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It's official - Apple iPhone + Cingular

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Old 01-11-2007, 02:32 PM
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It figures,I just upgraded my phone from the Razr to the SE W810i. I want to see the reviews 1st on the iPhone.Cingular has been fine for me in my area,no complaints at all.
Old 01-11-2007, 02:34 PM
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^ iPhone isn't out for 6 months, and w810i should hold its value fairly well so you can sell it on eBay for a couple bucks.
Old 01-11-2007, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by BEETROOT
Let me just throw out that the iPhone is no more expensive than a Treo ($600-700), Blackberry ($500), or even a Blackjack ($500).

Its not any more expensive than similar products on the market.
not only are these non-contract prices, but what is the primary purpose of these devices?

these devices, contract price or full price, are supported more by companies than by personal consumers. Sure, there are people who buy these devices for personal use, but i bet that at least 80% of these devices are purchased and subsidized through someone's employer or business and has NOTHING to do with employee preference.

A device that costs $500-600 without a contract is big bucks, and neither Palm, Blackberry, or any other PDA/Phone producer would survive on private consumers alone. They REQUIRE corporate support to survive at these price levels.

A device that costs $500-600 WITH a contract is in an even worse scenario. And I don't think there will be many companies that will spend the money to shift to "Iphones" for the media capabilities or because it "looks cool". When was the last time a company switched to all Macs because that's what the employee wanted?
Old 01-11-2007, 02:48 PM
  #124  
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I already said I was wrong about the prices, I thought that was the non contract price. Again, my bad.

When was the last time a company switched to all Macs because that's what the employee wanted?
Lots of companies use all Macs

but ok, we get your point, you don't think the iPhone is going to sell. I couldn't disagree more strongly. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Old 01-11-2007, 03:10 PM
  #125  
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Originally Posted by mrdeeno
And I don't think there will be many companies that will spend the money to shift to "Iphones" for the media capabilities or because it "looks cool". When was the last time a company switched to all Macs because that's what the employee wanted?
I agree with you 100% on that. The iPhone will not be purchased by large companies. For not only the reasons you mentioned but because Apple is not trying to sell it to companies. They already flat out refused corporate discount programs.

And large companies who buy phones for their employees, like you said, aren't on Mac's anyway. There's no incentive for them to use the iPhone above something with, say, Windows Mobile.

That said.

Apple is aiming for only 1% of the mobile phone market. Apple is aiming for merely 10 million sales.

They will have no problem finding 10 million consumers to pony up $599. Shit, I'd be surprised if they couldn't find 5 million people in Manhattan alone to pony up $599 for no other reason then to look cool before getting mugged on the subway.
Old 01-11-2007, 03:11 PM
  #126  
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Originally Posted by BEETROOT
I already said I was wrong about the prices, I thought that was the non contract price. Again, my bad.



Lots of companies use all Macs

but ok, we get your point, you don't think the iPhone is going to sell. I couldn't disagree more strongly. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
My argument isn't that companies don't use Macs, my argument is that the vast MAJORITY don't use macs, and this vast majority isn't going to change, whether one can argue superiority or not.

And this also applies to PDA's. the vast MAJORITY of companies use Treos or Blackberries. And this vast majority of these companies aren't going to change to a more expensive product because it's better at playing music and looks cool.

Do i think it won't sell? No, it'll sell ok, but I don't see mass adoption like some here are predicting, especially at these prices. No matter how good it may or may not be, it's not "revolutionary" enough to be asking $500-600 from consumers. $200 and this thing will sell like hotcakes, but I doubt it seeing that Cisco will end up getting a bigger chunk when Apple finally agrees to pay them more for use of the iphone trademark.
Old 01-11-2007, 03:15 PM
  #127  
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Originally Posted by mrdeeno
My argument isn't that companies don't use Macs, my argument is that the vast MAJORITY don't use macs, and this vast majority isn't going to change, whether one can argue superiority or not.

And this also applies to PDA's. the vast MAJORITY of companies use Treos or Blackberries. And this vast majority of these companies aren't going to change to a more expensive product because it's better at playing music and looks cool.

