Short, fat and the iPhone

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 -- 11:53 a.m. -- on my couch

There's a lot of talk about what the 3G iPhone will be like -- physically.

Depending on what you read and what you believe, it's either going to be bigger and just a little more thick or thinner and smaller with less metal and less screen.

Hmmmm. That's useful. And disturbing. And frustrating. And annoying.

LOL. I always say that we'll never know until it's released and the above is proof of that. But ... if the smaller/lighter is true, that concerns me.

Sure, it would cost Apple less to create a phone that's more plastic and a little less screen, but it would cheapen the overall Apple experience. But I am not really worried yet because I've never seen Apple release a new or updated product and see it look horrible.

What comes to mind first is the iPod nano. Do you remember the first nano? It was thin with a small little screen. Then, when the updates were due, rumors flew that it was short and fat. One blog said it went from Kramer to George.

And it did. Those rumors were true ... but the nano is so much cooler now than it was then. Finally, George is cool.

But I don't think the iPhone is going to go from cool to uncool. However, the change in material concerns me for scratching purposes and any talk of the 3.5 inch screen going to anything else -- 2.8 or 3 or whatever -- is a great concern. The screen is what makes the iPhone what it is. If 2.8 is more in line with other phones of its caliber, then that's bad because the iPhone is nothing like phones of its caliber and Apple needs to continue to differentiate it.

But Apple also has the best design department in the world -- potentially the universe. And with that being the case, I am really looking forward to see what Apple does with iPhone 3G.

What do you think? C'mon. Let's discuss.

Thanks for calling.

iPhone even more accessible for those with disabilities

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 -- 11:38 a.m. -- on my couch

AT&T and Apple have made the iPhone even more accessible for Americans who are deaf or have a hearing or speech disability.

AT&T sent me information on its new Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) for iPhone, which, for $40 a month, gives iPhone customers unlimited text messaging, Web browsing and access to e-mail.

“Our Text Accessibility Plan allows hearing- and speech-impaired customers to literally tap out their communications on the go,” said Carlton Hill, vice president of product management, voice products and affiliate marketing for AT&T’s wireless unit. “Now with TAP for iPhone, users can tap, drag, swoop, pinch and push the innovative Multi-Touch touch screen for a completely new world of functionality.”

The new plan is available for new and current iPhone users, but they must qualify through AT&T's National Call Center for Customers with Disabilities, and an application is required. You can contact the AT&T NCCD at 866-241-6568 (voice calls) or 866-241-6567 (TTY calls).

iPhone users must sign up for a standard plan. Once the iPhone is activated, customers can e-mail, fax or mail the form back to the NCCD to change their plan to the new TAP plan.
During the iPhone activation process, customers sign up for a standard iPhone voice and data plan. After the iPhone is activated, customers can e-mail, fax or mail the eligibility form back to the NCCD to change their rate plan to the TAP for iPhone.

It's great to see AT&T and Apple bring something so necessary and important to the iPhone.

Thanks for calling.

AT&T intro no-voice plan for deaf iPhone users

Back in November last year, deaf would-be iPhone users highlighted the lack of a data-only AT&T plan for the Apple cellphone, after the carrier began to sell a voice-only contract.  Now, a mere five months later, AT&T have released details of their Text Accessibility Plan (TAP), designed for those who are deaf, hard of hearing, have a speech disability and/or hearing loss.  Apparently created “with input from the community”, the new tariff costs $40 a month.

That $40 gets you the same unlimited data and visual voice mail as the standard iPhone contracts, together with unlimited SMS messaging.  Voice calls are charged at $0.40 a minute, presumably for both incoming and outgoing calls.  A two-year contract is also required.

However, AT&T are requiring customers to file disability certification forms [pdf link] before they can sign up to the plan.  That includes getting official confirmation of the hearing or speech problem from a professional the carrier deems appropriate:

“A certifying agent must be a qualified health care professional, audiologist or hearing health professional, speech or language therapist/specialist, representative of an institution, agency or non-profit 510c3 organization actively engaged in work in the disability area specified by the applicant. A certifying agent must have direct knowledge or documentation of the applicant’s condition or functional limitation” AT&T disability certification form

Users activate their iPhone in the normal way, then send off the certification form.  AT&T review it, and then - assuming the customer qualifies - switch them to the TAP plan.  Now I’m not deaf and as such I’ve not had to fill out such a form before, but it all looks very complicated; I’d appreciate someone letting me know in the comments whether this is par for the course or been made unusually difficult by AT&T.

