The genesis of the iPhone
By Ryan Block 
posted January 9th 2007 6:35PM
posted January 9th 2007 6:35PM
"Everybody hates their phone, and that's not a good thing. And there's an opportunity there." Jobs told Time for a rather interesting and revealing piece chronicling the genesis Apple's new iPhone. (We didn't realize for sure that the iPhone can't use its WiFi to download tracks over the air, for instance.) What started more than two and a half years ago as a foray into tablet computing to counter Microsoft's efforts (whodathunk, Apple really was thinking of building a tablet PC), which inevitably led them to creating the iPhone. If you're the type wondering things like why the new device doesn't have rubber feet, check out the piece, it's a good read.[Thanks, Adhik]
The reason that most people don't use their current phone to listen to music is because the experience sucks. The stupid interface and clunky programs that require you to read the manual just so that you can get some songs onto your phone pretty much kill it. But iPhone is also an iPod, a better looking, smarter iPod that syncs with your computer the same way iPod does. So of course carrying only iPhone is better than carrying two devices, and most people are smart enough to realize this obvious point. For those of you who don't, that's why I write this comment.
Well, this phone announcement is just the start. I'm guessing the thing that took 2 and a half year to perfect was in fact the multi-pointer touchscreen, and after doing something for 2 and a half years, you don't stop at one product! We'll see touchscreen laptops, screens and ipods within the next years, I guarantee it.
Its amazing. It should be white and a little more square, but the interface is perfect and intuitive. When will it be available in Canada though, i'm a canuck myself. But people lets not kid ourselves. Current phone browsers suck just as much as steve said, even though the iPhone wont go nearly that fast on a real network (it was probably on Wi Fi or something for the Keynote). Looks great though, but i think it wont be as good as it looks now. He didn't mention whether it would work with different apps (which would make it really computer-esque). He also didn't mention handwriting recognition ( i know he said no stylus but...). I dunno why he hates styluses though, seriously there fine. Also he didn't develope the multitouch thing.Many other people have done that, just not commercialy (in which it will eb a first). Plus one thing lots of people realise about macs (i dont use them, but i have tried them many times) is that when they crash they crash BAD (esp photoshop). But of course the interface is great (which is what macs are about) though vista will give them a run for there money. Well i'll rap this mini essay up now
p.s. totally agree J�rgen Veisdal
does anyone think they'll eventually phase out the ipod cause of this. It seems ridicuals now but maybe... mac tablet=my life ending and beginning again in a perfect world thats better than heaven.
Hey there does anyone know if this beauty got vibration alert?
cheers yours StefoD ;)
It has a "Ring/Silent" button, so I'd say yes, it has vibrate.
Xinyu, the experience of mp3s on your phone STILL sucks on the iPhone.
It has one button. ONE. That means when you flip away from your mp3 player app and are doing something else, say... looking at photos, or playing with widgets or browsing.. you have no way to change volume, or skip to the next track. You're SOL.
Apple went way to far with the whole "no buttons" thing. They forgot to pay attention to the fact that multi-tasking requires a multi-tasking UI. They built a single tasking UI that is capable of programatical multi-tasking.
So in short your iPhone defense statement of "The reason that most people don't use their current phone to listen to music is because the experience sucks" just means that people will not use the iPhone to listen to music for the same reason.
At least a set of persistent music controls down the side and volume might have helped. Bad Apple designer... Bad.
Zippo-It actually has five buttons: Sleep/wake, ring/vibrate, vol up, vol down(which are on the side), and the home button. you didnt see steve doing the other functions while he was playing music, so you dont know the controls they through in.
To those bashing Cingular- You may not have good coverage in your area but that is not the case everywhere. I used to have verizon and cingular has 5 bars in areas where verizon didnt have service. I had a friend who had sprint up until 2 months ago and back then he was almost impossible to reach and it once took a week for him to recieve a photo I sent him. Now he has cingular and I can always reach him. I have never seen cingular cripple features on their own phones whereas verizon has crippled bluetooth data transfer on several of their phones.
What a sexy beast! The innovation is awesome, love the UI.
My take:
- the 6G iPod will adopt this UI and be hot hot hot!
- by the time June comes around, we will have upgraded specs (Apple goes surprise!)
