OT: Apple IPhone...

[4everwarriors]

is launching June 29. Anyone thinking of getting one? Need a little feedback on whether or not you think its going to be all that?

[SoCalwarrior]

I think it's going to be great.  Chicos will disagree with me

I'm obviously an Apple guy and love most of the iLife apps.  The iphone intigrates many of these apps along with their usual winning interface, so I'm in.  If you can stomach the price and realize its funtions are more suited for entertainment than business, then you can bitch and moan with me on the 29th, because unless you camp out, you ain't gettin' one.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I think it's going to be great.  Chicos will disagree with me

I'm obviously an Apple guy and love most of the iLife apps.  The iphone intigrates many of these apps along with their usual winning interface, so I'm in.  If you can stomach the price and realize its funtions are more suited for entertainment than business, then you can bitch and moan with me on the 29th, because unless you camp out, you ain't gettin' one.

Actually I don't disagree with you.  It has some bugs right now from what I understand, but I'm looking forward to it.  I love my iPODs and I have high hopes for the iPHONE.  The interface looks wonderful.

Interesting article about next week....  http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=sci_tech&id=5411122

[bananahammock]

any idea on how long before the price drops.  i'd love to get the iphone but $500 may be a bit steep.

[spiral97]

this is exactly why I am not much of an Apple fan.. every time I hear people talking about the company or its products I feel like there's a big group hug coming on...

that said.. I really do like my iPod..  *shuffles feet and joins group hug*

[Sir Lawrence]

The stock market certainly likes it.  AAPL has been moving up quite nicely the last 6-8 months.  And AT&T is hiring 2,000 for the launch:  http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200706212216DOWJONESDJONLINE001091_FORTUNE5.htm

[nathanziarek]

Welcome spiral!

The cost of the phone isn't the biggest deterrent to me. The fact that they've not released the pricing plan (which they've said is iPhone-only) to me means it'll be pricey. I'm just not willing to pay $150+ a month (for two years!) on top of the $5-600 buy in. I guess a lot of people do already, though, so maybe it is no big deal to a lot of folks.

I like Apple, but the secrecy of the most crucial part of the phone, irritates me.

nate

[MU Chi_IL]

Here is the guided tour of the device:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/guidedtour.html?cid=CDM-US-iPhone-5405A&sr=em&cp=ip-bob

[mviale]

do you remember back in 1998 when apple was dying and under $20 a share - oh jeez

[muwarrior87]

great concept. price a bit steep. I'd wait for a later model. Apple does better the 3rd or 4th time around...less bugs and whatnot.

[theodoc]

a guy i know has been using a beta model for the last couple of months and says the commercials don't do justice to how fantastic the iphone is.  i'll be waiting for 3rd generation though...it'll take me that long to sell all my non-vital internal organs so i can afford it.

[StillAWarrior]

Here is the guided tour of the device:

I can't believe I sat and watched a 20 minute commercial, but...wow.  I hadn't really paid much attention to the iPhone, so I had no idea what it was.  Very impressive product.

With everything that they put on there, I can' understand whey they didn't work out a deal with Garmin to make it a fully functional GPS system.  It seems like that would be a natural extension of what they've done and would be pretty easy to integrate.  When he was doing the demo of the map, I just couldn't help thinking that they should have gone that one extra step.

[Phi Iota Gamma 84]

What does this have to do with Warrior Basketball?  Are they a sponsor?

[Sir Lawrence]

What does this have to do with Warrior Basketball?  Are they a sponsor?

Probably should have been discussed in the Superbar, but heck, the mods were here too, so sit back, relax and enjoy the summer college hoops doldrums.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

What does this have to do with Warrior Basketball?  Are they a sponsor?

1)  OT=off topic.

2)  The person who started the thread, 4everwarriors, is actually the guy that mows Tom Crean's lawn, so he would know if we have a sponsorship or not.   

[77ncaachamps]

With everything that they put on there, I can' understand whey they didn't work out a deal with Garmin to make it a fully functional GPS system.  It seems like that would be a natural extension of what they've done and would be pretty easy to integrate.  When he was doing the demo of the map, I just couldn't help thinking that they should have gone that one extra step.

