Agnivo Roy

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the launch of iPhone : the combination of a video ipod, smartphone and full-fledged touch controlled internet device, packed into a small, highly portable and stylish apple device known for their aesthetics and user-friendliness.

“Today Apple is reinventing the phone”, Steve Jobs said. “The iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone.”

The device runs Mac OS X, the same operating system that powers Mac desktop and notebook computers, and uses Apple’s full-featured web browser, Safari.

“Why do you need such a sophisticated operating system on a mobile device? Because it’s got power management, the mobile multi-tasking that has let us create desktop-class applications, not the crippled stuff you find on most phones”, Jobs said.

The iPhone has a 2 megapixel camera and includes features of several Apple desktop applications, such as iTunes, iPhoto and iChat. Two calls can be made simultaneously and set up as a conference of three. Like iPods, iPhones will be compatible with Apple and Windows computers in their ability to synchronise with contact lists and to download and play songs, movies and TV clips.

The device is still not released to public and has not yet passed the FCC test (until today). So, Apple fans will have to wait for the formal release before they can grab one.

Full detailed specification is not available as of today. I’ll try to update later if I find them.

A Quick Look at the iPhone

Dimensions : 2.4″ (width) x 4.5″ (height) x <0.5″ (thickness)
Battery : Talk time : 5 hours, Audio Playback : 16 hours.

Top Features

Display : 3.5″ (diagonal) Touchscreen ( No keypad )
Camera : 2 MegaPixels
Mail & Chat
Maps ( Google Maps )
Internet : Apple’s Safari browser available here too!

Flip Motion : The display is set to landscape from portrait and vice versa when the device is turned in the appropriate direction…sorta cool!

Proximity Sensor : iPhone automatically shuts off the display and touch sensors when it is placed near the ear for a call. Great!

Multi Network : Can switch over to WiFi (if available) from normal network, hence translating to lower call costs. (VoIP)

Standard Features

Calendar
Weather
Stocks
Calculator
Messages
Normal Phone
Video and Audio Player

Price : About $499 (4GB version), $599 (8GB version).
Goto Official iPhone Site

My Take on the iPhone

Well it’s undoubtedly a great device and blind apple fans will grab them up as fast as they can after the retail launch. Considering the high price, there is still a good market for it, like other apple products of high quality and fine aesthetics, as apple products are itself a niche market.

It’s slim, stylish, boasts of great display and above average specifications for most features, but personally, I’m not interested in it. There’s a good future market for this device and it deserves the attention as of now.

But, we have already seen that the ipod is so popular among people now that it deos not get enough attention or flaunt value. The same would happen for iPhone too after a few months and it’d be a commoner’s icon.

Also, I’d love to stay away from a “Jack of all trades master of none” device. I own a Nokia N91 and I love to be different from the crowd (who use ipods and generic phones)…It’s my style to “Think Different” ( I learnt this from you, Apple)