Iphone!
iphone Joke
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Im no Fred Flintstone, but I can make your bed rock. Plus I have an iphone!
If I could rearrange the alphabet, Id put u and iphone together.
Hey baby. iphone you tomorrow?
Hi. My friend over there bet you wouldnt let me google you on our first date. So what do you say? Ill buy you a drink. You can even google me back. My iphone battery is big and strong and fully charged up, so we could google all night.
Did you know my iphone is also a remote control? Lets go somewhere remote and you can have control.
Hi there angel. Did it hurt when you fell from heav- oh, sorry, Im getting a call on my new iphone. Oh, it was Saint Peter. He said have a great time on your trip to Earth, and dont worry about being good- they wont keep score up there while you are on leave.
I AM happy to see you but thats just an ipod in my pocket.
Hi there. Wanna use your fingers to enlarge my pixel size?
Is your dad a thief? Because if he is, Ill keep my new ipod hidden when you introduce him to me next Saturday.
I think I need to call Heaven- on my new iphone- because they lost one of their angels.
I forgot my phone number. Can I have yours? Ill store it in my new iphone.
Excuse me- Im new in town. Could you give me directions to your place? Let me just open up Google maps in my iphone.
How much does my new iphone weigh? Enough to break the ice. Can I enter in your phone number?
You know, inheriting 50 million dollars doesnt mean much when you have a weak heart, even if you have a four houses, two islands and a brand new iphone like this one.
Excuse me, did you just call me on my iphone? Then I guess it wasnt my phone that was vibrating in my pocket.
iphone
The iphone is a multimedia and Internet-enabled quad-band GSM EDGE-supported mobile phone designed and sold by Apple Inc. The iphone's functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player ("iPod"), in addition to text messaging and visual voicemail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. User input is accomplished via a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons.The iphone has been available since June 29, 2007 in the United States from Apple retail and online stores, and from AT&T Mobility. The current price is US$399 for an 8 GB model. On September 18, 2007, Apple announced in a special event that the iphone will be available on November 9, 2007 on the carrier O2 in the United Kingdom. On September 19, 2007, Apple and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile announced the iphone would go on sale November 9, 2007 throughout Germany. On September 20, 2007, France Télécom also announced they would be selling the iphone in France.
iphone Features
Apple has released a video explaining many of iphone's features through a series of demonstrations.iphone Outputs
iphone Touch screen
The 3.5 in liquid crystal display (320×480 px at 160 ppi) HVGA touch screen topped with optical-quality, scratch-resistant glass is specifically created for use with a finger, or multiple fingers for multi-touch sensing. Because the screen is a capacitive touch screen, no stylus is needed, nor can one be used. The requirement for bare skin to be used has caused concerns for users in areas with winter climates; unless wearing electrically conductive gloves they would have to be removed to use the touchpad. The user interface also features other visual effects, such as horizontally sliding sub-selections and co-selections from right and left, vertically sliding system menus from the bottom (e.g. favorites, keyboard), and menus and widgets that turn around to allow settings to be configured on their back sides.iphone Audio
When music is played on the iphone, album art is shown on most of the screen, with play controls beneath.The iphone's headphones are similar to those of current iPods, but also incorporate a microphone. Calls can be answered and ended by squeezing a bud, toggling the microphone. The 3.5 mm TRS connector for the headphones is located on the top left corner (as seen from front upright). Wireless earpieces that use Bluetooth technology to communicate with the iphone are sold separately.The loudspeaker is used both for handsfree operations and media playback, but does not support voice recording.
