Mossberg on new iPhone: it'll have "lots of added features," available within a month?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Jun 4th 2009 1:20AM
posted Jun 4th 2009 1:20AM
Let's just be totally honest with each other here: Walt Mossberg probably has a new iPhone that none of us have ever seen. In fact, he could very well have two or more, depending on exactly what Apple intends to unveil at WWDC next week. We doubt the guy's actively trying to blow Apple's cover, but he's been surprisingly candid in the past ahead of press embargoes both on the original model and the 3G, so it's anyone's guess what's really going on in that mind of his -- other than proper goatee grooming techniques, obviously -- and there's a little gem in his just-released Pre review that gives us pause:"Whether the Pre is better than the iPhone depends on your personal preferences, though I'd note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features that could alter those calculations."Now granted, Walt could simply be talking about all the great stuff 3.0 will bring to the platform, but we tend to think there's something a little more revealing afoot here -- the notion that the new iPhone is awesome enough to potentially tip the scale against the Pre for some cross-shoppers. Whether it's the rumored 3.2 megapixel AF camera, the integrated radio tuner, the OLED display, the faster processor, the butter pecan ice cream dispenser, or some totally unknown stuff that has him fired up, we don't know -- but we wouldn't be surprised if Palm execs were furiously refreshing our liveblog of Schiller's keynote come next Monday.
Update: Reading further into the review, Walt continues to walk the fine line between harmless speculation and thinly-veiled news leakage, saying that new iPhone hardware will be "likely available within a month." He also goes on to mention that it'll "likely" lack a physical keyboard, quashing a longstanding rumor that's gone quiet in recent months.
Ah pretty cool trick he pulled an iphone out of his ear. I don't have much money so I'm planning on learning how to do that when the new one comes out.
Mossturd has magical geriatric features. It's one of the only benefits of getting old and crotchety, and filming your reviews in a dirty nursing home.
On a side note, am I the only one that wonders if he honestly thinks about what he places behind him while filming reviews for the frigging WSJ? I half expect to see prune juice or Bengay on his shelves.
what is the point of the wwdc when apple is giving away its details on the phone? -_-
trying to let out as much as they can before pre?
Looking at all the rumors, he could have even pulled it out of his ass...
It doesn't matter what golden features the iPhone has or doesn't have. Nearly everyone that can actually afford any version iPhone will want it and it will definitely sell in the millions of sales units quickly. If it has features that every Nokia and Palm handset had for the past ten years, those features will work infinitely better on the iPhone and the users will go nuts over it. For those of you that think this stuff is insignificant, you just don't understand marketing or sales. Anyone that believes Palm has great marketing skills for moving their products are clearly deluded.
The Nokia N97 is a terrific piece of hardware and yet Nokia will practically have to try to give that thing away no matter how great the hardware is. The UI is clunky and the features are nearly unfathomable. Something that only an Engadget techie would love. However, most of the up-and-coming smartphone users are not techies. Even if every Nokia came with a videoconferencing camera for the last five years, the iPhone camera will get used like it was some sort of brand new technology. iChat mobile would most likely become an instant hit in the smartphone industry.
Nokia makes decent high-end smartphones, but they don't seem to have much business acumen at all which is shown by how they're losing market share and money in the biggest smartphone growth era. Their expensive smartphones are being called handsets for old-timers.
So call the iPhone cheap crap with technology every handset had years ago and maybe it is true, but it takes very good business skills to make huge amounts of money from selling crap.
Let's face it, the Pre is old news. It'll be here in less than two days and will be almost gone in three. Not because it's a bad handset, but because Palm doesn't know how to sell products.
Either Mossberg has a really small head or that's a picture of him with the MacTablet.
Hey iphonerulez, your comment could have been the cure to cancer but the combination of your username and the fact that it's waaaay too tl;dr for the internet means that it will go unheard.
Mossberg is the biggest Mac Fanboy that we have seen thus far.
First
But you're not, is the thing.
You mean Bing, Chris.
I think Chris just did the smackdown...
