There are many reasons you’ll either love or hate Apple’s upcoming iPhone. The iPhone is a brilliant piece of engineering, but this first generation product has many shortcomings that will limit the success of the product. The point of this series is to seriously scrutinize these shortcomings, and offer predictions and suggestions on how to improve on the product. I want to have the ultimate cellular phone, PDA, and music player in one. The potential is clearly there for the iPhone to be it. However, for now, and in as basic a review as possible, I can’t imagine anyone but executives on expense accounts or those with a ‘me first’ mentality jumping at this over-priced, work-in-progress product.
As Part I of this ongoing series, this editorial will compare the actual physical size of the iPhone and how it compares to the most popular cell phones and music players today. There are reasons that some phones and iPods are popular… and why they reach their various demographics. My goal is to explore where the iPhone stands in this regard in today’s market.
Apple and EMI’s announcement today means one major thing: Non-iPod users can now have their songs from iTunes for a price 30% more than iPod users, and only hold half the songs that an iPod user can. Disguised as a major breakthrough in the free use of music, Apple and EMI Records today announced the end of iPod-Specific (and therefore AppleTV, iTunes, and iPhone-specific) DRM-encoding for their iTunes songs. Now, non-iPod users can purchase songs for their music player that cost $1.29, and will take up twice the storage; iPod-Specific songs will remain in their current size and still be $.99.
There are two major points to this issue. First is the change in price:
Up to this point, you’ve been able to purchase an EMI song from iTunes for $.99, and use it exclusively on your computer or iPod. Apple was under pressure from the European Commission to unrestrict song purchases, and allow the use of all players. Apple has held a worldwide dominance on music players through the symbiotic connection between song purchases on iTunes and the iPod as the only way to take your music with you. Now, anyone who has already purchased a $.99 song, can pay an additional $.30 per song to obtain a DRM-Free version of the song… that is twice the size as the DRM version. A DRM-Free song can be used on most players that support AAC (an non-exclusive alternative to MP3) song at 256 kbps encoding. A perfect example of one of these players would be the Sony PSP.
Exactly two years ago, 2 Live Fools was born! In this two-year anniversary show, Dave and Marc unveil the 2 Live Fools entertainment hub at http://www.2livefools.com. Check it out (if you’re not already on it). In this show, the Fools dish about the crazy behind-the-scene footage of I <3 Huckabees and the brilliant exchange between director David O. Russell and Lily Tomlin. The Fools talk about the new Apple TV and its space limitations and whether or not a friendly alternative (i.e. XBox 360) might be better. Dave and Marc also throw in two more cents about the on-going iPhone conversation (look out for the iPhone multi-part blog post by David in the near future). The Fools finish out talking about Grindhouse, a unique movie(s) in more ways than one (also, see our post).
It has been so many years since the HAL-9000 computer demonstrated that in 2001 we could be able to talk to our computers and they would clearly talk back to us. It’s 2007, six years after the events in 2001: a space odyssey! I want true simple Speech Recognition!
This is more of a complaint that a ’state of the technical union’ address.
We’ve come a long way since Apple hired Industrial Light and Magic to create their 1987 proof of concept video called the “Apple Knowledge Navigator.”
With the internet permanently established, voice-over the internet (VOIP) phone calls, and video cameras in our computers, we’re not that far off. But why are we completely stagnant when it comes to True Speech Recognition? There has to be a reason… did Microsoft Patent the idea and want too much money to make it practical? Why can you talk to a human sounding machine on the phone, that can practically understand what you say, but your computer can’t?At least True Speech Synthesis has evolved considerably.Here… listen to this clip from Apple’s upcoming 10.5 (Leopard) version of the Mac OS X here. More…
Back in 1983 Apple introduced the ‘Lisa’ business computer. It was a revolution of innovation, and was the prelude to the Macintosh. A 68000 processor, Dual 5.25″ floppy drives and expandability by putting additional entire computer boards inside the case. Ideas well ahead of their time. The price? $9,999.99.
It horribly failed.
There are stories of hundreds of unsold Lisa computers in a landfill. The machine was Steve Job’s baby… It was the computer that was to change the world. It did, but only after it was completely revised in 1984 and rechristened as ‘Macintosh.’ The Mac was an amazing machine as well. 8 MHz 68000 processor, with an amazing 128k of RAM. Apple proudly proclaimed the Macintosh “The computer that would never need upgrading!” I think my watch today has more memory than the Mac did.
I always found the Lisa story amazing in both the technological breakthrough of the machine, and the arrogance of it’s price. Don’t misunderstand me… I would have paid that much for it had I had it, but I was thirteen at the time.
For nostalgic sake, go visit both Vintage Mac News (Thanks guys for reporting on the Costner clip!) and also be sure to go visit their sister site The Mothership! for an amazing collection of historical ads and brochures about the early days of Apple.
February, 2007 — In January 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unvailed to the world the new iPhone. In many ways it seems to be the most userfriendly mobile device available to us, but what’s up with all the hype? Why does it cost so damn much? Do the Fools recommend it and would they buy it themselves? The Fools touch upon the voice recognition progress in the world today and also reveal what is going on with independent film purchases nowadays at film festivals like the illustrious Sundance Film Festival. Why are there fewer indie acquisition deals for more money?
Does Apple own ‘POD’??? What about bean pods? Escape pods? Pea Pods? We introduce the 2 Live Fools iWomb! Don’t miss one of our all time favorite websites! Movies in 30 seconds performed by bunnies!!! (Sneak into movies!) Exciting times ahead! Cutting through the hype as usual!… Stay tuned…. You’ll love it!
Introducing iWomb! Apple owns "Pod"!? The Coolest Hollywood List! '2 Live Fools' performed in 30 seconds by Bunnies! [48:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Ahhh!!! The Whilhelm!! “Charge at Feather River in 3D! But Why? Hollywood parties! Jennifer Lopez can still make movies? Apple’s itunes ?music? store??? Apple Movies? Apple changes the music store’s name!!! Finally… Apple announces new ipods??? huh? Where’s the Video iPod?? Cutting through the hype as usual!
Wilhelm? Ahhh!!! Jennifer Lopez makes another film? Holly-wood Parties!? Apple's Store? Music Store? What? And Where is the VIDEO iPod?!!?! [86:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
May we all live in peace… Tomorrow we find out… were we right about the video ipod when we discussed it last year? Check and find out if we called it! New FX for Classic Star Trek? What do we think? Does Hollywood need some nice good ‘old New York Justice? To watch or miss ‘Path to 9/11′?! Drunk Celebrities??? And once again… The Superman movie series is coming out on DVD!! Cutting through the hype as usual!… Stay tuned…. You’ll love it!
New FX for Classic Star Trek? New York Justice for Hollywood? Apple Video iPods? Banning the 'Path to 9/11'? Drunk Celebrities? Superman AGAIN on DVD! [37:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
The guys make their first attempt at doing a internet podcast with only limited success… We talk about the controversital ‘United 93′… it is too soon? We also talk about about how Starbucks is getting into marketing movies the same way they’ve been marketing CDs… We give you an update on the HD-DVD/BluRay releases… On a technical side we talk about how Apple Computer has enabled all of their new intel macs to run Windows XP as well?!?.. and finally we give you a complete rundown on how recording with Garageband worked out for us! Stay tuned….
United 93/Starbucks Marketing?/HD-DVD Update/Apple Running Windows?/Apple's Garageband attempt! [60:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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