More iPhone details - good and not so good

[mav]

From Boy Genius Report...

- iPhone will interact with iPhoto and iTunes.
- No external SIM slot, which means SIM card cannot be removed or exchanged.
- Battery cannot be removed; most already expected this.
- No iChat.
- Safari will offer tab browsing.
- VPN client in beta.
- Screen resistant to smudges and scratches.

From Think Secret...

- No phone insurance.
- 2 years of free phone support.
- Pre-orders not yet decided.
- iPhone activations will occur at AT&T or Apple stores and those purchasing via the internet will activate the iPhone through iTunes for new accounts. Which brings me back to my main concern, what about current AT&T customers?

 

[wjp09]

Im not sure about that sim card bit.

 

[chris]

From Boy Genius Report...

- iPhone will interact with iPhoto and iTunes.
- No external SIM slot, which means SIM card cannot be removed or exchanged.
- Battery cannot be removed; most already expected this.
- No iChat.
- Safari will offer tab browsing.
- VPN client in beta.
- Screen resistant to smudges and scratches.

From Think Secret...

- No phone insurance.
- 2 years of free phone support.
- Pre-orders not yet decided.
- iPhone activations will occur at AT&T or Apple stores and those purchasing via the internet will activate the iPhone through iTunes for new accounts. Which brings me back to my main concern, what about current AT&T customers?

I believe the first report might be based on a pre-production unit.

I wouldn't be surprised at the following:

• No phone insurance
• 2 years of free phone support
• pre-orders not yet decided

Regarding activations, I think AT&T might be handling activations via store or phone. I can't see activation taking place through iTunes. You'd require people to have a computer to activate their iPhone.

For current customers, I'd say you'll probably have to extend your existing contract 2 years. Since there is not subsidy, you'll pay the same as new customers.


-Chris

 

[lasquintanas]

How can there not be a SIM slot after they advertsied one in the keynote?

 

[mav]

How can there not be a SIM slot after they advertsied one in the keynote?

The SIM card slot was shown in the keynote never Jobs never mentioned if it was an internal SIM or an external, removable one. I do expect the final version will offer an external, removable one but I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be internal.

 

[wot_fan]

I will be amazed if the iPhone uses an "internal" SIM. I believe that the pre-production units did not allow access to the SIM as an added safety measure. It wouldn't really do anyone any good to steal one if they couldn't replace the SIM. It would be too easy to track.

Just for clarification, here is what Steve said during the keynote in January regarding the top of the iPhone:

So let’s take a look at the top now. We’ve got a headset jack. 3.5 millimeter all your iPod headphones fit right in. We’ve got a place, a little tray for your SIM card, and we’ve got one switch for sleep and wake. Push it to go to sleep, push it to wake up.

 

[ebrunn]

From Boy Genius Report...

- iPhone will interact with iPhoto and iTunes.
- No external SIM slot, which means SIM card cannot be removed or exchanged.
- Battery cannot be removed; most already expected this.
- No iChat.
- Safari will offer tab browsing.
- VPN client in beta.
- Screen resistant to smudges and scratches.

No way! The phone will interact with iTunes

That site sounds like a bunch of idiots


Nobody makes a phone with a internal non removable SIM card in a GSM phone so that rumor is false.


That will be so kick ass if they give away 2 years of free Apple Care on the thing

 

[DanUC6]

How about a miraculous sd slot? any takers?

 

[rebelace]

I agree completely that there will be a sim card slot. I have watched that keynote so many times and I was even there standing 20 feet from him when he said it.

 

[iphonenut]

the fundemental idea of a sim card is to be able to remove it.

that doesn't make any sense.

 

[ColsTiger]

I've never seen a GSM phone without a removable SIM card, but I've never seen an iPod either.

Talked to At&t this morning and they said the prices would be the same for new and existing customers. They weren't sure about much concerning the iPhone, but they were getting many, many calls about it now.

 

[ebrunn]

I would understand if it didn't because it is an exclusive phone with Att, but do other exclusive phones have a non-removable SIM card as well?

 

[Spin This!]

Boy Genius is becoming sketchy as a good rumor source at best. They claimed the release date was going to be 11th... that didn't pan out.... they announced the iPhone would be pre-paid... I'm starting to think that probably won't happen, now that the iPhone commercial is out. It seems like they just threw some random facts in with some made-up rumors:

- iPhone will interact with iPhoto and iTunes.

No surprise there... Jobs demoed iTunes; he didn't demo iPhoto but it makes sense if you have to use it to get integration into iTunes.

- No external SIM slot, which means SIM card cannot be removed or exchanged.

That's BS. As pointed out earlier, the whole point of SIM card is it's removable.

- No iChat.

We were never promised iChat but that doesn't rule out the possibility of a 3rd party involvement or an add-on application down the road.

- Safari will offer tab browsing.

Of course it does. Seems like it would be trivial to add that in—this ain't a baby browser or a "wap" browser as Jobs might say.

- VPN client in beta.

Sure, whatever you say BGR. Maybe for developers but what the hell is the average user going to do with VPN? Maybe Apple is going after some of the IT crowd?

 

[ebrunn]

Sure, whatever you say BGR. Maybe for developers but what the hell is the average user going to do with VPN? Maybe Apple is going after some of the IT crowd?

Seriously

 

[masoud90]

ugh they better give insurance on the device...It is ridiculous to not include AppleCare or insurance on a device of that price...2 Year phone support can do nothing...If I iPhone stops working just because, I'm sure that help via the Phone will not help...So I am hoping that is a rumor...If there infact will be an AppleCare coming soon, they better include the costumers who bought it earlier that did not have AppleCare.

 

[Cantwait4iPhone]

Interesting. This is all rumors, and I doubt all of it will be true. Not to doubt you credibility, but I would be surprised if Apple hadn't decided on whether or not they will do preorders. Now would be a little late, considering we are almost 5 days into June now. Also, I would be surprised if there was no external SIM slot. After seeing how much Cingular employees mess around with SIM cards, I just can't see them not doing an external port.


And yeah, it would be excellent to get the two full years of service on the phone. I don't know if this means insurance, though, and I doubt it will cover drops or scratches. I really hope there is some way to cover those, or I will be bummed.

Some of it could be true, but I sometimes question BGR's credibility. We never know, and we won't have to wait long now to find out.

 

[joe]

I'm hoping the SIM tray is just beneath the removal battery.

 

[mgujarathi]

I really really reeaaaalllyyyyy want the iPhone to have youtube, googlevideo, and veoh support. It would be great if you could watch all those. And for those of you who are going to post what steve jobs said, i already know. THey might just make youtube change their format, but wat abt googlevideo and veoh!

I also wish that there would be more memory.

Does anyone know if previous cingular customers will still need to pay the two year activation fee or watever?

And sereiosuly, stop talking about the nokia n95, this forum is called everything iPhone.

 

[ColsTiger]

I really really reeaaaalllyyyyy want the iPhone to have youtube, googlevideo, and veoh support. It would be great if you could watch all those. And for those of you who are going to post what steve jobs said, i already know. THey might just make youtube change their format, but wat abt googlevideo and veoh!

I also wish that there would be more memory.

Does anyone know if previous cingular customers will still need to pay the two year activation fee or watever?

And sereiosuly, stop talking about the nokia n95, this forum is called everything iPhone.

Nobody knows for sure what existing Cingular/At&t customers will have to pay for the phone.