The iPhone Is Launched ... By Linksys, Not Apple
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New VOIP phones carry the name many believed would be assigned to an iPod and cell phone combination from Apple.
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(InfoWorld) - Apple'sÂ iPhone launchÂ has been marred by delays in AT&T's phone activation system, leaving some people unable to use their new toy throughout the weekend. People who buy the iPhone, which went on sale in the U.S. Friday evening, are required to activate it through Apple's iTunes software on their home computer. They choose a rate plan, authorize their credit card number, and the phone should be activated soon after. Apple has said the process should take only a few minutes for people being assigned a new phone number, and "up to six hours" for people transferring a number from another operator. But for some the wait has been much longer, according to postings on Apple's iPhone message board and elsewhere. "It has now been 48 hours and my iPhone is still the prettiest paperweight I own," wrote one frustrated user. "Nightmare indeed," said another. "I've been waiting 11+ hours now. I got the phone after a somewhat reasonable one-hour wait at the Albany, NY store, then spent 4+ hours talking to AT&T and Apple trying to get the thing activated." Others said their phone was activated in a matter of minutes. AT&T was not available to comment in Europe on Monday morning, and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An AT&T spokesman told the Wall Street Journal newspaper that most activations were occurring in a few minutes, and that the operator was working to fix the remaining issues. An unnamed source told the paper that about 2 percent of users were being affected. The delays cast a shadow over what appears -- so far -- to have been an otherwise successful launch of the iPhone. The device sells for $500 or $600 depending on the amount of memory on board, plus an activation fee and the cost of the service plan from AT&T, which for now has exclusive distribution rights for the iPhone in the U.S. When people buy a new cell phone the device is usually activated in the shop where they buy it. Apple and AT&T had billed the self-activation process as "another example of how AT&T and Apple have partnered to bring innovative new features to our customers." Opinions were divided as to where to lay blame. An iPhone buyer who claimed to work for AT&T said in a message posting that delays were inevitable and not the fault of either company. Thousands were trying to activate their new phone simultaneously over the weekend, the person noted, and the activation requests were lining up at AT&T's network switches "like 30,000 or so people throwing basketballs at one hoop and hoping to make it in." Others said AT&T should have lined up additional capacity for the activations. Some said they expected the problems to be ironed out by next week and the incident to be forgotten. "Activation is going to happen eventually. Why did you invest so much of your time and energy in this?" one person wrote on Apple's board. "Life is too short to worry about this type of thing." There were some other gripes about the iPhone, although it was hard to tell how widespread issues are. Several users complained that the phone's iPod function stopped playing music when they used it as the same time as the Safari Web browser or Google Maps. Others complained of a bug that caused the e-mails they sent via GMail to appear in their inbox. Other users, including a person who responded to a posting on the iPhoneFAQ.org Web, said they were unable to transfer an AT&T business account to their iPhone, and were told they would have to start a new, individual account.
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(InfoWorld) - Apple Inc. will launch itsÂ iPhoneÂ in the U.S. on June 29, it said in TV commercials that began airing on Sunday. The much-talked-about iPhone combines the features of an iPod music and video player with those of a cellular telephone and will be available through AT&T Wireless Services Inc. AT&T, which acquired Cingular Wireless LLC, hasn't yet announced details of how it will sell the phones although long lines outside outlets are almost assured if the phone will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Two models will be available. One with 4G-bytes of memory will cost $499 and a version with double the memory will cost $599, the companies said previously. Announcement of the launch date ends a five-month guessing game that began on Jan. 10 when Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone during his keynote speech at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. During the keynote Jobs touted the iPhone as "revolutionary" and demonstrated its features to an enthralled audience. Chief among them is Multi-Touch, a touchscreen display system that can differentiate and react to simultaneous touches from two fingers. Typically touchpanels cannot handle input at more than one point on the