Computerworld: iPhone to suffer Newton's fate

Franko said: "the newton was well-enough known and understood at the time of its release that the simpsons made a reference to it."

The Simpsons didn't make a reference to it when it was released (1993), that episode came more than a year later in 1994 (2F05 “Lisa on Ice”).

Pardon my pedantic nature. :)

The Newton was WAY ahead of its time -- there had never been anything like it. Now, of course, everyone knows what a PDA is. This is another example of Apple trying to create a new market (QuickTake anyone?) by bringing a high end device to the market before it is ready for it.
iPhone is an example of Apple's new strategy under Steve Jobs: wait until a market is mature, then build a better mousetrap. The iPhone is NOT ahead of its time... it's what we've been waiting for for years. That's why it will be successful: "Ahead of its time" means that we're not ready for it.

I know several phones were introduced at that price and higher, but I never bought them. I have the sinking feeling that Apple will continue their pattern of being slower at reducing their prices than other phone makers, they already have a pattern of improving a device at the same price rather than allow the price to drop, and they were a little slow in offering lesser models as well.

Yeah, what happened to that thing?

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David Haskin bought one.

Didn't everyone call the iPod overpriced when it came out too.

Yeah, what happened to that thing?

I love all of the yaysayers who keep insisting that the iPhone is going to be such a huge success. Like you have any better of an idea than anyone else as to how well the iPhone will do. Jobs, himself, said he only wants 1% of the market, so he's not even aiming that high. Yes, 1% of the cell phone market is a huge number, but if that's all you want, your definition of success is pretty easy to hit. Changing the world with a product (as Jobs also seemed to expect) is much harder. Everyone seems to be acting like that's what the iPhone will do and I say that it's not going to happen.

And as for people who say that they paid for phones as expensive as the iPhone? You are likely the exceptions. Most people get huge discounts by signing up with a carrier at the time they purchase the phone or they get a discount for being with the carrier for so long. Hardly anyone I know pays full price for a phone and the $500-$600 price range for the iPhone IS the discounted/with service plan price.

But I don't care if the naysayers are right or wrong, I'm just offering my opinion. I hope the iPhone does change the world. All I know is that I'll be waiting for a cheaper, larger capacity iPhone or the 6g iPod that will come out by Christmas of 2007.

The iPod wasn't a bigger seller until the 3rd gen, when Apple opened it up to PCs, and replaced the firewire port with a USB port. While it was Mac only, it was an expensive gadget for mac fan boys. I know, I was on the frontline selling them when they first come out. $1000 AUS was a lot of money to spend on an iPod, especially for a few hundred more and you could buy a 350Mhz slot load iMac!

The thing that worries me about the iPhone is what happens after they are finally sold to the public. Remember how many first edition Nanos were returned with broken screens? How many times do you see people walking around with their phones in their back pockets. There are a lot of naysayers out there just waiting for Apple to slip up. BTW, nothing has been mentioned of syncing with PCs (bar iTunes). Nobody knows how the internet services on the iPhone will work outside of a wireless hotspot. There are a lot of unknowns about this product that keeps me from saying it will be a runaway success.

just a point here: the newton was well-enough known and understood at the time of its release that the simpsons made a reference to it. if it wasn't that understood or well-known, the most popular animated prime-time show on TV at the time wouldn't have wasted their time on a joke about it.

that being said, i think all the naysayers are in for (yet another) schooling by apple, just like they went through with the ipod when it came out. when i saw the first ipod, my mind blew wide open and i thought, "this thing is gonna revolutionize the way everyone listens to music -- i want one, and i want one NOW, and i don't care about the price."

i had the same experience watching steve demonstrate the iphone at macworld. this is really going to revolutionize the phone industry. "HELLO", indeed! bring it on, steve -- i love living in a time that has your products.

I really wish that Apple will build a CDMA version of the iPhone so us VW customers can use it. Just because Stregl dropped the ball doesn't mean I should be hurt. The iPhone will fit perfectly within my personal life... a phone, calendar, music player, slim, notepad and task(?)manager in 1. Plus... it's hot.

We should be able to buy any phone we want and use it on any carrier we want. Plain and simple. Come on Jobs! You know you want to break ANOTHER barrier and be controversial.

>>>"Besides overcharging for iPhone, Apple faces significant competition, something it didn't face in 1993 when it launched Newton."

Something else Apple didn't face in 1993...an actual consumer market for the device they are selling.