In one of the most anticipated gadget announcements in recent years, Apple at Macworld on Tuesday introduced the "iPhone", a mobile device that chief executive Steve Jobs promised will reinvent the phone.
The Mac OS X-based iPhone is most akin to an iPod in design, but allows users to listen to music, make phone calls, send text messages and email, surf the web, and take and upload photos, all using a wide touchscreen and a single button. Apple plans to make the device available in the US in June, with a 4GB model going for $499 (£257) with a two-year service contract, and an 8GB model with the same contract for $599 (£308).
The iPhone was announced during a two-hour keynote in which Jobs also announced the expected Apple TV, previously known by its code name "iTV", as well as a name change for the company.
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Apple iPhone: a first look
We give Apple's long-awaited smartphone the once-over, evaluating its features, design and likely prospects.
He surprised many by continuing to refer to the new mobile device as the iPhone, a trademark that is owned by Cisco Systems. Apple has apparently been in discussions with Cisco over use of the iPhone trademark for some time, but it is unclear what Apple's use of the name will mean for either company.
In a written response to an enquiry from CNET News.com made while Jobs' speech was still going on, a Cisco representative said: "It is our belief that with their announcement today, Apple intends to agree to the final document and public statements that were distributed to them last night." Cisco expects to receive a signed agreement on Tuesday, according to the statement.
The device is 11.6mm thick — thinner than the Motorola Q and Samsung's BlackJack — and has controls on its side. It incorporates a wide, 160-pixel-per-inch touchscreen, a single "home" button, 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi capability and mobile service. The phone automatically switches from a mobile network to Wi-Fi if it detects a signal.
The iPhone also comes loaded with Apple's Safari web browser and fully incorporates Google's search and mapping services. Users can make phone calls directly from Google Maps. Phone service in the US will be provided exclusively by Cingular Wireless.
True to form, the company did not fail to consider consumers' habits with the product's design. A proximity sensor senses when the phone is brought to a user's face and automatically turns off what music might be playing and turns on the phone. An "accelerometer" switches the screen from a portrait to landscape format, allowing for easy toggling between the device's various functions.
The iPhone even reconsiders how consumers listen to voicemail.
"Wouldn't it be great if you had six voicemails, and you didn't have to listen to five first before listening to the sixth?" Jobs said in his keynote.
Now users can skip right to the message they want. The iPhone allows people to see all unheard voicemails and select which one to listen to using a technology Jobs called visual voicemail, which Apple developed with Cingular.
Sticking points
But Apple's iPhone isn't cheap, and some people who aren't on Cingular's network might be unable to switch without hefty penalties, said Samir Bhavnani, an analyst with Current Analysis. However, "it's a great first step" towards getting Apple established as a mobile-phone company, he said.
While the price tag might be out of range for many teenagers and their parents, Apple loyalists will probably be interested in the new iPhone, even though…
