Apple iPhone and related items (cont.)

[Dask]

MMS and Video Recording are possible at the moment with Jail Broken phones, I'm willing to bet money on their being official applications released within weeks of the app store going live.

I reckon someone will produce a better SMS/MMS app than the one apple provide that allows for a landscape keyboard, either that or Apple will do it themselves.

People are missing the point with iPhone 2.0, it's all about software....and the development of software. The tools provided to build iPhone apps put most development environments to shame, including Microsoft's Visual Studio 2008.

 

[dogmatique]

People are missing the point with iPhone 2.0, it's all about software....and the development of software. The tools provided to build iPhone apps put most development environments to shame, including Microsoft's Visual Studio 2008.

Exactly. Thread closed.

 

[Sunray]

So the landscape keyboard is limited to just the apps that support that orientation and is not universally available. Thank you.

be very pointless having the keyboard rock up sideways if the app doesn't support sideways? Your not getting any more text on screen are you? Might well get less sideways with the keyboard up.

 

[paolo]

Personally I never use landscape for typing. Portrait is accurate enough for me (and my obviously dainty little fingers )

 

[Kanda]

Personally I never use landscape for typing. Portrait is accurate enough for me (and my obviously dainty little fingers )

It's an iPhone killer apparently

 

[editor]

The BBC has had to counter accusations that their iPhone coverage was disproportionate.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/06/mad_about_mac.html

 

[Gromit]

The BBC has had to counter accusations that their iPhone coverage was disproportionate.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/06/mad_about_mac.html

and answered the accusations pretty darn well it seems.

 

[editor]

and answered the accusations pretty darn well it seems.

You think so? I find some of the user comments more spot on to be honest.

Considering the new iPhone is nothing more than an incremental upgrade offering absolutely nothing that hasn't been available for some time on other phones, I'd say the phone has attracted excess coverage, especially considering its relatively poor sales in the UK.

The problem is that the perception is that Apple are given much more coverage than, say, Nokia, LG or SE despite the fact that they sell many more phones than Apple.

Apple are an exciting company and I do believe they should get coverage, however a simple article count shows that their coverage - particularly with reference to the iPhone is disproportionate.

 

[Gromit]

Considerding its a hot topic on many tech forums so there is public interest if only to slag it off, then the beeb would not be doing their job if they didn't cover it. If there is ever such public interest in a Palm product i'd expect there to be just as much coverage.

Who said camera on new phone was 2mpx? I've just seen an ad that says its 5 mpx on the 3G.

 

[Kanda]

Even this thread is pt2...

What an insignificant little device

 

[Kanda]

Who said camera on new phone was 2mpx? I've just seen an ad that says its 5 mpx on the 3G.

Says 2MP on the site: http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone?mco=MTE2NTQ

 

[MullahNasrudin]

Considering the new iPhone is nothing more than an incremental upgrade offering absolutely nothing that hasn't been available for some time on other phones, I'd say the phone has attracted excess coverage, especially considering its relatively poor sales in the UK.

That's right up there with Slashdot's first review of the iPod: "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."

The new iPhone changes things markedly. Early indications are that the 8GB will be available from O2 for £99 on a £30 per month tariff. Which is pretty damn cheap.

But whatever price it goes for, Apple are clearly serious about taking out Nokia and RIM's Blackberry. By making it cheap and bumping up the features to corporate standards, they are aiming to make it the number 1 or number 2 smartphone in the market.

And I think they'll do it -- Nokia have lost the plot and Blackberry's only saving grace at the moment is the hardware keyboard.

 

[Gromit]

Best to date.

 

[editor]

And I think they'll do it -- Nokia have lost the plot and Blackberry's only saving grace at the moment is the hardware keyboard.

So let's get this straight. Nokia - with 45% share of the global market, operating profit up 39% year on year, and sales up 25% on year - have "lost the plot," while Blackberry - the second-biggest smartphone vendor with 13.4% of the market and enjoying booming sales ahead of the iPhone - are just hanging on because of their keyboard?

What's the weather like in your bizarre alternative universe?

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/31639.php
http://www.nokia.com/A4132057
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9092058

 

[MullahNasrudin]

Yeah, Nokia and Blackberry have market share because they've both been in the marketplace far longer than Apple - duh!

But the new pricing strategy and support for corporate networks is a bold strategy to aggressively take market share from these rivals. And I rather think it will work.