Good taste in avatar
Hey! you are downranking Paul A. Chapelle's brother...
fuck to the hell yeah! i love you all
details are overwhelming
Can I have the ice cream if Jobs thinks it has too many buttons?
to quote Borat..
interestingstorynot
We still quote Borat? I was unaware.
first----------stupid assssssssssssssss
"Unfortunately for Palm, Apple has both a new iPhone operating system and new iPhone hardware coming, likely available within a month, that could obviate many of these advantages."
Nice copy/paste. You are obviously not using an iPhone.
Can't do that with the Pre either, at least not from any web pages you aren't
Monday can't come soon enough.
or for alot of us...Saturday and the Palm Pre!!!
Walt is trying to be officially crowned Apple apologist now?
I'm sure the new phone is nice, but a person who considers himself a journalist would do well to try to remain a bit more neutral.
he should go back to selling shotguns...Journalism was a hobby...
It boggles the mind that someone gets paid to literally read tech blog sites and rewrite them months later in his/her own, biased words.
he's a hack. end of story. let's move on
im guessing the new iphone will have a front facing camera, an aluminum back or something other than plastic, a better camera, faster processor and all that stuff, maybe an OLED screen, and some others, but that would be a major upgrade an would most likely make the cost of the iphone go up, i just hope they go to other carriers and make cheaper plans
A front facing camera? On a U.S. carrier? Not bloody likely. Haven't you noticed how all phones released for the U.S. market have those specifically removed? Apple is biggest in the states, so I don't see them making a domestic and an international version of the phone just for the camera.
Why dont US spec phones have front facing cameras? The last one I saw was some Samsung flip phone from Verizon when I was in junior high.
Thats plain weird... Im in Osaka and all the phones here, even the free ones, have front faced cams. Why no in US? its really useful for make video calls. Each time my wife go shopping, she can ask my advice by phone and its just like I am with her, hidden in a tiny lcd!
What do you all mean by a front facing camera? My Samsung Alias 2 (and my original Alias it replaced) both have a camera on what could be considered the front. It also has a small screen right under the camera which can show what the camera sees.
Am I missing something?
front facing phones = video calls = bandwidth that the carriers are not willing/unable to offer
2 things people want (in this thread, anyway)
Front facing camera and cheaper plans.
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. The bandwidth needed for AT&T to support over 10 million iPhone users (of course, this is assuming current iPhone users upgrade) doing video chat is astronomical. The fact is that AT&T can barely keep up with the data needs of iPhone users now. Adding OTA video conferencing will increase needs, and increase costs. This means no cheaper plans, but maybe even more expensive plans to cover the cost.
I see tiered data plans coming... 5GB/month for $20 (like the USB modem sticks), Unlimited web for $30, and $40 for unlimited web and video chat.
just my .02.
time to sell Palm stock and dump all the profits into Apple
um no
Once again, Mossberg's shilling takes the stage. Instead of just giving a halfway decent review of the Pre, he litters the article with cashed checks from Apple. Why the WSJ doesn't fire him for moonlighting is anyone's guess.
Thanks for saving me the effort of having to read anything from that clown.
But I suppose that's SOP from for Mossburg.
That is why Apple's gives him full access and early test units of everything they make. They know he's completely in the tank for them, will never give them a terrible review, and will shill for them whenever necessary.
chris i think u are being an asshole for putting up an iphone article right after every palm pre article
I hope this phone is AWESOME!!! That way, when I dump it next year and go BACK to Verizon (because we all know they are getting the iPhone next year...) I will be able to sell it to pay off the early termination and some cash left over to boot!
Goatberg has a preview of every gadget ahead of time. Most famous was him breaking the news of Wurlitzer features ahead of the embargo in 1943.
An app to hack the comments lists of tech websites to say First or can it play crysis in first post?
As always, Mossberg spreads the good words of an Apple product across the article. I'd love to see him try to write a non-Apple product review without mentioning Apple more than once.
While I don't really think he needed to bring it up nearly as often as he did, let's be honest: anyone reading a review of the Palm pre will want to know how it compares to the iPhone, which is seen as its major competition. Not mentioning the iPhone at all, or how current comparisons might be skewed because Apple is releasing a new version, would make a pretty bad review wouldn't it?
