“Taiwan’s BenQ believes Apple will indeed offer a mobile phone product. One company executive this week said the ‘iPhone’ is ‘definitely coming,’ claiming the iPod maker has been talking to Taiwanese component manufacturers, some of whom also supply BenQ’s handset operation,” Tony Smith reports for The Register. “The BenQ staffer’s comment comes courtesy of Australian website Smarthouse. He said: ‘Among manufacturers in Taiwan [Apple’s plan] is common knowledge. The issue for many is the availability of parts if the phone takes off.'”
“He said BenQ was not in the running as a potential Apple partner: the two companies would be in competition, as they already are in the digital music player arena,” Smith reports. Apple “certainly been rumoured to be plotting to become a mobile phone operator in its own right, renting spare capacity off one of the existing networks. Can Apple offer anything other than a music-friendly phone – hardly a radical step, these days? Its synchronisation technology provides a solid foundation to get personal information, pictures, videos and music on and off the handset, and if it ties this into its .Mac web-based service, it has the basis for a Danger-style access-your-data-anywhere system that could well win an audience beyond iPod fans.”
Full article here.
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Sign me up….
My credit isnt the best; got a prepaid plan there appl?
The big wireless providers are starving for a compelling feature set to lure new customers.
Apple understands connectivity and could really get big if they had a hit product that takes maximum advantage of the new wireless technologies.
Forget iPod cell phones, how about a mobile Mac platform that uses 3G to the max.
I want miPhone
It strikes me that if they do this right it would be a great way of selling .Mac accounts. Non Mac users can sync all their data and run it on any phone if they wish or access it on a computer if they’re away from their phone. If it had a camera they could even photocast. Then if they get a Mac they just connect and everything is there, their mail, their addresses, their calendars, everything.
The absolute must for me is for apple to have any iPhone sync well. For most people any data they have on a phone is basically stuck on their phone. Syncing addresses and calendars is a pain in the arse and as such most people don’t and most barely use any of the functions beyond storing numbers.
The other thing is that it shouldn’t be a traditional phone, it should be a portable device (you can make calls on). It shouldn’t be in the mould of a traditional PDA either since they just try and mash full size computers into tiny cases.
Don’t bother about eating into the telcos markets on calls etc – just earn on the hardware and .Mac.
Damn, and I’m locked into my crappy RAZR with its crappy interface and crappy Cingular reception for another 18 months.
prepaid is the only way to go
Current phones today are full of useless features designed to nickel and dime you. Want to download a sound for your ringer or photo for your screen background from your laptop? They make it near impossible. “No, all you have to do is buy it from us and download it over the wireless internet, (that we will also charge you for.)
When I signed up for a cell phone and service I asked what cable you use to download the camera phone photos to my Macintosh. “All you do is use this service to send your photos to us and have it emailed to you!” Me – Doesn’t that cost money? Well yes. Me – What about the bluetooth built into my phone? “Oh no, that doesn’t work with Macintosh!”
He lied, it worked like a charm!
I hope Apple does for the cell phone market what they did for the MP3 market.
The state of cell phones today are terrible. They all suck in one way or another.
I’d love a cell phone with great reception, very long battery life, no camera, and an Apple case and OS.
That’s it. I’ll pay through the nose for it too.
I’m getting an iPhone the second they come out!
http://musobs.blogspot.com/
Apple might be up to something here. Personally I woulnt’d think twice competing with Nokia, it’s a dead end. But if they don’t call it a phone but iPodX or something that also has a VoIP/Blueberry/mobileTV/iSync etc. It just might be good start for future thin client type device.
PowerMac G5 users! Quake 4 for sale!
MacTels need not apply, haha!
http://www.apple.com/games/hardware/
And to add to my previous post –
Need simple but useful features like changing the number of rings before voice mail picks it up? Not included with my bluetooth phone. Why? because they can’t make any money off it.
Cell phone makers got greedy and lost there way with what customers want and need.
Apple needs to step in and show everyone (once again) how to make a simple device that people understand and want. I hope they are up to the task.
More info
http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2006/03/quake4/
Official site
http://www.aspyr.com/games.php/mac/quake4/
I hope an iPhone is easy to use. Most cell phones are difficult to use, at least for me – all the features I mean. I just want to call and receive calls. If other features are included I want them out of the way of the basics.
If ESPN can have their own phone, why not Apple. Personally I’ve been salivating thinking of the prospect of an iNewtonPhone device. Bring it on. I’ll be one of the first people in line.
I agree with some of these posts. If Apple did a “cell phone” right, I’d be all over it. I would pay good money too, since I understand that Apple “gets it” — in other words, that fewer features is better!
American cell phones absolutely SUCK! Horrible or non-existant ergonomic design, poor quality builds, shitty battery life, and Microsoft-like feature bloat that adds cost for everyone — and you can’t opt out of them.
This is a loose paraphrase of my discussion at the local Verizon store about 3 months ago. I swear.
“Well, I don’t want that model with those extra 72 features. But I kind of like the way it feels in my hand, so I’ll take the same design without all those extras.”
“Oh, we don’t have that.”
“Why not?”
“Look, isn’t it cool how you can do this with added needless feature #39?”
“But I don’t wanna do that. I just wanna make and receive calls, store some numbers, and use Bluetooth to sync with my computer.”
“Ooooh, sorry. We can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Our customers love our service and our phones are the most flexible in the industry.”
“But I just want a simple phone that’s reliable.”
( . . . )
“Look, aren’t these features cool?”
I hope these slick Apple phones don’t collect scratches like an iPod.
Oh please, scratches. Whatever.
I’m looking forward to getting something to replace my POS RAZR. The LCD in the front died 3 months after buying it. The battery lasts for maybe 9 hours now. Terrible phone.
Something with PDA functions in the size of a RAZR please Apple. Or something around the size of a iPod with Video.
If it’s a good PDA that syncs with iCal and Address Book, I’ll buy in a heartbeat. My Treo 270’s long in the tooth, Palm’s completely abandoned software updates for it, and the Treo 650 doesn’t look all that much better for a lot more money.
Ummh peter I think you should learn how to read the system requirements
http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2006/03/quake4/index2.html#reqs
scroll to the bottom of the page!!
Somewhere, long ago, I read the iPhone might be a hybrid cell/phone and also be an internet phone when in wifi range a la skype. If this is true and integration is seamless, this could be huge! Especially if it includes video chat a la iChat A/V.
One things for sure in this story…BenQ won’t be working for Apple.
I just don’t understand. Why a cell phone? What can apple do with it that will make it stand out, be different, or for that matter solve any of life’s little problems? The speed is still not there in most of the country for apple to do anything to change the way we use cell phones. I mean really what can you do with a cell phone; talk, text, or two-way. Not much going on there. Blackberrys are ok, but still with so many “hotspots” why not just open up your laptop? I just don’t get it, it does not makes sense for apple to be getting into this arket.
Mac Genius,
NO WAY! the logistics of trying to do a phone with skype is way out there. Cool idea, just no way!
got onto Smarthouse to read about the iPhone, but at the bottom there was an article about MS having to rewrite ` of Vistas code
http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Computing/Platforms?Article=/Computing/Platforms/R7G5G6U4