Macworld: Apple's New iPhone
The star of Macworld is Apple’s new iPhone. It also happens to be the Generation 6 iPod, with not only a larger screen than the Microsoft iPod Killer, but far higher resolution. It looks suspiciously like the ‘iPod Blogger,’ but delivers all the wish list features using an entirely customized interface, and running Mac OS X.
Hardware Details
The new phone is quad band GSM, meaning it will work nearly anywhere in the world using the GSM smart chip. It also works with the EDGE high speed data network, and offers both Bluetooth and WiFi networking.
It has a 2 megapixel camera built in, offering five times the resolution of the Palm Treo 650’s 0.3 megapixel camera. It also has the standard iPod dock connector, and uses headphones with a mic bump and call accept button built right into the wire.
The unit incorporates ambient light sensors, proximity sensors, and accelerometers to automatically recognize landscape and portrait positioning and adjust to save power in the dark or during a conversation.
The onscreen interface presents one physical button: home, with other controls on the side. The interface is driven by a patented ‘multi-touch’ touch screen interface, which does not require using a stylus.
It’s driven by touch and special gestures, and can also display a QWERTY keyboard. Of course, it’s a screen, so it can display any sort of buttons or graphics.
It’s an iPod with a built in phone, running Mac OS X. Plus, it’s 11.6 mm thick. Wow.
Software
Running Mac OS X and standard applications was a huge surprise, but that unifies development and binds apps to the Mac, allowing Apple to use its existing technologies to create familiar Exposé and Coverflow visual effects, as well as reuse its existing power management software.
It uses the Safari web browser and therefore supports Dashboard widgets. It also uses an iChat like display for handling multiple SMS messaging sessions, and presents a graphic voicemail item display.
Also demonstrated was effortless conference calling features, intuitive contacts, and its photo viewer.
Apple worked with both Google and Yahoo! to integrate with their web services. The device supports standard POP or IMAP mail, with push IMAP from Yahoo!Mail, Exchange integration, and support for rich HTML emails.
Integrated support for Google Maps with location awareness was another star of the show.
Price
Apple announced an exclusive deal with Cingular (take that, evil Verizon!), offering a 4GB phone for $499, and an 8GB model $599, with a two year contract. It will be available in June. Apple plans to sell 10 million by 2008.
Given that two year contracts frequently subsidize phones to the tune of $500 or more, it will be important to not lose the phone without some sort of insurance plan, because the full replacement cost could be around $1200.
Say hello to the new Newton, powered by Mac OS X. And say goodbye to the computer in Apple Computer, because the company is renaming itself Apple, Inc.
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Tuesday, January 9, 2007