BREAKING NEWS: iPhone in Canada confirmed by Rogers

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 -- 11:23 a.m. -- on my couch

Well, we can officially remove the word rumor from all posts about the Canadian version of the iPhone.

Ted Rogers himself, the president and CEO of Rogers Communications, issued a short statement about the iPhone in Canada:

"We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can't tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned."

He doesn't say much, but he doesn't have to. Just getting word from the company should result in millions of Canadians rejoicing.

I'll be keeping tabs on when details do emerge and will bring them to you the minute I know something for sure.

Thanks for calling.

iPhone coming to Rogers, finally

You folks up in Canada have been waiting real patient for this, and it looks like you will finally be rewarded. Most of you probably already have your iPhone unlocked and on Rogers anyway, but hey some official iPhone love is always good. Details are very few at the moment, which is also echoed in this statement that was issued concerning the matter.

“We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.” -Ted Rogers, President and CEO of Rogers

That is the entire press release, I am not kidding. However it comes right from the President and CEO himself. Why can he not tell us any more about it? There are a few possibilities. Why negotiate with Apple and just get the original iPhone ‘later this year’? You know what I am getting at. It could be the 3G iPhone, which is why he has to be mum. Rogers has the HSDPA network, so it is possible.

The other possibility, is he is just wanting to build up a little hype. Either seem possible, and either would not surprise. This story is still developing. Check back for any more information that we get a hold of.

[Via CNW Group]

iPhone Finally Announced in Canada

Yes. We know. After 512,436 mails to tips speculating about this since the iPhone appeared in the US, the iPhone is finally arriving to Canada: “We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the
iPhone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it right
now, but stay tuned,” said Rogers head honcho. Now, stop saying words. [CNW Group]

The iPhone coming to Canada — rumor No. 432532(b)

Monday, April 28, 2008 -- 10:25 p.m. -- at my desk

The Toronto Star reports that the iPhone might indeed be coming to Canada sooner rather than later.

The Star reports that while nothing is official, Rogers is hoping to include the iPhone as part of a campaign focusing on touchscreen phones, to be rolled out between May and July.

And with all of the rumors on the iPhone being released in July, announced in June - or something like that -- it fits and could very well be the case.

As is standard, Apple didn't comment and neither did Rogers.

So that would mean that the iPhone would be coming to Research in Motion's backyard, supposedly while that company is hard at work on its 3G model.

I say that Apple should fast track a retail store across the street from RIM ... so every day the execs from RIM walk out of the company's gate that they see what's waiting for them in terms of competition.

Check out the article if you are looking for more. In the meantime, we'll see what happens ... I would say that this is going to soon become an amazing time for the iPhone.

Thanks for calling.

Foxconn chosen to manufacture 3G iPhones

An article printed in a Chinese news paper, The Commercial Times, is saying that the manufacturer Foxconn, Hon Hai Precision Industry, has landed the contract to manufacture the new iPhone. Foxconn was also the manufacturer of the original iPhone, so it is not too far fetched of an idea. The article says that the new iPhone should ship around June. We all knew that already though, didn’t we?

The Chinese Times article claims that their sources have been instructed by Apple to begin preparing to manufacture the new iPhone. The article says that the sources were told they need to “begin preparing material supplies by the end of May.” It also claims that the new iPhone should sell over three million units by the end of June.

That seems to be pretty generous estimate for just one month of sales. Potentially even less than a month depending on when in June it starts shipping, if at all. This is not the only number they are estimating. The article says that the new model would ship about 25 million units during it’s life span. It very well could; after all, 3G opens up a much broader market than it’s 3G-challenged first generation brother.

[Via DigiTimes]

I heard a rumor …

Monday, April 28, 2008 -- 11:26 a.m. -- on my couch

You know who that is in the picture? That's the 80s band Bananarama and they sang "I Heard a Rumor." You know, "I heard a rumor.
I heard a rumor, they say you got a broken heart..."

Let me tell you ... it's not easy to illustrate rumor!