Easy to answer: Apple doesn't like to share!

They created their own OS, keep their products underwraps, and really do their OWN thing.

The flipside is...everyone else is still buying PCs.

[nathanziarek]

Apple likes to keep everything in house, but, say on the iPod, there are a ton of licensed technologies (including the original OS and scroll wheel).

As far the GPS goes, I thought it was an odd thing to leave out -- especially because the GPS modules aren't that expensive (I thought someone came out with one for like $2 wholesale) and Google maps already supports lat/long directions. After seeing it work on that video, though, I think they've come up with a pretty good solution. Still would have rather had the GPS, though.

With Apple gaining on the PC market (http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/06/23/mac-laptops-outpace-pcs-in-sales), especially in laptops, how long until we have another Microsoft, except this time with a company that is completely vertically integrated? That sounds a lot more monopolistic than MS ever was

[77ncaachamps]

With Apple gaining on the PC market (http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/06/23/mac-laptops-outpace-pcs-in-sales), especially in laptops, how long until we have another Microsoft, except this time with a company that is completely vertically integrated? That sounds a lot more monopolistic than MS ever was

True that! But it will never happen because Apple will control their interests thus not selling out by letting everyone in on their secrets for a price! Apple (the company) has a distinct culture and they value it immensely.

[4everwarriors]

And, I do a damn good job of it as well. When I can get Crean's ear, I rip him a new one.

[77ncaachamps]

Just in from the San Jose Mercury News...

Early reviewers praise iPhone, pan AT&T
By Troy Wolverton
Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
Article Launched:06/26/2007 07:06:09 PM PDT

Does it live up to the hype?

Some of the top tech reviewers weighed in Tuesday on the iPhone - what one described as the most widely anticipated gadget he had ever seen - and answered the question with a qualified "Yes."

Most praised its easy-to-use software and impressive touch screen - even while panning the AT&T service it uses. The reviews also provided new details about what the gadget will and won't do.

These influential reviewers, including Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal and David Pogue at the New York Times, were given exclusive early access to the tightly controlled device by Apple. The iPhone won't go on sale until Friday at 6 p.m.

While these early reviews probably won't sway early buyers, they could influence those sitting on the fence, analysts say, as those consumers decided whether to pluck down $500 to $600 plus the cost of a two-year service plan for the phone.

Their praise was in general lavish, especially of the device's software interface.

Newsweek's Steven Levy, for instance, noted that his own Motorola phone can do many of the same things that the iPhone can. But where he was able to figure out how to surf the Web and check email on the iPhone easily, he hadn't figured out how to do many of those functions on his Motorola phone even after owning it for two years.

"And there it is: One of the most hyped consumer products ever comes pretty close to justifying the bombast," Levy said.

But Levy and the others quibbled about some of the iPhone's features and sharply criticized Apple's wireless partner, AT&T, and its network.

"Yes, the iPhone is amazing," wrote Pogue. "But no, it's not perfect."

Among the shortcomings: Users won't be able to make calls using voice dialing; they won't be able to assign one of the songs in their music library as a ring tone; the built-in Web browser doesn't support Flash applications; the phone doesn't support instant messaging; and its built-in digital camera can't zoom in on a scene or take digital video.

On the plus side, the reviewers gave the touch-screen, which many feared would scratch easily, high marks for resiliency. Most found the iPhone's virtual keyboard easy to use. And most were impressed with the iPhone's battery life, although they noted it didn't appear to last quite as long as Apple has promised.

Given the largely positive nature of the reviews, "A lot of people who might hesitate to buy (an iPhone) are going to feel encouraged," said Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies, a high-tech consulting firm.

"The bottom line is those guys are kind of taste makers. What they say matters."

An Apple spokesperson did not return a call seeking comment about the reviews.

For their part, the reviewers raved about both the iPhone's physical design and the software at its core. Most noted how sleek and thin it looks. Mossberg, for instance, noted that the phone was thinner than the Samsung BlackJack, a recently released smartphone.

