iPhone Announced at Macworld Expo 2007

Can you CONFIRM the GPS? I have not seen anything official to make me think there will be GPS on the iPhone. The Keynote DID NOT mention anything about GPS nor does the Apple website.

Microsoft's version...ugh:

http://www.registeredmedia.com/gallery/files/4/cellphone_original.jpg

" I'm probably not the only one that was hoping apple would shake up the mobile phone industry by coming up with a real innovation on the business end of things."

Not by a long-shot. There are a lot of us out there that realize that Apple can't reach every potential customer when they are locked to one carrier.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, business-wise in this segment. Contracts suck, etc.

I could go on and on, but Apple needs to learn the mobile phone market, like Pixar needed to learn the film industry inside and out.

I'm hoping that I will be able to buy an unlocked iPhone in three years time. regardless of whether or not I want one in June, I don't get a Cingular signal at my home office, so it's not an option for me. I suspect there are millions in the same position as me. Plus I loathe AT&T/Cingular, and would never go back to their mobile service. Period.

Apple are normally so secretive. I've no idea when they're releasing the iPhone in Asia, but they've given their competitors advance notice of what they're going to be releasing in Asia/Europe at some point within the next 12-18 months. Bad move.

What I'm surprised nobody's mentioned is the touch-screen for text typing - especially for email. Anybody who used the first-gen "Wallaby" PPC screens - - knows what I'm talking about. Even with full-screen keyboard software - without physical tactile feedback typing on a flat-screen is slow. The one-finger point method is going to be AWFULLY slow. that's why blackberry's been as popular as it has.
And what good is 4 gig for Video - regardless of widescreen? 2 years from now when your new cingular contract is up,and the 80 gig model is out - you'll wish you waited.
Screen zoom WAS AWSOME though!

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Alot of people mentioned why they aren't selling an unlocked version. That is simple they want people to switch to Cingular, I wouldn'be be surprised if Apple gets money for every customer who ports their number from another carrier to Cingular and purchases an iPhone.

As far as pricing, usually for smart phones, Cingular charges $200 more than the 2yr new activation price. So we would be looking at $699 and $799 for unactivated phones, which we could theoretically get unlocked. Cingular, if you own the phone, has to give you a subsidy code to unlock the phone, you just need to jump through hoops to get it. Also if you are eligible for a Cingular upgrade you can usually expect to pay $50 more than the new activation price. So upgrades would be $549 and $649.

Their EVDO service is I beleive $49 a month, and that is not required don't let the salesperson tell you otherwise. But any internet other than wifi will not be available.

One last thing, someone mentioned getting the phone and cancelling their service paying the early termination fee, don't do that. If you terminate or Cingular terminates you in the first 6 months you have to pay the eartly termination fee(ETF), plus you must either return the phone or pay the difference in the new activation price and the full price. So you will end up paying the full price on the phone and the ETF. Also get your credit in line before June, without good credit Cingular usually asks for a deposit which can be as high as $500, better than Verizon, but still alot on top of a $500 phone.

The only problem i see is using Cingular. I purchased a SLVR when it came through Cingular, which gave me a great deal on the phone ($89.00) but I soon realized how crippled the phone actually was. 100 song limit, cant use mp3's as ringtones, cant put games or apps on the memory card unless you download them through Cingulars wireless network, no wi/fi access through usb/bluetooth.. basically, coupling this phone with Cingular alsmot ensures that no 3rd party apps will be able to use on the phone since Cingular would make you download apps through them, using thier wireless network, which is crazy expensive.. I just dont see the need to tie it with Cingular, other than for the price break to the consumer.. which is a trade-off that that i would rather pay more to avoid..

Your blog entry states that the iPhone will have "GPS". Can somebody confirm this information? At least Apple does not mention it on the iPhone product site.

Okay, so the iPhone is quad-band GSM - the same as most T-Mobile phones. So why doesn't Apple simply sell this as a platform-agnostic, SIM-ready phone? It boggles the mind.

There will be a market for unlocking these phones as soon as they reach the consumer sector. However, there's a lot of money to pay in order to get one of these iPhones in an unlocked state.

And the amount of storage on the phone is cheesy-low. Seriously, it just doesn't rate the price of entry - regardless of the tacked-on, 2-year contract. 16 GB of storage and an unlocked unit should've been the way to go.

I won't switch to Cingular, so I'll just live on with my current Motorola unit. C'est la vie.