- the iPhone will be availabe before June anyway - Apple usually underpromises and overdelivers when it comes to launch dates (eg, launch if Intel Macs).
Why Cingular? Because it's the biggest GSM carrier in the US.
Why GSM? Because that's what the whole world uses. Apple wants to sell this baby in Europe, Asia and Australia.
Why 2G? Because 3G would make the device bigger and have even lousier battery life. Anyways, the device might even by 3G by launch, and will certainly be 3G when it's 2G (ha!).
Well done Apple, the future looks very bright.
Is it expensive? yes.
Anyone remember how much the RAZR was when it first came out? I think about 400. Apple's not too far out of line with something that is more functional than any other phone out there.
Those of you who don't want to look can type scare me. Means you must be trying to text while driving. Let me know where you live so I can stay off the road!
Too many people expect a perfect device on the first try. Noone has ever released the "perfect" first generation device. Everyone has to grow a bit into the market.
If you have an intelligent interface for your MP3 player, people will use it. And if I remember correctly the battery life for the MP3 player is about 16 hours? and talk time is 5 hours. I'd like my current motorola to last for 5 hours of talk time. Just like every other phone thery'll be airplane chargers and quick battery rechargers (everready has one) so I don't think battery life is an issue.
First looks at the device show great potential and the technology has the potential to move to other devices.
Anyone one know whether it will handle VOIP? Also, I would love someone to develop a way in which the keyboard and screen image could be projected - then it would be perfect
I love this! In an interview with Steve Jobs himself, he basically says that they started off trying to copy a TabletPC, and they ended up copying Windows Mobile instead. And how to the Macheads respond? "Genius!"
Yeah, it is amazing how forward-thinking Apple is when it sets its mind to copying Microsoft. And hey, it only took them a few years to do it. What a brilliant company they are! Wow, how will Microsoft ever keep up?
Though I've unfortunately renewed my 2 year contract with Verizon, I'm still happy that in Apple, we finally have a "smart phone" manufacturer that seems to understand, not only the raw needs, but also the wants of today’s consumer, who wants everything in one pretty and accessible package. However, watching the keynote, I had a few thoughts.
1. Where is the word processing, spreadsheet and PDFcompatibility? It might be on the phone and was simply not discussed (esp. since iPhone already runs OS X, which means it’s not implausible), but the total package will definitely require at least viewing and minor editing capabilities (ie. if it is received as an attachment on the iPhone). PDF’s, especially, would look exceptional with iPhone’s screen resolution.
2. Since the iPhone is so seamlessly interfaced wirelessly with its other applications, why not take the next step and make the iPod software on the iPhone a little closer in its capabilities to the full iTunes. Again, maybe it’s already there, but if not, why not have the Music Store, or a version of it, run on the phone, so we can access the store features directly through the phone, and use it to buy or preview music and videos? But more importantly, Apple would take away Zune’s wireless sharing advantage if there was some kind of networking feature, similar to what iTunes already has, so you can access content from iPhone or iPod users in range.
3. Finally, this might be a stretch for now, but I’m sure they’re already thinking about how to integrate video conferencing into iPhone. Imagine seeing the person you’re calling on iPhone’s screen, or receiving a video message… that’s going to be cool.
The people who say "it's just a phone like others" ignoring the user interface would probably have said "it's just a computer" back when mouse and graphics were introduced and replaced green typewriter fonts on black screens. What could a more convenient user interface be good for?
The people who say "it comes only with one carrier" have probably said "it's just usable on Macs and their market share is tiny" back when iPod and iTunes just stared to revolutionize the way music is consumed. Granting exclusivity for one carrier (for a while) allowed Apple to force them to adapt their communication structure solving at the same time the problem that there simply won't be enough of it for everyone at the start.
The reason why the world bought close to a billion cellphones last year and a myriad of variants exists is that people don't just buy phones to make calls anymore, they want fashion and technology in their palms and even spend serious money on how these devices sound with totally useless ring tones.
Once established Apple can bring new cheaper variants, it's the way it always worked and still does in all fields of technology which makes me wonder why so many users of a tech-blog complain about the price which by the way is not stellar given the functionality you get.
How are you going to explain why you are using anything else than this phone in a year from now?
