During MacWorld Expo opening Keynote, Apple announced the very anticipated iPhone. Although analysts and Mac-centric sites have been speculating on the device for a while, the company announced a product that goes well beyond expectations.
A smart-phone?
The iPhone is actually what we usually call a smart-phone. But jobs thinks smart-phone means serious and difficult to use. The iPhone is as simple to use as an iPod but has the feature set usually found in a laptop computer.
Apple-patented technologies
The technical specs of the iPhone are just, amazing. First it features a very high-quality Apple-patented touch-sensitive interface that transforms all the surface of its 3.5 inch screen to an input device. The iPhone doesn't have one button, but has virtually as many buttons and controls as you may need for a specific task. The experience is also powered by a proximity sensor an accelerometer and ambient light sensors.
Choice in wireless connectivity
As it's a phone, it obviously features wireless connectivity, and there is choice between Quad-band GSM/EDGE, Wifi and Bluetooth! No more, no less. It is even capable of automatically switching between each type of networks.
Mac OS X at the core
Mac OS X is at the core of Apple's new mobile phone, as the device runs a stripped-down version of the operating system that can play media, manage pictures and offer phone features.
By the way, it offers very advanced applications such as a full-featured web navigator, a multi-message chat client, support for conferences, super photo management, widgets and even support for Yahoo's or Microsoft Exchange IMAP mail and Google Maps.
Pricing and availability
The iPhone comes in two versions: one with 4GB of storage at $499 and one with 8GB of storage at $599. Both prices imply a two year contract with the exclusive carrier Cingular (in the US).
Availability is set for June 2006 for the US (exclusively with Cingular), in late 2007 for Europe and in 2008 for Asia.
The iPhone will be made available for order either through Cingular's web site or through the Apple Store [1].
Live Transcript of the MWSF 2007 opening keynote is available here [2].