It's finally here, the much anticipated new products from Apple.
At MacWorld Exp0 2007, Steve Jobs who normally presents several products did something unexpected. He only presented two products. The first product was the Apple TV or what he called the iTV last year.
The Apple TV is a media hub for your digital life, it connects to your TV via HDMI or Component Video and can stream photos, movies and songs from your Mac or PC. It includes a 40Gb HD so you can store content on it as well. It syncs with iTunes so you can view your TV shows, movies and music and play it on your big screen TV. It has a 10/100Base-T ethernet port for wired connectivity as well as a 802.11 wireless capability. By the way, did I mention it's an 802.11n?
Here's a photo of the device. Here's the
link from Apple.
Of course, what would MacWorld be without a new and exciting product. What else would be more exciting than the much anticipated iPhone? Steve Jobs doesn't disappoint! Let's see what the iPhone based on what's been discussed by Steve Jobs and other Apple rumour sites in the past year.
Video iPod? Check!
Newton or Smartphone device? Check!
iPhone? Check! Check! Check!
Steve Jobs said on his keynote, "In 1984 we introduced the Macintosh. It didn't just change Apple, it changed the whole industry. In 2001 we introduced the first iPod, and it didn't just change the way we all listened to music, it changed the entire music industry."
"Well today, we're introducing THREE revolutionary new products. The first one is a widescreen ipod with touch controls. The second is a revolutinoary new mobile phone. And the third is a breakthrough internet communications device."
Presenting...the iPhone.
It's not three separate devices, it's ONE!.
So how does the iPhone work? He's what Steve Jobs said, "A revolutionary UI, the result of years of development -- the result of years of development." He shows Q, Treo, E62, BlackBerry on his slideshow.
"The problem is really in the bottom 40% -- keyboards that are there whether you need them or not. They have control buttons that are fixed in plastic. Every app wants a different button. You can't add new buttons. How do you solve this problem? We solved this problem -- we solved it in computers 20 years ago. A bitmap screen that can display anything we want -- with a pointing device."
"So how are we going to take this to a mobile device? Get rid of all the buttons, and just make a giant screen. So how are we going to communicate? We're going to use a stylus -- no. Who wants a stylus?? Yuck!"
"So let's not use a stylus, we're going to use the best pointing device in the world -- our fingers. We have invented a new technology called multi-tuch. It works like magic, you don't need a stylus, far more accurate than any interface ever shipped, it ignores touches, mutli-finger gestures, and BOY have we patented it!"
Remember all those leaks about Apple patenting a touch screen interface thinking it's for a video iPod? Well, here it is ladies and gentlemen, a full screen iPod.
Let's review the features one by one. First the iPod. It syncs with iTunes as any other regular iPod. You can download your videos, photos and music.
As a phone, it syncs with your iTunes to manage your contacts and calendar. It does SMS, it has a 2 megapixel camera. It's a Quad Band GSM phone + Edge. Depending on your carrier, it can do visual voicemail.
Now for the third part, as an Internet communications device. The iPhone has 802.11b/g Wifi and Bluetooth. You get rich HTML e-mails on the iPhone, it works with any IMAP or POP3 e-mail service. You're not restricted to your carrier. It has widgets and Safari as a browser, even has Google Maps.
How can they do this for this phone? Are they using Symbian? Windows Mobile? Palm OS? Heck no! They're using full OSX!
You don't see just a wap version of a website, you see the full website! You don't just use any mobile mail program, you can use web mail. You don't have to be restricted to MS Exchange for your e-mail to your phone like Blackberry, you can configure it to use any POP3 or IMAP e-mail. Yahoo Mail, MS Exchange, Hotmail, Mac Mail, Gmail, almost any ISPs!
Not only that, Yahoo is partnering with Apple and they are introducing an new push-IMAP e-mail to iPhone customers. Similar to Blackberry, but without MS Exchange Server. From what I heard, the service is free.
It has widgets so I'm sure you can add virtually any kind of programs on this thing. You can connect to the Internet via Wi-fi + EDGE Networking. With these features, I'm sure it won't be long before someone can make a SIP or VOIP program for the iPhone.
So what else does it do? If you're viewing say a photo, you have the option to e-mail your photo, set it as a wallpaper or assign it to a contact. Cool isn't it?
The iPhone has Google Maps. You can actually search for stuff or a location, then it will show you on the map where it is. If available, you can also view satellite photo of the location.
One of the coolest thing about the iPhone is that it has three sensors to really give you a great experience. As an iPod, it has an "Accelerometer" where it can so it can tell whether you're in landscape mode or portrait. Just turn the iPhone around, the screen changes automatically. Turn it sideways, your movies play in widescreen format automatically.
As a phone, it has a proximity sensor. Bring the iPhone to your ear and your display shuts off and the touchscreen shuts down. That way, it saves on battery power. If you're typing a message, turn the screen sideways and the QWERTY keypad turns around so you have a bigger keypad.
So what is state of the art in the iPhone? OS X in a small device, multi-touch screen miniturization, precision enclosures, three advanced sensors, desktop class applications and wide-screen video iPod.
Apple has file over 200 patents for the invention on the phone and Steve Jobs said they intend to protect them.
So what's the pricing? The iPhone is available in two models. A 4Gb version for $499 and an 8Gb version for $599. Accesories for the iPhone includes the familiar white earphones and a bluetooth headset.
Availability is June 2007 in the US, 4th quater of 2007 in Europe and 2008 in Asia.
Apple Computer Inc. has also rebranded since they are no longer just in computers. With Apple TV, iPod and now the iPhone, the name no longer represents where the company is headed. From now on, Apple Computer is now known simply as Apple Inc.
For more info, visit
Apple Inc.
Comments