iphone Inputs
iphone Touch screen
For text input, the device implements a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen. It has automatic spell checking, predictive word capabilities, and a dynamic dictionary that learns new words. The predictive word capabilities have been integrated with the dynamic virtual keyboard so that users will not have to be extremely accurate when typing i.e. touching the edges of the desired letter or nearby letters on the keyboard will be predictively corrected when possible. The keys are somewhat larger and spaced further apart when in landscape mode (currently, only using Safari). Reviewers, writers and analysts have pointed out several areas in which the iphone falls short. The virtual keyboard has been considered its chief weakness and a risk for Apple. David Pogue of The New York Times and Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal both tested the iphone for two weeks and found learning to use it initially difficult, although eventually usable. Pogue stated use was "frustrating" and "text entry is not the iphones strong suit" but Mossberg considered the keyboard a "nonissue." Both found that the typo-correcting feature of the iphone was the key to using the virtual keyboard successfully.Scrolling through a long list works as if the list is pasted on the surface of a wheel: the wheel can be "spun" by sliding a finger over the display from bottom to top (or vice versa). After the finger is lifted from the display the wheel continues to "spin" for a short moment before coasting down. In this way, the iphone simulates the physics of a real object, which gives a natural feel to the process.
The iphone varies from common desktop interfaces by using a direct manipulation model of scrolling. Where a typical desktop GUI achieves scrolling by using a scroll-arrow to push a view-window down and thus the content itself up (or the reverse, clicking up to move content down), the iphone interface enables the user to move the content itself up or down by a touch-drag-lift motion of the finger, much as one would slide a playing card across a table. Additionally, the speed desired for scrolling is computed based on the speed and acceleration with which the drag motion is performed.
The photo album and web page magnifications are examples of multi-touch sensing. It is possible to zoom in and out of objects such as web pages and photos by respectively "unpinching" and "pinching" them, that is, placing two fingers (usually thumb and forefinger) on the screen and moving them farther apart or closer together as if stretching or squeezing the image. This scaling is done uniformly and proportionally based on the image in question so there is no distortion of the image itself, as would be the case if the image were actually stretched or squeezed.
One disadvantage of multi-touch with regards to AJAX web sites is that there is no mechanism for right clicking on a UI element. That is, there are no separate paradigms for emulating certain functions of a multi-button mouse. However, 'hovering' over a UI element can still be achieved by touching and holding a UI element.
The iphone's touch interface has been compared by some media to the HTC Touch, which also features a touchscreen designed for fingers, although it can also be used with a stylus and lacks multi-touch.
iphone Other
The display responds to three sensors: a proximity sensor that shuts off the display and touchscreen when the iphone is brought near the face to save battery power and to prevent spurious inputs from the user's face and ears, an ambient light sensor that adjusts the display brightness which in turn saves battery power, and a 3-axis accelerometer, which senses the orientation of the phone and changes the screen accordingly. Web browsing and music playing support three orientations, while videos play in only one widescreen orientation.A single "home" hardware button below the display brings up the main menu. Subselections are made via the touchscreen. The iphone utilizes a full-paged display, with context-specific submenus at the top and/or bottom of each page, sometimes depending on screen orientation. Detail pages display the equivalent of a "Back" button to go up one menu.
The iphone has three physical switches on its sides: sleep / wake, volume up / down, ringer on / off. All other multimedia and phone operations are done via the touch screen.
iphone Functions
The iphone allows conferencing, call holding, call merging, caller ID, and integration with other cellular network features and iphone functions. For example, a playing song fades out when the user receives a call. Once the call is ended the music fades back in. Voice dialing is not supported by the iphone.The iphone includes a Visual Voicemail feature in conjunction with AT&T which allows users to view a list of current voicemail messages on-screen, without having to call into their voicemail. Unlike most other systems, messages can be listened to in a non-chronological order, by choosing messages from an on-screen list. AT&T modified their voicemail infrastructure to accommodate this new feature designed by Apple.
A ringtone feature, introduced on September 5, 2007, allows users to create ringtones from purchased iTunes music.