All that said, Mossberg's certainly known to be an Apple-guy, and he didn't need to mention them nearly as much for a balanced review. (Full-disclosure, I have an iPhone. And not upgrading anytime soon).
@Jason: It's more to do with Mossberg's style of writing. You can't blame readers if they suspect Mossberg has a darker intention with his article. I just don't think his review is consistent, too often fragmented by the obsessive plugs for the iPhone (which I do own as well). A proper review should focus on the product alone first, before slamming it at bullet rate using other products.
Are you fucking kidding me! Leave it to Engadget to squeeze an iPhone post out of a Palm Pre review.
You guys really are douche bags ...
We did our own absolutely stellar, exhaustive Palm Pre review, in case you missed it -- no need to point out Mossberg's.
And by the way, we loved it.
@Chris Ziegler:
Yeah, I read Engadget's review of the Pre - it was thorough, fair, and had great points.
Remind me again how that somehow excuses you from only seeing the word "iPhone" in an 1800-word review about the Palm Pre?
I never said Engadget hates the Pre, I said Engadget needs to get off Apple's nuts.
There is a difference.
Read closer, understand better.
and here's one last one, just so you walk away smiling: iPhone....
You completely and utterly failed to understand the point of my comment.
You say: "Remind me again how that somehow excuses you from only seeing the word "iPhone" in an 1800-word review about the Palm Pre?"
My point is: This post isn't about the Pre, because we already covered the Pre in far more meaningful detail than Mossberg has. This post is in reference to Mossberg seemingly spilling hints of the new iPhone. Apples and oranges, my friend.
I think what Chis is saying is that this post was not a Palm Pre Post in which they talked about apple, it is an Iphone post parsing out the new details Mossberg gave in the article, regardless of what that article was originally about. Further the reason he was saying they did not create a post about his Pre article is because they just did their own review.
That was my first comment, I suppose I should not take 10 min to write my next one. But Chris, you should take that as a sign that not everyone misunderstood you.
@Chris Ziegler and @David:
I know what he was getting at, but since when does Engadget NOT link to other product reviews just because Engadget did one too?
dtatgenho -
You're overreacting. And you misunderstood the whole post.
"...since when does Engadget NOT link to other product reviews..."
That's how tech blogs work these days. Get over it.
the article confirmed from an extremely reliable source that a highly anticipated product would be unveiled next week, would you have rather him ignore it completely? its their fucking job to interpret sources and find out information on all types of products.
grow up.
@ dtatgenho
You're a complete jealous douche bag, with all attachments and batteries included.
@ Engadget:
Ignore the incessantly ranting Apple haters. You could post one Apple-related story a year and they'd still get themselves worked into a lather. They have become noticeably louder in recent months. Either the desperation is increasing, or Microsoft is ramping up their grassroots astroturfing efforts again.
Besides, their monopolistic idiocy in the comments section ("Criticize Microsoft? I VOTE YOU DOWN!!!") nullifies any perceived bias the Engadget staff may or may not have.
(looks)
zune hd>ipod touch
pre>iphone??
Affirmative.
in your fantasies only
I think it would be awesome if the iphone was powerful enough to run an external monitor and then you connect a bluetooth mouse/keyboard and use it like a mac mini.. Apple can make it work, they have the graphics chips to make it happen and also the mini display port is small enough to work. . Just powerfull enough to type papers and do small work, I'm not talking about doing video editing or gaming haha (I'm not that out of my mind)
I think we'll probably get there eventually but not on this iteration. Apple likes to cough up just enough features to make you salivate but not blow your load.
