iPhone

The Morning After (Macworld)

After digesting yesterday's Stevenote, I decided to go way back—all the way to Christmas day—and revisit my predictions for the big event. Now, I'm not one to toot my own horn; and certainly a lot of what I predicted was already being buzzed about by the usual suspects. However, I do have to say I called a really nice shot on the Apple TV, but more on that later. Here's a recap of my predictions and my morning after analyses:

Prediction: Ultra-portable Notebook: Everyone seems to think this is a foregone conclusion. I'll buy it, although I don't see the love affair with a 13" notebook. It's got to have something special about it to set it apart from the Mac Book.

Morning After: Even though me and everyone else were expecting this, I think a lot of people were stunned at how thin and beautiful it turned out to be. I am amazed at what the industrial design team at Apple was able to pull off. I said that it would have to be special to set itself apart from the MacBook and it certainly is, in my humble opinion. Score one for me, and just about everyone else on the planet.

Prediction: iTunes Movie Rentals: I can definitely see this happening, although I think it may be a part of something bigger...

Morning After: Like the MacBook Air, this was widely predicted by most everyone who keeps up with the Mac Universe. However, I alluded to something bigger and it turns out I was right. More below.

Prediction: Mac Pro Refresh: Those in the know say OS X 10.5.2 is very nearly ready and supports Intel's newest Xeon chips, which are currently only used by the Mac Pro and Xserve. Macworld is a consumer show, however, so I hesitate to think he'll spend much time talking about a decidedly professional product.

Morning After: My initial hang up with this rumor was that it wouldn't be presented during Macworld because it didn't make sense to announce professional products during a consumer show. It turns out I was right about that, too. Apple released updated Mac Pro and Xserve models, based on Intel's latest quad-core Xeon chips, several days before Macworld.

Prediction: iPhone Software 2.0: Some of the rumor sites have started to buzz about an iPhone hardware upgrade, but I'm as much or more convinced that Uncle Steve will hit us with a big software upgrade for our beloved iPhones. Despite all of its awesomeness, the iPhone still lacks some basic features that most all other phones possess. My gut says Steve unveils a major iPhone software update that will bring us among other things, video capture, MMS, copy and paste and the previously seen Notes syncing. One would also have to think that such an update would prepare the way for installation of the third party apps that will be coming once the iPhone SDK is released in February. I think SJ will use Macworld to tout the SDK and invite a few choice developers to show off the apps they've been working on with an advance release of said SDK.

Morning After: I was wrong on this one. I though the leaked firmware making the rounds over the last couple weeks were only a sliver of what we would get from Jobs at Macworld. In reality, the leaked firmware was exactly what was released yesterday—even a bit-for-bit copy according to Nate True. My guess is that we'll get another update in February to pave the way for third-party apps created with the forthcoming SDK.

Prediction: Apple TV: Some have already written the inscription on the Apple TV's tombstone, but I believe Steve has other plans. I believe something big will happen with Apple TV at Macworld, either in the form of a major software upgrade or a new hardware configuration or both. I can see iTunes movie rentals playing into this, but I think it would be much more than that. I think we're going to see some way(s) to get HD content from Apple and onto our TVs. I think we'll see improvements to media sharing with iTunes. I think we may even see some more integration with YouTube and possibly other content providers. I really think every attempt will be made to make the Apple TV relevant.

Morning After: I really nailed this one and most of what I saw from the blogosphere was a prediction of Steve holding a funeral for Apple TV. The only thing I didn't predict was a price drop, which should make it even more desirable. I called the major software update (Steve even went so far as to call it version 2). I was right about HD content. I was right about media sharing, with the ability to procure content directly from the device and sync it back to Macs or PCs. I was right about YouTube. I was right about other content providers (in this case, it a provider—Flickr). I predicted Steve would make every attempt to make the Apple TV relevant and I believe he did just that.

Overall, I didn't do a bad job, although I went with some fairly safe predictions. Save for Apple TV, every prediction was being thrown around by most, if not all, of the Mac rumormongers on the interwebs. Now, it's time for me, and all fellow Apple fanboys, to turn our attention to NAB and WWDC. Until then, I'll be praying for someone to buy me a MacBook Air

Cheap Labor

Phone conversation carried out (on iPhones, of course) between Steve Jobs and Randall Stephenson.

Ring...Ring...Ring...

SJ: "Hello."

RS: "WTF Steve? People are already hacking your iPhone to pieces. I thought we had a deal."

SJ: "Chill Randog. I've got, and I'm thrilled about this, an army of the best engineers in the world working to secure and completely lock down the iHolyGrail."

RS: "I know that's not true. You've got all of your best devs on Leopard trying to hit the October deadline."

