iPhone... anyone here getting one?

[Deimos]

So it's 9 days to go until the iPhone launch from Apple... I was curious if anyone here was planning on getting one? I'll probably be getting to the cube sometime around 2pm to wait on line... hopefully the phone won't suck....lol!

[Ninjahedge]

No.

What is the point of getting a phone that has full internet capability if the service does not have EVDO?

Save your money and WAIT FOR IT!

You will have the benefit of not being the guinea pig for this thing, and maybe in 6 months they will have the additional service that will allow you to use some of the better features of the phone.


But if you have money to burn, go on and burn it.

[Deimos]

It's not such the money to burn as the desire to throw my current phone off the tallest building i can find. This is the first phone that behaves the way that I would want it to, so that's why i'm interested. I'm leaving verizon to get it as well. The only aspect of the phone that vexes me is the lack of 3g which you pointed out, but the one thing i've noticed when using my current EvDO phone (Motorola Q) is that the speeds never seem to be operating at speeds above cingular's EDGE network anyway, so I don't expect much of a loss. Places where I've tested:

NJ Transit trains or Coach USA buses when visiting my parents for a weekend - Phone tethered to my laptop via bluetooth serving as a modem; this is the fastest it gets

ESPN and MLB mobile sites via phone's built in web-browser - phone is slow as molasses

Google's mobile browser - again slow slow slow... not fast like EvDO should be.

Granted, I'm probably going to go to a cingular store and pick up a pre-paid phone to test for a week and see just how bad EDGE is for the same purposes, but who knows

[Ninjahedge]

via phone's built in web-browser

Sometimes it is not the connection, but everything else.

You may want to see if you can try another phone in teh store to see how fast things go. It may be the firmware, the signal, or the sites you are visiting.

All of them go slow, comparitively, but if you are paying that much for a phone, I would expect more.

I do like their concept, but like I said, wait 6 months for them to get the wrinkles out and for the community to write some decent shareware ;)

[Front_Porch]

I'm a real estate agent and I just can't operate without remote access to the Web . . .the last time I had to respond to an email to accept an apartment, my poor client had to walk SIX blocks with me to a Kinko's.

Surburban agents solve this by carrying tablet PCs, but I walk all day and they'd be too heavy.

Treos, I understand, don't have much memory, and I need a camera, so my choices are the iPhone or the Blackberry Pearl --- I don't know what the H EVDO is, but it seems intuitive to me that the people who make my computer can make a phone I can deal with.

Plus, Blackberry access to the Internet (not email) seems slow . . . but I would love thoughts from current users.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

[Ninjahedge]

EVDO is faster digital cell phone internet access.

You may be able to get more info at a tech site. Computers: www.tomshardware.com (http://www.tomshardware.com)

PS, Apple knows how to sell machines better than they know how to build them. Their stuff is good, mind you, but it is very exclusive (only their stuff works on their machines) and you pay much more than comparitable equipment and software on another box.

The same is true for their other devices. Ipod, Iphone, et all. You get a lot, but always less than you pay for.

[macreator]

I'm cautiously awaiting reports of how the iPhone performs in the real world before I take the plunge and ditch Verizon.

I currently use a Treo 650 and love it, but the iPhone certainly does appeal to me. I'd really like to have my iPod and phone be one device, and with widescreen video no less. I'm wary though of the iPhone's big glass screen after purchasing a 5th generation iPod and seeing it get scratched up fairly easily even with careful handling.

For me, I'm going to wait it out until the second generation of the iPhone is released, and all of the kinks that are likely to exist with the first generation iPhone are solved. While I love Apple products, I've learned that their first generation products are often a bit buggy and early adopters are pretty much paying BETA testers.

[Ninjahedge]

Bingo!

It is like the "rule of windows".

Never get the latest M$ Windows until it has been out for at least a year.

Let someone else break in the leather for you, you know?

[Deimos]

Well the rule of thumb has always been to never get a first generation apple product... wait for the first revision. I've ignored it 4 times now, and haven't been burned too badly... I have a 1g iPod which still works although it's been replaced by a 1g iPod nano which works perfectly. I picked up a Mac mini when Tiger was launched, and it still works perfectly as a media server in my apartment, and my MacBook Pro was purchased the second they went on sale last January... it's the only one of the bunch that's had any issues, and even those weren't so bad (Yes, i suffered from the "whine").