Text messages are presented chronologically in a mailbox format similar to Mail, which places all text from recipients together with replies. Text messages are displayed in speech bubbles (similar to iChat) under each recipient's name. The iphone does not support instant messaging, MMS, multi-recipient SMS, or copy/cut/paste capability. The phone's lack of 3G network support has also been a source of criticism.
iphone Camera
The iphone features a built in 2.0 megapixel camera located on the back for still digital photos, but not video recording. It also includes software that allows the user to upload, view, and e-mail photos. The user zooms in and out of photos by "unpinching" and "pinching" them through the multi-touch interface. The software interacts with iPhoto on the Mac.When the iphone is tilted into landscape when in iPod mode, CoverFlow is activated.Multimedia
The layout of the music library differs from previous iPods, with the sections divided more clearly alphabetically, and with a larger font. Similar to previous iPods, the iphone can sort its media library by songs, artists, albums, videos, playlists, genres, composers, podcasts, audiobooks, and compilations. The Cover Flow, like that on iTunes, shows the different album covers in a scroll-through photo library. Scrolling is achieved by swiping a finger across the screen.
Like the fifth generation iPods introduced in 2005, the iphone can play video, allowing users to watch TV shows and films. Unlike other image-related content, video on the iphone plays only in the landscape orientation, when the phone is turned sideways. Double tapping switches between wide-screen and fullscreen video playback.
iphone Web connectivity and e-mail
The iphone has built-in Wi-Fi, with which it is able to access the World Wide Web (through a wireless network) via a modified version of the Safari web browser. The iphone is also able to connect to the web through AT&T's EDGE network, but is not able to utilize AT&T's 3G/HSDPA network; Steve Jobs mentioned at the Keynote presentation that 3G support would be a future feature of a new version. The use of the EDGE network instead of 3G has been criticized by analysts. When the user is not in a Wi-Fi hot spot, the iphone's network connection will use the older EDGE network; before the launch, reviewers found that the EDGE network was "excruciatingly slow," with the iphone taking as long as 100 seconds to download the Yahoo! home page for the first time. Immediately before the launch the observed speed of the network increased to almost 200 kbit/s. This is probably due to the new "Fine EDGE" upgrades AT&T has been making to their network prior to the launch. The EDGE network does benefit iphone users by providing greater availability than 3G, although 3G continues to be expanded to most major cities in the United States. The iphone does not provide tethering for laptop users.On the iphone's Safari web browser.There was some criticism stemming from the iphone's inability to download iTunes content wirelessly. Apple partially addressed this criticism on 5 September 2007 when they announced the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store which was first introduced on the iPod touch. This feature was released with the 1.1.1 software update on September 27, 2007, allowing users to purchase and download songs from the iTunes Store directly to their iphone over Wi-Fi. This feature will only work when connected to a Wi-Fi network.
The web browser displays full web pages as opposed to simplified pages as on most non-smartphones. The iphone does not support Flash or Java technology. Web pages may be viewed in portrait or landscape mode and support automatic zooming by "pinching" or double-tapping images or text. The iphone also has Bluetooth 2.x+EDR built in, which only works with wireless earpieces that use Bluetooth technology, but does not support A2DP or common Bluetooth file transfer (OBEX).
An agreement between Apple and Google provides for access to a specially modified version of Google Maps in map, local list, or satellite form, optimized for the iphone, which also provides optional real-time traffic information. During the product's announcement, Jobs demonstrated this feature by searching for nearby Starbucks locations and then placing a prank call to one with a single tap. Google's ownership of YouTube means that viewing videos on the website can be achieved on the iphone through a specialised application built into the system.
The iphone also features an e-mail program that supports HTML e-mail, which enables the user to embed photos in an e-mail message. PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel attachments to mail messages can be viewed on the phone. Yahoo! is currently the only e-mail provider offering a free Push-IMAP e-mail service similar to that on a BlackBerry for the iphone; IMAP and POP3 mail standards are also supported, including Microsoft Exchange. The iphone will sync e-mail account settings over from Apple's own Mail application, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Entourage, or can be manually configured using the device's Settings tool. With the correct settings, the e-mail program can check many IMAP or POP3-enabled web based accounts such as Gmail, .Mac mail, and AOL.
