Apple Unveils Long-Awaited Phone, TV Box (AP/ABCNews)

[eppur_se_muova]

By RACHEL KONRAD AP Technology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO Jan 9, 2007 (AP)— Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday unveiled a new mobile phone that downloads and plays music as well as a set-top box that allows people to stream video from their computers to their televisions.

Jobs said Apple's iPhone would "reinvent" the telecommunications sector and "leapfrog" past the current generation of hard-to-use smart phones.

"Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything," he said during his keynote address at the annual Macworld Conference and Expo. "It's very fortunate if you can work on just one of these in your career. … Apple's been very fortunate in that it's introduced a few of these."

Apple shares jumped 5 percent on the announcements.

Jobs demonstrated the phone's music capabilities by playing "Lovely Rita, Meter Maid," from the Beatles' "Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band."
***
more: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=2781565

[Deja Q]

1. Sounds more like an evolution; a merging of existing ideas.

"Innovation".

[MADem]

2. What's needed is something that is idiot proof. And the easier the better.

It would be nice if it could all, TV and computer, especially, be of one piece. I guess the "phone" thing is vital too, to people who are on the go alot and need a phone on them.

[Renew Deal]

3. Here's a live transcript.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/live-from-macworld-2007-steve-jobs-keynote/

[leQ]

7. mac rumors has the prices set at 4GB @ 499, 8GB @ 599

i'm sure those will come down by christmas (spoze to hit the shelves in june), but i'm definitely getting one.

[alfredo]

16. I'd expect them to upgrade the hard drive just like they

did with the first iPods.

[customerserviceguy]

4. Sounds like another excuse

to get into our pockets for a monthly fee. Remember the good old days, when you bought a product, you owned it's services for as long as you could keep it working? We had the VCR, as long as you replaced tapes every hundred or so recordings, you could use it to your heart's content. Now, we have TiVo, which you have to give someone a monthly lien on your paycheck to use, whether you use it that month, or not. Same for satellite radio.

Big Entertainment has long salivated over a way to get us to pay for each time we listen to a song, or watch a show, the pirates of Silicon Valley are all too eager to hand this to them.

[onenote]

31. you can still buy a vcr or even a dvd recorder

and record away for your heart's content. If Tivo, despite a service fee, overtakes and replaces other forms of recording in the marketplace, why isn't that a reflection of consumer demand rather than "Big Entertainment" forcing a particular result?

[customerserviceguy]

32. I didn't say anyone was 'forcing' anyone

but the more people jump on the "sure, here's your monthly fee for something," bandwagon, the options are going to go away. Just look at all of the ways that somebody gets into our pockets every month that didn't exist a generation ago. I refuse to participate in the rush to commit a growing share of my budget to crap I probably don't even need.

[underpants]

5. Gee I wish they would have told us about that before we bought our iPods

oh well we knew that was coming really just not this fast

[brooklynite]

9. You have failed to learn an important lesson.....

.....NEVER buy anything within 60 days of a Macworld Expo.

[brooklynite]

10. Delayed video feed of the Macworld Keynote.....

.....available from cnn.com (Pipeline subscription required).

[brooklynite]

Apple has officially changed its name...

It will now be know onlys as Apple, Inc.

[underpants]

14. Oh yeah right

Just like Grandma used to tell us

[Renew Deal]

15. That is correct.

:thumbsup:

[tridim]

6. Lots of current cellphones play MP3's

What am I missing here?

[KittyWampus]

27. I think this has expanded webbrowsing

[Tektonik]

8. I really hope Cingular doesn't overcharge for the media services to this phone

$499/$599 + a 2 yr contract is already pricey as hell, but if atop that Cingular offers some lame, expensive service w/ the phone I'll be really disappointed

[olddad56]

21. just going into a cingular store gives me the creeps.

The are slick sleazy operators.

[mondo joe]

26. It gets WiFi.

At least in Seattle I could coast on the available free wifi.

[Occulus]

11. Wow! It's just like a video card with TV OUT!!

I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo impressed.

:sarcasm:

[frylock]

19. s-video is soooooooo boring though..

this will have a catchy name, like iVideo.

[fujiyama]

34. S-video is soooo 90s

Where's the HDMI or at the minimum DVI?

