Comments on: Predictions: 6 Things We’ll See on the iPhone by the end of 2007

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:29:23 +0000

I expect to see World of Warcraft on the iPhone!

By: reinharden

reinharden — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:09:50 +0000

With regards to comment #13

WiMax is several years and at least $10 billion investment in new infrastructure away from being a viable solution. First Mobile WiMax has to actually get finalized. Then a set of frequencies have to get standardized at least nationally if not internationally. Then someone has to spend several billion dollars building out a WiMax network. Give Google some time and they just might do it. But it’s not happening anytime soon.

Cell tower triangulation is only a partial solution because when you’re out of an area with tower density you can’t triangulate. In rural areas where you’re talking to a single tower, it’s often the case that you can only isolate the location to an approximate 20 mile circle surrounding the tower. You really need three towers to triangulate. There are some other techniques that involve data mining; however, as yet they’re not designed to propagate the information back to the cell phone and they’re certainly not designed to provide location on an continually updated basis.

My desires are simpler:
1) Voice Dialing

2) Aggregated message display. I don’t care whether my incoming communications are via email, via SMS, via iChat, or via Voicemail — I just need to deal with them. So don’t make me check 10 inboxes, SMS, and Voicemail. Give me one integrated list.

reinharden

By: chark

chark — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 01:39:44 +0000

1. What about Inkwell handwriting recognition or speech recognition?
2. iWork as web-based apps for free with a .Mac account
3. An Apple announcement about Wi-Max so the AT&T EDGE speed limitations become moot
4. Cell tower triangulation so GPS isn’t necessary – same technology used for 911 location.
5. Voice memo/recording
6. Laser tape measure and interface to CAD software
7. Built-in OCR scanning using the camera

By: wolff

wolff — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:07:23 +0000

Your mention of recording videos is exactly right on. Apple is working on a whole platform for social (inter)networking. Vids, audio, text all to be shared from the iPhone, OSX, and Windows.
It will be big.
Think of their TM ….”MobileMe”

By: ohcyt

ohcyt — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:01:17 +0000

@halfeatenfish: I think it could even work with regular 99ct iTunes songs; Apple controls the DRM embedded in the files and both the iPhone and iTunes software. Allowing downloads that are made with the iPhone to automatically copy to your Mac when you synch them should not be too hard.

@ Michael: Nice list. Even though it’s just speculation, your predictions are always interesting reads. You should talk to Apple with some of your ideas

By: Jimmy Copeland

Jimmy Copeland — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:59:50 +0000

The moment I saw this article I thought to myself that this has the smell of lets save something big for free later!! Totally agree with a / b which everone fits. Personally I’m ready for a continued relationship with the iphone the way I’ve made my PG4 01 last? Can’t belive I haven’t got a new one in almost 5 years…

By: krye

krye — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:11:30 +0000

Custom ringtones: sounds like an easy third party app to me.

By: PV

PV — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:21:43 +0000

The iPhone useless to me without: Voice Dialing! My free Motorola does that.

It’s uneconomical without: The ability to use it as a modem! I don’t want to pay for internet access for my EVDO laptop connection and cell phone, especially when I already pay for it at my home and office.

By: halfeatenfish

halfeatenfish — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:17:06 +0000

I say purchase iTunes songs with the phone. Think about it: With the DRM-free songs, it kills the restrictions on where the songs have to go, the number of places they can be stored and the direction of syncing. As soon as iTunes gets to be all DRM-free, I promise we’ll see OTA iTunes and multidirectional syncing with iPods, iPhones and computers. Just my $0.02.

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:13:54 +0000

I think Apple will eventually allow native application development. I was reading about a developer who specifically asked this question at WWDC and he was told to “wait”. Again, I think the reason it isn’t out right now is because Apple couldn’t delay the phone any longer.

It’s interesting how easy it will be for Apple to upgrade the iPhone. Besides the EDGE data network and the AT&T service, almost every critique that people have offered about the iPhone can be fixed with software updates. Moreover, as long as the hardware works fine, I think that because of this feature, Apple will be able to more easily woo customers and to offer a better experience than its competitors.

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:08:44 +0000

@neb

I agree with you about the custom ringtones. I think the ringtones section of iTunes should have sounds and original ringtones that you can purchase (because I don’t think they’ll give them away…ringtones make WAY too much money in the US to just give it away).

For example, my current phone features the Doctor Who theme. I really don’t want to lose that (you know, what with the feeling like an adventure is just starting every time the phone rings…:) )

I think setting songs as your ringtone should be free, as long as you already own the song or have bought it in iTunes. I don’t think the “double dip” is fair. I can also agree with your “trailer park” comment to a degree…but there are still a lot of people that do that, and I think they’ll want to have the option.

By: Sharpe

Sharpe — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:53:30 +0000

It’s be a while before iChat makes it there. I don’t think it’s because of AT&T as other cellphones have IM. It’s because iChat is not ready (I am talking about Leopard’s iChat). Why include the current iChat when iChat the Next Generation is around the corner, complete with iChat Theater, Photo Booth and so on. That’ll just slaughter competitors’ IM.

Audio and call recording will be nice. It can make iPhone useful for taking audio notes. Voice recognition is another one I want to see.

By: Nerd

Nerd — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:42:56 +0000

>What do you think? Are their features or Apps that you think
>might show up soon that I have missed?

Java would be nice. Even if it’s only support for running Applets in Safari.

By: neb

neb — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:17:42 +0000

Custom Ringtones – I definitely won’t pay to have my songs converted to ringtones. I don’t think Apple will be able to make customers swallow that idea either. The thing is that I don’t want to use songs for ringtones, it’s a trailer park concept, and I get the feeling Apple already knows that. I’m all good with a classy library of Apple selected ringtones that would be available for free, or for really cheap.

Games – are already in the works, next.

Web App Icons – interesting notion, but I don’t think that Apple will allow you to do what is basically putting an internet shortcut in the main menu. More important I think is Apple unveiling a way to really make a web app look like a native iPhone app, esp. in respect to hiding the Safari interface and focusing on app experience and immersion.

Flash – I had just given up on it actually. It kinda makes sense for Apple to leave it out. It’s not open and is not beyond needing a great deal of upgrade and consolidation. In this day and age I think it’s fair to regularly re-evaluate “standard web formats,” to the point of potentially dissolving them, in the face of open and/or more advanced alternatives.

Video recording – agreed. this must happen, and love the YouTube idea. However, local storage must also be available. Forcing you to store them in the cloud could be a frustrating at times.

iChat – this will take some time to appear b/c it may allow you to use much less of the SMS services and cut into ATT’s margins.

Nice list!

By: Rick O'Neil

Rick O'Neil — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:06:29 +0000

I agree with all of those, I think we’ll defiantly see them. I think the only reason we haven’t is timing… If they waited till it was all developed the phone would have been delayed several months, I’m sure they wanted to get the phone into the market before someone else came along with something similar and sole some of apples thunder.

I also hope to see some Apple designed apps. maybe a condensed version of iWork.