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Gadgets Apple iPhone Gets FCC Approval
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - May 19, 2007 2:07 AM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 24 comment(s) - last by RjBass.. on May 21 at 11:17 PM
The Apple iPhone got official FCC approval for sale on the U.S. market

Apple recently announced that it has officially received FCC approval to sell the iPhone, its much anticipated entry into the mobile phone market. Along with getting FCC approval, the iPhone is ready to ship next month, Apple spokespeople said.  

All mobile phones offered in the United States must receive a "grant of equipment authorization," which means it has received the green light from the FCC.

"We're on track to release it in late June," Cingular spokesman Mark Siegel said.  "Nothing has changed."

FCC documents confirmed the iPhone will have WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.  Apple requested the FCC keep several details secret from the public, including the official launch date of the device.  Apple also requested the FCC not release external or internal photographs and user manual of the iPhone for 45 days -- which means the material will likely not be made available until the iPhone is on the market.

FCC approval came a day after a false alarm in which Engadget published an article claiming the iPhone would be delayed several months.  The alleged e-mail appeared to be from Apple, but Apple immediately said the e-mail was fake.  It is still unknown where the e-mail originated.  The news caused a ripple effect which rattled investors, causing the Apple stock price to take an immediate dip.

The iPhone will come in two versions -- 4GB and 8GB, with the 4GB iPhone costing $499 and the 8GB iPhone carrying a $599 price tag.  AT&T has exclusive rights to the iPhone.

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like every other apple product...
By Gul Westfale on 5/19/2007 8:40:14 PM , Rating: 4
like every other product that apple sells, the iphone seems underpowered, underfeatured, and overpriced to me.

it's not that i'm a dedicated apple basher - it's just that i like to see a good product at a good price.

unfortunately there are a lot of people out there who will be buying this thing because of the lame-o ad campaign that will go with it, or because they somehow think that owning a product from apple somehow makes them tech-savvy. those who are tech-savvy of course know that it makes them lame, but we are outnumbered, i guess.




RE: like every other apple product...
By Gul Westfale on 5/20/2007 9:36:46 AM , Rating: 2
ah yes- the apple nazis voted me down, but without even explaining why. not that i expected anthing more from them...


RE: like every other apple product...
By redbone75 on 5/20/2007 11:07:35 AM , Rating: 2
I'm not an apple fan (I hate the word nazi) and I voted you up. I thought it was kinda funny considering that people have a knee-jerk reaction to bash Apple.

Now, about the phone, I don't think it's too expensive considering the enormous prices for some phones out there that don't have the functionality it has. Granted, there are many phones that have much more functionality the iPhone does not, but those are not the iPhone, and that is what people are going to be paying for. Apple puts out products that its detractors think are way overpriced, but the people that want them are going to pay.


By thecoolnessrune on 5/20/2007 11:11:58 PM , Rating: 2
I don't think the phone is overpriced. I just think it costs more then I'd ever be willing to pay for a phone. My Kyocera strobe was somewhere around $320 and doesn't have half the features of this phone. (I got it for $20 with my 2 year contract and rebate). Though I believe I heard that those prices was *with* the AT&T contract. If that is the case then it most certainly is overpriced.


By jabber on 5/21/2007 9:00:35 AM , Rating: 2
Ahh yes the ad campaign. No doubt it will feature some 'funky dude' in silhouette doing a 'funky' dance move with his phone plugged in.

What you wont hear is the person on the other end saying -

"For goodness sake keep still! I can't hear what you are saying...oh too late he ran out of power. Should have bought a $100 Nokia!"


Ehhhhhh
By RjBass on 5/20/2007 11:51:15 PM , Rating: 2
Well the iPhone does look pretty sharp, and the touch pad is pretty cool, I just don't know if it is $500 worth of cool. I love my gadets and all, but I rarely pay top $$ for them. I'm the guy who gets the mail in rebate. I got my last phone, The Cingular Synch for $50 after the rebate. I have a 2 gig micro card in it which cost me $20 and it has 3g. It plays my music, watches TV, has Google maps and earth, sends email, blue tooth etc....

Again $50 plus $20 for the micro sd card. Now that Sandisk has created a 8gig micro sd card, it won't be long before I can get this thing up to iPhone specs minus the fancy touch screen.




RE: Ehhhhhh
By vortmax on 5/21/2007 10:30:57 AM , Rating: 2
Where'd you pick up a 2GB MicroSD card for $20? I'd like to know!!


RE: Ehhhhhh
RE: Ehhhhhh
By RjBass on 5/21/2007 11:17:25 PM , Rating: 2
Well I got a Sandisk one for $19.99 with one of the weekly promotional emails from Newegg. I think it was about $25 after shipping, but regardless it still beat the $100 price tag at Cingular.


Warranty
By Supa on 5/19/2007 7:04:25 AM , Rating: 2
The design is a winner for sure. But since you need to sign a two-year contract with iPhone, I hope the warranty will last as long. Otherwise, we'll be hearing plenty of complaints and lawsuits next summer.

