At Steve Jobs’ MacWorld keynote address this morning, the Apple CEO announced a number of new products, most notably their iPhone, and changed the company’s name from “Apple Computer, Inc.” to “Apple, Inc.” to reflect their focus on general consumer electronics instead of computers specifically.
iPhone
Apple has partnered with Cingular to release their vision of a Smart Phone, one that combines the iPod, the cell phone, and mobile communications into one sleek, button-free device. Some of the iPhone’s features include:
8 GB capacity The iPhone syncs up with iTunes to store your contacts, songs, videos, movies and photos. The 8 GB capacity is quite large, but only a fraction of the size of the largest iPods.
WiFi The iPhone supports wireless Internet connectivity in addition to the Cingular network, putting Internet access in your pocket.
Bluetooth The iPhone supports Bluetooth wireless connectivity, so it works with your headset. Apple has also produced their own headset, specifically for the iPhone.
OS X The iPhone is powered by Mac OS X. You can read e-mail and browse the web just as you do on your desktop or laptop computer, as well as check weather, stocks, and any other sort of information.
Phone Calls Obviously, the iPhone makes phone calls. What’s more, you can take advantage of the iPhone’s other features (e.g. e-mail, photos) without hanging up.
Enhanced Functionality The iPhone has plenty of trademark Apple ease-of-use design features, such as visually browsing voicemail in arbitrary order. Apple has also partnered with Google and Yahoo! to bring you an enhanced mobile experience, specifically with regards to e-mail (Yahoo!), and mapping (Google).
Basically, the iPhone lets you do almost anything you can do on a Mac. That’s because basically, the iPhone is a computer in your pocket.
The iPhone has only one button. Instead of a keypad, input happens on the touchscreen. The touchscreen responds to your fingers (not a stylus), and intelligently resists malfunctioning while in your pocket or pressed up against your ear.
The iPhone will be available in June, pending FCC approval.
Apple TV
The second biggest news from Jobs’ keynote is Apple TV, Apple’s high-tech set-top box. Apple TV is a wireless media device that coordinates your media library among your computer(s) and your television. According to Apple, “if it’s on iTunes, it’s on TV”. The Apple TV has a 40 GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of video, and supports 720 HD.
