Engadget reports that Steve Jobs officially launched the iPhone, combining the functions of a widescreen iPod, a phone and an internet device into a handheld form factor.
No buttons – what is being called a multitouch screen and Mac’s OS X as the operating system. It knows when you hold the device close to you in order to turn off the display and touchscreen. Other sensors detect light to adjust brightness and an accelerometer to help the device determine whether to display in landscape or portrait mode.
Music, video, photos (2M pixel), SMS with full QWERTY keyboard, phone with regular keypad, push email. Google maps, Yahoo mail, automatic switchover to WiFi. And more.
It is a GSM EDGE device at this point and exclusively on Cingular in the US. US pricing will be at $499 for 4GB, $599 for 8 GB. Phones start shipping in June. Europe in the 4Q07 and Asia in 2008.
At these prices and with all these integrated capabilities, has Apple finally released a threat to RIM? A lot will depend on their ability to deal with the issues of integrating into an enterprise server.
Is there a cooler device for consumers? I haven’t seen one.
Rogers – when will iPhones appear in Canada?
Update: [January 9, 4:15 pm]
Apple stock (NASDAQ – AAPL) rose 8.5% on the news. RIM (NASDAQ – RIMM) dropped 7.5%.
Update: [January 9, 4:30 pm]
Between the Lines has great photos and a good analysis of winners and losers. Not only will AT&T; (NYSE: T) benefit from increased subscribers due to the popularity of the device, but it is not clear that there is much of a subsidy – if any – in this advanced handset.