Apparently Steve Jobs remarked that "it's bad out there" with regards to mobile browsing. So why, oh why introduce a phone WITHOUT 3G?! That seems poorly planned. Yes, the UI looks sexy, but how about stability? Is it going to be any more stable than WM5 on my PPC-6700? I love the functionality on my 6700, but the buglist is rather extreme and annoying. I've seen worse, and WM5 is definitely useable, but we all know it has issues to overcome. Lastly, the most important reason why I DON'T use my WM5 device as a media player and had iPod (switched to Zune) as my DAP/PMP is because of battery life. I depict the following scenario: 1.) After 5 attempts to reach the caller on a spotty Cingular network, I finally get through to the iPhone user. 2.) After 3 minutes of conversation, iPhone user explains: "iHave to iCharge my iPhone. iCan't iTalk anymore." Yes, I know, GSM provides significantly longer battery life than CDMA. But seriously folks, the battery life on a sexy-looking device can't be particularly good unless Apple has found the solution to the Li-Ion problem. And what happens when that proximity detector/screen lock gets dirty? Does it work with cases? I'm sure these things have been thought of, but from what I see, I'm gonna pass on this one.
Battery life is 5hours (as a phone).
16 hours as an ipod.
Everyone needs to STFU about battery life.
As much as I hate Ipod mania and Apple Fanboyism I have to admit this phone looks pretty cool, and the specs look good to.
On the other hand though it looks like if you drop it you'd quickly be out of 500 bucks.
I'll post this for about the 10th time today... the phone has about 5 hours of battery life (normal usage). 16 hours for music only usage.
How is that bad battery life?
Is it so fuckin hard for people to read? (this info was available at Engadget, Macrumors, Ars, and Apple)
Yeah rip, and no one has ever inflated their battery specs, have they?
The fact of the matter is that 5 hours is going to be how long the device can talk in perfect lab conditions, with full signal, and a full charge at the beginning. The real question is how long will it last during a day of checking email, browsing the web, going in and out of areas with weak signal where the phone is constantly polling the network, oh, and listening to music. My BlackBerry gets a couple days under those conditions, and a Windows Mobile device doesn't even make it 10 hours. Knowing how long the device can talk in a best case scenario, and knowing how long it can just play music in a best case scenario, doesn't really give you any idea how long it will last in real world usage. The Treo claims to have 300 hours of standby time, but I have yet to see one that can make it through 12 hours of normal use without needing a recharge or battery swap.
If this thing can't swap batteries, and can't make it through an entire day of normal use, then all the good-looking spec sheets in the world aren't going to help it. We need to wait and find out real world numbers before you can start claiming it has great battery life.
ANd I posted this in another blog... the Moto RAZR cost about $400 when it first hit the market. And that thing sold like crazy. In fact, I'm guessing a whole lot of people on here have one of those.
The iPhone is 100-200 more and offers bigger screen, ipod functionality, better camera, more storage, video playback, call conferencing, etc.
And a monkey could make a better ui than moto, so you know the iPhone is better on that front.
So how is it expensive?
Not that I was waiting for it but this isn't what I expected and certainly hope this isn't a direction other phones go.
Touchscreens are good only for devices where your attention has to be on the device. Phones and remotes for instance are almost exclusively eyes elsewhere devices.
I really expected a small phone from them. 8gigs is not a video device so for what it can do this thing is really a monster size for a phone. One thing people do hate about other phones is smooshing their face on their screen. So why not put the phone I/O on the opposite side from the screen.
I actually don't think people hate their phones so much but I do think they hate that phones are becoming so big. How about this - What if the little BT headset was completely usable as a phone all by itself with voice interactive dialing. But when you needed more it integrated seamlessly with this thing which had more functionality...
Listen up... please.
The iPhone is really not overpriced. Yes its expensive but then again look at other high end products from Sony Erricsson, Nokia and Motorola. They all rage from $400-$700.
For example
http://www.importgsm.com/product.php?productid=328
http://www.importgsm.com/product.php?productid=312&cat=4&page=1
http://www.importgsm.com/product.php?productid=254&cat=0&page=2
And these phones are unlocked but... not as innovative as Apple Inc. Maybe I didn't solve this issue for you but I gave it my best shot.