iphone Software
iphone OS X
Apple has confirmed that an optimized version of the Mac OS X operating system (without unnecessary components) runs on the iphone, although differences between the operating system (OS X) running on Macs and the iphone have not been officially explained. The iphone's version of OS X includes the software component "Core Animation" which is responsible for the smooth animations used in its user interface. Core Animation has not yet been released for Macs, but will be part of Mac OS X v10.5. The operating system takes up about 300 MB of the device's total 8 GB storage according to the size of the OS partition. It will be capable of supporting bundled and future applications from Apple.As the iphone's CPU is an ARM-based processor, the version of OS X that runs on iphone differs from the desktop version in that code written in high-level programming languages is compiled to, and code written in assembly language is written in, instructions from the ARM instruction set architecture (ISA) instead of the x86 and PowerPC ISAs that Mac OS X uses.
iphone Applications
There are several applications located on the "Home" screen. The YouTube application streams videos over Wi-Fi and/or EDGE after encoding them using QuickTime's H.264 codec, to which YouTube has converted about 10,000 videos. They are expected to convert the entire catalog by Fall 2007. As a result, the YouTube application on iphone can currently only view a certain selection of videos from the site. Also, because YouTube displays videos using Flash, the iphone can only view videos through the YouTube application as opposed to accessing the website using Safari.At WWDC 2007 on June 11, 2007 Apple Inc. announced that the iphone will support third-party "applications" via the Safari web browser that share the look and feel of the iphone interface. The applications must be created in Ajax or JavaScript to maintain device security. The iphone cannot officially install full programs from anyone but Apple, although Steve Jobs has hinted that future third-party applications are in development. Enthusiasts have demonstrated the possibility of unauthorized native code with a simple "Hello, World" program, as well as a fully functional terminal emulator.
Analysts also claim that iphone lacks any type of firewall, which some experts claim is posing a data security risk. It is not confirmed by Apple or by independent analysts that used the actual device for tests that it doesn't have a firewall. Daniel Eran writes: "Dulaney doesn't know if the iphone has a firewall, has no reason to suggest that its installation of OS X wouldn't offer a firewall, and offers no reasons why a mobile device would need a firewall anyway."
iphone Platform support
The Apple Bluetooth Headset and a quarter for scale.The iphone is compatible with Mac OS X version 10.4.10 or later, and 32-bit Windows XP or Vista. For each, the user must download iTunes version 7.3 or later. The iphone is not compatible with any 64-bit version of Windows such as Windows XP x64 or any 64-bit edition of Windows Vista.iphone Software updates
Apple provides updates to the iphone's operating system through iTunes, in a similar fashion to the way that iPods are updated, and touts this as an advantage compared to other cell phones. Security patches as well as new and improved features, such as a mobile chat client, Flash support, and voice recording, may be released in this fashion.The first iphone software update, 1.0.1, was released on July 31, 2007 to patch an exploit, discovered on July 23, 2007. It allowed hackers to take complete control of the iphone via Wi-Fi connection or by luring a person to a website with that included malicious code. Once the hacker had control of the iphone they could download the entire content of the iphone, make phone calls, or turn the phone into a covert listening device.
The first full update, 1.1.1, was released on September 27, 2007. In addition to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, this update also adds home button shortcuts and other features from the iPod touch. It also disabled 3rd party apps and hacks. See the Activation and SIM lock bypassing section for further information.
iphone Miscellaneous
iphone Battery
The iphone features a built-in rechargeable battery that is not intended to be user-replaceable, similar to existing iPods. Once the battery reaches the end of its life time the phone will need to be returned to Apple and replaced for a fee. The cost of replacing the battery is US$79 and US$6.95 for shipping. The battery is stated to be capable of providing up to seven hours of video, six hours of web browsing, or eight hours of talk time (depending on configuration). The battery life for music playing is stated to be 24 hours. The battery also allows for up to 250 hours of standby time. Apple's site says that the battery life "is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 400 full charge and discharge cycles."The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a consumer advocate group, has sent a complaint to Apple and AT&T over the fee that consumers have to pay to get the battery replaced. In addition, the scheme and pricing was not made known to buyers until after the product was launched.