But I feel like these companies have been blue ballin' us for years.. You know what, I might just start my own damn company and make everyone blow a load year after year, I don't understand what they are waiting for
It's 2009 already! going on 2010 and there is no product available on the market that can fill my desire? When I was a kid I thought that man made everything you could imagine.. but I have quickly realized this is not the case when I reach my young adult life.
and how about a sony vaio p that can actually run the operating system before it tries to run an application on top of it.. I'm going to make one of those too
Everyone look out for me in 2010. I'm not sure how long my endeavors will last
Why the fuck would apple let him give out the info if not for the release of the pre there doing this just to try to get more people waiting for the 3.0 but sorry guys the pre rocks and web os takes it to a different level I just used one in a sprint store I know the manager and bro!!! The shit fuckin works I don't think iv ever used a phone that works so smooth it really takes it to a different level so I just think people don't really understand what the pre is really all about just don't be to excited bc apple ain't that stupid and there doing it for a reason!!!
"...if not for the release of the pre there doing this just to..."
"apple ain't that stupid and there doing it for a reason"
If you had enough education to write English properly perhaps people would take you seriously.
Let's fix your sentences a little:
"...if not for the release of the Pre; they are doing this just to..."
"Apple is not that stupid and they are doing it for a reason"
Perhaps when you pass your high school equivalency exam you might be able to get a job and save enough money to buy one used iPhone.
@FoxKenji
While I don't agree with how scathing you decided to be, I must applaud your delivery.
Pretty awesome.
you're going to love my zune!
Walt: the world's oldest Apple fanboy.
Wow! i can't believe people still take Mossberg seriously...
He's going senile so just look away... i know he's like a train wreak, but leave the old crazy fart alone.
Just some of my thoughts:
I am not a fanboy of any sorts.
I am one who loves all technology. I own all gaming systems because I love games. (way off topic)
But I honestly hope apple comes out with something nice. Thus driving palm to also upgrade the Pre. (yes I am getting one) It's win win. People who prefer the iPhone or Pre both benefit from good competition. Ex. nobody really rivals Microsoft when it comes to PC OS. Thats why they gave us Vista....
Now the bad parts. If you can look at something unbiased it helps a lot. I think the iphone is an amazing piece of tech. But in some aspects it is overhyped and also has a crutch or 2. I could list the positives for the iphone but there are way too many. It's the small things that kill me. No video, no haptic feedback, prices vs storage. I am sure an iphone owner could give you more...
YES I'M GETTING THE PRE. And I am nervous as hell. I know its gonna do somethings that makes me wanna kill it. (PS I own an instinct now, before that I went through 7...YES 7! palm treo 700wx's. In 2 yrs) I swore off Palm. But I embrace new tech and try to support it because I want competition. We need competition.
THATS WHY THE PRE IS $199 because there's an Apple iphone.
And Sprint's service reps can suck huge balls at times. But you know what...in the end I save THOUSANDS, 1k's, or even 1000's. Common sense tells you "hey if sprint works in my area, and they have a phone I like...de ta deeee"
I believe I just ranted all over the place....no I'm not gonna proof read it either...
I don't get that picture.
Is the Mossburger supposed to be holding up the phone? If so, why is it behind his head?
Or does he have a tiny little head and someone is about the whack him on the back of his bony skull with it?
is this the guy on the tech tv blooper that blew up something precious???????
if i had a picture of a baby crying, i would show it to you
I'm not seeing the problem here. Let's take tings into perspective:
1) The US mobile phone market is crap. No, really, it is. The choice of good carrier subsidised handsets is somewhat limited to say the least.
2) As a result there are really only a handful of choices available.
3) So when reviewing one of them it makes sense to compare it to its nearest competitor.
See?
I mean all people have to do is wait for a week to see what Apple are going to bring out - and at the moment it looks to be, frankly, an unexciting feature set.
In saying that Mossberg's fruity bias is legendary. It's just not particularly relevant in this article.
But it is still a CrApple iphone.
Feeling pissed off that the Pre, iPhone, Android phones and Nokia have left WinMo behind? Yeah I thought so.
I just want to know who's making the accesory to bring this great newicecream feature to the 3G? Or is Apple going to just toss 3G owners out into the hard cold streets like they are with the no MMS for 1st ten iPhones?
You got the title of the post wrong. It should read: "Mossberg on the new iPhone: "That check is PLENTY big enough, thank you Apple"".
Whatever happen next week, Apple is the only brand that manage to make great products and generate great 3rd parties content to run on it. The key of the success reside in the super easy way to use a macbook, a macpro, an iphone, an ipod, an AppleTV or even a me.com account with the same stuff inside. No one can really compete with that model and considering the huge server farm Apple is building right now it's about to climb even further...No competition on that (and i can understand why it can be very frightening for some people). Considering the history of Apple and the genius of Steve Jobs I guess we are millions of people who wants to rely on apple because we trust them not to act as big brother. (sorry for my english)
A real gentleman has at least 2 versions of the iphone and a pre and a blackberry in his pockets and uses the one fitting the company he's with at that moment to not offend.
Note that all real gentleman work for engadget by an odd coincidence.
Another apple droid worshiping at Jobs' altar.
i love butter pecan ice cream
BTW, that's actually a "Van Dyke", not a goatee.
This reminds me of the famous story about Jobs luring John Sculley from Pepsi in the 80's, allegedly with the line (paraphrased) "You can sell sugar water for the rest of your life or you can come with me and change the world." Ironic now that Apple is selling the 21st century equivalent of sugar water: pretty products overhyped by marketing to obscure their shortcomings.
Mossberg is a joke. I loved his "tough guy" journalist routine with the Palm folks at "All Things D" or whatever that farce of a tech summit was last week. He wouldn't dare pull that attitude with Jobs or Tim Cook at a tech show. He tries to cover his pro-Apple slant by giving "unbiased" review to lower profile Apple products like Apple TV while gushing like a schoolgirl over every Mac and iPhone. He must get a cut of the AT&T/Apple revenue sharing.
At least Josh and Chris and the gang at Engadget are upfront about their iLove and Windows snark. Mossberg's shilling is much more insidious due to his stature as an alleged journalist and inexplicable tech guru status.
Walt is an Apple funboy.
*fanboy
I'll consider it if it has multitasking and a keyboard.
@Rubes
wow now that would be something. Small like and iphone and powerfull enough like a mac mini..dang bro that would be pure bliss. for that you get a +1(wish i could give you a +20 )
Who is Walt Mossberg?
I sure hope it comes out soon. Decided on an iPhone just as these rumors started and decided to wait. Let's get a date on this! I NEED A NEW TOY!
Can you call the iPhone a 'platform'? I call it a device with an OS. Windows Mobile, BlackBerry Device OS, Android - these are platforms.
J
The only ones who can still respect Mossberg are the most ultra of fanbois. He whored out his integrity and soul to Steve Jobs years ago.
This is just my view but i beleive the iphone is basically a techy looking gadget made for non-techy people, almost like a My First Smartphone, the camera is rubbish an cant record videos, it cant bluetooth pics or vids all it really is is a tool for downloading mostly usless apps, my n95 is old an looks like a brick yet it can record perfect videos that can be played back on full screen tv with no loss in quality infact i no longer take my camcorder on vacation. I mean am i missing something? looking at the possible specs for the new iphone vs the n97 there is no comparison yet the iphone will prove the most popular due to the general public not understanding how powerful the n97 is or understanding what its capable of doing theyll just see the simple os of iphone and buy it thinking theyve got the greatest phone on the market
Maybe the n97 has better specs and features like video recording but the difference is usability. Nothing comes close to the iPhone OS and UI in ease of use. If you give a n97 to the average person they might figure out how to make a phone call if that. Plus Mobile Safari brings the internet to a portable device better than anyone can even imagine. Add the convenience of the app store to download quality third party apps on the go and the itunes store to download music on the go and you have an awesome portable phone. I am not disagreeing that other phones have some better features but nobody puts it together in one great package like Apple.
You know the Apple Hype machine is starting up when Walt says something everyone already knows and it's still big news!
Quote of the Day: "Don't treat others as YOU would like to be treated. Treat them how THEY would like to be treated" - Jang Kalson
I'm fired up about the butter pecan ice cream. I wish I had known about that before I blogged about the other features.
http://blog.villainousmind.com/2009/05/must-hold-out-for-iphone.html