Do i think it won't sell? No, it'll sell ok, but I don't see mass adoption like some here are predicting, especially at these prices. No matter how good it may or may not be, it's not "revolutionary" enough to be asking $500-600 from consumers. $200 and this thing will sell like hotcakes, but I doubt it seeing that Cisco will end up getting a bigger chunk when Apple finally agrees to pay them more for use of the iphone trademark.
i just said this in the last post on the last page, but in case it was missed... were not talking about MASS adoption.

we & Apple are talking about 10 million units per year. it's well beyond realistic. they'll probably do 100x that, especially once it's available outside the U.S.
Old 01-11-2007, 03:24 PM
  #128  
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Like Soopa said, Apple isn't trying to replace the Treo or the Blackberry.

You seem to be really hung up on this price thing... yeah its expensive but its not out of this world expensive. An Apple computer isn't 'revolutionary', yet they fly off the shelves, even when a comparably equipped Dell costs half the price.

In my opinion, Apple products are top of the line. My iMac blows away my Dimension. My Macbook is leaps and bounds better than my Dell 700m was, or either the Toshiba or the Lenovo in my household. My iPod's are better than any of the other various mp3 players sitting unused in my desk drawer.

Based on this 'track record', I am assuming Apple will continue to produce a product at this level of quality. Yes, I will want to mess with the phone first, but I think it is reasonable to assume that the iPhone will do what it is designed to do very well. If Bentley decided to build a golf cart, isn't it safe to assume its going to be high quality?

Anyway my whole point is that people like myself are willing to pay for quality. If it is $500, $600, $800, so be it. Are we sheep? To a degree... but everything else out there sucks, and you have to pay to play.

Last edited by BEETROOT; 01-11-2007 at 03:27 PM.
Old 01-11-2007, 03:26 PM
  #129  
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Originally Posted by soopa

we & Apple are talking about 10 million units per year. it's well beyond realistic. they'll probably do 100x that, especially once it's available outside the U.S.
1 billion iPhones
Old 01-11-2007, 03:43 PM
  #130  
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I haven't read the whole thread but I AM SO FRICKIN' EXCITED ABOUT THIS!! especially snce im about to drop nextel. I don't know how many times i watched that video on YouTube and finally they come out with one.
Old 01-11-2007, 03:50 PM
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Originally Posted by soopa
i just said this in the last post on the last page, but in case it was missed... were not talking about MASS adoption.

we & Apple are talking about 10 million units per year. it's well beyond realistic. they'll probably do 100x that, especially once it's available outside the U.S.
10x is doable but hard to believe(at 500-600 a pop that is), but 100x at their price point, I'll have to see it to believe it, because I don't think apple has even sold that many Ipods, macs, newtons combined.
Old 01-11-2007, 04:01 PM
  #132  
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Originally Posted by AQUI NO!
10x is doable but hard to believe(at 500-600 a pop that is), but 100x at their price point, I'll have to see it to believe it, because I don't think apple has even sold that many Ipods, macs, newtons combined.
wasn't meant to be taken literally.

the idea is, they'll probably outsell their goals, as they usually do. and with a goal of 10 million per year, it's not hard to see them exceed that goal exponentially. 1 billion a year? nah. 100 million a year? maybe. 50 million in 2008? probably.
Old 01-11-2007, 04:02 PM
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btw, like with the iPod, the biggest money maker will not be the iPhone, it'll be all the accessories for it.

the iPhone will be the grown-up version of the American Girl doll
Old 01-11-2007, 04:07 PM
  #134  
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Originally Posted by soopa
wasn't meant to be taken literally.

the idea is, they'll probably outsell their goals, as they usually do. and with a goal of 10 million per year, it's not hard to see them exceed that goal exponentially. 1 billion a year? nah. 100 million a year? maybe. 50 million in 2008? probably.
I don't know soopa, even at 50 million it seems like wishful thinking, specially since apple hasn't even sold 50 million ipods in a single year yet, but they are projected to exceed that number by 2008 and how many years has that taken?

