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im sure this has been discussed but whens the release date...july???
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I work for AppleCare as a tier 2 agent and before the whole thingabout a leak hit the Internet the guy working next to me got the callfrom the guy looking to return the phone. From our point of view itseemed as a hoax or that the guy had a knockoff, internally appledoesn't tell us anything and we haven't gotten any notices or anythingabout a lost phone, much less anything stating we are making a new one. When the guy called us he gave us a vague description and couldn'tprovide pics, so like I mentioned previously, we thought it was a chinaknockoff the guy found. We wouldn't have any idea what to do with itand that's what sucks about working for apple, we're given just enoughinfo to try and help people but not enough info to do anything ifsomeone calls like this.
If the guy could have provided pictures it would have been sent toour engineers and then I'm sure we'd have gotten somewhere from there,but because we had so little to go on we pushed it off as bogus.
And seriously, what else could have happened? There is no way—not achance—that a middle-level customer service rep would have knownanything about the next iPhone. Put yourself in his theoretical shoes:
Hello, thanks for calling AppleCare
Hello. I think I have some kind of iPhone prototype, or something!
What?
Yeah, it's kinda square, and it doesn't work. I found it in a bar.
Ok! Thanks for calling.
I mean, right? And to address the obvious irony here, yes: Apple'ssecrecy about new products is legendary. And perhaps if they weren't sosecretive, the caller's message could have made it up to someone whomight've known what to do with it. It also would have helped if thecaller's (true) story didn't sound so utterly ridiculous.
[h2]Find My iPhone (Or Not)[/h2]
So why couldn't Apple track this thing down? Apple's choices at thispoint were a lot like any other iPhone owner's would have been:
• Call or text: Our sourced used the phone software for a very shorttime. He didn't check the messages or call history, but said there wasno notification box indicating a text or missed call. The phone wasfound dead in the morning, meaning that someone could have text orcalled during the night.
• Find My iPhone: But what about the phone's GPS? Apple has aconsumer product that lets you find lost phones, and shut them downremotely. It's called MobileMe. It works pretty well! Except, it'sbroken in the latest version of iPhone OS.
It's basically a given that the phone was running a test version ofApple's iPhone software, called OS 4. We've tested the software, whichwill presumably launch with the next version of the iPhone hardware, on current iPhone hardware. (For more on that, check here.)One thing we didn't notice, though, is that MobileMe's Find My iPhonefeature, which lets you find your lost phone on an online map in amatter of seconds, doesn't work in OS 4—yet. In other words, Applelikely couldn't track this phone because of a beta software bug.
• Shut it down: Another MobileMe feature that doesn't yet work withOS 4 is remote wipe, but the iPhone's Exchange Server integrationincludes its own support for remote wipe,which means that Apple would have been more than able to nuke theiPhone from afar, anyway. Evidently, that's exactly what they did.
And of course, Apple could have an entirely different trackingservice, or even a different build of the OS in which Find My iPhoneworks fine. But assuming the phone was running something resembling theiPhone OS 4 beta many people have been using for the last few weeks,the pieces fit.
[h2]Question Zero[/h2]
It's easy to piece together how this whole fiasco played out afterthe phone was lost, but the biggest mystery is why this phone left theCupertino campus in the first place. The rest of the story fits withApple's identity: regular employees weren't privy to Apple's secretproducts, so they dismissed them as a hoax; Apple's beta softwaredoesn't support one of Apple's services, so they couldn't use the onefeature that could have saved their %@@++.
The only uncharacteristic part of whole story is that Apple hademployees using top-secret hardware in the wild, amongst the masses,without so much as a simple password lock. What about Apple's storied (and absurd) internal security protocols? The leak-hunting Gestapo?Was this an unprecedented, utterly unique slip, or has everyone beengiving Apple too much credit? They're good at keeping secrets, sure,they're human.
I don't expect that mistake—Apple's mistake—to even be answered for. But you can trust that it won't happen again.
[h2]
[/h2]
Originally Posted by proper english
how many people are holding out on a new phone upgrade until June to buy this?..Apple Marketing is genius.. i bet smart phone sales are on a standstill right now.
Originally Posted by IMASOLEMAN18
$5000 for a prototype? no thanks
Originally Posted by treewing
June is just the keynote I think.
Originally Posted by hella handsome
if these were upgrades to a blackberry or HTC phone it would be getting tons of's and's
but instead, these are improvements that people have been begging for from apple, and when apple gives the people what they have been asking for, you still arent satisfied.
go sit down
what the $%@+ do you want it to have? digital cable? a !$*%%@# toaster? want it to come with a bag full of money?
hell, the phone can multitask, finally has a flash camera, front facing camera with video chat for ichat (which obviously will be apples answer to BBM... hence why ichat is only on apple products (duh...), removable battery, better battery life, new design (because everyone complained at the 3GS looking like the 3G), gamecenter which is like xbox live for iphone game apps, and a bunch of other upgrades in 4.0 firmware...
OptimusPrimeAPhiA wrote:
TacC4 wrote:
Diego wrote:
TacC4 wrote:
OptimusPrimeAPhiA wrote:
hella handsome wrote:
Mastamind89 wrote:
hella handsome wrote:
OptimusPrimeAPhiA wrote:
Jking0821 wrote:
WhIpwReCkEr wrote:
It's nice, but not spectacular. Not in love with it, but will upgrade first chance I get.
Would have liked a matte back (did I read correctly that the back is glass?) and a bigger screen. I liked the curved back of the 3G/3GS, so hopefully this one is comfortable. Screen resolution may not actually be much better if the screen is smaller. Not crazy about the volume buttons either. Like the chat cam and flash for the improved back cam.
Is this DEFINITELY the final product, and not a prototype/demo? Could be an elaborate hoax altogether, too.
Originally Posted by IMASOLEMAN18
$5000 for a prototype? no thanks
Originally Posted by IHeartBoost
The Evo 4G is the first announced and will be released phone in America to have a front facing camera. They announced this weeks ago, Apple still hasn't said %+%*, so technically HTC beat Apple to the punch.Originally Posted by philly5fan
Dude up there is right... If any blackberry or HTC would have came out with these features before this released yall would have came in and said
HTC and Blackberry>>>> iphone
Bragging about all the features and what not... but of course since apple does it first... they are just useless features that people don't care about
either way this phone is copped
Although I have a HD2, I'm not all crazy about HTC as I thought I would (crappy **! HD2), I went back to my iPhone.
[h1]Apple Didn't Leak the iPhone—and Why That Matters[/h1]
A controlled leak? The lost iPhone planted by Apple? You have no idea how Apple PR works—and how, like it or not, Gizmodo finally beat them at their own game.
The only way the iPhone 4was a controlled leak is if Apple has completely upended its PRstrategy, which is the envy of the entire business world. The only wayit could even work, presuming it were true, would be the destruction ofa decade of meticulously laid plans. It would be cashing in all themarketing chips for no clear gain; Does anyone really think the iPhone4 wouldn't have been a huge story on its own in June?
[h1]The Lives of Other Journalists[/h1]
For the better part of a decade, Apple has been the most secretiveconsumer company in the world. In an age of blogging vice-presidentsand corporate Twitter accounts, Apple communicates with all thegarrulousness of a defense contractor.
Ask journalists who have dealt with Apple PR and they'll tell youthe same story: Apple is the most annoying company to work with in thebusiness. At best, they're finicky, imposing ridiculous demands forsimple requests like borrowing test products; at worst—and mostcommonly—they just won't respond to requests.
Once you've got the ear of Apple, they're great. Human, considerate,and helpful. But make a mistake or step on their toes and they shut offyour drip. That's their system—and it works brilliantly. If you wantaccess to Apple, you can't upset them. And since nothing gets attentionlike Apple products, it behooves those in the tech enthusiast press tostay in Apple's good graces.
(It bears mentioning that Apple also will remove advertising from outlets that it is unhappy with, as they did with Gizmodo ever since we reported on Steve Jobs' health problems.Fortunately in organizations with a clear wall between edit andadvertising—not perfect at Gawker, but as good or better as any otheroutlet I've ever worked for—it isn't a concern for the writing staff.)
[h1]Access Journalism Isn't[/h1]
The very reason this works for Apple is their legendary secrecy. Bykeeping their communication channels completely closed, they haveleverage over those to whom they give access. I certainly don't thinkit's enough leverage to guarantee a positive review of a product butit's impossible to argue that "access journalism" has anything but adeleterious effect on the objectivity of journalists.
Journalists will often freak out if you point this out because youare implying they are ethically or psychologically compromised. Tough@+$$. As someone who also gets sneak previews from gadget companies andfree gear to test, even if temporarily, I have to cop to it, too. We doour best not to let it influence us, but to deny there is any influenceat all is disingenuous.
Access journalism doesn't automatically corrupt the coverage, but it's certainly not free from poison, either.
So why would Apple trade this power away by leaking a prototype phone to Gizmodo?Why would it take a decade of careful grooming of the media and throwit away? And what advantage would it serve? I can't conceive of asingle advantage that would come to Apple that isn't an inherentbenefit of the system they already have—or had—in place.
[h1]Leak as Distraction[/h1]
There had been some that questioned why we ran our story on the sameday the HTC Incredible reviews hit the stream. Here's why: Because itwas a Monday. Good news day. If you really think Apple cares so muchabout mucking with the release of yet another Android phone that they'dscrew up an iPhone launch you've got a out-of-kilter conception ofApple's fear of Google.
The iPhone is Apple's core product. It's their baby. Why would they leak it to a relatively niche site like Gizmodo? (The best argument for this is simply that of all the tech sites out there, Gizmodo, part of the Gawker tabloid empire, would be the most likely to actually run the story.)
[h1]Follow the Money[/h1]
What business advantage would leaking early give Apple? Itdisinclines customers from buying new iPhones or perhaps even newiPads. I know I'm considering selling my iPad now that I know the nextmodel will surely have a front-facing videocamera.
There is some suspicion that Apple has fed stories to media outlets in the past, like when the Wall Street Journalfloated the story about the iPad's cost being "at about $1,000". (Noone I've ever spoken to at WSJ has ever confirmed that to be true, butthey don't tell me much.) That made some sense, as it set the stage forthe real price, which seemed "surprisingly" low.
[h1]Sacrificing Gray Powell[/h1]
While the outing of Apple engineer Gray Powell was inevitable—hisname was going to come out anyway, and there is a real if slight chancethat foisting him into the public eye might help him keep his job atApple—I think the way we did it was incredibly tacky. I've said mypiece to my co-workers, but I bring it up here because it's importantfor another reason.
Do you really think Apple would hang one of its engineers out to drylike this? Gray Powell is a real person—hell, he's just a kid—who willnow spend the rest of his life or at least the foreseeable future ofhis career living down one of the biggest gaffes in tech history. Applemay be cruel, but I don't think they're that evil.
[h1]Why It's Important This Wasn't a Leak[/h1]
As far as I can see it, the only antidote to access journalism is tobe as ruthless in controlling the story as Apple and other technologycompanies attempt to be. There's no need to drape this in the flags ofjournalism and freedom—it's not Watergate—but it's as close as you'regoing to get in the enthusiast press.
If you think that Gizmodo shouldn't have shown you theiPhone before Apple wanted you to see it, you're accepting that Appleshould be the one to control news about its products. That's not anirrational position, but let's be honest about what it means. You can'taccuse Gizmodo and the tech press of only being shills for companies then pillory us when we break the cycle.
