pogue.blogs.nytimes.com— Everyone?s always asking me when Apple will come out with a cellphone. My answer is, ?Probably never.?
Sep 27, 2006View in Crawl 4
That article assumes that Apple can only sell via network operators and their contract-supported business plan that hides the true cost of a cell phone.Not true.Apple already has the manufacturing for the iPod sorted out. They have tons of SW engineers. And it costs only a few dollars to add a GSM or UMTS chipset to their iPods.After some RnD expense on a UI for a cell phone and after slapping a GSM or UMTS chipset into their iPods, field tests and RF certifications, they have their iPhone which costs them maybe $10 more to produce than a Nano.Then Apple can advertise it that you can just pop your T-mobile or Cingular SIM into your iPhone and voila you have an Apple cell phone that Apple sold you for the price of an iPod + a few bucks without having to suck up to any carrier.
Interesting thought, since Google has been pioneering Municipal WiFi in NorCal; I like that idea. Maybe the next version of iChat will have GTalk accounts included.
Two people walk into a bar. One sits down, has a drink and hopes a conversation happens. The other one sits down, has a drink and hopes a fight breaks out. Who is wrong? Depends. Is the world a naturally violent place, should we practice fighting?Two people see Flip3D in Vista. One thinks "this is awesome" and gets excited. The other one thinks "3d desktops have never translated right, this is useless".Who is wrong? Depends. Is technology positive and hopeful? Should we practice fighting?
I will not buy iPod if I have a useful phone that can play music as iPod does, and I guess, we will have that kind of phone in a year or two, whatever Apple makes it or not. If they don't do that, they'll just loose the market share.
finite...how many times do you need to be told that the Zune does NOT infect a file with DRM (if it doesn't already have it) before you stop repeating that bulls**t?I am SURE you already knew that, but you didn't want to let FACTS get in the way of a good bitchfest about Microsoft.
How is fantasyland? Do you EVER come back to reality?The phone companies couldn't care less about Apple. They wouldn't make one extra dime off it. You really think people that don't already HAVE a cell pplan will sign up just for an Apple phone?And quite frankly, if you think people are going to switch providers just to get it either, you are REALLY overestimating Apple's popularity in the reald world.Remember, NO ONE agrees with you. You are a joke. What you think is popular is NOT popular to 99% of the world. Your life will always be like that. You should be used to it by now.
@lakawak, Actually if you read the Zune Insiders blog where that detail first originated, and where it was also supposedly corrected, you will see that Zune actually DOES apply the 'built-in limitations' to previously un-limited files. <a class="user" href="http://www.zuneinsider.com/2006/09/zune_and_drm_or.html">http://www.zuneinsider.com/2006/09/zune_and_drm_or.html</a>Microsoft's PR tool is attempting to deceptively imply that applying 'built in limitations' is somehow different from 'applying DRM': (direct MS quote here) "Zune to Zune Sharing won't apply any DRM to that song. The 3-day/3-play limitation is built into the device, and it only applies on the Zune device"What a load of bulls**t. Who do they think they're fooling? (sadly, they're actually fooling many people, take digg user lakawak for instance...)
why should Apple make an iPhone ? Unless someone manage to automatically create a service that allows the ringer to automatically send mp3s over call tones...
galoreSep 27, 2006
That article assumes that Apple can only sell via network operators and their contract-supported business plan that hides the true cost of a cell phone.Not true.Apple already has the manufacturing for the iPod sorted out. They have tons of SW engineers. And it costs only a few dollars to add a GSM or UMTS chipset to their iPods.After some RnD expense on a UI for a cell phone and after slapping a GSM or UMTS chipset into their iPods, field tests and RF certifications, they have their iPhone which costs them maybe $10 more to produce than a Nano.Then Apple can advertise it that you can just pop your T-mobile or Cingular SIM into your iPhone and voila you have an Apple cell phone that Apple sold you for the price of an iPod + a few bucks without having to suck up to any carrier.
monkeyrunSep 27, 2006
why not. people are paying $400-$600 for a decent smartphone
dp9nySep 27, 2006
I would!
macfreqSep 27, 2006
Interesting thought, since Google has been pioneering Municipal WiFi in NorCal; I like that idea. Maybe the next version of iChat will have GTalk accounts included.
hurfydurfurSep 27, 2006
Two people walk into a bar. One sits down, has a drink and hopes a conversation happens. The other one sits down, has a drink and hopes a fight breaks out. Who is wrong? Depends. Is the world a naturally violent place, should we practice fighting?Two people see Flip3D in Vista. One thinks "this is awesome" and gets excited. The other one thinks "3d desktops have never translated right, this is useless".Who is wrong? Depends. Is technology positive and hopeful? Should we practice fighting?
alexeykazanskySep 28, 2006
I will not buy iPod if I have a useful phone that can play music as iPod does, and I guess, we will have that kind of phone in a year or two, whatever Apple makes it or not. If they don't do that, they'll just loose the market share.
Closed AccountSep 28, 2006
finite...how many times do you need to be told that the Zune does NOT infect a file with DRM (if it doesn't already have it) before you stop repeating that bulls**t?I am SURE you already knew that, but you didn't want to let FACTS get in the way of a good bitchfest about Microsoft.
Closed AccountSep 28, 2006
How is fantasyland? Do you EVER come back to reality?The phone companies couldn't care less about Apple. They wouldn't make one extra dime off it. You really think people that don't already HAVE a cell pplan will sign up just for an Apple phone?And quite frankly, if you think people are going to switch providers just to get it either, you are REALLY overestimating Apple's popularity in the reald world.Remember, NO ONE agrees with you. You are a joke. What you think is popular is NOT popular to 99% of the world. Your life will always be like that. You should be used to it by now.
Closed AccountSep 28, 2006
COME ON DIGG! How f**king hard is it to learn the word LOSE?And the Digg community makes fun of MySpace users!
kazrogSep 28, 2006
My prediction: Apple is going to come out with a VoIP phone. Please don't mod me down just because you disagree. I will laugh at you all when it happens. :P<a class="user" href="http://www.kazrog.com/2006/09/why-apple-wont-make-cell-phone.html">http://www.kazrog.com/2006/09/why-apple-wont-make-cell-phone.html</a>
finiteOct 1, 2006
@lakawak, Actually if you read the Zune Insiders blog where that detail first originated, and where it was also supposedly corrected, you will see that Zune actually DOES apply the 'built-in limitations' to previously un-limited files. <a class="user" href="http://www.zuneinsider.com/2006/09/zune_and_drm_or.html">http://www.zuneinsider.com/2006/09/zune_and_drm_or.html</a>Microsoft's PR tool is attempting to deceptively imply that applying 'built in limitations' is somehow different from 'applying DRM': (direct MS quote here) "Zune to Zune Sharing won't apply any DRM to that song. The 3-day/3-play limitation is built into the device, and it only applies on the Zune device"What a load of bulls**t. Who do they think they're fooling? (sadly, they're actually fooling many people, take digg user lakawak for instance...)
cutebananaOct 6, 2006
why should Apple make an iPhone ? Unless someone manage to automatically create a service that allows the ringer to automatically send mp3s over call tones...