iphone SIM Card
The iphone's SIM card slot having been ejected.The SIM card is located in a slot at the top of the device, and the device is activated through iTunes. The iphone does not contain a memory card slot.iphone Pricing and availability
Steve Jobs announced that the iphone will be available during the fourth quarter 2007 in Europe and in 2008 for Asia.Apple also announced that its goal is to capture 1% of the global mobile phone market, which would be approximately 10 million units being sold in the first full calendar year of iphone availability. For comparison, Jobs announced that the Apple iPod commands 62% of the U.S. market share for MP3 players.
iphone United States
With the initial June 29, 2007 United States release, the iphone was offered in two configurations: a 4 GB model for US$499 and an 8 GB model for US$599. It was speculated that the original launch price provided Apple with significant product margins. According to a research paper released by iSuppli in January 2007, the initial launch price, based on the estimated cost of the phones' componentry, yielded a unit profit margin of 45%.On September 5, 2007, the 4 GB model was dropped, and the 8 GB model price fell to US$399.
AT&T Mobility is the exclusive carrier of the iphone in the United States and will remain so until 2009 or later. The iphone may be purchased with a two-year service plan with AT&T with plans ranging from US$59.99 to US$219.99 per month, or pre-paid month to month at a slightly higher rate.
iphone United Kingdom
On September 18, 2007, Apple announced that Telefónica's O2 Telecommunications will be the carrier of the iphone in the United Kingdom, and the 8 GB model will go on sale on November 9, 2007. It will be available through Apple stores and The Carphone Warehouse and will require a new 18-month contract.Three packages will be available. All will include "unlimited" data (fair use policy applies), Wi-Fi, and Visual Voicemail.
iphone Germany
In press releases on September 19, 2007, Apple and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile announced the iphone would go on sale November 9, 2007 throughout Germany in Telekom Shops of Deutsche Telekom and on the T-Mobile web shop. The T-Mobile iphone will require a new 2-year T-Mobile tariff.iphone France
On September 20, 2007, France Télécom announced their wireless division Orange SA has a contract with Apple to offer iphones in France. The phones will go on sale sometime in November. Pricing and an exact release date have not been announced yet.iphone Others
In Canada, Rogers Wireless (including its Fido subsidiary) is the only national wireless provider operating on the GSM network used by iphone. According to Rogers, no negotiations are underway and Apple has not set any timeline for a Canadian release. A dispute with Comwave over Canadian rights to the "iphone" trademark (separate from the previous U.S. dispute with Cisco) may also affect timing for any release.Apple is expected to release the iphone in Australia, and Japan in 2008. There have been reports of Telstra testing the iphone in Australia.
In Israel some reports were published on the iphone being translated to Hebrew and evidence of some fully functional versions spread throughout Tel Aviv.
iphone Specifications
Size comparison between an iPod nano, the iphone, and a fourth-generation iPodThe specifications as listed on Apple's website are:Screen size: 8.9 cm (3.5 in)
Screen resolution: 320×480 pixels at 160 p
Input method: Multi-touch screen interface (the "Home" button is the iphone's only physical front panel button)
Operating System: OS X
Storage: 8 GB flash memory (originally: 4 or 8 GB choice)
Quad band GSM (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900)
Wi-Fi (802.11g), EDGE and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
2 megapixel camera
Built-in rechargeable, non-removable battery with up to 8 hours of talk, 6 hours of internet use, 7 hours of video playback, and
up to 24 hours of audio playback, lasting over 250 hours on standby.
