vB Easy Archive - Apple iTunes phone to be Cingular exclusive

Pages: 1

Apple iTunes phone to be Cingular exclusive
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: Eug

Or at least that's what this site claims: Apple iPhone to be Cingular-exclusive at launch

As previously reported, Apple's phone will feature a candy-bar design with a 2.2-inch display and 3 megapixel camera. Robust iTunes and iSync support will also be delivered with the phone.

Apple's exclusive contract with Cingular is said to be good for the first six months, sources report, meaning other providers will be able to sell the phone in the second-half of 2007. Cingular had an exclusive on the Motorola ROKR—the first phone to feature iTunes—when it launched last year.

Posted by: The Mac Ace

yargh. this sucks, i wish it could be both unbranded and an exclusive to cing...

Posted by: kpne1home

This almost makes me want to hold off on the w810i that should be here soon.

Posted by: Moderator HF 26

Thread moved to Cingular Regular Phones subforum.
Please continue your discussion here.

Thank you,

Posted by: aawil

I've been looking forward to this for a while now. Now I'm hoping for quad band and a way to unlock it so I can use it in europe.

Posted by: xj911

Is apple making the phone themselves? Who knows how the phone will perform...?

Posted by: .7

Quote:

Originally Posted by xj911

Is apple making the phone themselves? Who knows how the phone will perform...?

Im sure they'll contract it out to some extent like the iPods, but I think Apple will be behind the quality control and what not. I dont think they'll get Nokia or another vendor to do it either, Steve Jobs is a control freak so I think for the most part this device will be all Apple, from the design to the UI. I think Apple got a sour taste in their mouths with the first ROKR and they dont want their name associated with failure, hence the reason your seeing them take this approach.

Im really interested to see how this thing shapes up.

Posted by: xj911

I'm also interested...but let me tell you, if Nokia started making computers I'm not sure I would be the first to jump on board. I like Macs, and I like Ipods, but I'm hoping the voice/signal/phone quality will match the aesthetic quality.

Posted by: dougm

But how much storage space is there for mp3s and pictures? Quad band? Who has the full specs?

Posted by: thisisnotadrill

my guess: almost identical to ipod but with keypad, and only a nano's worth of flash memory.

edit: and a camera of course.

Posted by: my.phone.rocks.

WOO! I actually can't wait. Sounds like an interesting phone. Hope it has a mac-type UI because I love the Interface for anything apple.

Posted by: kpne1home

I hope it doesn't carry and apple price tag with it. They can have the tendency to overprice some things. Not to bad nowadays though. I don't think that I am going to wait for this phone to be released next year because the w810i will be here soon and I desperately need a new phone.

Posted by: Eug

Yeah, I gave up waiting. I pretty much knew they wouldn't release one in 2006, so I bought the Sony Ericsson K790a. I suspect the K790a will still be the superior phone for camera capabilities even if Apple does release an iTunes phone with 3 MP camera in 2007 H1 like the article suggests. (Camera quality is the most important feature for me, but only if it's a candy bar phone.)

However, the K790a is somewhat annoying for video and music. The M2 flash cards cost WAY too much money. It's actually cheaper to get a 1 GB iPod shuffle than it is to get a 1 GB card for the K790a. Also video support is only so-so. I mean it's better than the vast majority of phones out there, but it's still not as good as a video iPod. Furthermore, the UI is just so-so for both music and video on the K790a. I'm 99.9% sure the UI will be good on an Apple-branded iTunes phone.

Hence, after my iPod mini died last week, I ordered a video iPod to complement my K790a. The refurbs are priced quite well actually, only CAD$209 for a 30 GB 5th generation iPod. The K790a will be used primarily (as a phone of course and) for the camera, and the video iPod will be used for video and music, when it's convenient to carry it with me, or when I need to output video to a TV.

BTW, somehow I suspected that Apple might do the Cingular exclusive thing initially, which would mean that those of us on carriers like Fido would have had to wait even longer. I got my K790a in August, so H2 2007 might be a good time to upgrade anyway if Apple does convince me to get their phone.

What worries me though is that I too suspect that the iTunes phone will only have something like 2-4 GB memory, like a nano. That's not so great for video. The article says it will have a 2.2" screen, which would be OK, but I'm not sure if it will have the horsepower to play back those 1.6 Mbps iTunes H.264 videos that QuickTime outputs. Even if it does, the memory storage will be a limitation. That's 12 MB/min, so a single 100 minute movie is 1.2 GB. A 4 GB phone would be OK, but a 2 GB phone would be irritating. I wonder just how much a 4 GB phone with 3 MP camera would cost...

Posted by: Cardiff Giant

eh, i'll believe it when i see it. People have been rumoring an iPhone for literally years and it's never materialized. Maybe it will this time but I'd wait until I saw more concrete proof personally.

Posted by: Eug

Yeah, I agree. It's still vapourware. However, it's vapourware that makes sense and I expect it in 2007, although I don't buy the specs listed yet.

Posted by: Rcadden

I don't know about a 3MP cam, honestly. Cingy's not real keen on anything over 2mp.

One thing I'd like to see (and I think Cingular could do) is partner with Apple for iTunes Media Store Mobile, where you can download tracks straight to your phone, and then sync when you get home. I doubt it'd be that difficult to implement. Cingular would get a few cents on the dollar, not to mention that much-coveted and sought after data revenue. It's not their own music store like Sprint and Verizon have, but I think it's a better option, personally. Already setup, don't have to worry about content, and people know it'll work.

I agree that it won't be more than 4GB. I personally see the iPhone as capping at 2GB.

If you're going to spend that kinda dough, anyways, you might check out the Nokia N91 or the newly announced N91 8GB (available later this year). The former has 4GB and the latter obviously 8GB. Comes with software so you can sync with Windows Media Player, and there's a program called iTunesAgent that lets you create a playlist in iTunes (can be a smartplaylist or just regular) to sync with your phone. Can't play iTunes-purchased music, obviously, but it works great and all you do is plug the phone in.

I'm interested to see if the iPhone has the following features:

1. Bluetooth (specially with A2DP.) IMO this would spur more sales as the only iPod (type) with built-in bluetooth

2. Smartphone or Non- (and if Smartphone, what UI? Apple Homebrew or Symbian? (don't really see them slapping WM5 or Palm in there))

3. Expandable memory or just a built-in flash

4. FM radio

Posted by: thisisnotadrill

so long as they arent trying to hit some specific (and relatively low) price point I think we will see 8GB on the iPhone. I have a feeling its already going to be super expensive (both because its ipod+phone and because its apple) so i dont think they are going to have to worry about the size (because 8gb fits into a nano no problem) or the price.

i also wouldnt be surprised if A2DP BT was built in because i have a feeling they want to move to that for ipods anyways, and like you said: roll out the iPhone sell that for a while and then roll out the ipods with it.

I also dont think you will see expandable memory (or a removable battery for that matter). i think apple is going to keep it simple like the ipods. I also dont forsee an FM radio, though i wouldnt be surprised if the FM radio/remote accessory worked with the iphone.

now i have absolutely no contacts within apple and havent even read too many of the rumors. this is just what i would think given the specs that have tenatively been announced and where the ipod line is at the moment.

Posted by: blips

Have this been reported anywhere but Think Secret? I know a lot of people are skeptical about anything from Think Secret. Are there any other confirming sources?

I would love to see an iPhone but am remaining cautiously optimistic.

Posted by: ncvaco

I hope they do what SE did with the original W800. Sell it direct on the site. That allow us who aren't up to renew the chance to buy the phone.

Also if they want to reach target numbers in the first year (a reported 25 million) they have to sell it for a reasonable price.

I am more interested in ical, mail, and address book syncing.

Posted by: thesilverbullet

OK, think about it - moto makes apple's cpu's and microsoft partly owns apple and provides software applications......

