Attention all iPod, BlackBerry and PDA owners: Prepare yourselves to be the second-coolest cats on the street.
On Jan. 9, Apple Computers, the darling company of college students and young professionals everywhere, introduced two brand new products: AppleTV and the much more noteworthy iPhone. Its continued departure from “just another computer company” has led Apple to change their name to simply Apple, Inc. And it looks like they just may have scored again.
The first product introduced was AppleTV, Apple’s first foray into the world of home theaters. It isn’t all that impressive, frankly. It merely streams music, TV shows and movies from iTunes on your computer to your TV wirelessly. There is nothing glaringly wrong with it (except for the small hard drive size of 50 hours of video); it is just not that useful to the average person. AppleTV seems geared more toward HDTV owners (since it is HD-compatible) and movie fanatics who regularly buy a lot of movies (since movies on iTunes are generally $5-10 cheaper than DVDs). However, the price is $300, and since it requires purchase of media from iTunes to even have a function, it also seems geared at those with an expendable income.
The real newsmaker introduced by Apple is the device industry experts have been expecting for a while: the iPhone. Visually, the iPhone is unimpressive. It looks like an iPod with an elongated screen. But, as with most Apple products, the physical appearance is not the draw here. The impressive part is how much Apple has managed to cram in this relatively small phone. It runs a “full” version Apple’s alternative to Windows, OS X, which means it has “widgets,” or little programs that automatically check stocks, sports scores, etc., and a full internet browser. It has seamless integration with Google maps, Yahoo! Mail (including a free “push” account, which is a regular Yahoo! Mail account that automatically “pushes” your e-mail out to your iPhone) and Apple’s iTunes/iPod functionality.
The iPhone is really impressive to watch in action. There is no BlackBerry-style mini keyboard; everything is run from the touch-screen front, and when a keyboard is required (for texting or e-mail, for example), a full keyboard pops up on the bottom third of the touch screen with auto-correcting software for typos. It senses when you place the phone near your head to know when to turn off the touch-screen and senses when you tilt it sideways to automatically change from standard to widescreen view.
At the unveiling, Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, demonstrated its capabilities. While listening to his music, he received a call (the music automatically faded out while he was on the phone). While on the phone, he found the closest Starbucks to him using Google maps, e-mailed a photo to the person he was talking to and linked another call he received into a conference without hanging up or putting his call on hold. These processes each took a matter of seconds.
For all of its innovations, the iPhone is not without its snags. It does not have the latest technology in mobile broadband, 3G. Apple has signed a deal with Cingular, so it is a Cingular (soon to be AT&T) exclusive until 2009. Also, it is unclear how well the touch-screen will stand up to dirt and damage since there is no stylus (perhaps some kind of mini shammy or squeegee?) or how well the whole thing will stand up to drops. Then there’s the price: the 4GB model starts at $499; the 8GB model starts at $599. For an iPod nano and smart phone combined, it’s pretty competitive, but it is still much more than most are willing to pay for a phone.
The iPhone looks as though it is geared toward the everyday user, compared to the BlackBerry’s appeal to businessmen, executives and vice presidents. If the everyday user can get over the price tag, the iPhone should be able to capitalize on Apple’s and the iPod’s “cool factor” and be the next big thing on the market.