Size: 115×61×11.6 mm (4.5×2.4×0.46 in)
Weight: 135 g (4.8 oz)
Digital SAR of 0.974 W/kg
An analysis of the iphone's firmware has revealed that the main Samsung chip (designated S5L8900) contains an ARM 1176 processor, together with a PowerVR MBX 3D graphics co-processor.
iphone Package contents
iphone
Stereo earphones with in-line microphoneDock
Dock connector to USB cable
USB power adapter
Documentation, including two white Apple stickers
Cleaning/polishing cloth
A separate dock is also available which charges both the iphone and Apple Bluetooth Headset.
iphone History
The genesis of the iphone was Jobs' direction that Apple engineers investigate touch-screens. At the time he had been considering having Apple work on tablet PCs. Many have noted the device's similarities to Apple's previous touch-screen portable device, the Newton MessagePad. Like the Newton, the iphone is nearly all screen. Its form factor is credited to Apple's head of design, Jonathan Ive. Comments made by Jobs in April 2003 at the "D: All Things Digital" executive conference expressed his belief that tablet PCs and traditional PDAs were not good choices as high-demand markets for Apple to enter, despite many requests made to him that Apple create another PDA. He did believe that cell phones were going to become important devices for portable information access, and that what cell phones needed to have was excellent synchronization software. At the time, instead of focusing on a follow-up to their Newton PDA, Jobs had Apple put its energies into the iPod, and the iTunes software (which can be used to synchronize content with iPod devices), released January 2001. On September 7, 2005, Apple and Motorola released the ROKR E1, the first mobile phone to use iTunes. Jobs was unhappy with the ROKR, feeling that having to compromise with a non-Apple designer (Motorola) prevented Apple from designing the phone they wanted to make. In September 2006, Apple discontinued support for the ROKR and released a version of iTunes that included references to an as-yet unknown mobile phone that could display pictures and video. On January 9, 2007, Jobs announced the iphone at the Macworld convention, receiving substantial media attention, and on June 11, 2007 announced at the Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference that the iphone would support third-party applications using the Safari engine on the device. Third-parties would create the Web 2.0 applications and users would access them via the internet. Such applications appeared even before the release of the iphone; the first being "OneTrip", a program meant to keep track of the user's shopping list. On June 29, 2007, Apple released version 7.3 of iTunes to coincide with the release of the iphone. This release contains support for iphone service activation and syncing.According to The Wall Street Journal, the iphone is manufactured on contract in the Shenzhen factory of the Taiwanese company Hon Hai.
iphone Advertising
The first advertisement for iphone, titled "Hello," aired during the 79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007 on ABC. The ad features clips from several notable films and television shows over the last seventy years, showing iconic characters answering telephones and saying "hello" or a similar greeting. The iphone is shown at the end with the caption "Hello. Coming in June."The commercial was created by TBWA\Chiat\Day, Apple's ad agency since CEO Steve Jobs' return to the company in 1997. TBWA's Media Arts Lab will continue to handle all upcoming advertising for iphone, much as it has for iPod.
On June 3, 2007, Apple released four advertisements that announce a June 29, 2007 release date, and which concluded, "Use requires minimum new 2 year activation plan."; the footnote has since been removed from all four of the ads. A fifth ad featuring YouTube was released on June 21, 2007. All five advertisements feature a voice over describing various iphone features, demonstrated on-screen. The song "Perfect Timing (This Morning)" by Orba Squara plays in the background.
iphone U.S. Release
People waiting in line for the iphone release in New York City.On June 28, 2007, during an address to Apple employees, Steve Jobs announced that all full-time Apple employees and those part-time employees that have been with the company at least one year would receive a free iphone. Employees received their phones in July after the initial demand subsided.On June 29, 2007, Apple closed its stores during the hours between 2:00 and 6:00 PM local time to prepare for the iphone launch. Meanwhile, hundreds of customers lined up at stores nationwide until each stores re-opened their doors to sell the first devices.
There were some concerns with service and plans provided by AT&T. The iphone is only available for those who subscribe to a two-year AT&T service plan unless they have poor credit, in which case they can use a pre-paid plan. There is no way to opt out of the data plan and thus people who do not want to use the iphone's web capability may find the fee superfluous. The iphone cannot be added to an AT&T Business account, and any existing business account discounts cannot be applied to an iphone AT&T account. One report stated that the iphone could not be added to an existing AT&T consumer account if it had been ported from Cingular at the time of the BellSouth-AT&T merger. This has since been corrected.