Posted by: vorpalwombat

a) moto hasn't made apple's cpus in *quite* some time - obviously they are on intel x86 now; prior to that, the g5 was an IBM chip, whereas the g4 was *vaguely* a moto chip, being produced by freescale, which was formerly *part* of moto.
b) AFAIK, microsoft most does not partly "own" apple, though they certainly do publish software for OSX

EDIT: went for the AFAIK, there, in case i'm partially asleep while posting, but i feel confident about that last bit.

Posted by: terryjohnson16

Yall can keep that Apple garbage. It won't sell anyways, just like the ROKR E1. Cingular and Apple don't learn.

Posted by: BriBri99

Quote:

Originally Posted by terryjohnson16

Yall can keep that Apple garbage. It won't sell anyways, just like the ROKR E1. Cingular and Apple don't learn.

um .....ok

Posted by: xj911

Quote:

Originally Posted by terryjohnson16

Yall can keep that Apple garbage. It won't sell anyways, just like the ROKR E1. Cingular and Apple don't learn.

Wasn't that Motorola's fault? :/

Posted by: dlsnyder

Another thing that any iPod phone had better have - a user accessable battery. iPods don't do well on battery life as it is now, just imagine what they would be like if they also had to double as a cellphone. I suspect many users would want to carry around an extra battery, or at least have the option of upgrading to a larger capacity.

Posted by: CoreyTheGent

Quote:

Originally Posted by terryjohnson16

WHY OH WHY CAN'T T-MOBILE GET ANYTHING FIRST?!

Calm down, Terry. Calm down. It'll be alright.

Posted by: Rcadden

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlsnyder

Another thing that any iPod phone had better have - a user accessable battery. iPods don't do well on battery life as it is now, just imagine what they would be like if they also had to double as a cellphone. I suspect many users would want to carry around an extra battery, or at least have the option of upgrading to a larger capacity.

You know I don't understand the complaints on battery life, really. i have a 4G 20GB iPod (non-color screen) that I plug in every night. I use it in the car with an FM Transmitter (soon to be direct-plug, static kills me) for an hour to work, all day at work (8-9hrs) and then an hour home, that's a good 12hrs of continuous playing, mostly with the backlight off, and I very rarely don't make it all the way home. Bought the thing back in November/early December.

Posted by: TideDog

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rcadden

I have got to agree with you. I usually only listen to my iPOD two or three hours a day and I can go days without charging it. I probably charge it onec or twice a week. Funny thing is I have often wished my phone had the same type of battery life as my iPOD.

Posted by: Rcadden

Get a N73. Battery on this bad boy can go at least 2 days with medium-to-heavy usage. Love it.

Posted by: thisisnotadrill

and dont forget that flash-based ipods have even better battery life than hard drive based ones (and its quite likely that the iphone would be flash-based).

honestly, the biggest complaints about ipod batteries have always been a year or two down the road when the battery dies and its harder to replace, but who keeps a phone for 18-24 months anyways? as it is a lot of people replace their ipods with new versions before the battery dies anyways.

Posted by: dlsnyder

OK, sure your iPod nano can go for a few hours playing music off of the internal flash memory without the backlight on. Now imagine that it had a transmitter inside of it that used twice as much power. How long do you think that battery would last? I'm sure that's one of the design considerations they are keeping in mind as they are preparing it for market. My biggest gripe with the iPod in general is the fact that once that battery will no longer hold a charge you basically just drop it into the nearest trash can. I do not want that to happen to my cellphone.

Posted by: thisisnotadrill

<i>once that battery will no longer hold a charge you basically just drop it into the nearest trash can.</i>

or you take it to an apple store/reseller and have them replace it. or you do it yourself which wasnt that hard (though the average person who buys apple products doesnt care to DIY).

as it is, do you really think that cell phone batteries are any better than ipod batteries? its the exact same technology. the only thing that affects battery life (for the most part) is the size requirement for the battery and incremental improvements in battery technology with time. nanos actually dont last much longer than regular ipods because they have a much smaller battery due to their form factor. if a phone manufacturer can create a phone with reasonable battery life that also plays mp3s and videos (and they do exist) there is no reason to think that apple wont be able to do the same thing.

you may not be able to watch movies for 8 hours a day while also talking on the phone the entire time, but no manufacturer can do that.

