to be there for a long time anyway...
 
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