screen. In addition to the 3.5-inch display, the phone will feature a 2-megapixel camera, headset and audio jacks, and an iPod dock. The first iPhone model will be quad-band GSM (global system for mobile communications), meaning it should work in almost every major country in the world. Exceptions to this will be Japan and South Korea, where GSM is not used. Data transmission will be supported by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and EDGE. Behind the iPhone's slick user interface is Apple's Mac OSX operating system. Apple had previously said that third-party developers wouldn't be able to write applications and load them onto the phone, but speaking last week Jobs said Apple is working on a way to allow developers access to the phone. Apple has also posted three of the TV commercials on its Web site. Â
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(InfoWorld) - The number of iPhones manufactured by Apple may not be enough to meet customer demand when the smart phone goes on sale later Friday, CEO Steve Jobs said in an interview published the same day. "We had to make our best guess as to what the demand was going to be and what supply we were going to put in place many, many months ago. We built factories to build these things and everything. We've taken our best guess but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it ain't enough," Jobs told the Wall Street Journal in an interview. The iPhone, which combines the functions of an iPod with a smart phone, goes on sale in the U.S. at 6 p.m. and is one of the most anticipated gadgets in recent years. Two models will offered, the 4GB model costs $499 and the 8GB model is priced at $599. Users also have toÂ sign a two-year contractÂ with carrier AT&T. The cost of those plans range from $59.99 per month to $99.99 per month. Some prospective buyers have beenÂ camping outside storesÂ in hope of being among the first to own one of the new smart phones. A surge in demand for the iPhones could mean the devices are hard to come by at first, depending on the number that Apple and AT&T have in stock. A shortage of iPhones would not be unusual. Vendors often have a limited number of units to sell when a new product hits the market. In the case of products where demand is particularly high, such as for new game consoles, limited product availability -- whether intentional or not -- andÂ long lines outside storesÂ help build buzz and generate media coverage. Jobs also downplayed concerns over the iPhone's dependence on AT&T's EDGE network, which is slower than 3G (third-generation) networks. "You know every (AT&T) Blackberry gets its mail over EDGE. It turns out EDGE is great for mail, and it works well for maps and a whole bunch of other stuff. Where you wish you had faster speed isâ¦on a Web browser. It's good enough, but you wish it was a little faster. That's where sandwiching EDGE with Wi-Fi really makes sense because Wi-Fi is much faster than any 3G network," Jobs told the Wall Street Journal. He said the iPhone had been designed to switch to Wi-Fi when such networks are detected. Â
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InfoWorld - Apple&#39;s&#160;iPhone launch&#160;has been marred by delays in AT&amp;T&#39;s phone activation system, leaving some people unable to use their new toy throughout the weekend.
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By Joe Hutsko  Apple's hotly anticipated iPhone, which ships June 29, garners oohs and ahhs for a number of reasons, a big one being the way the device's Safari Web browser displays pages just like the desktop version.
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The iPhone is a generational phenomenon. It appeals mostly to the kids of the flower power generation who carry gadgets that allow them to immediately connect with one another without being physically together. It is no longer about computers being networked together. But even so, I might have been in the line if I could have shoved AT&T out of they way to get the iPhone.
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If you were watching television Sunday night, you might have seen the commercials for the highly anticipated Apple iPhone. The commercials indicate the official launch date is June 29.
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Linksys' rebranding coup Ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome the iPhone from... er... Linksys. Yes, the iPhone has indeed been launched today, as forecast, but it's not the device so many people were expecting. Instead, it's Linksys' new brand name for its range of VoIP handsets.â¦
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Not everyone agrees Apple's plan to let developers build Web-based apps for the iPhone is 'a pretty sweet solution.'
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Hackers have found a way to use  Apple Inc&#39;s iPhone on networks other than AT&T Inc&#39;s, opening  up the coveted device to rival carriers and overseas customers,  according to a Web report on Friday.