Last edited by AQUI NO!; 01-11-2007 at 04:12 PM.
Old 01-11-2007, 04:11 PM
  #135  
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Iphone

Not sure if this is a repost. But a feature on the Iphone from CBS...i think RIM's days are numbered if this is a success:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YgW7or1TuFk
Old 01-11-2007, 04:31 PM
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Originally Posted by BEETROOT
You hit the nail on the head. I don't want to carry a seperate phone, mp3 player, and a PDA, but it would be nice to have that functionality. So far there isn't anything on the market that does all three properly.
I cut the PDA a long time ago..its still a hassle unplugging the iPod for the car, phone from the charger and random other stuff im grabbing as getting out the car..regardless...it'll be mine. Haven't regreted an Apple purchase yet. I work on them at work and home and still do get enough of them.
Old 01-11-2007, 04:44 PM
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The real competition...
Old 01-11-2007, 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by AQUI NO!
I don't know soopa, even at 50 million it seems like wishful thinking, specially since apple hasn't even sold 50 million ipods in a single year yet, but they are projected to exceed that number by 2008 and how many years has that taken?
of course its wishful thinking.

however. the iPod is not a good comparison.

if it were, we could expect the iPhone to sell WAY WAY WAY more then 50 million.

Think about it...

I'm not sure how many units the iPod sold in 2006 (i don't think we'll know until the end of Q1 07), but I know they sold about 30 million in 2005. So lets assume they broke 2005's sales and the sold a total of 40 million iPods in 2006 (that's probably conservative).

That means Apple was responsible for about 30% of the the total MP3 player market of 135 million units in 2006.

The mobile phone market is seven times the size of the MP3 market.

If Apple could acheive the same level of saturation with the iPhone as the iPod that means they'd be selling nearly 290 MILLION units per year.



That's crazy.

But is it so crazy to think Apple could sell 50 million (ok maybe not in 2008, but 2009) iPhone's? If the mobile phone market didn't grow at all, that would still only be about 5% of the total market.

I think Apple could steal 5% of the market. That's less market share then ANY other name-brand mobile phone manufacturer.

In reality, they wouldn't even need to. hit 5% to sell 50 million in 2009.

2006 broke all sales forecasts. If the trend continues, we may see as many as 1.5 BILLION phones sold worldwide in 2009.

Is it crazy to think Apple could have as little as 3.5% of that? 3.5% of the worlds largest consumer electronics market? Would less then HALF the market share of LG (the smallest of the name brands) be such a lofty goal? Maybe it's not so wishful after all.
Old 01-11-2007, 04:47 PM
  #139  
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The funny thing with all of this is that what Apple considers as "reinventing" the phone is nothing new really. By Japanese standards it's yesterday's news. With the small selection we have here in the states we don't get to see all the great phones that are available in Japan (unless you buy an unlocked phone and use it over here). Even still, this doesn't mean the iPhone is going to be any good. I'm sure it will sell, I just wished consumers weren't so brainwashed into thinking it's cutting edge when it isn't.

Also to note, the battery life on these things ARE going to suck. Imagine taking it on a long flight to listen to music and watch video. by the time you land you'll be close to a dead battery if not already dead. And from what I've read the battery isn't replaceable so you can't just swap it out for a charged battery.

Add to it that it's only available through Cingular. People aren't going to drop their contracts just to switch phones. Especially one that is so expensive. My PDA phone was cheaper by $300 and it can already play MP3s and video. Also what about those that hate cingular. They haven't had the best rep in the past when it comes to Customer Service and due to that many of walked away from them, including myself.

Apple has always touted their stuff is user friendly and for the benefit of the consumer. Releasing a phone that is only accessible for one phone network is contradictory to what I feel their goals have been. I think they just wanted to have something on the market to add to their touting list that "oh look what ELSE we can do now".

Just my , I guess we'll really see when it hits the market.

I don't think it's anything special though.
Old 01-11-2007, 04:50 PM
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Oh, and btw, IF the iPhone is as popular as the iPod is now in 2009, Apple will sell almost HALF A BILLION units that year.