"Yeah rip, and no one has ever inflated their battery specs, have they?"
Well, considering my iPod battery life is pretty much exactly what Apple claimed it would be, as has been mentioned in numerous reviews, they've got a reputation for realistic battery life numbers.
"The fact of the matter is that 5 hours is going to be how long the device can talk in perfect lab conditions, with full signal, and a full charge at the beginning. The real question is how long will it last during a day of checking email, browsing the web, going in and out of areas with weak signal where the phone is constantly polling the network, oh, and listening to music."
I imagine just about exactly as well as the Treos which also claim 5 hours of talk time, and the other smartphones which claim anywhere from 2-4 hours of talk time.
My BlackBerry gets a couple days under those conditions, and a Windows Mobile device doesn't even make it 10 hours. Knowing how long the device can talk in a best case scenario, and knowing how long it can just play music in a best case scenario, doesn't really give you any idea how long it will last in real world usage.
"The Treo claims to have 300 hours of standby time, but I have yet to see one that can make it through 12 hours of normal use without needing a recharge or battery swap."
Well, mine makes it two days between recharges (it will typically start complaining on around the end of the third day, but I don't want to push it). I don't talk on it constantly (hence, it is in "standby" mode the majority of the time). When I was on vacation a few weeks back (and pretty much not using the phone at all), it lasted for a full 7 days (168 hours) before telling me the battery was critically low.
So, no my Treo doesn't get 300 hours either, but it's a far cry from needing to be recharged every 12 hours!
Still, the "hard" thing about cell phone battery life is that it is SO location-dependant. Go through areas with weak cell tower signals and your battery life will go downhill fast. My wife has had two cell phones (different makers) on which the battery life completely collapsed after driving through southern Idaho. By which, I mean, even after getting back to "normal" conditions the battery could not power the phone for more than two hours!
So, take such claims as relative to each other, not necessarily as a statement of how long the device will last in your hand.
"If this thing can't swap batteries, and can't make it through an entire day of normal use, then all the good-looking spec sheets in the world aren't going to help it. We need to wait and find out real world numbers before you can start claiming it has great battery life."
Yes, wait for real world numbers before claiming superior battery life. At the same time, wait for real world numbers before claiming that its battery life must suck because, you know, you said so!
you haven't had many cingular phones have you? They don't let you use dial up networking to anyone other than their extremely pricey ISP. If that isn't crippling it I don't know what is.
In the world of hyperbole everyone loves the word revolution. I doubt the world will ever see another real revolution. Evolution; however, is alive and well, and this is a very good evolution. Much of the excitement comes from what the second and third generation of this will necessarily be. The first iphone could have been a nano that dropped in calling. It would have meant that the 3rd or 4th gen iphone would be what we get now, with what everyone wants not getting out until 6G. This evolutionary step is two years ahead of the drug out revenue soak it could have been. Of course if it had just been a nano plus numbers we all would have been a bit disappointed. Our minds would have been OK, but our hearts would have been saddened. Everyone has been waiting for bright brilliant video on a bigger screen, and as was pointed out physical buttons demand an extra 40% or so. This is a half inch taller than a current 30 GB video the same thickness, width and weight.
It's not perfect, but it's a very good step in the right direction, and left to motorola and cingular would have taken until the ROKR E45 to get to this point.
Following apple's typical evolutionary charts mean we should probably expect at least one other version, maybe two. A shuffle-becomes-nanoesque phone with nothing but simple touch button numbers a la click wheel, a small screen and basic ipod support. The nano-come-video would be more the look, feel and function of current video ipods with touch buttons. Please god, may none of this ever be quoted to start the rumors that must replace the void left by today's announcement. This is nothing more than what logic would seem to indicate is next.
Tactile feedback is nice, but if I was going to ask anyone to build a real touchscreen without needing a stylus it'd have to be apple. Any real complaints about the click wheel anybody? I think many will adapt, and there may well be audible feedback to help. Predictive and preventative text control should work pretty well. T9 really isn't too bad already... Some may still prefer something else.
Finally price. It's the same price as the RAZR was at launch. I can hardly consider the razr to be an equal to this. It would seem to me the razr has done alright by virtue of marketing and I think apple can out market moto. It will be successful.
