Is the iPhone a True 6th Generation iPod?
Well, it finally happened. Apple released a new version of the iPod with a widescreen/touchscreen display. However, the new device is NOT an iPod, at least not in the traditional sense. In actuality it is so much more. A cellular phone, a wireless internet device, and music player all in one glorious package. But is this it? Is this going to be the future of Apple’s digital music players from here on out? Fortunately, no.
The release of the iPhone was tremendous. I was blown away with all the features that this new golden child actually supported.
Mulitouch capabilities?! Are you kidding?
Internal accelerometers to determine if the device was being held in landscape or portrait mode? Incredible!
However, when the keynote was over and the smoke began to clear a few nagging thoughts began to bother me. Only 4 and 8GB of storage? $500 - $600 price points? Cingular ONLY? While I know a few in the cult of Apple that would be willing to swallow all these bitter pills, would the rest of the world go along? Jobs claims they are only going after 1% of the cell phone market, but seriously, he knows he wants more. And this device, in its current state, will not be the device to do it.
Limited Storage
The iPhone, at its introductory listing, is only featuring 4 and 8GB capacities. This is more comparable to the Nano than the top tier iPod. 8GB is nothing for current users of the iPod who are used to 30 and 60GB numbers. Plus, when you begin to add video to this knapsack sized storage device, you’ll quickly see you don’t have as much room as you had hoped. With these numbers, Apple cannot seriously court the hardcore digital music junkies of today. We need mass storage for all our digital media, not just an overnight bag to satisfy us on a trip.
Huge Price Points
Before the initial prices of $499 and $599 for the respective models were announced, even Steve himself had to switch into infomercial mode. “How much would you pay for a device that could do all this? $1000? $2000?” (roughly paraphrased) He knew these prices were going to hurt and he knew that this device is only for the lust-crazed early adopters that are hardcore Apple fans. It is true that actually purchasing an iPod, cell phone, and PDA would come to much more than the iPhone’s price, but when you throw in a mandatory two year contract with any cell provider it becomes alot to handle. If this is truly going to be the next gen of the flagship of iPods then the price must come down.
But I don’t have Cingular
When Jobs uttered the words “only available through Cingular” a little piece of me died inside. I don’t have Cingular service. You probably don’t have Cingular service. Most of the country doesn’t have Cingular service. Even if Cingular owns the largest network of American users, the percentage of non-Cingular users is still close to 70% of the U.S. market. Opening your initial offerings to only 1/3 of the country is risky and disappointing. While I have no doubt that many will actually make the switch in time for the June roll out, that is a hard sell to make to the majority of people in a world of hard contracts and hidden fees.
I believe that if Apple really wanted this to be the “6th Generation iPod” several things would have been different. Namely, it wouldn’t be a phone that required a two year service plan with a third party. For most digital media consumers, a widescreen/touchscreen media player would have been all that was desired. By attempting to make the end-all-be-all of digital devices, Apple may have over designed themselves right out of the market. I may be wrong though. Five years from now we may all be walking around with only one multi-purpose digital device, connected to one service provider and living under a strangle-hold of monopolies, but this is doubtful. While this may be Apple’s ultimate evil plan, I think they are aware of the current market. If they wanted the iPhone to be the true 6th generation iPod it wouldn’t have come with the ball and chain of a cell phone contract. Watch for another device coming from Cupertino soon with all the sexy of the iPhone but with one or two fewer features and a lot less hassle; the true 6th gen iPod.
Excellent review!!!!.Its true it became a hap.No doubt phone is good but is it worth it now…is the question
Is IPhonereally a true 6th generation Ipod I dont think so
Well, it finally happened. Apple released a new version of the iPod with a widescreen/touchscreen display. However, the new device is NOT an iPod, at least not in the traditional sens
This is the most retarded review i have seen yet…..
of course iphone is not expected to do well…they will release a 3G 2nd gen iphone a year later….next macworld….that will be able to buy songs from itunes music store over the air, etc.
I think they chose Cingular for the very fact that it won’t get the volume that another carrier would have gotten. It gives Apple a “trial run” on a less-used carrier then they can roll it out to everyone else once their exclusivity contract expires.
Look, it comes down to this:
Apple didn’t do their homework. They failed to find a suitable name for their product and got caught by Sisco. If you really want this phone without Cingluar, then buy it off eBay “Unlocked”, it’s just a phone for god sake, it can be modded or wait for the 3G version, hell, maybe it will even go to Verizion, lots of phones (Razr) get to switch over to rival carriers. This was piss poor planning on Apples part, though I’d love to have this thing if the price and storage were both at better figures and I hate Apple computers, iPods.
I would super happy when a real touchscreen, high-capacity, affordable, music, video player becomes available -
- as would many iPod users who, in common with 95% of mobile phone users, probably do not do much else with their phones other than making calls and SMSing - maybe the occasional ‘non-serious’ photograph as well.
So Apple / Mr Jobs, if you are listening:
- you obviously want to maximize your return on investment
- go for the mass market you already have and are building every month
- make an iPod with all the music/video iPhone features at a much lower price point, rather than restricting yourselves to the up-market segment that will not produce the same margins
- If you don’t you may one day do the unthinkable……. leave a crack in the door for someone else to get in……
Regards from old Europe
I’ve been very happy with my T-Mobile MDA Vario for the past year but I admit Steve’s presentation on the iPhone interested me. But then I got to thinking - How will I run TomTom Navigator on this? - and of course I can’t. So much for convergence! Bye bye Apple.
1) Look for an iPhone/iPod mini with wide-screen video and basic phone functions in time for the holidays 2007, for fewer dollars. My bet is that they’ll mimic the iPod rollouts for iPhone products - high end first, then work their way down.
2) It may be pricey, but Cingular is still subsidizing a couple of hundred dollars off the real price. So a non-subsidized device (unlocked) might go for $800?
3) If it isn’t used on the Cingular network, some features may not work - visual voice mail for example, which requires changes to the network operation — not an overnight task for the telcos.
4)”Apple didn’t do their homework” — oh, give me a break.
I think this article was interesting, however desperately flawed. Whoever said that Apple was targetting Cingular customers (
I think this article was interesting, however desperately flawed. Whoever said that Apple was targetting Cingular customers (less than 3% of America)? Apple is targetting NON-CINGULAR members. That’s why the 2-year contract, and why some will need to bite their fists waiting out the 1st coming by going month-to month, without renewing their cell contract.
interesting
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http://privacy.emigrantas.com - all about privacy in the Internet
Yah, even though the iPhone looks cool, the price is very uncool. I would personally just buy the current iPod and then buy a phone with the wifi/browsing/email/IM/everything else features. You can probably have both for the price of the iPhone.
http://nationwideLD.com
I have cingular. Im luckyyyyyyy
[…] For the longest time we have all been awaiting the new 6th Generation iPod. You can see the list of all the updates on the 6th Generation iPod here and the latest post Is the iPhone a True 6th Generation iPod? which for some reason was removed from digg’s homepage. We have been expecting the touch-screen 6th Generation iPod for quite a while now. The rumors have once again started to fly, now according to a secret leak in the Taiwan supply chain the expected touch screen iPod will be released a little later this August. It is my prediction that this will not be released at this time. I am hoping for a January release at the MacWorld Expo. […]
Popular Science
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting