1/10/2007
Apple’s iPhone
Apple’s Steve Jobs revealed Apple’s new iPhone. He just couldn’t help himself; at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, he unveiled the prototype. The actual phone won’t be available to consumers until June. David Pogue at the New York Times is just gushing about this phone, as are over 2,000 articles on google news about its unveiling. Wallstreet must be excited, as Apple’s stock jumped. It’s three items rolled into one, and the phone part of it is the most boring feature. It’s not only a phone, but a wide-screen iPod, and a wireless, touch-screen Internet communicator, explaining its hefty pricetag of $499 and $599 (with 4 and 8 gigs of storage). One of the main drawbacks that I can see right off the bat is that it doesn’t open MS Office documents, although it will open pdf’s.
Cisco Systems announced today they are sueing Apple over its use of the name “iPhone”, which is apparently a registered trademark since 2000 when they bought InfoGear Technology Corp, the company that originally registered the name.
Just three weeks ago Linsys, a division of Cisco, put the iPhone name to use. They released an Internet-enabled phone they called “iPhone” which uses VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol).
So it will be interesting to see how Apple resolves the issue; considering that their new phone is scheduled for release in June, and that its name “iPhone” doesn’t really do the slick little piece of technology justice for all the features it sports.
January 10th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
For more flavor on this issue please view our SVP and General Counsel Mark Chandler’s blog entry at: http://blogs.cisco.com/news/2007/01/update_on_ciscos_iphone_tradem.html
He states, in part, “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.”
January 11th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I think Apple is capitalizing on the success of it’s IPOD- and bullying around Cisco here. I have no interest in getting this phone. I have a Treo and it’s great.
I ditched my IPOD– well ok, I broke it and never replaced it…Instead I got a Zen, which is a far superior product in many ways. Even my daughters don’t use I POD anymore…because of battery problems and hassles. Maybe the trendy Apple products will soon meet their time.
January 11th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
That guy from the NYT was drooling over the thing…if you can sexualize an inanimate object, he was doing it.
January 11th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
LOL Cao — is this the “new age” of “phone sex”?
January 11th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
If it runs Mac OS X (as they say in all of the articles I’ve read) why can’t it open MS Office documents. If it realy can’t open MS Office documents I really don’t see that as a drawback anyway.
January 12th, 2007 at 5:32 am
heh. For those who work in an environment where MS office products are used heavily, it might be considered a drawback. I don’t know why they draw that conclusion, but the guy at the NYT played with it for several hours.
I personally have never owned an ipod, but the few people I know who have them, have those earbuds in their ears constantly!
January 18th, 2007 at 5:34 am
iPhone is available with Cingular ONLY!?
And what if I am stuck under contract with a carrier OTHER
than Cingular but still want a iPhone?
Well, the only solution
I could fine was http://www.Cellswapper.com -
they get you out of any cell phone contract!