The AP reported also that some users were unable to activate their phones due to what AT&T reported was "high volume of activation requests were taxing the company's computer servers."
Early estimates by technology analysts estimated sales of between 250,000 to 700,000 units in the first weekend alone, with strong sales continuing after the initial weekend. As part of their quarterly earnings announcement, AT&T reported that 146,000 iphones were activated in the first weekend. Though this figure does not include units that were purchased for resale on eBay or otherwise not activated until after the opening weekend, it is still less than most initial estimates. It is also estimated that 95% of the units sold are the 8 GB model.
iphone Sales
Apple announced in their 2007 Q3 sales report and conference call that they sold 270,000 iphones in the first 30 hours on launch weekend. AT&T reported 146,000 iphones activated in the same time period. Apple anticipated selling their millionth iphone in the first full quarter of availability, and 10 million by the end of fiscal 2008. On September 10, 2007, Apple announced sales of 1 million iphones.iphone Price drop controversy
On September 5, 2007, the 4 GB model was discontinued, and the 8 GB model price reduced to US$399. Those who had purchased an iphone in the 14-day period before the September 5, 2007 announcement were eligible for a US$200 "price protection" rebate from Apple or AT&T. However, it was widely reported that some who bought between the June 29, 2007 launch and the August 22, 2007 price protection kick-in date complained that this was a larger-than-normal price drop for such a relatively short period and accused Apple of unfair pricing. In response to the controversy, on September 6, 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs wrote in an open letter to iphone customers that everyone who purchased an iphone at the higher price "and who is not receiving a rebate or other consideration", would receive a US$100 credit to be redeemed towards the purchase of any product sold in Apple's retail or online stores.On September 24, 2007, one disgruntled customer filed a lawsuit against Apple, Steve Jobs, and AT&T, over the price cut, citing price discrimination, underselling, discrimination in rebates, deceptive actions, and other wrongdoings.
iphone Domain name
On July 1, 2007, it was reported that Apple paid at least US$1 million to Michael Kovatch for the transfer of the iphone.com domain name. Kovatch registered the domain in 1995. That URL now redirects to Apple's iphone page.iphone Activation and SIM lock bypassing
The iphone normally prevents access to its media player and web features unless it has also been activated as a phone through AT&T. On July 3, 2007, Jon Lech Johansen reported on his blog that he had successfully bypassed this requirement and unlocked the iphone's other features with a combination of custom software and modification of the iTunes binary. He published the software and offsets for others to use.On August 14, 2007, Gizmodo reported verification of a method to bypass the iphone's SIM lock, allowing the phone to work freely with carriers other than AT&T. This method requires a Turbo SIM card costing approximately US$80 and essentially tricks the iphone into believing that it is operating on the AT&T network even when it is connected natively (not in roaming mode) to another carrier. Australian Personal Computer later published a 10 step guide to unlocking the iphone using the Turbo SIM method.
In mid-August, UniquePhones announced an unlocking service for the iphone, only to retract this service the following week after receiving a phone call from a lawyer representing AT&T.
iphone related news
Telephone network access on iphone unlocked by teenOn August 24, 2007, George Hotz, a 17 year old hacker from Glen Rock, New Jersey, broke the lock that ties Apple's iphone to AT&T's Wireless Network. He confirmed that he unlocked the phone and was using it on T-Mobile's Network. The hack opens up a realm of possibilities for overseas customers because the iphone is only sold in the U.S. By unlocking it, Hotz opened up the phone to all kinds of phone networks across the world. Hotz posted the hack on his blog. The process is complicated and requires both disassembling the iphone and executing software commands on a personal computer. Hotz, along with four others across the world, reportedly spent about 500 hours to unlock the phone.Also, on August 24, 2007, Engadget reported, by way of photos and a video clip, that they were called by the "iphoneSimFree" team to view a demonstration of unlocking the iphone using a software only solution. Unlike Hotz's hardware hack, the code in this hack has not been made available to the general public. Sales of the unlock started on September 11, by way of several resellers who were able to order "keys" from iphoneSimFree which are then passed onto the customer to use the software.
