931 replies to this topic

[ghostrider]

It drives me nuts when my Blackjack has to go on an Edge signal, I can't imagine having to give up 3G and deal with that aspect of the phone. Are they planning on going to 3G in the future?

Is this satire, or is this real terminology?

I can't tell any more. I guess my age is showing.

And what the hell do "Plus 20 DB hot!" and "True Quom" mean? They sound vaguely pornographic.

For that matter, what are "Magnesium paddle shifters"? Do they have anything to do with S&M?

[lovelynugget]

At first I thought this was another status symbol for geeky types, but after reading some reviews (Mossberg, NYTimes, gizmodo, etc), the IPhone might be a viable replacement for my laptop, something to stay connected while away from the house. Still, I'll wait for them to work out the weaknesses -- slow connection speed, no Flash or Java -- and whatever bugs in this first incarnation.

The Today show had a report ('Microsoft's answer to the IPhone?') that Microsoft is crazy busy coming up with a competitor, one that will be a portable PC. Doubtful that it will be as good, but the more competition the better. Hopefully, prices will drop for more features.

[Abbylovi]

Two major things bother me about the iPhone.

1. AT&T -- I will NEVER have an account with them ever again.
2. The battery is like the iPod so when it goes kaput, what happens? Can you imagine giving up your phone even for a day?

[Stone]

The Today show had a report ('Microsoft's answer to the IPhone?') that Microsoft is crazy busy coming up with a competitor, one that will be a portable PC. Doubtful that it will be as good, but the more competition the better. Hopefully, prices will drop for more features.

Maybe I'm forgetting something obvious, but has MS ever produced a decent hardware product? They failed with WebTv and their iPod competitor (whatever that was called). I'm sure Apple is more concerned about Palm, Motorola and Nokia.

Abby, I can see that you're very troubled about the battery issue. The exasperation is written all over your face.

[hollywood]

Can you imagine giving up your phone even for a day?

You can do it, girl!

[Tamar G]

2. The battery is like the iPod so when it goes kaput, what happens? Can you imagine giving up your phone even for a day?

yeah, this is a problem- you cannot go to the store to have it replaced. If the battery goes you have to mail the phone in and they estimate that it will take a few weeks to get it back. That's a pretty major problem.

[Ron Johnson]

Can you imagine giving up your phone even for a day?

You can do it, girl!

Because of a Verizon mistake (imagine that!)mine did not work for the two weeks I was in France. It was bliss.

[Abbylovi]

Can you imagine giving up your phone even for a day?

You can do it, girl!

Because of a Verizon mistake (imagine that!)mine did not work for the two weeks I was in France. It was bliss.

Dude, it was your honeymoon. No phones allowed.

[mitchells]

Can you imagine giving up your phone even for a day?

You can do it, girl!

Because of a Verizon mistake (imagine that!)mine did not work for the two weeks I was in France. It was bliss.

Dude, it was your honeymoon. No phones allowed.

What if it was on vibrate?

[Carolyn Tillie]

Can you imagine giving up your phone even for a day?

You can do it, girl!

Because of a Verizon mistake (imagine that!)mine did not work for the two weeks I was in France. It was bliss.

Dude, it was your honeymoon. No phones allowed.

What if it was on vibrate?

Bliss!

[g.johnson]

My phone's on vibrate for you
Electroclash is karaoke too
I tried to dance Britney Spears
I guess I'm getting on in years

My phone's on vibrate for you
God knows what all these new drugs do
I guess to have no more fears
But still I always end up in tears

My phone's on vibrate for you
But still I never ever feel from you
Pinocchio's now a boy who wants to turn back into a toy

So call me
Call me the morning, call me in the night
So call me
Call me anytime you like

My phone's on vibrate
For you, for you

[Wilfrid1]

Is this satire, or is this real terminology?
Caught in a landslide- No escape from reality-

[lovelynugget]

The Today show had a report ('Microsoft's answer to the IPhone?') that Microsoft is crazy busy coming up with a competitor, one that will be a portable PC. Doubtful that it will be as good, but the more competition the better. Hopefully, prices will drop for more features.

Maybe I'm forgetting something obvious, but has MS ever produced a decent hardware product? They failed with WebTv and their iPod competitor (whatever that was called). I'm sure Apple is more concerned about Palm, Motorola and Nokia.

You're probably right, Stone, but the way I see it the more players in this race, the better. Hopefully, it will mean more features at a lower price.

There was also this story getting the Asian cellphone makers' perspectives. One comment that struck me was this one:

“Tech-wise, the iPhone is not so advanced,” said S. Jay Yim, vice president of overseas marketing at Pantech. “But Apple makes up for that in content and software. As handsets look more like PCs, software gets more important.”

This doesn't surprise me as I keep hearing that cellphones in Asia are two generations ahead of those in the US. Apple's advantage is that they released here first. Perhaps those advanced Asian phones will make it faster to these shores, and then we will really have some decent choice here.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Okay... Friend Tom came over this evening for dinner and I spent an hour playing with his phone.

It is official. The company is going to finance the change -- we all must have one. It is too cool for words.

The pictures are stunning. The IPod funcationality is astonishing. Voicemails show up as sound files (meaning you can scroll back a little to hear a missed segment). It is gorgeous and clean and the video quality outstanding.

[lovelynugget]

From Bloomberg:

Apple's IPhone Sells for Double Costs, ISuppli Says (Update1)

By Kevin Cho

July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. sells its new iPhone handsets at more than double production costs, according to estimates by ISuppli Corp., a technology industry researcher.

The most expensive model, which retails for $599, has component and manufacturing costs of $265.83, El Segundo, California-based ISuppli said today on its Web site. Excluding costs for logistics and royalties, Apple generates margins exceeding 55 percent, the report said. Jill Tan, a spokeswoman for Apple in Hong Kong, declined to comment on the report.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. is the biggest supplier, accounting for 30.5 percent of component costs, by making the memory chips and processors, according to ISuppli. Infineon Technologies AG, Wolfson Microelectronics Plc, Balda AG and National Semiconductor Corp. also make parts, ISuppli said.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said shoppers may have bought as many as 700,000 iPhones in the product's opening weekend, double the broker's earlier projections. Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster pegged sales at about 500,000, more than twice his original 200,000 estimate.

Apple will probably sell 4.5 million iPhones this year and more than 30 million units by 2011, according to ISuppli estimates. Apple's Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said in January that the Cupertino, California-based company will sell 10 million iPhones in 2008, capturing 1 percent of total handset sales worldwide.

By comparison, Nokia Oyj, the world's largest mobile-phone maker, said in April it shipped 91.1 million units in the first quarter.

The following is a table listing some of the major suppliers for the 8-gigabyte iPhone, the components and their estimated costs, according to ISuppli's report. The 4-gigabyte model retails for $499 each.

Company Components Total Costs

Infineon Digital baseband
Radio Transceiver
Power Management $15.25
National Semiconductor Display/graphics connecting chip $1.50
Balda AG Touch screen module $27.00
Epson/Sharp/Toshiba Matsushita Touch screen display $24.50
Samsung Electronics Applications processor
NAND flash memory
DRAM chip $76.25
Wolfson Microelectronics Plc Audio codec N/A
CSR Plc Bluetooth chip $1.90
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. Wi-Fi chip $6.00

Total Bill of Materials $265.83