[Kictanet] Apple "reinvents the phone," unveils iPhone

Wed Jan 10 16:08:09 EAT 2007

Talk about convergence! This phone is a real handheld computer!

View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/01/09/ 
apple.unveils.iphone/
Tuesday, January 9,2007 @ 12:55pm
Apple "reinvents the phone," unveils iPhone [u]

Apple today unveiled the iPhone (site not updated), a wide-screen  
iPod with touch controls that also functions as a mobile phone and an  
internet communication device. The company chief Steve Jobs revealed  
the new device during his keynote speech at the Macworld Conference &  
Expo in San Francisco. "This is a day I've been looking forward to  
for two and a half years," Jobs said on stage in front of the keynote  
attendees. "Every once in a while a product comes along to change the  
industry. Apple has been fortunate to introduce a few of these: the  
Mac in 1984; the iPod in 2001. Apple will introduce three  
revolutionary products of this class. Wide-screen iPod with touch  
controls. The second is a mobile phone. The third is a break-through  
internet communication device. All of those in a single device. Not  
separate devices, but a single device called iPhone. Apple reinvents  
the phone." [updated]

iPhone development began with a revolutionary user interface that  
leverages hardware as well as software, overcoming the problem of  
fixed controls that cannot change as applications change. The iPhone  
utilizes a touch sensitive screen with "multi-touch" technology that  
does not require a stylus pen to operate, and is far more accurate  
than other touch displays, according to Jobs. The touch pad allows  
multi-finger gestures that Jobs says is "at least five years ahead of  
any other." The iPhone runs Mac OS X with power management,  
networking, security, applications, Core Animation, and audio/video  
support. Users can also create desktop-class applications, according  
to Apple's chief. The iPhone includes a 3.5-inch screen with 160  
pixels per inch, as well as a single "home" button. The phone is  
thinner than any other phone at 11.6mm, and offers volume controls  
alongside a two megapixel camera built-in on the back. The phone also  
features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a sleep/wake button on top, a  
speaker microphone, and an iPod connector on the bottom. A proximity  
sensor turns off the screen as well as the touch sensor when the  
phone passes close to the head, and an ambient light sensor turns  
down the screen brightness as necessary. An accelerometer determines  
whether to capture a landscape or portrait orientation when taking  
photos, and the phone includes coverflow technology similar to that  
used in the company's iTunes software. Apple's iPhone has a dashboard- 
like interface to each module and function, allowing users to scroll  
using a finger. The home button returns users back to the dashboard,  
and the coveflow technology supports scrolling through album art with  
the touch of a finger. Jobs demonstrated the iPhone's video  
capability by playing "The Office" TV show, and began playing a wide- 
screen movie using on-screen controls. The iPhone -- which includes  
more than 200 patents for inventions used in the device -- offers  
visual voicemail that allows random access voicemail for direct  
access, and functions as a quad-band GSM/Edge phone. iPhone includes  
WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, providing users with SMS  
functionality alongside various applications such as a calendar,  
contacts, and more. An iChat-like interface enables users to send as  
well as receive SMS messages, and the iPhone supports error  
correction via a visual keyboard that allows users to type messages.  
The phone includes built-in photo management that can scroll through  
photos with the touch of a finger, and a 'pinch' motion zooms in or  
out while viewing images. Further iPhone features include rich HTML  
email capability that works with any POP/IMAP email service, and a  
fully usable copy of Apple's Safari Web browser with support for  
Google Maps. The phone includes widgets for weather and stocks, and  
automatically locates WiFi networks when they are available --  
switching to the network to maintain internet connectivity.  
Additionally, Yahoo is offering all iPhone users free push IMAP email  
service with inline photos and rich text email support. Apple's  
iPhone also automatically parses out phone numbers with a simple  
touch-to-call option. Finger gestures navigate Web pages in Safari  
when browsing the Web, and pinching gestures zoom in on a particular  
area of a page. Double tapping on a page zooms to that area, while a  
Cingular menubar displays an AirPort-like signal indicator for WiFi  
strength. Users can also quickly move to portions of a Web page  
before it is finished downloading. Steve Jobs introduced Cingular  
Wireless CEO, saying that features like visual voicemail required  
help from the carrier. Cingular entered into a multiyear exclusive  
contract with Apple without ever having seen the phone. Jobs said  
Apple hopes to grab 1 percent market share (10 million units) in 2008  
following the iPhone's introduction into the existing mobile phone  
market, which consists of nearly 1 billion phones. iPhone accessories  
include standard headphones that feature a button to answer calls, as  
well as a new Bluetooth headset with a single button that  
automatically goes to sleep. Jobs promises five hours of battery life  
for talking time or video playback, as well as 16 hours of audio  
playback time. The iPhone will ship in June for $499 (4GB model) and  
$599 (8GB model), both with a 2 year contract.

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