So yea, the iPhone/iPod comparison is not a good one... and 50 million units in 2009 is not at all crazy. Just a small piece of the pie. The smallest piece, actually.
Old 01-11-2007, 05:08 PM
  #141  
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Originally Posted by Sly Raskal
The funny thing with all of this is that what Apple considers as "reinventing" the phone is nothing new really. By Japanese standards it's yesterday's news. With the small selection we have here in the states we don't get to see all the great phones that are available in Japan (unless you buy an unlocked phone and use it over here). Even still, this doesn't mean the iPhone is going to be any good. I'm sure it will sell, I just wished consumers weren't so brainwashed into thinking it's cutting edge when it isn't.

Also to note, the battery life on these things ARE going to suck. Imagine taking it on a long flight to listen to music and watch video. by the time you land you'll be close to a dead battery if not already dead. And from what I've read the battery isn't replaceable so you can't just swap it out for a charged battery.

Add to it that it's only available through Cingular. People aren't going to drop their contracts just to switch phones. Especially one that is so expensive. My PDA phone was cheaper by $300 and it can already play MP3s and video. Also what about those that hate cingular. They haven't had the best rep in the past when it comes to Customer Service and due to that many of walked away from them, including myself.

Apple has always touted their stuff is user friendly and for the benefit of the consumer. Releasing a phone that is only accessible for one phone network is contradictory to what I feel their goals have been. I think they just wanted to have something on the market to add to their touting list that "oh look what ELSE we can do now".

Just my , I guess we'll really see when it hits the market.

I don't think it's anything special though.
I don't agree with you on the "by japanese standards" point, but I do agree on the Cingular-only being not so Apple-ish.

Let me explain.

Part 1:
The iPhone IS cutting edge. There is NOTHING which provides a similar interactive experience or a similar GUI on the planet.

The "cutting edge" thing about it is it's simplicity.

It's just like "Web 2.0". Web 2.0 is the new hot cutting-edge thing. But all Web 2.0 is is simplicity. Remove the crud and over complexity from Web 1.0, add a dash of interaction improvement (Ajax), and you have Web 2.0.

Apple is bringing Web 2.0 into the mobile phone world. Multi-touch looks to be to mobile phones what Ajax is to Web 2.0. the iPhone is Mobile 2.0.

I was at "Samsung World" in the TimeWarner center a couple weeks ago. They have EVERY PHONE they make there. Every Japanese, Korean, and European phone. Even some of their "future phones". You can pick them up and play with them all. There's some REALLY REALLY cool stuff. There's nothing like the iPhone.

Find me a phone that provides an interaction experience like the iPhone. Find me a phone with the GUI simplicity that is Apple's trademark. Find me a phone that pay's any attention to something as CRUCIAL, yet often overlooked, as typography.

Everything is not about functionality alone. The ability to do everything and anything is not what Apple is known for. The ability to provide a way of doing things easier is what Apple is known for.

That's part of what makes Apple products revolutionary, time and time again.


Part 2:
Yep, going Cingular only is so not Apple-ish. The Apple way would have been to sell the iPhone as flat-priced hardware only through the Apple Store.

OR, at the very least, Apple should have become an MVNO. Providing their own services, contracts, and support on top of some random providers network (like Virgin Mobile or Helio).

BUT, the realities of the American mobile phone business, and the features Apple wished to provide (call merging, visual voicemail, etc) prevented these options.

They couldn't go it alone, hardware only, because Apple wanted to make changes to the way the network worked.

They couldn't create their own network, for obvious reasons.

And they probably couldn't find a network that would allow an MVNO like Apple to have the freedoms they wanted to have on the network.

The situation is no more ideal for Apple then it is for the consumer. It's not a perfect scenario. I agree.

That said, given no other choice then to get in bed with an established network, *I* feel like Cingular was the best choice. I would have been disappointed were it anyone else. That of course is just personal opinion and based off personal experience. Experiences that are very localized and wildly different from region to region.


Like I've said though, this gets their foot in the door. They've a device which, once you use it, you'll want to have. I'm sure of. And, IMHO, they've a "service" which is the lesser of all the evils.

Give them some time to become a player in the market, some time to have some pull, and you'll see changes.
Old 01-11-2007, 05:14 PM
  #142  
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i dont think the price is a big issue. The same people, like I, who spend 2200 plus on a Powerbook/MacbookPro would spend it on the iPhone. I dont know how many people eyes pop out their head when they hear how much i paid for my laptop and say i got a dell for $400...different market.

