Apple iPhone and related items (cont.)

[jæd]

That's not open at all - registered developers only, and then apple take a 30% cut. can't imagine we'll see any freeware any time soon eh?

30 % of $0.00 is...? Or are we confusing freeware with open-source, again...? Thing is, $100 for access for a (potential) 10,000,000 strong customer base is quite good... There's quite a lot of real investment going in...

 

[Crispy]

no, when have I ever done that?

I just checked and you're right, freeware is possible. You still have to pay apple a $99 joining fee if you want to develop for the iphone.

And software still has to be vetted by apple. can't imagine we'll be seeing eg. divx players or console emulators will we.

 

[jæd]

no, when have I ever done that?

I just checked and you're right, freeware is possible. You still have to pay apple a $99 joining fee if you want to develop for the iphone.

And software still has to be vetted by apple. can't imagine we'll be seeing eg. divx players or console emulators will we.

Why not...? And Apple haven't (AFAIK) said how much they will vet apps. Perhaps we'll find out next week...? Until Monday, it's all speculation.

 

[Crispy]

Call it a hunch. Care to make it interesting?

 

[jæd]

Call it a hunch. Care to make it interesting?

It will be interesting on Monday as it is... More interesting to be actually doing something, then trying to bet on what a tech company does...

 

[Crispy]

what else is the internets for?

monday will be interesting anyway - I've got my eyes on the rumoured 'me' relaunch of .mac. if they make it free, I'm in

 

[Sunray]

Its all about the contract for me.

If I can buy this new 3g iPhone without having to spend two grand on it, then I may consider it.

Anything less and Apple and O2 can fuck off.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Yeah I'd tend to agree, I'm a few months away from the end of my 18 month (September) and must say not doing that again! Think I might get the 02 sim only deal next now I have a phone I'm happy with for the near future, £25 for 600mins, 600 text and data and no contract (30 days notice is all they want) sounds pretty cool to me.

 

[Sunray]

I'm on the 15 quid a month, but no matter how hard I try, its never 15. 33 quid this month.

Sting you on the peak hours calls. Called my mum for not very long, 7 quid.

 

[editor]

From the Guardian...

The iPod-maker is due to launch an improved version of its much-vaunted touchscreen mobile phone today. Although the announcement is being closely guarded, sources have confirmed a number of details to the Guardian.

The handset will offer faster connections to the internet, using the 3G phone networks prevalent across Britain, and will be smaller than the current model.

The second-generation iPhone will go on sale immediately in the US, with British customers due to get their hands on it next month. It will also be available to pre-pay customers. And crucially, the handset will be offered at lower prices - or even for free. Those who sign up for a contract costing £75 a month will be offered the handset for no extra charge, breaking with Apple's earlier attempts to avoid the large subsidies common in the rest of the industry. Elsewhere, the gadget is likely to be subsidised to lower the price, which could drop from £269 to as little as £100.

While the iPhone has proved a hit in America, where the majority of its sales have taken place, it has managed only a moderate level of success in Europe. Many customers have complained about the lack of higher-speed 3G connections, and it has been hampered by a general impression of high price.

So you can get the phone for free - if you sign up to a £75/month contract!!!!

You gotta be fucking joking, Jobsie.

 

[Gromit]

Bet you it will be a 18 month contract so total cost for phone £1350.

You had better get lots of txts and minutes for that.

 

[editor]

For £75/month, I'd expect a cleaner to come around the house as well.

 

[Crispy]

!!!!!!75/m
Tempting at 100 though

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

£75 a month?

Fuck that

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Tempting at 100 though

I can't imagine the data/call tarrif will be any good at that price though.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I can't imagine the data/call tarrif will be any good at that price though.

It'll probably be a lower spec machine in terms of storage too.

 

[Crispy]

I can't imagine the data/call tarrif will be any good at that price though.

don't care about calls, I never use my minutes. but as long as they keep the unlimited data I'd be cool with it.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

don't care about calls, I never use my minutes. but as long as they keep the unlimited data I'd be cool with it.