As for Nokia losing the plot, the quality of their devices these days is diabolical. A mate has a N95 that one day magically lost the ability to text. It's now packed up completely for no obvious reason. Someone I worked with had an earlier version of the N95 (N93?) and he ended up having it replaced four times by Carphone Warehouse.

Say what you like about iPhone, but I've never come across issues like these.

 

[Structaural]

Best to date.

bastard

 

[Structaural]

Well my contract ran out this month with my piece of shit Nokia and I left my ipod on a train yesterday (along with my specs, my headphones, my daughter's favourite toy and about 10 new books ), while coming back from London so it's the iPhone for me next month when they're finally released in Holland. I'm quite looking forward to it, my Nokia won't pick up calls, hardly ever lets me dial out - I think the antennae has gone.
I only use a phone for calling and texting but I like the browser on the iphone so this may change.

 

[editor]

Yeah, Nokia and Blackberry have market share because they've both been in the marketplace far longer than Apple - duh!

By that bizarre reckoning, Palm should have the biggest share of all in the smartphone market. Duh!

 

[tarannau]

People give such coverage to Apple because it tends to change the market. Who else has jumped into second place with their first product in a well established market, setting terms to the network and changing the channel relationships? Similar with Apple countering the power of the record labels and setting up fairer licensing terms and simplified prices with itunes.

The iphone's also interesting because it changes the nature of smartphone/phone usage. Look at the proportion of people using the iphone to browse the web, mobile video or social networking sites. It's a phenomenal achievement in itself - you can see why other companies and media organisations are looking at the potential of the iphone and rivals in expanding mobile internet use, a huge growth area that they've not been able to tap properly before.

 

[Bambouk]

You think so? I find some of the user comments more spot on to be honest.

Considering the new iPhone is nothing more than an incremental upgrade offering absolutely nothing that hasn't been available for some time on other phones, I'd say the phone has attracted excess coverage, especially considering its relatively poor sales in the UK.

Undoubtedly, coverage has been... on the high side.

Is coverage justified? I think the interest is high enough to justify the coverage.

Is the product any good? It's far from awful, it's hardly handsdown beating everything else out there.

 

[Gromit]

bastard

Sorry but whenever I'm caught I take great delight in sharing the experience

 

[editor]

People give such coverage to Apple because it tends to change the market. Who else has jumped into second place with their first product in a well established market, setting terms to the network and changing the channel relationships?

Who else has their vast technical resources and budget - they're one of the richest tech companies in the world.

And who else tried to bully the networks into giving consumers less choice with more restrictive practices?

Thankfully, they failed miserably at that.

Is coverage justified? I think the interest is high enough to justify the coverage.

And there's the triumph of Apple's PR hype. The iPhone has sold relatively poorly in the UK, but more successful phones have barely had a sniff of Apple's coverage.

 

[tarannau]

Who else has their vast technical resources and budget - they're one of the richest tech companies in the world?

Well precisely why Nokia, Sony or the likes of Samsung couldn't come up with up a decent browsing alternative years before me is beyond me. First model of mobile phone for Apple and they achieve that. It's not solely hype - it's the fact the product is well integrated and fun/easy to use.

Apple's control freakery is well noted, but it does tend to pay some dividends. Why a producer with as much clout as Nokia couldn't negotiate something like Visual/Non sequential voicemail with the carriers is a bit mystifying, even allowing for comfortable convention. Similarly the deals to negotiate free internet use on Cloud hotspots (and one other) on the iphone, boosting web usage, should have been negotiated by other mobile phone retailers/makers.

 

[ChrisFilter]

People give such coverage to Apple because it tends to change the market. Who else has jumped into second place with their first product in a well established market, setting terms to the network and changing the channel relationships? Similar with Apple countering the power of the record labels and setting up fairer licensing terms and simplified prices with itunes.

The iphone's also interesting because it changes the nature of smartphone/phone usage. Look at the proportion of people using the iphone to browse the web, mobile video or social networking sites. It's a phenomenal achievement in itself - you can see why other companies and media organisations are looking at the potential of the iphone and rivals in expanding mobile internet use, a huge growth area that they've not been able to tap properly before.

Impressive stats, blah, blah blah, but who the fuck buys an iPhone and doesn't use it to listen to music on?! 25% of people apparently

 

[paolo]

Press coverage about products is not in proportion to unit sales. Ferrari vs. Fiesta, to use an extreme comparison.