Also the same people who buy those phones on ebay months before the come out will spend it

Those who spend $350 on exclusive NikeSB's would..

..and if you could sell your nano and cut the price of the phone nearly in half.
I would still keep mine iPod because I have over 20 Gigs on mp3's and I wouldn't even want to think of putting all that on the phone...only the latest and greatest...everything else can wait til i get back home...

they will definitely surpass their current goal
Old 01-11-2007, 05:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Black Tire
Not sure if this is a repost. But a feature on the Iphone from CBS...i think RIM's days are numbered if this is a success:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YgW7or1TuFk
here's another great video that demonstrates just how revolutionary the user experience of the iPhone is.

really, watch all these videos people are posting before you make up your mind about this thing.

there's nothing else like it.


note: by revolutionary i mean "radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc.". i don't mean it's for everyone, needed by everyone, or will be understood by everyone.

i consider OSX a revolutionary product. yet, most the world still uses Windows. most don't "get it", and most never will until they've had the opportunity to really live with it.

the iPhone is OSX. OSX is the iPhone. the revolution is OSX, the iPhone is revolutionary.
Old 01-11-2007, 05:20 PM
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I hadn't given the GUI proper credit, and you are correct. The GUI, just like on the iPod are great. Simple yet effective.

Hopefully in time they will be able to offer iPhones that can work on multiple networks so people can go to an Apple store, buy an iPhone that is meant for their network and voila they are in business. When that happens I would [possibly] consider it when I need to change phones.

The funny thing is, apple is now in competition with themselves. they could very likely see a drop in iPod sales IF people jump on the iPhone instead of buying the iPod. Personally, I don't see it making sense for people to want to own both. Unless they keep one in their car to play through their stereo all the time, but with an "i" interface, why not make the iPhone car capable as well.
Old 01-11-2007, 05:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Sly Raskal
I hadn't given the GUI proper credit, and you are correct. The GUI, just like on the iPod are great. Simple yet effective.

Hopefully in time they will be able to offer iPhones that can work on multiple networks so people can go to an Apple store, buy an iPhone that is meant for their network and voila they are in business. When that happens I would [possibly] consider it when I need to change phones.

The funny thing is, apple is now in competition with themselves. they could very likely see a drop in iPod sales IF people jump on the iPhone instead of buying the iPod. Personally, I don't see it making sense for people to want to own both. Unless they keep one in their car to play through their stereo all the time, but with an "i" interface, why not make the iPhone car capable as well.
by June, by the WWDConference, you'll probably see a change in the iPod product strategy to reflect the iPhone.
Old 01-11-2007, 05:35 PM
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I would love to get myself a iPhone but...

I dropped my Sony Ericsson many times and it didn't crack or die.

The iPhone looks very flimsy like the original iPod Nano.
It doesn't seem to be able to take the beating...
Old 01-11-2007, 05:36 PM
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Originally Posted by soopa
of course its wishful thinking.

however. the iPod is not a good comparison.

if it were, we could expect the iPhone to sell WAY WAY WAY more then 50 million.

Think about it...

I'm not sure how many units the iPod sold in 2006 (i don't think we'll know until the end of Q1 07), but I know they sold about 30 million in 2005. So lets assume they broke 2005's sales and the sold a total of 40 million iPods in 2006 (that's probably conservative).

That means Apple was responsible for about 30% of the the total MP3 player market of 135 million units in 2006.

The mobile phone market is seven times the size of the MP3 market.

If Apple could acheive the same level of saturation with the iPhone as the iPod that means they'd be selling nearly 290 MILLION units per year.



That's crazy.

But is it so crazy to think Apple could sell 50 million (ok maybe not in 2008, but 2009) iPhone's? If the mobile phone market didn't grow at all, that would still only be about 5% of the total market.

I think Apple could steal 5% of the market. That's less market share then ANY other name-brand mobile phone manufacturer.

In reality, they wouldn't even need to. hit 5% to sell 50 million in 2009.

2006 broke all sales forecasts. If the trend continues, we may see as many as 1.5 BILLION phones sold worldwide in 2009.

Is it crazy to think Apple could have as little as 3.5% of that? 3.5% of the worlds largest consumer electronics market? Would less then HALF the market share of LG (the smallest of the name brands) be such a lofty goal? Maybe it's not so wishful after all.
On the contrary I think it is good example but far from perfect. here where I'm coming from: The ipod is the must have mp3 device, it's price point it's from 100-400, it's the market leader in their niche, but has not been able to sell more than 50 million units now that other companies have entered the market. Now the phone market is much more competitive, all the players are well established and have varied product lines and apple is entering as niche player, concentrating on the ultra premium segment. Out of those 1.5 billion phones how many phones do you think were in the 500-600 range? i bet that no more than 15%. So what you are telling me is that apple is going to take 1/3 of that niche without a fight?

It's a hard sell at their price point. if he really wanted to sell 50 million units all he had to do was price the iphone at around $300-400? At that price point even I would have a hard time not picking one up, even if it wasn't 3g and it didn't have ms exchange support. Of course the high price is also probably a result of not being able to build a high number of units on the first year. So yes, I find hard to believe that apple can sell 50 million iphones at 500-600 a pop, but would have no problem reaching that goal at a lower price point. Will just have to agree to disagree and wait for time to tell what steve jobs has in mind
Th
Old 01-11-2007, 06:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Black Tire
Not sure if this is a repost. But a feature on the Iphone from CBS...i think RIM's days are numbered if this is a success:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YgW7or1TuFk
speaking of "baseless assumptions"...

Unless companies using blackberries are going to drop their PDA-centric devices because they want better media players that also function as a PDA and phone and looks really cool, why would RIM's days be numbered?

Last edited by mrdeeno; 01-11-2007 at 06:29 PM.
Old 01-11-2007, 07:01 PM
  #149  
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They changed their name from Apple Computer, Inc. To Apple Inc.

Do you think The Beetles (Apple Corps.) will let Steve Jobs get away with that?
Old 01-11-2007, 08:06 PM
  #150  
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Originally Posted by bz268
They changed their name from Apple Computer, Inc. To Apple Inc.

Do you think The Beetles (Apple Corps.) will let Steve Jobs get away with that?
they already lost the last lawsuit, and now they appear to have some sort of U2-like deal with Apple, so i'm assuming the beetles are finally over it.
Old 01-11-2007, 08:32 PM
  #151  
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499/599.00 + 2 year commitment = bust. This means the handset retails around 800 given that the average subsidy per year of commitment is 100.
Old 01-11-2007, 08:53 PM
  #152  
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random thoughts...

I just got done watching the entire nearly 2 hour key note intro to the iPhone from the Apple site. That device is simply sensational!! As revolutionary a product as I have ever scene in terms of amount of goodies, and absolute ease of use.
The scroll feature, conference calling, real web capabilities(not the baby watered down shit on everything else) and all around ease of use with the touch screen is enough to have me sold.

I have never purchase an Apple product in my life

I believe that Macs and Ipods are gorgeous and the best in their respective fields

So in one step I will be getting an iPod, video, email and web, cool phone, and a 2 mega pixel camera all in one. sign me up

I know that Apple will destroy their projected target of 10 million(1% market). Steve Jobs could hardly contain himself when he spoke of this, he had a smirk like of course this projection is so pathetically low its laughable
Old 01-11-2007, 10:04 PM
  #153  
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ok, i just got done with 2 days of answering "will sprint be getting the i-phone?" the answer is NO. but it's a cool device so I'll be getting one for sure.
Old 01-11-2007, 10:09 PM
  #154  
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Originally Posted by kensteele
ok, i just got done with 2 days of answering "will sprint be getting the i-phone?" the answer is NO. but it's a cool device so I'll be getting one for sure.
that's blasphemy! you're gonna have to play if you walk into the sprint office with an iPhone.

side note, any new news on if they will merge the networks? I've only heard of them coming out with hybrid phones. (that is all)

the reception on my 6700 sucks. the features are great though.
Old 01-12-2007, 01:47 AM
  #155  
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Originally Posted by kensteele
ok, i just got done with 2 days of answering "will sprint be getting the i-phone?" the answer is NO. but it's a cool device so I'll be getting one for sure.