SJ: "Hold up Randizzle. When did I say my devs were on it? I'm outsourcing it."

RS: "WTFBBQUPPERCUTPWNSAUCE!? You're outsourcing this shizzle? I'm about to fly down there and give you an iAssKicking."

SJ: "Slow your roll Mike Tyson. I've got the iPhone Dev team on the scene."

RS: "Who the F#$K is the iPhone Dev team?"

SJ: "They're a collection of the brightest devs on the planet. There's about a hundred of 'em who work 'round the clock to QC each firmware release and find all the bugs in each one. They're really good and really fast."

RS: "A hundred F#$%ING devs? How much are these guys costing us? WTF are you trying to pull Steve?"

SJ: "They're free as in beer."

RS: "Free?"

SJ: "Yeah, it's really simple. All we do is tell them they can't run useful applications on their iPhones and BOOM! They get uber motivated to find bugs. They figured out how to make malformed TIFF..."

RS: "You had me at free, Steve. You had me at free. I'm going to go delete the accounts of some dissenters. Have a good one"

I'm pretty sure that's how it went down.

iOwn an iPhone

That's right. I've finally procured what is probably the most hyped personal electronics device in history. While I could, and probably will, go into great detail about my experience so far, I'll post a few random "stream-of-consciousness" blurbs to get the ball rolling.

First, the iPhone is beautiful in every way. From its industrial design to its sfotware UI, every aspect of the device is very much aesthetically pleasing.

The touch screen works flawlessly. I'm actually a bit surprised at how well it works, which is saying something as I bought into the pre-launch hype as much or more than anyone.

The keyboard took all of about 6 minutes to get used to. I don't understand how some of the first day buyers still complain about it.

The screen is amazing. Crisp, clear, bright and anything else you could want in a mobile device.

Speakers are decent. Not great, but not bad. However, I didn't acquire an iPhone to supply a room with music. Ditto for phone calls. I just don't use speaker phone that often. This one is not a deal breaker for me, although it might be for some.

I suggest using the quasi IMAP method for accessing GMail as its POP implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

Google Maps is a killer application for the iPhone. I find it much more useful than the YouTube app.

Mobile Safari works as advertised. Not much more to say other than it just works and that's a good thing. Flash support will make it killer. I say will because I know it will happen one way or another.

The camera is better than I thought it would be. Can't touch my wife's digital camera, but it's not supposed to. I'll say this: It's the best phone camera I've ever seen or used and there's not really a close second place.

iTunes syncing is flawless, but that's to be expected. I'd love to see over the air (OTA) syncing at some point. Maybe that could be a .Mac feature...hmm...

EDGE is EDGE. WiFi is great if you can get a connection. EDGE will get the job done if need be. 3G will come at some point, but until then EDGE will suffice.

One last thing...I was not an AT&T customer last week. I'm still not an AT&T customer.

Visual Voicemail For The Rest of Us?

News today that Apple will be holding a special event in the UK to announce something? Most are claiming an official release date for the iPhone in Europe. One thing we do know is that AT&T will not be the carrier for our friends across the pond. This raised a question in my mind. Are our European brethren getting Visual Voicemail with their iPhones? If so, does that mean the providers (T-Mobile, in particular) will have made the same infrastructure changes required to offer the feature? If so, does that mean that those of us here in the states who are using our iPhones on carriers (T-Mobile) other than AT&T will get Visual Voicemail too? Maybe Apple will sacrifice VV for 3G, which is a trade I'm sure most Europeans would be glad to make.

Godin’s iPhone Challenge

Seth Godin has issued a challenge to marketing pundits to predict the number of iPhones Apple will sell in the coming months and years.  He cites a posting from Laura Ries, in which she proclaims the iPhone will see the same fate as the Nokia N-Gage, Microsoft's WebTV and others.  I understand Laura's points about convergence devices.  However, the thing that will separate iPhone from these other devices is the same thing that separates Apple's products from most of its competitors: usability.  Apple will ensure the iPhone is a joy to use, as it does with all of its products.  Unfortunately Nokia, Microsoft and many others don't do the same and, in many cases, it can be the determining factor in success or failure.

For the record, I predict that Apple will sell 2.5 million iPhones in 2007 (6 months mind you) and over 4 million in 2008.

Digg - It’s kind of official: Apple iPhone & JAJAH VoIP

Digg - It's kind of official: Apple iPhone & JAJAH VoIP

Looks like someone is trying to ride the coattails of the iPhone's popularity. Even though this was announced on January 9th on the company's blog, there seems to be a bit of buzz today about JAJAH announcing official support for the iPhone. They even included an artist's rendition of
what the JAJAH application icon might look like on the iPhone Home UI.