Anyhow, June is looking like the target date. Today, the Chinese Commercial Times is reporting 3G iPhone information -- even numbers of how many phones Apple expects to ship. Actually, that's almost Fox News-like in terms of reporting (i.e. ridiculous and not really real reporting).

Anyhoo ... so far, at least in my mind, we're missing some things to make the 3G iPhone a reality:

FCC filing
Believe me ... there are people dedicated to watching the FCC 24 hours a day for any clues from Apple. It's not quite as simple as a company filing, waiting and getting the approval. There are exceptions, and one can only assume, not report, that there's some sort of exception going on here because no one has seen the magic filing. Of course, if the phone's outside isn't drastically different, I believe there's a different application process/wait time than if it's radically redesigned. And remember, in any scenario, June could be an announcement and a release could come later. So far, that's been Apple's way -- announce the phone in January, release it in June, announce the SDK in the fall, release it to developers in March and then to us sometime soon -- presumable this June. Maybe someone can clarify this, but can a company file with the FCC under a different name to make it almost undetectable that something's coming?

Sneaky elevator spy shots
Where are the stories and photos on all those other sites that show purported unreleased Apple merchandise sitting unattended in freight elevators on their way to WWDC? I mean, you can't have a new Apple product without a blurrry photo of something sitting around, right? I mean, someone at Apple has just waited for the day that they can leave their box of brand new 3G iPhones sitting somewhere, right?

AT&T
Steve Jobs said 2 things kept the 3G iPhone from our hands the first time around - battery life and the state of the U.S. 3G network. AT&T said on several occasions that it's working hard on making its 3G network bigger and better and there's no doubt that AT&T's work on that is a key part of any 3G announcement in the U.S.

One more thing?
Normally, Steve's "one more thing" is a good thing ... it's something we all hope and pray for ... that's surprise that just blows our minds. I am not sold yet that Steve's one more thing is going to be a good thing this time around. This is only my hunch at work here, but I don't have complete confidence that the 3G iPhone will come out in the U.S. first. I know it seems crazy backwards for a product to launch outside the U.S. and then work this way, however, with the lack of FCC filing and the way the iPhone is being received in Europe, Apple would be much, much, much better off getting a 3G iPhone into the hands of Europeans first. And in that sense, they could actually be the testers. But the point is, that could (key word is could) explain the whole FCC thing.

But like I said, that's only my hunch talking -- and I'm sure some of you will ask me what a hunch sounds like. Suprisingly, it's very much like your stomach growling. Hmmmm. It is breakfast time.

Whatever the case, as you can see, we just aren't going to know until June. If the WWDC in June comes and goes without so much as a mention of a 3G iPhone, well, that would be weird and ... well, I'm not planning for that. If the WWDC comes and we're told that the 3G iPhone will come to other countries first -- I will not be surprised in the least. And if June comes and we're told it will be available in October in time for the holiday shopping season ... I also won't be surprised in the least because that's what I was saying all along before this whole June thing started to take on a life of its own.

What would surprise me the most is a 3G iPhone announcement on June 9 and an availability that day or on June 10 -- at least in the U.S.

So that's my 3G roundup for today. What's your 3G roundup? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for calling.

The second-gen iPhone: 3G, GPS, only slightly thicker

So we’ve got it on authority that the second-gen iPhone is already well into testing, and numerous units are floating around in super secret pockets. A trusted source got a chance to check one out, here’s what we’ve heard.

• The first thing people will notice: the 2nd gen iPhone will be about the same size and shape as the first gen.
• It will, of course, have 3G. And proper GPS!
• The most noticeable physical difference is back of the phone is no longer metal — the whole thing is glossy black, from top to bottom. The volume buttons are now chrome.
• Because it’s got a little less metal to deal with, it doesn’t have quite as many angular edges. The battery is (still) not removable.
• The phone itself will be slightly thicker than the first gen device.
• The headphone jack will no longer be recessed, and will finally be flush with the body.
• The device itself uses roughly the same size and resolution screen as the first generation product.
• No solid word on battery life or storage capacity.

It could ship (or be introduced) as early as July — but it’s worth noting that none of this is necessarily finalized, and any of it could change between now and its introduction. You really never know with Apple!

P.S. -Image via iPod Observer, MacRumors points out it’s probably just a case (which we’d likely agree with); we’re not by any means claiming the image above is the new iPhone, just an example of what it could look like given the info we received.