PBCentral.com's Real-Time Coverage of Macworld 2007's Keynote
| by Joe Leo, Columnist | January 9, 2007 |
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9:54a-- iPhone Features 2 Megapixel Camera Built-in
Oh, and one more thing? It's a camera too, though it's not being touted as a four-in-one device. Jobs now preparing to demo the actual product to audience. (Note: That wasn't the "one more thing" that is known as the surprise announcement every year).
10:02a-- Jobs Demos iPhone's Key Features to All in Attendance
As he plays around with the iPhone, Jobs begins to reveal some of the features under the hood of the iPhone. "The typical things you find on an ordinary phone, but in a very untypical way," says Jobs.
10:06a--First Public Call on an iPhone is Made / Ives in Crowd to Help
Steve Jobs makes the first-ever public phone call on an iPhone by calling Jonathan Ives, Senior Vice President of Design, who happens to be seated the crowd. "It's not too shabby is it?" says Ives speaking on a regular cell phone to Jobs on the iPhone. Senior Vice President of Marketing, Phil Schiller, joins in on call with a conference call feature and says to Jobs, "Hey! I wanted to be the first one..." (Schiller previously appeared onstage with Jobs earlier in the Keynote).
10:15a-- Jobs: 'We Have Re-Invented the Phone'
Among other things, one highly unique feature of the iPhone is that it features full HTML, utilizing Safari Browser, rich HTML e-mail, Google Maps, Widgets... (Jobs's quote pretty much says it all, doesn't it?) "Your life in your pocket. The ultimate digital device" was the graphic up on the screen as well. (Enough said!)
10:22a-- View Web Pages in Full Screen Mode on iPhone
View full web pages in iPhone's screen. Not WAP-style browsers (formatted for cell phones). The zoom in feature allows you to go actual size to a portion of the website being viewed. Another innovative feature.
10:28a-- Google Maps Feature Built-in to iPhone
Jobs demos the built-in search feature of the iPhone, allowing users to find places anywhere in the world, like Starbucks-- to which he found a local shop nearby right on the map. The address and phone number also popped up, and Jobs called them, ordering 4000 lattes and saying "Oops, wrong number" and hangs up. The crowd laughs hysterically (almost an "Oprah moment" or "Ellen moment" had it really happened).
[Comment: on that note, we wanted to mention that while standing in line earlier in the morning, two people behind us joked about this, thinking that that would be an awesome rabbit up Steve's sleeve. If they had no big announcements, the big one would be that everyone in attendance would get a free something. Too bad.]
10:30a-- Google CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt Joins Jobs Onstage
What's coming up? Stay tuned. The rumored team-up between Apple and Google perhaps, in terms of YouTube and the now, Apple TV? ... No. Sorry. He just went onstage to simply congratulate Jobs. "This product is going to be very hot," says Schmidt about the iPhone.
10:40a-- Jobs and Schiller Demo Real-Life Application of iPhone's Features
Jobs is still talking about the iPhone and now tells audience how all of these numerous features would work when used in real life. Jobs demonstrates, along with Phil Schiller, how all the unique features of the iPhone could work, and integrate seamlessly together. (Now he's comparing the iPhone to four leading brands of "smart phones" being presented in a graphic onscreen).
10:45a-- iPhone Pricing to Start at $499 (4 GB) and $599 (8 GB)
Jobs says that people who buy cell phones with music capabilities don't really use it for that because it's mediocre (that last word not his exact words) so they end up buying an iPod too. Costs them twice as much money. iPhone will cost the same as a phone and iPod, but have more for the price they'll be selling it for. Availability beginning in June of this year. Partnership announcement soon...
10:48a-- Apple to Partner with Cingular, Exclusively for iPhone
Jobs says exclusive partnership with Cingular will power iPhone, no other carriers planned. (Note: the $499 price includes a 2-year contract)
(Note/Comment: A representative from Cingular joins Jobs onstage and speaks for a long, long, time. No joke. Audience members start muttering under their breaths, giggles emanate quietly around the crowd, and a very polite--sarcasm--group to our left starts clapping and cheering. People were "iTuning" out after the second minute).