---




Apple Bashing
By zerocool84 on 5/19/07, Rating: -1
RE: Apple Bashing
By dcalfine on 5/19/07, Rating: -1
RE: Apple Bashing
By retrospooty on 5/19/2007 9:55:13 AM , Rating: 2
It is quite good, but not the end all be all of smartphones. It is also way too expensive, lacks 3g/broadband and a tactile qwerty keyboard. The digital keyboard is really cool, but it wont fly with most business users that currently buy Blackberry and Treo's, which is 90% of the people that would spend over $500 on a phone.

Maybe the next iPhone rev 2 will be better and cheaper.


RE: Apple Bashing
By michal1980 on 5/19/2007 11:53:13 AM , Rating: 1
I know the masses love apple. But I still will find it hard to believe people will in mass drop 500 bucks for a phone + contract. I know there are phones that are as expensive. but I do not see masses buying them. A large amount, maybe. But unless, i'm missing something its still 500 bucks for a phone, when the one next to it is FAR


RE: Apple Bashing
By Treckin on 5/19/2007 5:54:26 PM , Rating: 2
Honestly, if they wanted to carry me as a customer (and never, ever, would I have planned on spending 600 bucks on a phone), they would have to combine my investment in an ipod video, say $400, and what I would consider reasonable for a good phone, $150.
Essentially, im griping about the 8gb max storage. If they had a 30 gig, id spring. Im not going to carry around close to 1000 dollars worth of apple shit in my cargo pants pockets (because they wont comfortably fit in dress pants pockets). If it had the HDD, Id go for it. otherwise, Steve Jobs can put it in his ass.


RE: Apple Bashing
By Aprime on 5/19/2007 8:03:07 PM , Rating: 2
How can you even say it's good? You folks have yet to see it work/try it.


RE: Apple Bashing
By retrospooty on 5/20/2007 11:42:11 AM , Rating: 3
"I know the masses love apple"

What masses? The 3% marketshare they have in the personal computer industry that they once owned? Even OSX and the newer Intel chips aren't improving that lowly mark. Years of proprietary systems and rediculous prices have eroded their once great marketshare, and the iPhone seems to have the same drawbacks. The only thing they have going in mass is the ipod, and a smartphone market is NOT the same market as MP3 players at all.


RE: Apple Bashing
By Polynikes on 5/21/2007 12:38:01 AM , Rating: 2
100 million iPods sold. I see them everywhere. I'd say the masses do love Apple. Just not for their OS.


RE: Apple Bashing
By retrospooty on 5/21/2007 6:12:48 PM , Rating: 2
and what is the iPhone running? Mac OSX.

The iPod is a great MP3 player that hit the market at the perfect time at a decent price. The smartphone market is vastly different than the MP3 market.


RE: Apple Bashing
By Locutus465 on 5/19/2007 8:29:15 PM , Rating: 3
I'm just curious what all it offers that current smart phones don't that is so compelling. The one main thing I see is the built in storage, but most decent smart phones offer SD-Card expansion. Beyond that, I don't know how this competes (beside "coolness" or "slickness" factor).

For instance, I just got a Samsung i730 from verizon for $100. Keep in mind this is considered to be a "last generation" smart phone (hence it's on clearance). It has Wi-Fi, bluetooth and mobile broad band support. In addtion with this phone I get free VZW mobile sync, basically verizons version of blackberry service for non-bberry phones for free. It's also got a built in keyboard which can be accessed by sliding the face up. Plus being windows mobile 6.0 I have a wide variaty 3rd party apps I can install like Chat applications compatiable with all services I use, Cisco VPN clients, pocket putty, games etc. I'm failing to see how iPhone will revolutionaize the market off hand.


RE: Apple Bashing
By dude on 5/19/2007 9:57:55 PM , Rating: 1
True, but now look at the new phones. Look at their prices. Ok, look at AT&T Phones and T-Mobile phones since verizon phones are pretty limited in selection.

Yes, they are all expensive. If you want the latest and greatest, you will be paying for it, just like todays video cards, motherboards, etc.

I have a Sony K800 phone (about the only thing Sony is good for these days) and it was over $500 last year when it came out. Now? It is going for $300-350 on ebay. Later this year, when a new model comes out, it will drop even further.

And it does NOT have a qwerty keyboard, nor a touch screen, nor a PIM manager. Just basic phone functions and a really good camera, which I've used about once a month, if that.

It's just the nature of new items hitting the market, there will always be a premium for them.

Apple will lower it's price after being on the market for about half a year.

Maybe I'll pick up the iPhone when someone finds out how to unlock it and I can use it on t-mobile network.

Of course, it may be the upgrade to my sidegrade when Sony releases it's k810 phone.


RE: Apple Bashing
By MADAOO7 on 5/20/2007 12:56:44 AM , Rating: 2
Good luck using an unlocked iPhone - most of the features on the iPhone are unique to the AT&T network, and simply won't work on any other company's network. It's interesting to see how the iPhone is not only changing our perspective on cell phones, but on the network side as well.


RE: Apple Bashing
By imaheadcase on 5/19/2007 8:02:48 PM , Rating: 2
Its a big *yawn* regardless of who it is by


RE: Apple Bashing
By PsYStuMmY on 5/20/2007 5:08:20 PM , Rating: 2
i'm just waiting for other phones to come out that are like the iphone minus the touchscreen only dialing and typing. that samsung clone would be a nice alternative for me.


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