Presuming this was a leak is limp thinking. Worse, it hands back thecontrol of the story to Apple because some are more comfortablebelieving Apple's machinations are infallible than that they're acompany made up of human beings who try to control the news cycle—andthat even the best laid plan can fall apart because of a single humanmistake.
Giz is so gully about this...
yeah. dude needs a hug. maybe he should fap once or twice tooOriginally Posted by DownyBoy
TacC4- get a life, bro.
Originally Posted by TacC4
Originally Posted by hella handsome
if these were upgrades to a blackberry or HTC phone it would be getting tons of's and's
but instead, these are improvements that people have been begging for from apple, and when apple gives the people what they have been asking for, you still arent satisfied.
go sit down
what the $%@+ do you want it to have? digital cable? a !$*%%@# toaster? want it to come with a bag full of money?
hell, the phone can multitask, finally has a flash camera, front facing camera with video chat for ichat (which obviously will be apples answer to BBM... hence why ichat is only on apple products (duh...), removable battery, better battery life, new design (because everyone complained at the 3GS looking like the 3G), gamecenter which is like xbox live for iphone game apps, and a bunch of other upgrades in 4.0 firmware...
if these were upgrades for a blackberry or htc, the year would be 2008.
the incredible has an 8megapixel camera w/flash, snapdragon processor, secondary mic (word to zach morris' motorola) and i don't know/care if it has split/metallic/diamond encrusted volume buttons. so tell me this, where is the 30 page thread about the incredible?
your argument is that this phone addresses all the complaints about previous releases, so we should love it. problem is, these features are just new to the iphone, not new to phones. apple is supposed to be the greatest, how is it unfair to expect them to do something innovative? all i see in this thread is "copped" and "" but none of you guys give a damn about what the phone actually does or how well it operates. i want to see a phone from each of the top 5 or 6 manufacturers on paper so we can look @them all side-by-side. assuming you guys didn't already memorize the iphone's features, i guarantee you'd be thirsting over a nexus one, evo or incredible. bottom line is you guys like the iphone because it comes w/a little apple on the back of the phone. that's it. no more. no less. its not the network. its not the features. its not the hardware. don't tell me it compliments your apple library really well b/c that's a pathetic reason to buy a phone.
OptimusPrimeAPhiA wrote:
TacC4 wrote:
Diego wrote:
TacC4 wrote:
OptimusPrimeAPhiA wrote:
hella handsome wrote:
Mastamind89 wrote:
hella handsome wrote:
OptimusPrimeAPhiA wrote:
Jking0821 wrote:
WhIpwReCkEr wrote:
It's nice, but not spectacular. Not in love with it, but will upgrade first chance I get.
Would have liked a matte back (did I read correctly that the back is glass?) and a bigger screen. I liked the curved back of the 3G/3GS, so hopefully this one is comfortable. Screen resolution may not actually be much better if the screen is smaller. Not crazy about the volume buttons either. Like the chat cam and flash for the improved back cam.
Is this DEFINITELY the final product, and not a prototype/demo? Could be an elaborate hoax altogether, too.
Originally Posted by Man E
When will people ever learn that the iPhone is the best phone.
When will people learn that Apple "fan-boys" have a valid reason to be fan-boys.
Why is it that in every Apple thread all the HTC and whatever iPhone wannabe phone owners come out like roaches and try to compare their phone to the iPhone?
Like everything else in life, people envy and hate on the best, so keep it coming.
Truth.Originally Posted by MusicalExcellence
what makes it the best tho? the fact that u cant view flash?
Originally Posted by eg0t
Truth.Originally Posted by MusicalExcellence
what makes it the best tho? the fact that u cant view flash?
Originally Posted by LimitedRetroOG
Man E said:When will people ever learn that the iPhone is the best phone.
When will people learn that Apple "fan-boys" have a valid reason to be fan-boys.
Why is it that in every Apple thread all the HTC and whatever iPhone wannabe phone owners come out like roaches and try to compare their phone to the iPhone?