Unless they have struck some sort of secret deal with Apple and/or Cingular, or whatever their name is now, this is a weak PR stunt which just oozes of desperation. Technically, JAJAH calls can be initiated from the iPhone through Safari and JAJAH's web-based dialer. Technically, the iPhone will support any website in which you can fill in two form fields and click a submit button to initiate an action. I fail to see why JAJAH had to announce this support. I guess it's time for me to announce that Not Quite Right will officially support the iPhone from day one. Look for a press release soon.

Update: It seems as though a number of people have picked up this "story" and run with it. It seems to get even more unbelievable by the post. The latest I post I read claimed that all calls will truly be free because "...most providers don't charge for incoming calls..." Is this some kind of coordinated joke? First, which providers in this country don't charge for incoming calls? I have T-Mobile and they sure as heck do. Of course, it only really matters if Cingular gives away incoming minutes since they'll be the provider all iPhoners are using, at least initially. However, I can't find anything in any of Cingular's documentation that makes any mention of free incoming calls. Can anyone show me where I'm wrong or might be missing something?

iPhone Deal Unprecedented?

By now we've all heard about Apple and Cisco agreeing to "share" the iPhone trademark. I'm not at all surprised that a deal was reached, even if it did take much longer than expected. What I'm wondering is this: has there ever been another case of a company (Cisco) agreeing to let another company (Apple) use its trademark to identify a product so similar to its own? I'm an unabashed Apple lover and Steve Jobs fan, but I'm shocked that he has this much clout or could pull this off. I mean, he basically got Chambers et al. to pseudo-abandon the trademark, which Cisco clearly owned. Anyone know of any similar cases where this sort of agreement has been reached?

I got an iPhone (But Not That iPhone)

With the recent purchase of our first home, my wife and I decided that it was time to take the next big step in telephony and get a home phone. For the first 3+ years of our marriage, we have used only cell phones and the Skype VoIP application to audibly communicate with others not in our immediate vicinity. This sufficed, but it was not an optimal solution, especially at our church, where they would only allow one phone number per household on the official roster. This meant that one of us had to endure call after call on our cell phone from someone looking for the other. Unfortunately, I drew the short stick and have been fielding those calls for the last several years, most of them at the most inopportune and/or inconvenient times.

There were two options available to us as I saw it: regular old PSTN land line service through SBC-or-whatever-their-name-is-today or a Skype handset. (At our previous residence, we would have had a third option-Digital Phone service from Time Warner-but our new provider, SuddenLink, does not yet have a digital phone service, or at least that's what they told me when I signed up for service a few weeks ago.)

Being the technologist that I am, or at least consider myself to be, I went out and purchased the only Skype handset that I could find in stock after the Christmas rush: the Linksys CIT200, or iPhone. Sure enough, this is the same model of handset that Linksys has been shipping for some time, although not under the iPhone moniker. I won't attempt to share my thoughts about the Apple iPhone or the Cisco and Apple trademark dispute here. More on those issues later. Rather I'll offer an honest assessment of the combination of Skype and CIT200 during our time with it.

The first thing I did was buy a local phone number from Skype. The process was painless and simple. It took about 2 minutes and 6 mouse clicks before I had my very own local number. (As an aside, I should like to invite any executive of any large telco to explain to me why I can't get a number from them as easily as I can from Skype. The last time I called and ordered service from a telco, I was on the phone for almost an hour. Truly pathetic. Granted, this was several years ago, but I can't imagine their archaic processes have changed much, if at all.) The next step was to procure a handset, which I did with relative ease. Setup of the CIT200 was very simple. I plugged in the USB "dock", or whatever it is they call the device which transmits data from the PC to the handset, and let the install CD do its thing. A few short minutes later, I was up and running.

The call quality of the phone has been great. Walls and other obstacles between the PC and the handset have not caused any perceptible degradations in call quality. Battery life seems to be up to snuff. Using the Unlimited SkypeOut plan, which I also purchased, we can easily make and receive unlimited calls in the US and Canada. My wife has not yet complained about its usability, which means it must be easy to use. All of those things are to be expected of any phone. The clincher is price.

I payed roughly $50 for one year of SkypeIn and SkypeOut. That means I'm paying approximately $4 and some change each month for phone service. Any other service would have cost me on the order of between 5 and 10 times more per month. Not even Vonage, the alleged "Leader of the Itnernet Phone Revolution", can come close to offering that kind of price/value combination. Skype truly is a game changer, in my opinion. Would you ever abandon your local telco for Skype or another VoIP service? Have you already done so? Leave a comment.