Steve Jobs said that the next version would use 3G network. That meant the iPhone would be on another network other than Cingular.
Old 01-12-2007, 08:55 AM
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on to the next one...
 
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Originally Posted by bz268
Steve Jobs said that the next version would use 3G network. That meant the iPhone would be on another network other than Cingular.
How do you deduct that? Cing already offers a number of 3G phones...
Old 01-12-2007, 09:26 AM
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Any chance of unlocking this bish and using it with T-mobile? I am sure someone will find a way.
Old 01-12-2007, 09:35 AM
  #158  
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Originally Posted by bgsm1th
How do you deduct that? Cing already offers a number of 3G phones...
I think he's confused
Old 01-12-2007, 12:00 PM
  #159  
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It's official, there will be no third party support for the iphone.
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36919

I do love this quote from the article though, draw your own conclusions.

"While many outfits like to pretend that they emphasis user freedom, Jobs tells the Times categorically that he will define everything that is on the phone and not those pesky customers.
Interestingly enough, he said that this lack of user control was taken from the iPod concept and is probably the first time that Jobs has admitted that he insists his users do as they are told. Fortunately for him they do.

I guess papa Jobs knows best

Last edited by AQUI NO!; 01-12-2007 at 12:02 PM.
Old 01-12-2007, 01:06 PM
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http://blogs.cisco.com/news/2007/01/...ne_tradem.html

UPDATE on Cisco's iPhone Trademark
Commentary from Mark Chandler, Cisco's SVP and General Counsel, on Apple's infringement of Cisco's iPhone trademark.
Today’s announcement from Cisco regarding our suit with Apple over our iPhone trademark has spurred a lot of interesting questions. Most importantly, this is not a suit against Apple’s innovation, their modern design, or their cool phone. It is not a suit about money or royalties. This is a suit about trademark infringement.

Cisco owns the iPhone trademark. We have since 2000, when we bought a company called Infogear Technology, which had developed a product that combined web access and telephone. Infogear’s registrations for the mark date to 1996, before iMacs and iPods were even glimmers in Apple’s eye. We shipped and/or supported that iPhone product for years. We have been shipping new, updated iPhone products since last spring, and had a formal launch late last year. Apple knows this; they approached us about the iPhone trademark as far back as 2001, and have approached us several times over the past year.

For the last few weeks, we have been in serious discussions with Apple over how the two companies could work together and share the iPhone trademark. We genuinely believed that we were going to be able to reach an agreement and Apple’s communications with us suggested they supported that goal. We negotiated in good faith with every intention to reach a reasonable agreement with Apple by which we would share the iPhone brand.

So, I was surprised and disappointed when Apple decided to go ahead and announce their new product with our trademarked name without reaching an agreement. It was essentially the equivalent of “we’re too busy.” Despite being very close to an agreement, we had no substantive communication from Apple after 8pm Monday, including after their launch, when we made clear we expected closure. What were the issues at the table that kept us from an agreement? Was it money? No. Was it a royalty on every Apple phone? No. Was it an exchange for Cisco products or services? No.

Fundamentally we wanted an open approach. We hoped our products could interoperate in the future. In our view, the network provides the basis to make this happen—it provides the foundation of innovation that allows converged devices to deliver the services that consumers want. Our goal was to take that to the next level by facilitating collaboration with Apple. And we wanted to make sure to differentiate the brands in a way that could work for both companies and not confuse people, since our products combine both web access and voice telephony. That’s it. Openness and clarity.

At MacWorld, Apple discussed the patents pending on their new phone technology. They clearly seem to value intellectual property. If the tables were turned, do you think Apple would allow someone to blatantly infringe on their rights? How would Apple react if someone launched a product called iPod but claimed it was ok to use the name because it used a different video format? Would that be ok? We know the answer – Apple is a very aggressive enforcer of their trademark rights. And that needs to be a two-way street.

This lawsuit is about Cisco's obligation to protect its trademark in the face of a willful violation. Our goal was collaboration. The action we have taken today is about not using people’s property without permission.

Cisco Press Release on this issue can be viewed here: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/corp_011007.html.




Quick Reply: It's official - Apple iPhone + Cingular



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