Regarding EvDO: Verizon and Sprint operate their networks utilizing CDMA technology. It's just a form of digital tech. AT&T and T-Mobile by contrast use GSM as their digital technology, which is the standard that the Europeans developed. Focusing in on CDMA tech, there are levels of speed that are offered, starting with 1xRTT which came about in the early 2000's when digital phones were first rolling out on the PCS spectrum. Around 2004 Verizon began rolling out the upgrade to the 1x network which is known as 1xEvDO (Evolution Data Only). The Verizon brand name for this service is BroadbandAccess.

A further upgrade to the service is in the process of being rolled out now to 1xEvDV or EvDO Rev.A. The upgrade to EvDO provided a significant improvement to theoretical download speeds, raising the speeds from 144kbps to 2.4Mbps. On the flip side, upload speeds were left unaffected. When the upgrade to EvDV occurs, upload speeds will finally see the improvement. This upgrade will finally allow for true mobile video conferencing applications.

This is turning into more of a post than I was planning, so i'll cut it off here... I've tried to keep the information simple, yet relevant so that you don't need an engineering degree to follow it. Hope it helped!

[ryan]

I tried Cingular, and will never, ever use them again. The reception was ridiculously horrible, customer service not only disinterested but incompetent. I thought cellphones were like an interchangeable commodity, but they aren't - there's a real difference from carrier to carrier. I'll wait for the apple to open up to other carriers (and for the price to drop a bit - I thought $80 was a lot for my last phone with a contract...for $600 I want it to clean my apt)

[OmegaNYC]

I would get an iPhone, but then again I don't wanna be the first person in Paterson to get mugged for it. :p ( I kid the Silk City)

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

Already got one years ago.

http://www.studentcomputers.co.uk/newstuff/images/i-mate-pda-2K-225x240.jpg

I just need a new screen graphic that matches the Iphone. It uses GPRS for Data, not as fast as EVDO but browseable. There was an EVDO version too.

It has a full keyboard for typing with thumbs, Wifi, Bluetooth and normal GSM services. Word, Powerpoint, a fax modem with separate fax number if you want one etc etc. And, you can install Skype on it. Great for making calls when Wifi is around.

I'm typing this from the Apple Store at 5th - there are promotions for the Iphone everywhere here as if it's the Second Coming.

[Punzie]

IPhone Monthly Plans Start at $59.99

http://money.iwon.com/img/ap.gif
June 26, 2007

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — As the Friday launch of the Apple iPhone neared and anxious customers formed lines to grab one, AT&T Inc. announced Tuesday that service plans for the hotly anticipated smart phone (http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw#) will start at $59.99 per month.

The two companies also said customers (http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw#) will be able to activate their wireless service, including transferring their existing cell numbers to the handset — from home, using Apple Inc.'s iTunes software.

That's a convenience no other cellular carrier offers and something UBS Securities (http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw#) analyst Benjamin Reitzes called a "game changer" for the industry. Making the purchase and activation easy will lower selling costs and potentially further lift sales, Reitzes said Tuesday.

Three monthly plans with a minimum two-year service contract will be available: the $59.99 plan includes 450 minutes of voice time; a $79.99 plan includes 900 minutes; and a $99.99 plan includes 1,350 minutes. All three offer 200 text messages, unlimited data services, minutes that roll over month-to-month and mobile-to-mobile calls. There also is a $36 activation fee.

Customers can pay extra for plans to get more talk time or text messages. Several family-style plans also are available, ranging from $80 a month for 700 shared minutes to $120 for 2,100 shared minutes.

The monthly rates for the iPhone are roughly $10 less than comparable service plans for other smart phones (http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw#) offered through AT&T, AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said.

The monthly fee will be on top of the iPhone's price — $499 for a model with 4 gigabytes of storage and $599 for one with 8 gigabytes. The phone is slated to go on sale at 6 p.m. local time Friday at Apple and AT&T stores as well as Apple's Web site.

