Filed under: Audio, Hardware, Rumors
iPhone, if it exists, to be Cingular-only through mid-2007
I know, the Cingular-only bit is quite the shocker, but Think Secret has restated some previously rumored details on the iPhone, including a 3 megapixel camera, 2.2-inch display and, obviously, iSync support. The phone is also said not to be handicapped with the same 100-song glass ceiling like the ROKR and SLVR, though Think Secret's reliably anonymous sources don't have any word on what the iPhone's storage capacity will actually be.Signs are now pointing to a January 2007 release, most likely at a newly expanded Macworld 07. Think Secret's insiders claim Apple is shooting for the stars, expecting to ship 25 million iPhones in 2007 alone. If true, this is a bit of a surprise since Motorola's incredibly popular and more widely appealing RAZR has taken over two years to sell 50 million units. Perhaps most interesting of all this rumor rehashing is Think Secret's report that Apple's exclusive Cingular contract for the iPhone only lasts into the middle of 2007 - meaning that other carriers could pick it up and finally get in on the as-yet awkward iTunes phone action.
Again, you know the drill: this is all hearsay from 'anonymous insiders,' so do what you will with it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ralph said 9:01PM on 9-26-2006
Well, I'm with Sprint in a contract 'til about this time next year, so if it's a true deal it should all work out well for me.
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Darin said 9:12PM on 9-26-2006
I knew it. I have Sprint too, so I hope this isn't true.
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MatthewJ said 9:15PM on 9-26-2006
Meh. I wonder if it will only sync with .Mac?
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Fernando said 9:16PM on 9-26-2006
it's a shame that it would be already outdated, just look at the new nokia n95
In my vision the iphone should be a phone in a ipod, only that, no cameras, no wi-fi, jo speakers and all that phone stuff
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Justin said 10:13PM on 9-26-2006
I still dont understand what the appeal is here? I mean why do we want an apple phone? How much diff can it really be from the 2 zillion phones out now? I mean there is a new one comming out every 2.4 seconds does apple really need to be in this market? Can you not fine what you are looking for? Ya I know everyone said the same thing with the ipod...well this time I hope I am right and IF this thing ever does appear I hope it flops like a fat man falling in a shallow pool
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Kyle Mark said 10:34PM on 9-26-2006
So I have a hard time believeing that it will sync with iSync. Why wouldn't apple make it use iTunes to sync like it does the ipod? Just wondering!
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mx3 said 10:41PM on 9-26-2006
I get a new phone sometime around mid-2007, so if they end up making a CDMA version I might consider it. We'll have to see :)
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dunk said 11:17PM on 9-26-2006
@justin - did you ever use an mp3 player before the ipod? a computer before the mac GUI? if so then you know exactly why we need an apple phone. simplicity, elegance, style, etc... phones today are crap. stuffed with features no one uses, hidden behind menus that require a CS degree to decipher.
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Exilio said 11:21PM on 9-26-2006
I just want it to be able to check my IMAP mail. I use my Treo for working away from my desk and I can't live without that.
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David said 11:23PM on 9-26-2006
Methinks I am eligible for my Cingular upgrade in December, so waiting until January will be no prob at all. That is, if any of this is true.
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Nod said 11:54PM on 9-26-2006
I hope it's got WiFi - that would be the clincher. I know that Cingular will hate that, but WiFi access would be the killer app that would sell this phone like crazy.
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Justin said 11:55PM on 9-26-2006
Kyle - GTFO, you kidding us or what?
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Ed said 5:52AM on 9-27-2006
They should be a MVNO, that would give them control over their network...
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Eric said 6:46AM on 9-27-2006
I'd only buy an unlocked GSM version, I used to never care CDMA vs. GSM until I started traveling overseas. For me, picking up a local prepaid SIM card or cheap local plan is the way to go. If the device is worth it I think people will want to own the phone with no strings attached instead of getting a subsidized one through a restrictive plan. I realize this may not be the case but having a choice would be nice
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Steve said 8:44AM on 9-27-2006
Of course it would be GSM so Apple only needs to support one technology for worldwide sale, but really I find Cingular no better or worse than Verizon.
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Ridley said 9:43AM on 9-27-2006
I vunder if it will be awailable to those outside the US?
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SubGenius said 9:56AM on 9-27-2006
Justin, Apple needs to be in this market for one reason.
An iPod, a PDA, a GPS and a cellphone are all basically tiny computers with specialized functions.
In the future everyone will be carrying around tiny computers the size a iPod that have more power than todays Mac Pro. It won't be very specialized like todays devices but instead will be able to do many different things.
What operating system will it use? Windows Mobile?
What kind of interface will it have? Clippy? "It sounds like you want to make a phone call"
How will it be designed? Ive or committee?
What color will it be? brown?
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Sir Not Appearing in this Blog said 10:49AM on 9-27-2006
THE. PHONE. DOES. NOT. EXIST.
Can we get a fucking grip here, PLEASE? You folks are making future plans based on RUMOURS!
In any event, there is no reason whatsoever for Apple to enter the cell phone market. Microsoft hasn't. Rather than create a phone and sell it themselves, Apple would be far better off simply providing an OS the way Microsoft does with WinCE (or whatever they're calling it today). License that to Palm and Blackberry and other PDA/Phone manufacturers and they're set. Let someone else worry about the hardware for once.
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Jason said 11:08AM on 9-27-2006
@mx3 - why make a version of this device for such a small (globally) market? GSM rules the roost on a global scale, while CDMA is only a real consideration in 2 markets - the US and S. Korea.
Look at Nokia. They've only got a few CDMA handsets, and yet have well over 30% of the worldwide marketshare for mobile phones. The only time I've seen a CDMA-first strategy pay off is in the case of Samsung. Rather than start off competing with Nokia, SE & Moto in the GSM space, they started off in the CDMA space, which is much more wide open. They built some buzz there, *then* brought out GSM handsets.
Apple's already got buzz.
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Nick Hawkins said 11:51AM on 9-27-2006
Does the iPhone come out the same week that Duke Nukem Forever comes out?
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