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(InfoWorld) - The first generation iPhone is barely on the streets, but some users and analysts are already talking about when a second-generation model will be launched to take advantage of faster 3G wireless network speeds for speedierÂ  Internet browsing. The first version of iPhone supports AT&T's EDGE -- Enhanced Data Rates for GSMÂ  Evolution -- network, a 2.5G network advertised as providing download speeds ofÂ  70Kbps to 135Kbps AT&T and Apple chose that network because it isÂ  the largest network, reaching 270 million people,Â company officials said last week. However, several analysts and reviewers believe that the next-generation iPhone, which could ship early next year in the U.S., will be provisioned toÂ  handle a faster 3G network, such as AT&T's High Speed Downlink Packet AccessÂ  (HSDPA), to support download speeds of 400Kbps to 700Kbps. However,Â  AT&T and Apple would not comment Thursday on their plans or a timetable forÂ  iPhone 2.0 or AT&T's HSDPA. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel stressed that "HSDPA is available in 160 metro areasÂ  and AT&T will continue to build it out through the rest of the year, soÂ  obviously we're continuing to build 3G. " But Siegel also repeated comments made last week that iPhone users will acceptÂ  the slower EDGE speeds, especially since the iPhone can access faster WiFiÂ  networks when a hot spot is available at home or a coffee shop. "We haven't hadÂ  many complaints about EDGE," he said. "What really matters for a real humanÂ  being using the iPhone who doesn't know anything about EDGE is that this isÂ  going to be a great experience in totality, whether searching for a stock quoteÂ  or a map or many other things. We think overwhelmingly that people will beÂ  thrilled using this device. The experience they have on EDGE will be a reallyÂ  good one." Siegel's comments, however, don't match user consternation about EDGE speedsÂ  registered atÂ theÂ MacRumors forums, or concerns raised by some reviewers, including one who said itÂ  took two minutes to download the Yahoo Web site home page. The discussion thread at MacRumors asked people to post their EDGE speeds overÂ  iPhone using a network measuring tool. Some reported speeds were higher thanÂ  those advertised by AT&T, but most were slower, with 64Kbps on July 3 inÂ  San Diego and 71Kbps in Los Angeles that same day. "Boooooo!" is the onlyÂ  comment from the San Diego user identified as FreeState. GnarleyMarley87 inÂ  Atlanta reported 126Kbps in Atlanta on EDGE, but 1,245 Kbps over WiFiÂ  at home. Other uses weighing in on Macrumors about the differences between 3GÂ  and EDGE and why Apple is waiting indicate that iPhone users are aware thatÂ  AT&T's 3G network is not widely available in the U.S. Users also noted thatÂ  3G-capable phones consistently run down batteries faster than those on slowerÂ  networks. One analyst, Ken Dulaney at Gartner, recently confirmed that aÂ  3G phone can use up a battery at a rate 30 percent faster than a 2.5G phone. Apple officials would not comment on a timetable for the next iPhone release,Â  or even whether it will support 3G. Two analysts tended to support the decision to release the first iPhone overÂ  EDGE in order to get the broadest network reach over higher bandwidth. "EDGE isÂ  not a show-stopper for iPhone, and I think the next version will likely haveÂ  3G," said Michael King, an analyst at Gartner Inc. King said some industry experts believe Apple can have a second generation device ready by October, but that Apple won't unveil them so closely behind theÂ  first version's June 29 release. King believes AT&T's HSDPA network will beÂ  more widely available for U.S. users in late 2008. "It's a pretty usableÂ  network now," he said. With a second generation iPhone, Apple is also likely to support QuickTime, giving access to streaming video that will also use more bandwidth that willÂ  tend to require a 3G network, King said. Shiv Bakhshi, an analyst at IDC, said that Apple was "wise to have chosen unibiquitous network reach over bandwidth ... a culture of mobile data consumption in the U.S. is only beginning to set in. By the time it takes hold,Â  Apple will be out with 3G iPhones and AT&T will likely roll a 3G HSDPA networkÂ  across its national footprint." Asked when both will happen, Bakhshi said "in under a year." But Bakhshi said that it is not clear how much current iPhone users will be downloading from the Web. Songs and video can be imported from a PC, so EDGEÂ  speeds might not be an impediment for the average user. "Every network falls short as your expectations rise higher," he said."SomeÂ  people will always be high-end users and will find EDGE really frustrating, butÂ  for the average Joe Blow like you and me, it will suffice." Bakhshi said that data usage may not be the biggest driver of iPhone sales."The single biggest driver of iPhone may not be data usage," he said. "Instead,Â  it might be just its ability to invoke envy in your friends." Â
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Service launches in mid-November and does not support Apple iPhones.
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SAN ANTONIO - Customers clamoring to get their hands on Apple Inc.'s highly anticipated iPhone better make sure they're at the right store.  The combination cell phone, media player and wireless Web device will only be sold at stores owned by Apple Inc.
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As Apple's new gadget debuts, some start-ups are looking to reinvent mobile-phone service
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Blog: It turns out Apple's new device wasn't the culprit for wireless network outages at Duke University, as reports alleged earlier this week.
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Don't expect this gadget to turn attention away from the iPhone.