For those complaining about the price of the iPhone, realize that it is perfectly priced in comparison to its competitor the Treo. I say the Treo, because the Blackberry (while they are going for the consumer market with the pearl) is geared for Business (which is not where Apple is aiming for). The Treo is a consumer device (that has some corporate features). It's for those who want a phone with some pda features and multimedia experience. If you look at the nation’s two largest cell providers (Cingular and Verizon) you will see that the Treo (750 Cingular, 700P/W Verizon) retail for $499 with a 2-yr contract. It is probable that Cingular will offer a $100 rebate on the iPhone but they don't have to as it will sell like hotcakes. It all depends on how many Cingular wants to sell. Also let’s not forget that the iPhone is $50 to $75 cheaper since it already includes 4gb of storage unlike the Treo which you must purchase separately as well as well as a wifi card which you can't use in tandem with the 4gb card. Is there any real reason to get a Treo if you have Cingular? Poor Palm, they had their chance (as did all the other PDA manufactures). Why did it take so long to have a pda with a hard drive (I believe HP is just introducing one now). I've had a Palm, 2 iPaqs, and now a Blackberry (best of the bunch in terms of usability) and I desired so much for a PDA to have integrated storage, wonderful display, and an easy to use OS that works. It seems that none of the manufacturers wanted to innovate. Bad move... checkmate Apple.
Saying that the iphone has reinvented the mobile is a bold statement.
If they had made it network free for all users across the world, i think we would all rush out and buy it, cos it looks pretty cool, but now we have 6+ months to dissect it to hell and back, interest will wane and potential market share is surely lost.
Besides, why didnt they release different form factors and functions for different users? - i dont geddit.
"It's expensive, flashy smartphone. But it doesn't havea qwerty keyboard, and likely doesn't have as many apps as other smartphone OSs."
Actually, I believe it has a HUGELY large number of apps on it right out of the box. Probably won't have the library of crashware out there for Win Mobile devices (I'm sure they all worked wonderfully on the WMx device they were written for, but running just about any WM software not specifically written for WM5 on a Treo 700w leads to a hard crash of the phone. Hard, as in, need-to-wipe-memory-and-start-again.)
You do realize it is OS X underneath, right, not a completely separate OS with a kinda-sorta-Windows-like look and feel (Windows Mobile) or limited-support Java OS (Symbian)? An OS that supports multitasking and modern programming paradigms, not something cooked up in the late 80s/early 90s?
"Honestly, though, does anyone here know anyone that plays mp3s on their phone? I don't. Everyone I know has an mp3 phone and ignores the mp3 features. It's a pain in the ass and eats battery life. It's just easier to have an ipod that you take around when you think you want music and a phone you take around at all time. Better as two devices, not one."
I know a lot of people who bought their current phones hoping to play MP3s on them. Then they found out:
1. It is next to impossible to put songs on the phone in any semi-efficient manner.
2. The device interface sucks for playing music.
3. Purchased (WMP or iTS) songs won't play.
They never got to complaining about battery life, because they could not stand to play the 3-5 songs they copied over for long enough to run the phone battery down. Still, though, I don't think that's nearly as much of an issue as you think it is. You could play music for 10 hours straight on this device (according to the spec sheet, which is generally realistic for iPods relative to, say, Zunes) and still have about 1:52 left of talk time (10 hours leave 6/16 hourse, or 37.5% of battery left; 37.5% of 5 hours is 1.875 hours). If you're putting in 12 hour music/yacking days, that's likely a problem. But not for the rest of us.
"Bottom line - get yourself a good phone with great battery life from your provider for $50 and an 80 GB iPod for $350. You still save $100."
IF, that is, you are completely satisfied with any of those $50 phones out there. Personally, my primary issues with all phones out there boil down to syncing issues: nothing syncs well enough with my Mac OR my PC so that I don't have to constantly think about it, worry about it, or double-enter contact and calendar information. IMHO, the solutions out there just plain suck. That's why I'd buy this iPhone.
But, yes, if for some reason your driving reason to consider the iPhone is that it saves you from carrying around both a phone AND an iPod ... you're just a silly little man. But, I think that that is a straw man argument. The real reason I can see for buying this phone over the alternative plus iPod is that you get a much better phone.