Apple claims the iPhone — which combines the functions of a cell phone, iPod media player and Web-surfing device — will be easier to use than other smart phones because of its unique touch-screen display and intuitive software that allows for easy access to voice mail messages, the Internet, and video (http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw#) and music libraries. AT&T is the gadget's exclusive carrier.

Anticipation for the handset has reached — or arguably even surpassed — levels usually reserved for new video game consoles.

Five people were in line by Tuesday afternoon outside Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York City, three of them having been in line since Monday.

"Words can't express why I want an iPhone," said Jessica Rodriguez, 24, a college student. "The main reason is (Apple CEO) Steve Jobs is a genius. He's a great innovator. It's going to be the next big thing in cell phones."

Sitting in a red folding chair she brought, Rodriguez said she was planning to get a $599 iPhone as a belated birthday gift for her sister. If the store will let her buy two, she said, she'll get one for herself.

Apple isn't saying how many total iPhones it will have at launch and hasn't disclosed whether there will be any per-person purchase limits.

Coe said purchases at AT&T stores will be limited to one per customer.

Meanwhile, some people who are unable to queue up themselves have posted help-wanted pleas on community Web sites like Craigslist, offering to pay someone to stand in line for them.

The iPhone's price — which doesn't include any kind of carrier subsidy commonly offered for other cell phones — lands on the high-end of the smart phone market, but analysts say the service plans are very competitive.

Sprint Nextel Corp., for instance, also charges $59.99 a month for 450 minutes of talk time, $79.99 for 900 minutes and $99.99 for 1,350 minutes along with unlimited data service. Its plans allow, however, up to 300 text messages and starts its unlimited evening calls at 7 p.m. instead of AT&T's 9 p.m. start time.

Verizon Wireless plans to launch new "premium" plans in July, starting at $79.99 for 450 minutes with unlimited calls on a Verizon network, unlimited nights and weekends, and unlimited messaging and data services, company spokeswoman Brenda Raney said. The most expensive plan will be $239.99 for 6,000 minutes of talk time, she said.

Skeptics question whether the iPhone can live up to its lofty expectations. Scrutiny of the product is so great that any small disappointment could send Apple's stock (http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw#) plunging, analysts say.

Apple shares (http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw#) dropped $2.69, or 2.2 percent, to $119.65 on Tuesday. Shares of AT&T fell 7 cents to close at $24.61.

Andy Hargreaves, a Pacific Crest Securities analyst, said Apple shareholders have run the stock up in anticipation of the iPhone's release, and they don't feel it will go much higher after the product is available, he said.

"I think expectations are very, very high and some people are taking some money (http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw#) off the table ahead of the launch," WR Hambrecht analyst Matthew Kather said.
———
Associated Press staff writers Nick Jesdanun and Barbara Ortutay in New York contributed to this report.

http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?cat=TOPBIZ&feed=ap&src=601&section=news&news_id=ap-d8q0oeig0&date=20070626&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw

[Ninjahedge]

Three monthly plans with a minimum two-year service contract will be available: the $59.99 plan includes 450 minutes of voice time; a $79.99 plan includes 900 minutes; and a $99.99 plan includes 1,350 minutes. All three offer 200 text messages, unlimited data services, minutes that roll over month-to-month and mobile-to-mobile calls. There also is a $36 activation fee.


that is, undoubtedly, one of the best data plan rates I have ever heard.

Maybe they are banking on the volume from the Iphone to offset the loss in profit (notice I did not say loss outright, simply less profit than most plans $100/mo data plan rates)

[lofter1]

I, for one, am not looking forward to iPhones on the streets of Manhattan.

People are idiotic enough with their current toys -- I can only imagine how oblivious to others they will become once they get these gadgets in their hands and take to the sidewalks.

Better stay off those stairs down into the subway ... :cool:

[Eugenious]

I'm pissed 'cuz I have a plan with ATT currently and my phone does all the things iPhone does. But because these iphone plans dont extend to the rest of Att phones I pay $75 for my voice plan with no data, while iphone users get unlimited data with voice for $60. It's a pretty scummy thing to do for ATT that will now have alot of angry users like me that have to pay 19.99 for a plan they give away for free to iphone users.

ack.

