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Fortune: Apple’s iPhone is right device at the right time

Saturday, June 23, 2007 · 11:45 am · 25 Comments

“The launch of Apple’s iPhone is just a week away, and much of the tech world seems to agree that the device will be the greatest thing since, well, the telephone itself,” Stephanie N. Mehta reports for Fortune. “Apple’s real genius is coming into the wireless market just as consumers — not to mention phone networks — are finally ready to embrace a wave of wireless change. Let us count the ways:”

1. American consumers are starting to shell out big bucks for phones.
2. U.S. phone networks are (sort of ) ready to deliver rich applications.
3. Carriers are loosening up.
4. Consumers are willing to watch movies and listen to music on their cellphones.

Full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son" for the heads up.]

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Comment Feed

25 Comments

1 2 Next »

iMaki

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 11:49 am · Reply

I would have to concur. The air is ripe with potential on such a device. People want to take their lives with them and connect any time, any place. I can’t wait for live Video Conferencing on the phone. That’s got to be the next big thing. Then bring on the HOLODECK!!!!!!
R

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 11:54 am · Reply

Yup, this thing is going to be HYOOOOJ-AH!
Hendrik

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 11:58 am · Reply

If they can ship the iPhone with iSight with 3G network capability, Its like iChat everywhere u go
Chris

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:06 pm · Reply

Version 2 will have the camera on the screen side of the phone.
TowerTone

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:11 pm · Reply

Seeing how Sprint is rolling out a Wi-Fi system, watch A,T&T jump into this, which will answer the question of “why no 3G?”.

This is also something the cable systems had better sit up and notice. A Wi-Max system would be way cheaper than a fiber system to install and maintain.

MW:fire, as in “where there is smoking, now there is firing…”.
OK, it was close.
qka

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:21 pm · Reply

Isn’t this the same Fortune that published the Enderle & Maynor hatchet job on the iPhone earlier this week? (It is currently the leader of the 5 day most commented list on the top left of this page.)

Fsck ‘em.
Road Warrior

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:22 pm · Reply

It’s going to take some time while AT&T upgrades it’s network (and the Qualcomm dispute is resolved) before the iPhone will realize it’s true potential.

Right now my MacBook Pro with 15″ matte screen is much more capable.

It’s just the network, the iPhone needs plenty of high speed access which isn”t available everywhere to combat it’s small storage capacity.

I have my hopes up, but I’ve had this MBP a few days and the hard drive is already half full.

You see, the iPhone is a content rich device too, with a slow network and small storage. Something is going to have to change fast.
Matrix3

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:25 pm · Reply

The time is definitely right for iPhone.

I read the FUD that’s coming out and it really is an air of desperation.

I like the FUD coming out now:
- the phone is too expensive and no one will pay this much : I’m sorry the Razer is really successful and when I first bought it when it came out at $599 without music or video, and look at it now
- exclusive only at at&t – when the razor come out it was only at cingular if i recall and it didn’t hurt razor. Oh and the chocolate at verizon is eclusive to them when it first came out,

The iPhone is a game changer and all the cellphone makers and providers and mobile phone analyst are in for a rude awaking.

my 2 cents
turano

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:30 pm · Reply

Road Warrior,

The storage is not going to change in the iPhone (yet)…your just going to be able to access all your Movies, Podcasts & Tunes via your appleTV. You don’t need all that storage if you can simply synch over AT&T network to your phone. One would be able to update/sync/stream from their shared appleTV anywhere in the world so no need for massive storage on device.

Just my two cents.

Turano
bdb

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:35 pm · Reply

Remember Apple’s patent application for a 2-way LCD screen? (http://www.macobserver.com/article/2006/04/27.13.shtml) What if the iPhone screen itself WERE the camera for video-chatting? That would be sweet!
qka

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:36 pm · Reply

Oooops! My mistake. Forbes was the rag that quoted Enderle, Fortune was the one that got it right.
J

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 12:47 pm · Reply

What is with people trying to be hip and say phrases like “HYOOOOJ-AH!” or Boo Yaah! crappp. R, stop trying to be hip and act like a white boy that you are.

Stop it won’t you.
en

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 1:37 pm · Reply

@Matrix3,
“The time is definitely right for iPhone.” YEP, I agree, but I think that most of the people here are missing the “big” picture. And ALL the MS pundits and trolls are so far behind the curve that they are a joke.

The last posting said it. The core of how things work is changing. The Key things that are required to make a WOW change are happening now. Most of the things are hard to see.

Technology, software, hardware, ways people do things are changing and the old school people (Gates, Ballmer, etc) are not yesterday, they are pushing LAST YEAR.

Take another look at Apples vid on the iPhone. But don’t focus on the obvious, nor the short comings. Look at the little things that are barely mentioned, that are ALMOST glossed over. Then add faster networks, wi-fi anywhere, auto correcting and auto guessing what you want.

MDN word “see”. as in “they just will not see what is before them. I am an engineer and it almost scares me what may be coming. WOW. PS, Microsoft is being relegated to an after thought, one Apple wow at a time.
gws

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 1:42 pm · Reply

video conference – ugh!

can you imagine someone iChatting on a phone in public? Blabbing into a phone is annoying enough as it is, for a video conference, the user would have to speak loudly enough to reach the phone held away from his face, therefore he would have to talk LOUDER.

not a good plan…. We might see a new crime…. video conference rage

- gws
oh my

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 2:21 pm · Reply

Apple has posted a 20 minute tutorial on the features of the iPhone …here
Proof positive that all those wannabes are runnin scared !!

MDN MW=”need” …. are they clairvoyant or what ?
Brau

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 3:51 pm · Reply

Gosh, y’know what? I think the iPhone is a bit small. They should have made it bigger … like table-sized … and learned a thing or two from MicroSoft. Yeah, what’s next from the creative masterminds at Redmond really has curious. Perhaps an interactive Redwood tree so I can order pizza in my orchard? All I can say is, Wow!
hardman

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 4:35 pm · Reply

All the IT types should remember all the cool things that Apple developed from their first hardware-plus-operating system.

Now Apple has a new generation piece of hardware plus OS X and you will see a steady stream of eye-popping things from Apple over the next four years. Apple, promptly improving and correcting and adding features and capabilities…is going to make a lot of money and gain market share. While all the critics are scratching their heads, saying “it’s just a toy”, other phones “COULD also do that”…and still won’t get it.

You’d think they’d learn to give the people what the people want, instead of what IT engineers think they should have.
@ turano

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 4:57 pm · Reply

” One would be able to update/sync/stream from their shared appleTV anywhere in the world so no need for massive storage on device.”

Yeah, from anywhere in the world where you can connect via WiFi. Problem is, that’s not quite anywhere is it?
Robert Morein

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 5:47 pm · Reply

The big question:

Will Apple license the iPhone interface?

Keep in mind, Jobs made this mistake once before. Did he learn his lesson?

If this device is the “game changer” that everyone expects, Nokia and Motorola have no way to get the high-end customers without embracing the iPhone interface.
DogGone

Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 6:13 pm · Reply

Volume is the issue – can Apple pump out these babies to meet the initial demand and cover all the retail outlets?