First, I've seen over and over "there is only 1 button." ON THE FRONT JEEZ! There ARE volume controls, etc on the side.
As to other questions - LEARN ABOUT THE DAMNED PRODUCT BEFORE YOU COMMENT. If half of these folks would READ and look at pics they wouldn't have to blow hot air ("but it doesn't have wifi, so it sucks").
Everyone misses the points - think iPod, think when it started. Without Apple, we'd have the crappy phones we have now forever. How man "visual voicemail" type systems do you think will pop up in the next year? How many touch screen devices? (Heck how many will now focus on DPI and larger LCDs) How many foreign companies will try to copy this (think Super Shuffle)?
Apple has really "raised the bar" with this. Sure, it won't be perfect, but each iteration will be closer to perfection.
Yes it is expensive - THINK OF THE TECH! (and cost of R&D) This is a piece of "high technology" as Apple puts it. Seriously, all these features in such a small package. GPS, 3G, etc will come, but they DO cost money per part and to design. It would be AWESOME without a contract, but probably $200 more as well. We will see "iPhone Nano" and it will be awesome. For today, I'm just sooo excited! On every network news, way to go Apple.
Lastly - someone complained about materials and it "slipping out of your hand" due to chrome and such without gripping material. SERIOUSLY, WTF? Do you just randomly drop your free phone out of your hand? Perhaps try a little harder with this one???
*It should be interesting to see the smudge factor on this...
The iPhone will sell well. Remember the Compaq iPAQ? It costed $599-$699 and sold out everywhere. I think $499 is good price. It'd be nice if Apple sold it for $199 but that's not happening.
My cons is that it has no physical slide out keyboard, stylus (I like to jot down notes occassionally without having to use a touch screen keyboard), no GPS and lack of other hardware buttons to quickly access E-mail, contacts and calendar information.
It'll be a great product nonetheless.
does it support expandable memory? sdio? gps? it lack 3G and 3.5G though, it would have been a real killer for nokia!
iPhone design remind me MS Vista style :) ...
awesome...kind of...
But:
1. too expensive, I don't care about how much R&D went into it. Cell phone companies make the phone cost back by having contracts.
2. too many useless features, its over compansating for something... Oh yeah, to justify that enormous price tag.
3. If Apple reay wanted to "revolutionize" the cell phone industry it would've released a phone you can use on which ever network you want.
4. with all of these inexpensive bite-sized hard drives out there why settle on 8gb? That seams really small.
5. Can I get an Ipod wide-screen without a cell phone?
Check this out: PPC-6700 Sprint phone
- 3G EVDO
- Wi-fi
- Bluetooth
- Media player
- Unlimited flash storage via removable 4gb-8gb card
- Removable bettery
- Syncs with Outlook
- Pocket Word, Excel, Powerpoit
- HTML/javaScript web browser
- Steraming web TV/radio
- Camera still/video vith flash
- Voice recorder
- Hundreds of third party applications avalable
- Large touch screen with stylus
- Large sliding keyboard
- Unlimited high-speed data plan $15
- Released a year ago
http://www.sprint.com/business/products/phones/ppc6700_allPcsPhones.html?origref=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%3Fei%3Dutf-8%26fr%3Dslv8-%26p%3Dppc-6700
"Another example: voicemail. Until now you've had to grope through your v-mail by ear, blindly, like an eyeless cave-creature. "
I immediately thought of Golem...
Man, with the traditional voicemail services I HAVE become a groping eyeless cave creature!! I need this thing bad!
so, i think its a great product but....
my main to beefs 9i wont go into all the others, i have allot) are that it doesn't look ipod-ish or apple-esque enough (should be white and squarer, but i still think its beautiful, they just didn't capitalize on the look they already have). Second: PRICE. Now i know all the arguments but lets consider how much it really cost them to make it. Each one probably costs less than 100 dollars to produce. Research and Development maybe 500 million (so much i know, but look at it). They are overcharging. Now i know thats how business owrks and they ARE trying to make a profit, so i'm not preaching and saying there bad. Its just that lots of people will instinctively know how much there getting ripped off. This doesn't factor in the features or anything just the actual cost. Its interesting...
rischtisch geil.