After only one full day of sales, early on September 12 the iphoneDevTeam announced that they had also created a working "software unlock", and released it to the public for free. Utilizing the existing unlock requires some technical knowledge, although a GUI-based version was under construction.
On 24 September 2007 Apple issued a warning that future updates could render unlocked iphones unusable. On 27 September 2007, owners of unlocked iphones who took advantage of the version 1.1.1 update through iTunes reported that the update rendered the device virtually inoperable. There have also been reports that the update even affected some iphones that were not unlocked. There are no current hacks to unlock iphones using v1.1.1.
iphone Custom application development
Development efforts towards using AJAX and Web 2.0 frameworks to create web applications have been discussed on Google's iphoneWebDev group site, and developer knowledge published at the iphone Developers'.On July 20, 2007, the first simple independent native application was run on the iphone. Since then, many third-party native applications have appeared. Efforts in the vein of Cocoa application development and unlocking the frameworks and low-level device access have been mostly centralized at FiveForty.net.
iphone Disputes
Apple has filed more than 200 patents related to the technology behind the iphone.LG Electronics claimed the iphone's design was copied from the LG Prada. Woo-Young Kwak, head of LG Mobile Handset R&D Center, said at a press conference, We consider that Apple copied Prada phone after the design was unveiled when it was presented in the iF Design Award and won the prize in September 2006.
iphone Trademark
On September 3, 1993, Infogear filed for the U.S. trademark "I PHONE" and on March 20, 1996 applied for the trademark "iphone". "I Phone" was registered in March 1998, and "iphone" was registered in 1999. Since then, the I PHONE mark was abandoned. Infogear's trademarks cover "communications terminals comprising computer hardware and software providing integrated telephone, data communications and personal computer functions" (1993 filing), and "computer hardware and software for providing integrated telephone communication with computerized global information networks" (1996 filing). Infogear released a telephone with an integrated web browser under the name iphone in 1998. In 2000, Infogear won an infringement claim against the owners of the iphones.com domain name. In June 2000, Cisco Systems acquired Infogear, including the iphone trademark. On December 18, 2006 they released a range of re-branded Voice over IP ) sets under the name iphone.In October 2002, Apple applied for the "iphone" trademark in the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and the European Union. A Canadian application followed in October 2004 and a New Zealand application in September 2006. As of October 2006 only the Singapore and Australian applications had been granted. In September 2006, a company called Ocean Telecom Services applied for an "iphone" trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and Hong Kong, following a filing in Trinidad and Tobago. As the Ocean Telecom trademark applications use exactly the same wording as Apple's New Zealand application, it is assumed that Ocean Telecom is applying on behalf of Apple. The Canadian application was opposed in August 2005 by a Canadian company called Comwave who themselves applied for the trademark three months later. Comwave have been selling VoIP devices called iphone since 2004.
Shortly after Steve Jobs' January 9, 2007 announcement that Apple would be selling a product called iphone in June 2007, Cisco issued a statement that it had been negotiating trademark licensing with Apple and expected Apple to agree to the final documents that had been submitted the night before. On January 10, 2007 Cisco announced it had filed a lawsuit against Apple over the infringement of the trademark iphone, seeking an injunction in federal court to prohibit Apple from using the name. More recently, Cisco claimed that the trademark lawsuit was a "minor skirmish" that was not about money, but about interoperability.
On February 2, 2007, Apple and Cisco announced that they had agreed to temporarily suspend litigation while they hold settlement talks, and subsequently announced on February 20, 2007 that they had reached an agreement. Both companies will be allowed to use the "iphone" name in exchange for "exploring interoperability" between Apple's products and Cisco's iphone.