[The2ndWheel]

12. Hooray, another manufactured need

That will then be replaced with another, then another, then another. Obviously you'll need each one. Existence would be even more pointless without it.

The guy does say fortunate a lot though.

[Zech Marquis]

13. I want one!!!

As long as Cingula doesn't jack up people and pile on a bunch of high ass fees to use it..but I DO want one! I don't have a cellphone, and this iPhone would be perfect. That day in June is going to be soo special :bounce:

[deepthought42]

17. Yea! Another Apple product I don't want!

But every teenager will want...I hate working in a mall...lol. Even part-time.

[fujiyama]

35. No only want...

But kill others over (like sneakers in the 90s).

[deepthought42]

38. Hmmm, I'm not big on sneakers either...

But then, working in a mall, I shop less, because I'm just tired of consumerism...that and I'm tired of people asking where the damn Apple store is, when it's right behind me...literally. Idiots, lol.

[frylock]

18. every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything..

kinda like that Segway. Remember how they were going to erect cities around those?

[tridim]

30. Yea, and I remember it was Steve Jobs who said that about the Segway

When he's wrong, he's often very wrong.

[eppur_se_muova]

20. pix/linx:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/ http://www.apple.com/appletv/

[hellbound-liberal]

22. I agree, this is another manufactured need

I still can't believe that corporate America has convinced a large number of supposedly intelligent people that $200 phone bills are not outrageous as long as you can send text messages over a 2" by 2" screen or that you can dowmload movies or your very own ring tones. Of course, I guess I shouldn't complain. After all, since we sent all of our manufacturing jobs overseas, we have to have something to keep those people busy.

[mondo joe]

25. Who has a $200 phone bill?

Are you on crack?

[Kablooie]

23. Here is a video demonstrating Apple's multi-touch technology

http://loop.worldofapple.com/archives/2006/02/08/multi-touch-interaction-video/

The iPhone is just the beginning.

[KittyWampus]

28. thanks, that was a great demonstration!

[BrightKnight]

33. That is brilliant!

I am not easily impressed but I defiantly want that.

I'm not giving up my mouse and keyboard.

[onehandle]

24. Apple Introduces Innovative Cellphone -NYT

The creation, the iPhone, priced at $499 or $599, will not be for everyone. It will be available with a single carrier, Cingular Wireless, at midyear. Its essential functions — music player, camera, Web browser and e-mail tool as well as phone — have become commonplace in hand-held devices.

But it was the ability to fuse those elements with a raft of innovations and Apple’s distinctive design sense that had the crowd here buzzing.

Apple’s goal, Mr. Jobs said, was to translate the Macintosh computer’s ease of operation into the phone realm. “We want to make it so easy to use that everyone can use it,” he said. And he was clearly betting on translating Apple’s success with the iPod music player to a hot category of multifunction devices.

Underscoring the transformation of a quirky computer maker into the dominant force in digital music, and signaling his ambitions to extend that reach, Mr. Jobs also announced that Apple was dropping “computer” from its name and would henceforth be known as Apple Inc.

Investors took quickly to the pitch, sending Apple’s stock price up to a record close, while shares of established cellphone makers slumped.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/technology/10apple.html

[Roland99]

29. I just might forego switching from Cingular to Verizon this May when my contract is up.

I've been waiting for a phone that could be a phone, MP3 player, PDA, web browser and didn't weigh a pound and a half.

Although, if the deal was with Verizon instead of Cingular, it would be even better given Verizon's better network quality/speed.

[ForPeace]

37. Try the Blackberry Pearl

It does all that. Phone, MP3 player, camera, PDA (sync with Outlook), unlimited email and web browsing and weighs 3.2 oz. What's the big deal?

[fujiyama]

36. It looks cool

I love my electronic toys, and Apple makes nice products, but neither this or the iPod have really been revolutionary in any way (at least technologically). After all, iPods weren't the first mp3 players on the market and this isn't the first media phone either. Although, iPods became the first huge mass market mp3 player (like Sony Walkmans for tapes and Discmans for CDs).

It's cool that it has so much space, has a slick interface, and is probably easy to use though...Maybe there are some deals with a Cingular activasion, but damn that's a steep price...

On the other hand, I'm sorta irritated by the heaps of praise Jobs gets even after the recent backdated options thing. Many CEOs would be fired over such a thing.