Posted by: Rcadden

On my N73, I can listen to streaming internet radio for about an hour, listen to mp3s for another hour or so, keep bluetooth on (not active, but on) 24-7, and browse the web a bit, make some phone calls, etc, and easily last a day.

IMO, there's no reason to try to get it to last longer than about 36 hours. If, in a 36hr spanse, there's not a time when you don't sleep, you need a new job. I plug all my crap in when I go to bed, that way I start each day with fresh batteries. How hard is that?

Posted by: blips

More full to the fire about Apple coming out with a phone. It is all over iTunes 7.

Posted by: hitechy

I'm interested to see what kind of wireless technology will be in the phone. I find the whole thing odd because Apple has ZERO experience in cell phones, a device much more complex than an iPod. I wonder if they are codeveloping the phone with SoftBank like previous rumors. It would correspond with the rumors of a 3 Megapixel camera on it, as most Japanese phones have crazy high amount of Megapixels on the phone. If this is the case though, it makes no sense because Apple didn't actually make the phone, just a rebranded Softbank. This isn't Apple's style.

Posted by: terryjohnson16

I think Apple is not really making this phone themselves, but paying a company, maybe Motorola, Samsung, or Sony Ericsson to build it, while they put the Apple software in the phone. Just like they are doing with the ROKR phones. I don't see the I-Tunes phone being a success. I call it a flop like the ROKR E1.

Posted by: thisisnotadrill

I think you guys are underestimating the appeal of apple. Its success will be initially stunted because its a cingular exclusive, but the original ipod was a mac-exclusive at first and that didnt stop it from being a run-away hit.

I agree that they must be working with another company for at least some of the 'guts' simply because apple really isnt into designing chipsets these days and thats what it would take. But is it really going to be a problem to use someone elses chips? they do it for every other product. I would suspect that we wont just see a rebranded phone, but rather a completely new model with the the industrial- and UI- design being done directly by apple. thats just their style.

Ill also guess they will have one spiffy marketing campaign to accompany it.

Posted by: terryjohnson16

Quote:

Originally Posted by thisisnotadrill

I think you guys are underestimating the appeal of apple. Its success will be initially stunted because its a cingular exclusive, but the original ipod was a mac-exclusive at first and that didnt stop it from being a run-away hit.

I agree that they must be working with another company for at least some of the 'guts' simply because apple really isnt into designing chipsets these days and thats what it would take. But is it really going to be a problem to use someone elses chips? they do it for every other product. I would suspect that we wont just see a rebranded phone, but rather a completely new model with the the industrial- and UI- design being done directly by apple. thats just their style.

Ill also guess they will have one spiffy marketing campaign to accompany it.

Raising the I-Tunes Bar. LOL.

Posted by: bigmike20

It would be nice to see that phone offer music download OTA over hsdpa.A dream to see Apple offer a mobile version of Itunes,some kind of java app.

Posted by: thisisnotadrill

Quote:

Originally Posted by terryjohnson16

Raising the I-Tunes Bar. LOL.

if they are smart they wont mention cingular at all!

Posted by: Rcadden

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigmike20

It would be nice to see that phone offer music download OTA over hsdpa.A dream to see Apple offer a mobile version of Itunes,some kind of java app.

This is why I see Cingular partnering with Apple and offering iTunes downloads OTA. Makes sense as they already have 3 iTunes phones. Why not sell some data downloads with the next one. i think I mentioned this a little more detailed in a previous post in this thread.

Posted by: CoreyTheGent

Wish there was a chance of it turning out like this concept video that's been floating around on YouTube for months.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4296efmOWLs

Posted by: my.phone.rocks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hitechy

I find the whole thing odd because Apple has ZERO experience in cell phones, a device much more complex than an iPod.

But a lot LESS complex than a computer =D

I am interested to see how this one turns out.

Posted by: blips

Forbes has an article about a company that received a contract from Apple to build a "mobile handset."

Posted by: Tjash2010

Yea, I just read an article on Engadget about an order for 12million phones iphones (supposidly) and it was confirmed.

I cant wait!