[Ninjahedge]

I think it is just to get it so that you feel less like an arse for spending $600 on a phone!!!


(My bets are that they are not doing any kind of "discount" for the phone through the plan, so they do not need to recoup any losses).

[Front_Porch]

$600 for a phone doesn't seem crazy when you consider that alternative phones are going to cost $350 anyway . .. but I, at least, am not buying it because it's an expensive phone . . .I'm buying it because it's a cheaper (and presumably less heavy) tablet computer

The new iPhone will have more memory than the iBook that cost me $2K seven years ago . . . . even if it can't get me the Internet access I want (and I'm pretty resigned to the fact that, like the Blackberry, it can't yet, because those websites won't open on it) it's worth a $1 a day surcharge not to be constantly looking for an Internet cafe to check my email.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

[Ninjahedge]

Ali, hold off at least 6 months (unless you have a sweet deal). No matter how much research and development goes into a new tech/software product, there is always a break-in period where they work the bugs out that they find only after a full release.

You will also see if there are any longevity problems with the set, as not many have been using these seriously for very long.


You can do what you want, just a bit of friendly advice! ;)

[Front_Porch]

ninja, you're right, I know Mac 1.0 is always a somewhat stupid thing to walk into, but I have to upgrade.

A wish I could show you my Nokia -- one of the spindles is busted (imagine an open jawbone with one of the sides busted) and it tends to close by itself and hang up on conversations. The speaker is also dying of old age (I got the phone two years ago, which means it's two generations old now) and will static out during any talk longer than three minutes.

My interim solution would be to get a Blackberry and wait a year, but every time I borrow someone's Blackberry to play with it, I feel like it's solely an email machine. That might, of course, be the nature of my friends' and clients' jobs, that those Blackberrys are corporately provided and their employers don't want the handset to be to do anything else.

My fear, of course, is that the iPhone testers so far have been men, so when they say "the glass doesn't scratch" they are probably talking about units riding around in their pockets, as opposed to a gal who doesn't have pockets in her skirts, and is going to stuff that puppy into a bag with a lipstick and a set of scratch-inducing keys . ..

[Ninjahedge]

And those razor blades you ladies carry around in your purses!!!!

OMG!!!!

I know where you are coming from. My razr (no connection to the joke previou) is driving me nuts with its battery, and the service from Verizon, while nice, charges you for EVERYTHING (why the hell would i want to pay $5 a month for Tetris??!?).

I would like a gadget like the IP, my only worry would be compatability and interface isues that they might have in their efforts to make it "easy" for the average user.

"Easy" meaning that everything you do and get would be through them, or a management program rather than just hooking up a USB or Firewire cable to it and dumping things in a directory......

That being said, Being able to surf (get movie reviews at the video store, game reviews, directions, restaurant locations and tips) would be REALLY handy rather than the old "call one of your relatives at home" method... ;)

The only extension I can see for this being would be a merger with one of the GPS/mapping companies to make it so you can get directions in the car with it just like the Gamin machines. That is the only other tech "toy" I have really been looking at (would save a lot of google-map printouts in the car!!!).

Anyway, good luck!

Also, you may need to camp out to get one! One final thing, accessories like carry cases may not be readily available (to help prevent scratches). If you can't wait 6 months, yuo may want to still wait a few (2 or 3) until you don't have to buy one on E-Bay and when other MFR's make some cheap cases that will help with the scratch issue...

[Eugenious]

These are going for over 1k on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/I-Phone-1st-In-Line-And-Will-Ship-Next-Day-Delivery_W0QQitemZ330140747611QQihZ014QQcategoryZ1 5036QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Ninjahedge]

If you are lucky, you can get a PS3...... ;)

[Front_Porch]

Went to the Apple store and played with one today.

They are very sleek and beautiful new generation iPods, with phone capability.

They are not really tablet PCs yet, partly because web designers are going to have to dumb everything down to make the interfaces work.

I signed on to olr.com, which is where real estate listings come from for me. While I can't even sign on from a Blackberry, on the iPhone I still couldn't get the sub-routines to work.

