iPhone attractive to young residents who seek technology beyond
other cell phones
Consumers were in a frenzy last week to get their hands on
Apple’s new iPhone, and at least a few people San Benito residents
had their eyes set on the gadget as it went on sale June 29.
iPhone attractive to young residents who seek technology beyond other cell phones
Consumers were in a frenzy last week to get their hands on Apple’s new iPhone, and at least a few people San Benito residents had their eyes set on the gadget as it went on sale June 29.
The release of the new “it” product was received with open arms and people were flocked to retail stores to wait in line with the hopes of purchasing one of the phones.
Meagan Smith, 19, of Hollister, said she was going to get an iPhone, but didn’t want to wait in line. One of her friends was driving all the way to San Jose just to stand in line for three hours in hopes of getting one, she said.
“It was the perfect time. I was due to get a new phone anyhow,” Smith said, the day before the phone went on sale. “I told [my friend] we should just go to Gilroy, or now, Morgan Hill, but he thinks there will be more [in San Jose].”
Jeff Swanson, 17, of Hollister, said of course he’d heard of the device and he’d love to get one, but he doesn’t have AT&T – Cingular/AT&T is the only network currently partnering with iPhone – and his parents aren’t going to switch their phone network so he can get a phone.
“[My parents] also had a problem with the price tag,” Swanson said. “They told me if I wanted to get my own cell phone and save up the cash myself, that was fine. Stupid, but fine.”
The iPhone is a multimedia and Internet-enabled mobile phone from Apple. According to Apple’s Web site, the iPhone’s functions include those of a camera, an iPod, a mobile PC and a mobile phone.
More than that though, the iPhone introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, according to Apple.
The iPhone ushers in technology never before seen in a mobile device and redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.
The iPhone is purported to be five years ahead of any other cell phone on the market, according to Apple press releases.
The iPhone input is all accomplished via touchscreen with a virtual keyboard and buttons.
iPhone’s visual voicemail system is an industry first, letting users look at a listing of their voicemails and decide what messages to listen to, then go directly to those messages without listening to the prior messages. Just like e-mail, iPhone’s visual voicemail enables users to immediately access those messages that interest them most, Apple representatives said.
The phone features a two-megapixel camera and a photo management application that is beyond that of any other camera phone on the market.
The phone is a quad-band GSM phone which also features EDGE and Wi-Fi wireless technologies for data networking. Basically this means that it’s the only phone that can fully access the Internet, for any purposes one could think of, be it to view video clips on YouTube or to chat with Yahoo Instant Messenger.
Probably the feature of this far-out future phone that has the most people excited is the wide screen iPod.
The device has a 3.5-inch wide screen display so it allows users the prime opportunity to watch those TV shows, music videos and movies they download from iTunes as well, according to Apple. It also lets users enjoy all their iPod content, including music, audiobooks, audio podcasts, video podcasts, and other such media a user could hope to access.
But all of this technology comes at a price.
The 4 gig version of the iPhone starts at $499 or there is an 8 gig version of the device for $599.
Even those willing to pay may have a hard getting their hands on a iPhone in the early months of its release as only a limited number of them have been produced and they can only be used with Cingular/AT&T cell phone services.. Not only that, but you also have to be a member of the Cingular/AT&T network to purchase the phone.
Still Meagan Smith didn’t have a problem with the price tag if she could find a phone.
“I’ll just stick it on my credit card,” she said.