The iPhone is "a classic example of the Apple look: slim, shiny and elegant," wrote Levy. "As it did with MP3 players, Apple has made even its most stylish competitors look like Soviet-issue contraptions."

The iPhone's software "sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry," added Mossberg and Katherine Boehret in their joint review for the Journal.

Most reviewers gave high marks to the iPhone's Web browsing capabilities. But they unanimously lambasted the speed at which the device accesses the Web over AT&T's network.

The gadget can access the Internet using a relatively fast WiFi connection, but those can often be hard to find. When users don't have one near by, they can only jump on the Internet through the company's EDGE data network, which is considerably slower than its newer 3G Broadband Connect one.

Using the EDGE network, the iPhone took nearly a minute to load the Times' home page and two minutes to load Yahoo, noted Pogue.

In his most cutting assessment, he wrote: "You almost ache for a dial-up modem."

And then there's the things that they revealed that the iPhone can't do. The iPhone has the same connector on bottom as an iPod, for instance. But many iPod accessories, including adapters that allow users to connect them to their car stereos, may not work with them, the reviewers reported. Apple will address this in the future by allowing accessory makers to put a "made for iPhone" stamp on their products and through some software fixes, the reviewers said.

Instant messaging also seems to come up short on the phone. Apple didn't include a version of its iChat program on it, nor did it provide any built-in software to access AOL or Yahoo's popular IM networks, the reviewers reported.

What's more, the phone's text messaging can't be used to send pictures, Pogue noted. While users can email pictures, most cell phones can't receive regular email messages, he noted.

And there are no games yet for the phone, potentially a big oversight, considering the growing popularity of mobile games.

While Apple may be able to address those and similar problems with software updates, it likely won't fix other shortcomings, at least not in this version of the phone. Users can't remove the smart card within the phone, so it can't be used with rival wireless networks such as T-Mobile's, and you will have to pay roaming charges if you take it overseas. Nor can users remove the battery, which means when it inevitably runs out, they'll have to send the device back to Apple or to a fix-it shop.

Still, all-in-all, the reviewers gave the iPhone high marks.

"Expectations for the iPhone have been so high that it can't possibly meet them all," said Mossberg. "But, despite its network limitations, the iPhone is a whole new experience and a pleasure to use."

[Avenue Commons]

I think it's going to be great.  Chicos will disagree with me

I'm obviously an Apple guy and love most of the iLife apps.  The iphone intigrates many of these apps along with their usual winning interface, so I'm in.  If you can stomach the price and realize its funtions are more suited for entertainment than business, then you can bitch and moan with me on the 29th, because unless you camp out, you ain't gettin' one.

Actually I don't disagree with you.  It has some bugs right now from what I understand, but I'm looking forward to it.  I love my iPODs and I have high hopes for the iPHONE.  The interface looks wonderful.

Interesting article about next week....  http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=sci_tech&id=5411122

I'm going to get a second generation one when they come out in a year or two. They should have all the bugs worked out by then and the price will have dropped considerably. Saw an ad for one last night. That thing is really, really cool.

[NYWarrior]

check out David Pogues' hilarious video on the iPhone over at nytimes.com

look toward the middle of the page, they have a video section -- its a product review wrapped into a short film

http://video.on.nytimes.com/index.jsp

[MU gimp ONE]

did you guys see the actual minute plans for the phone?  i heard on the news last night that a 450 minute plan will run you $60 a month.  while a 1000+ minute plan is going to be $100.  people keep thinking debating over dropping $500 for the phone, but no one mentions the costs of running it.  till they work the bugs out and make it more reasonable, ill stick to my phone.  $39.99 for 1000 minutes is fine for the time being.

[SoCalwarrior]

first post from an iphone. The thing has so many cool features you forget its a phone too. Muscoop renders in all of its glory.

[77ncaachamps]

first post from an iphone. The thing has so many cool features you forget its a phone too. Muscoop renders in all of its glory.

 

Can we get a screen shot of MUScoop on the iPhone?!?