Like everything else in life, people envy and hate on the best, so keep it coming.
You are by far the biggest Steve Jobs slobber I've ever had the misfortune to witness.
One Termination fee
Nexus One users who finally got around to reading the fine print were dismayed to discover not one, but two Early Termination Fees. Customers who buy a subsidized Nexus One through their carriers, then subsequently cancel their accounts, have to pay an ETF to the carrier, and an ETF to Google that "automatically charges your credit card the remainder of full price of the phone," writes Phandroid. Google's ETF costs around $350 for users who cancel within the first 120 days. iPhone users are tethered to AT&T, but they don't owe Apple money if they quit their plans early.
Better Touch Screen
A side-by-side comparison of the iPhone, Droid, and Nexus One in a recent touchscreen test revealed that the iPhone, hands down, has the most accurate and responsive touchscreen of the three phones. (see Moto's touchscreen test for yourself.) Daily Mail also notes that dozens of users have "reported glitches with the hi-tech touchscreen where touching one button on the screen would activate a totally unrelated function." The iPhone also boasts multi-touch, which allows users to zoom in and out by 'pinching' the screen.
Superior Customer Service
Nexus One users have lambasted Google for what they view as inadequate customer support. Google does not provide phone-based assistance, and instead users experiencing difficulty with the phone must email Google with questions--and oftentimes wait up to three days to hear a reply. By contrast, iPhone users are able to take advantage of Apple's ace help centers--online, over the phone, or in-person at the Genius Bar at Apple stores. Consumer Reports rated Apple's help the "best technical support in the PC industry."
More Apps
Apple's iTunes store offers iPhone users about 127,600 different. Although it's growing, the Nexus One's app store, the Android Market, only offers about 16,000 apps. Google Apps, such as Gmail, tend to work better on Nexus One than on the iPhone, but TechCrunch notes in a review of the Google Phone that "iPhone apps, as a whole, are much, much better than Android
More Memory
For the time being, the iPhone offers greater storage capacity for apps. Depending on the model, the iPhone comes with 16GB or 32GB of memory. The Nexus One comes with a 4GB memory card, and while users can shell out for a larger memory card (up to 32GB), even then, the Nexus One allots only 190MB of memory to store apps.
Or do you own a Blackberry
Nearly 40% of BlackBerry owners said they "definitely or probably" would switch to an iPhone, according to the study from Crowd Science. Another third said they would switch to an Android phone by Google.
In fairness to RIM, the number of people who say they're switching is far more than the number who actually do. Still, the responses don't look good for RIM, especially compared with the loyalty from iPhone users (of whom 92% say they'll stay with theirs).
You don't get this kind of market-share with a 2nd tier phone
According to its fourth quarter report on mobile web usage, AdWeb says that the iPhone was responsible for 54% of all mobile web traffic in North America for the three month period. Apple's touchscreen delight also accounted for 56% of mobile internet use in Latin America, and 78% and 51% for Western and Eastern Europe respectively. In Oceania, which includes New Zealand and Australia, 92% of mobile internet use is from the iPhone. The Symbian OS remains the leader in Africa and Asia. In those locations, the iPhone is second with an 8% and 27% share. Throughout most of the world, the Symbian OS follows the iPhone in second place except for the United States. In the U.S., Symbian's share is very small and the Android OS is second with 27% of mobile web use.
In North America, the iPhone and iPod Touch were numbers one and two in usage during December with the Motorola DROID a hard charging third for all devices-second in the smartphone category. Some might consider that an amazing achievement considering that the DROID has been out only since the first week in November. Other smartphones in top ten internet usage for December (in North America) include the HTC Dream and Hero in 3rd and 4th. In 5th place was the BlackBerry 8300 Curve, followed by the Motorola Cliq, HTC Magic and the Palm Pre. The HTC DROID Eris was 9th and the Samsung Moment rounds out the top ten.
Your go
Originally Posted by Man E