Couldn't get a movie to load. Got onto my gmail and replied to a message, but it took about five minutes, not because the touch screen is slow -- it's fantastic -- but because getting around all those little gmail boxes took forever.

The instant weather function was cool. The phone capability itself was ok.

So my verdict is, if you want a cool toy/entertainment machine, go for it. But they're not actually functional enough to work on.

I will end up getting either a tablet PC or Blackberry to deal with my email, at least for the next year.

Also, there is a "girl" problem with the phone. It isn't what I anticipated (that the screen would be vulnerable in a handbag, because it looks pretty durable) but rather that the touch screen responds to fingertip only, not fingernail. I have pretty short nails but I can imagine some ladies are going to have to sacrifice their manicures.

ali r
{downtown broker]

[chris]

I was in Soho on Friday afernoon. My wife and I walked by the Apple store, and I took a video of all the people in line. Starting at the entrance of Prince Street, around the corner and down the long block of Greene Street, around the next corner, and halfway down the block on Houston Street. That's where it extended to when we walked by. From the detritus, scattered chairs and pedestrian barricades, it looked like it had extended much further before they opened doors. The block of Prince Street in front of the store was road blocked for the day.

Click for Video of iPhone line (http://www.gigantico.net).

[Deimos]

I ended up spending 18 hours on the line at the Cube, and it was a fantastic experience. The people around me were all purchasing the phone for personal consumption (or for their companies). I would do it again in a heartbeat; of course AT&T is still taking their sweet-ass time in getting my new account activated :(

The best part of the day was seeing how many TV/Radio/News/Internet interviews I could get, but of course I lost count due to lack of sleep...lol. CNBC was my favorite by far (live interview at 4:15pm) and Fox News Channel was my least favorite by far (taped interview). CNBC was asking intelligent questions (the only network who really cared to ask that kind, the internet news groups were also pretty good). Fox News Channel was asking questions in such a way as to get the answer they wanted and would keep pushing until the interviewee relented and gave them exactly what they wanted. CNN was funny... they were going for human interest stories.

[macreator]

Deimos, how is it? Did you get it activated yet? I did indeed here that AT&T was having activation issues, but I thought that they had been resolved by today.

[Deimos]

It's activated, although my number still hasn't ported from Verizon. I've been playing nonstop with the features that I can use (iPod, and the web and email via wifi). For a first generation product, it's pretty amazing, but I do have a few gripes which i'd expect to see improved over time, as they're mostly software related. All-in-all, the phone lived up to my expectations so far.

AT&T is beginning to give me concessions for the amount of time they've kept me waiting, so hopefully I'll be able to get all of the porting expenses reimbursed through credits on my account :-D

[harsaphes]

i love mine, though my first one would not fully charge. apple store soho, quickly gave me a new one.

[macreator]

http://i.a.cnn.net/money/.element/img/1.0/logos/cnnmoneydotcom.gif

Apple giving $100 credit to early iPhone buyers

After the price of an 8 GB iPhone was reduced to $399 from $599, CEO Jobs agrees to give store credit to those who paid the original price.

September 6 2007: 6:37 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- After receiving hundreds of emailed complaints from existing Apple iPhone customers angry about a steep price drop, chief executive Steve Jobs says the company will give a $100 credit to certain customers who bought the gadget.

Customers who purchased an iPhone from Apple or the iPhone's sole service provider AT&T (down $0.08 to $24.02, Charts), and did not receive any rebates, will receive a $100 credit toward any purchase at an Apple retail store or on its Web site. Further details will be posted on Apple's Web site next week.

Apple recently lowered the price of its 8 gigabyte iPhone to $399 from $599.

While Jobs defended the drastic price reduction, saying every new device has price cuts and improved models on the horizon, he apologized to customers who paid the original price for the iPhone.

"We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers," Jobs wrote in an email to iPhone customers. "We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple."

Jobs also cited hopes for a boost in holiday sales as a reason for the price reduction.

"The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced," Jobs wrote.

Apple (down $1.75 to $135.01, Charts, Fortune 500) shares fell 1.3 percent on the Nasdaq Thursday afternoon.