A significant driver of press coverage about Apple products is consumer interest. Hence why there is plenty of coverage even when Apple are at the stage of denying a product exists. No marketing, advertising or PR going on.

When the product is released, if it's shit, people say so and the coverage vanishes. Witness iPhone 0.5 - the ROKR... It was crap. Everyone knew it was crap.

The idea that Apple has the press (or indeed the public) on puppet strings doesn't match with Apple's very bumpy track record over the years. A decade or so ago, they were nearly dead, with rumour rife about a Sony takeover.

 

[tarannau]

Impressive stats, blah, blah blah, but who the fuck buys an iPhone and doesn't use it to listen to music on?! 25% of people apparently

I saw that and chuckled too. Reckon it may be down to people already having an ipod before they purchased the phone. There are probably some of those "it's not got enough capacity for me to consider it as mp3 player,' type knobbers kicking about too, just in case they get stuck on a deserted island for a month or two with a solar charger and need their entire music library with them.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Interesting iPhone details out of O2...

O2 details according to 9to5 Mac:

• O2 in conjunction with BTOpenzone and The Cloud are creating a Wifi "wireless mesh network" across London and other UK metropolitan areas. The coverage is supposed to rival the coverage of cell phone towers. iPhone users should be able to use this network seamlessly. Also, O2 customers will be able to log into this mesh with their laptops or desktops.
• The 3G iPhone isn't SIM replaceable. The SIM card is put in the phone as part of the manufacturing process and is not replaceable by the user. This will certainly curtail unlocking efforts. According to our source, you CAN remove the SIM... "with a hammer". This conflicts with the "sim ejector tool" that Apple has listed in its parts box for the US. We'll see how this develops.
• The 3G iPhone WILL allow Bluetooth Tethering for laptops. We asked about Wifi tethering and got a blank stare. We'll take what we can get. They said that this was 99.9 percent certain and "Apple can always change their minds". Since O2 controls the network and costs involved the decision would largely be theirs.
• O2 will control everything network related on the iPhone (APN, etc.). Their settings will be on the iPhone you buy from the Apple Stores as well.
• O2 is EXTREMELY happy with the Apple partnership. They were in a fierce bidding war with Vodafone for the contract to carry the UK iPhone and the underdog. At the end they settled on giving Apple 15% of their iPhone revenues across the board (for Generation 1) which Vodafone declined. Had all things been equal, Apple would have gone with Vodafone because of their size and scale. Their take is that Vodafone is very sorry that they let the deal slip away. O2 is also happy to be associated with the Apple brand which is helping theirs climb up the ranks in the UK and the world.
• They will offer free iPhones (even 16Gb on their largest plan) with a plan and pay as you go iPhones but obviously they won't be usable with other carriers as we stated yesterday.

 

[editor]

A significant driver of press coverage about Apple products is consumer interest. Hence why there is plenty of coverage even when Apple are at the stage of denying a product exists. No marketing, advertising or PR going on.

There wasn't exactly an outpouring of 'consumer interest' when the iPhone launched in the UK, yet it was plastered all over the media for weeks beforehand.

So if it wasn't consumers driving the interest - and the modest sales figures would seem to bear that out - then that only leaves the media itself.

Which was my point.

The 3G iPhone isn't SIM replaceable. The SIM card is put in the phone as part of the manufacturing process and is not replaceable by the user. This will certainly curtail unlocking efforts. According to our source, you CAN remove the SIM... "with a hammer".

If that's true, it's Apple's control freakery gone mad!

 

[tarannau]

There wasn't exactly an outpouring of 'consumer interest' when the iPhone launched in the UK, yet it was plastered all over the media for weeks beforehand.

So if it wasn't consumers driving the interest - and the modest sales figures would seem to bear that out - then that only leaves the media itself.

Which was my point.If that's true, it's Apple's control freakery gone mad!

That doesn't follow logically. Hundreds of thousands of petrolheads have no real interest in buying the latest Ferrari, but will keenly want for news on the latest models. Sales figures aren't the only reason for interest.

Honestly, your righteous mission against Apple 'hype' is getting a little you a little twisted and irrational.

 

[MullahNasrudin]

By that bizarre reckoning, Palm should have the biggest share of all in the smartphone market. Duh!

Good one for mentioning Palm. Remind us all why the Palm Centro is so wonderful? And why isn't it getting blanket coverage like the iPhone?

It's a conspiraloonery, owls, etczzzz...