ARTICLE: David Pogue - iPhone FAQ

David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times, took a look at the iPhone in his "Circuits" column yesterday, and today he's back with a really good article that reads as a F.A.Q. for all of us eager users that can't wait to get their mitts on one, and have questions about what our hundreds-of-dollars flying out of our wallets are going to get us.

On the bright side, he mentions that some folks will ultimately say "neat, but, it's missing (fill in the blank)". He notes:

Apple has indicated that it intends to add features through free software updates, so the real, secret answer to some of the “no” answers is actually, “Coming soon.”

Excellent!

Often-Asked iPhone Questions - NYTimes.com

ARTICLE: Apple Lays Down the iPhone Rules

Original article at engadget.com, here. Apple has come out with some rules on purchasing an iPhone, due to launch tomorrow, at Apple Stores and AT&T stores.

Highlights --

• Two iPhones per person, max.
• First come, first served.

There is also a gadget Apple has that will let you look at availability for a particular Apple Store.

Check it out!

Apple Lays Down iPhone Purchase Rules

iPhone Mania: 3 Blogs

The first day of summer is upon us, and you know what that means -- we're just days away from the release of Apple's iPhone! (Wait, what? That's not what it means? Oh. Well, anyway...)

I think it's safe to say that no techie gadget (certainly no cell phone) has ever seen so much anticipation, so much pressure, to be the end-all and be-all of everything cool in this world than the iPhone does at this moment. Yes, it will be released, and there will be those folks that will buy one on the first day, the first minute, the first second that it's available. Heck, there's probably people camped out at Apple Stores right now. So what is it about this gadget? Apple says it's the best iPod they've ever made, that, oh, by the way, happens to also be an internet appliance and, oh yeah, the best phone ever. I'd love to say that I will personally test all these features myself and report here, but it's just a wee too steep for my budget at the moment. But hey, we should be able to play with one at the Apple Store once they become available (at least I hope so.)

However, until it launches, I say enjoy the hype. I know of no other company that inspires such brand loyalty and can whip the fan base into a lather than Apple, Inc can. After its release, there will almost undoubtedly be some bell or whistle that doesn't work exactly as advertised, or was left off completely. But until then, we have the image of a perfect product, and Apple can do no wrong.

Here's some links to sites blogging about the iPhone, courtesy of the gettrio.com newsletter I receive:

iPhoneFreak
theiPhoneBlog
TalkiPhone

Via Engadget: Steve Jobs at D: 2007

Steve Jobs was interviewed by Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal yesterday at the D: All Things Digital Executive Conference. Amongst the topics were the upcoming iPhone release (Steve coyly confirming that it would ship in June, even if it was the last day in June), iPod/iTunes, and AppleTV.

Engadget.com has excellent coverage of the event, with a transcript, on their webpage. I also have here a link to the edited interview. Excellent reading and viewing.

Engadget: Steve Jobs Live from D 2007

Link to Steve Jobs interview

New Apple iPhone Ad

It made its debut on the Academy Awards broadcast last night, and now Apple has it posted on their website; the initial teaser ad for the new Apple iPhone, due out in June. Teaser, in that it doesn't discuss specific features; heck, you don't even see the phone or the name of it until the very end of the spot. But, that's just like Apple, and that phone is beautiful...

No, you don't think so?

Hello?!?!!

iPhone Ad Spot

Apple iPhone: The New Swiss Army Knife?

What? You're thinking about not buying an Apple iPhone when it comes out in June? How could you! Don't you know it's so much more than a phone?

MacWorld Expo Keynote Wrap-Up: AppleTV and iPhone

Yes, it was an exciting time on January 9th at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, as Steve Jobs rolled out two new technologies that Apple has been working on during his keynote speech. Interestingly enough, this didn't include any new computer hardware or software releases (no new laptops, desktops, or any news on the next version of the OS software, code-named Leopard). Instead, Steve started with news about how well the iPod is doing around the world, and that 85 songs a *second* are being sold on iTunes. He also mentioned that TV shows are selling well, and that Paramount Studios have now come on board, joining the Walt Disney Company in selling full-length movies over iTunes.

He then moved into speaking about a technology that he briefly introduced this past fall called iTV (now officially launched as AppleTV). This is something that owners of big-screen TVs will enjoy. It's a square, smallish box that sits near your TV, and has all sorts of audio and video out, so you can connect it to your home theater sounds system and your big-screen HD TV. It has a 40GB hard drive in it, and its primary function is to take content from your Mac (music, movies, photos), and wirelessly broadcast it through AppleTV and onto your TV. It comes with a simple remote that allows you to, for example, get on your laptop/desktop, go to iTunes, browse and buy a movie online, then beam it to AppleTV, where you can then relax on the sofa while the movie plays on your big-screen TV. Same goes for listening to music through your stereo speakers, and showing cool photo presentations. Not bad, though this is something I would definitely wait for until you can afford a big-screen HDTV to justify the cost.

Then Steve moved on to the big announcement of the day. He slyly introduced it by saying "today, Apple is pleased to announce three new technologies that we think will change the world, and the industry. One is a new widescreen iPod with touch controls; one is a new mobile phone, and one is a breakthrough Internet communications device with email, web browsing, maps, and searching." Then he went on to drop the bomb. It was all in the same device. Today, Apple introduced the iPhone.

To describe it here would take multiple paragraphs, so please make sure to check it out online. But basically, it's a mobile phone (the carrier is Cingular) that is all one big screen that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. There are no physical, plastic buttons on the phone, but instead, it uses a touch technology and menus displayed on-screen. It also is an iPod, ready to play songs from your iTunes connection, because it uses a dock to connect itself to iTunes just like your iPod does now. It can do email, and it can browse the web. It has built-in wireless available, that kicks in automatically whenever you're near a WiFi connection. You can browse web pages, check forecasts, view satellite maps, do Google searches, and more. All with a minimum of fuss to get to anything. It even has a built-in 2 megapixel camera on the back. They will begin shipping the phone this June, though both the Apple Store and Cingular stores. There will be two configurations at the start -- a 4GB and an 8GB version. I wouldn't be surprised to see larger hard drives on future versions. Prices will be $499 and $599, respectively, with a 2-year contract through Cingular. Check it out online...it's truly a breakthrough device.

AppleTV:
http://www.apple.com/appletv/

iPhone:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/

Keynote Address movie stream:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/keynote/