I'll be amazed if they do - they've got to get the money back somewhere, surely?

 

[Kid_Eternity]

First pics?

 

[editor]

First pics?

For what its worth, Engadget have seriously rubbished those pics.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/08/the-not-3g-iphone-unboxing-gets-faker-still/

 

[Kid_Eternity]

For what its worth, Engadget have seriously rubbished those pics.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/08/the-not-3g-iphone-unboxing-gets-faker-still/

Yeah makes sense, we'll probably see a bit more of this 'I have the first pix' followed by 'No you don't!' posts until some actual info comes out!

 

[editor]

Yeah makes sense, we'll probably see a bit more of this 'I have the first pix' followed by 'No you don't!' posts until some actual info comes out!

It's an easy way for no-mark websites to whip up some traffic.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

It's an easy way for no-mark websites to whip up some traffic.

Yep.

 

[Sunray]

For what its worth, Engadget have seriously rubbished those pics.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/08/the-not-3g-iphone-unboxing-gets-faker-still/

Quite glad, it looks shit.

75 quid a month. I can understand that to make it free its going to be expensive. I doubt it will be 75 quid.

The 8800 Arte is the most expensive phone out there so, its 699 sim free, but 329 with a 35pm 18 month contract. Thats an 18pm contract 17pm for the phone. Which I see as OK, its a reasonable deal for the min/text. You might be able to buy the phone sim free cheaper though which makes the deal less attractive.

Not sure how they come to the 75 quid because the iPhone isn't going to be that expensive, well I would assume its not going to be that expensive.

 

[editor]

You have to admire Apple's PR machine and its media fanboys. According to the BBC, the iPhone has sold around 5m phones since launching in June 2007 while the humble Palm Centro - launched in the US four months later - has sold near enough 2m phones.

But if you compared the amount of press coverage, you'd think that the iPhone has outsold the Centro by a factor of twenty to one or something - and the same applies to other successful phones by Nokia, LG etc.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7443543.stm

 

[tarannau]

Yep, but the Palm's a mature product. Apple sprung up to be one of the major players virtually overnight, leading to a flurry of new activity in the smartphone sector.

Not bad given that it's their first release in telecoms, they only have one model and no track record of delivering in that area. Far from a bad achievement imo - it's hard to see an equally notable market entry in recent times.

 

[editor]

Yep, but the Palm's a mature product. Apple sprung up to be one of the major players virtually overnight, leading to a flurry of new activity in the smartphone sector.

Sure. But the press hyperbole is still at fever pitch for the next iPhone, which looks to be adding nothing that hasn't been available on rival phones for years (3G, video calling etc).

The iPhone is a great phone with an excellent interface (although something of a crippled feature set), yet the Apple hype continues to outshine the real innovation seen elsewhere - e.g. haptic feedback, built in GPS, location based services etc.

The BBC is dutifully trotting out speculative articles about today's possible iPhone 2.0 launch, a privilege that seems almost exclusively afforded to Apple products.

 

[Crispy]

It's a PR machine that other companies would kill for. It's a very carefully orchestrated bit of theatre.

 

[paolo]

And it's not quite as simple as being the sole result of PR. A fair bit of it comes from being a very highly thought of brand, and it's product that makes that, not press releases. Apple TV is a bit crap. Noone writes about it. The halo isn't infinitely elastic.

 

[tarannau]

Even allowing for Apple's halo in the creative and publishing industries they've an excellent track record of delivering technology solutions that feel accessible to the general market. Take the ipod and itunes' role in opening up the mp3 market/digital music delivery, or the way that Apple helped popularise entry level digital movie editing or DVD creation

It's not about the latest technological features, it's about presenting integrated hardware and software solutions that people will actually use. Sure, people could surf the web on their phone before, it just wasn't nearly as easy or friendly as on the iphone. And it's not as though others in the industry (and beyond) don't tend to follow Apple's lead in design either - take the spread of translucent highly coloured electronics after the imac, or white headphones after the ipod.