IPhone: The new generation

Group 3 Tutorial 1
Group: Jaclyn Nicolls, Emma Cosgrave, Crystal Gleeson, and Victoria Ghani

Problem Statement
With the constant advancements in technology, many have felt the iPhone has surpassed every other smartphone in the world today; however, some may find that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.Does the iPhone live up to its expectations?

Apple Incorporated
Apple Inc., is a multinational corporation that sprouted from Cupertino, California and was created by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. Apple at the beginning of its existence was focused on turning the computer into a household item and in trying to accomplish this dream had created the Lisa and the Macintosh. Even though the Lisa was unsuccessful the Macintosh completely reshaped the computer industry. After the successful creation of the Macintosh, Steve Jobs was ousted from his own company by his handpicked chief executive John Sculley. At first, the companies reign under John Sculley was successful but quickly took a turn for the worst after the introduction of the Newton. The enormous success of Microsoft Windows was another nail in Apple Inc.’s coffin and many business analysts had largely written off Apple to be a competitor in the computer industry. Steve Jobs, however regained hold of his original company and spent years reviving it. He first installed an operating system for the Macintosh computer and in turn completely rebuilt the companies Macintosh franchise. The introduction of the iPod in 2001 made Apple a fierce competitor in consumer electronics. The iTunes music store also made Apple a strong competitor in the music world. Apple has been persistently venturing into new business ideas and in 2007 had created the iPhone. The iPhone has dominated the cellular phone industry. Fortune magazine has honoured Apple with the top rank in its annual list of most admired company in the United States in 2008.

How They Work
The most intriguing part of the iPhone has to be the touchscreen. The touchscreen responds to the person's finger that interactively touches it. It can respond to multiple touch points and does not require a stylus. The iPhone's touch screen operates by monitoring changes in electrical current. The screen contains multiple electrodes and circuits to determine where the user is touching. Along with being able to make phone calls and text messaging, obviously, the iPhone is basically a mini-computer with word proccessing, full web browsing, and e-mail capabilities. It can also be used to watch movies and videos, listen to music, do calculations, organize your calendar, view personal photo albums, and take digital pictures. The 2nd generation iPhone also includes a GPS locator. All of these features are accessible through the main menu on the touch screen after initially unlocking the iPhone. It uses an accelerator to ensure the image you want has the proper orientation on the screen. This means you can scroll quickly through a narrow list, but if you choose a movie to watch, the screen will turn 90 degrees so you can watch the movie in a widescreen format. This is also the device that senses when the user rotates the iPhone and the image responds by turning in the same direction. The battery can last for 10 hours of talk time, 6 hours of internet use, 7 hours of video playback, 24 hours of audio playback, and 300 hours of standby time. The iPhones are available in 4GB and 8GB of storage space. The radio transmitters is carries are Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular reception. The proximity sensor produces near-infrared light to measure it's reflection from nearby objects and thus measuring the distance between the iPhone (held by the user) and a certain object.

Popularity
The iPhone has it all from its sleek, button-less design, advanced web surfing capabilities, music player, and lastly to its digital camera. But, how popular can the iPhone be? Before its release last year, the iPhone generated great buzz. Thanks to its marketing staff, information slowly trickled out which caused curiosity amongst its consumers. For example, people began searching for domains related to the iPhone even before Apple announced the release date of the iPhone. That’s how popular the iPhone was before the release date. Last June, long lines formed when the iPhone went on sale in the U.S despite of its hefty price tag of $499. Now, a year later with its dropped price the iPhone continues to be immensely popular. And with its new version out on the market, more consumers are purchasing the iPhone. The reason is because the new version supports 3G network speeds. Recently, Apple reported that they have sold around 6.9 million iPhones in just its fourth quarter. Evidently, the calendar goal for 2008 to sell 10 million iPhones has been easily met. However, will the popularity continue? The continuation in popularity of the iPhone remains uncertain. The weakening of today’s economy plays an immense part. For example, handset sales dropped about 15%, and revenue dropped about 10%. So will the crippling economy affect the iPhone? Only time can tell. However, the iPhone still remains the “it” phone, especially for this holiday season.

Where They Are Available
The iPhone is available in all of North America and most of South America; as well as most of Western Europe. Other countries where the iPhone is available are Egypt, South Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand. Just recently, the iPhone became available in Japan, Russia, and Spain; and it will soon be available in many more countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, such as Kenya, Dominican Republic, and Jordan.

Prices and Monthly Plans
Prices can range, usually between $499 and $599 depending on how many gigabytes you want. However, the prices just recently dropped to a range of $299 to $399. Plans vary whether you choose a high-end plan, with the most features, or a low-end plan, with few features. These plans are for high-end plans. In Canada, the only network that supports the iPhone is Rogers. With a 3-year plan, the iPhone only costs $199, with a $100 monthly fee. In the USA, the only network that supports the iPhone is AT&T. With a two-year plan, the iPhone only costs just over $200, with an average $130 monthly fee. In Britain, the only network that supports the iPhone is O2. With a year-and-a-half plan, the iPhone is free, with an average $70 monthly fee. Overall, the American plan comes with the most inclusive features (such as unlimited calling at any time) but it is, by far, the most expensive plan. Also, the American plan does not allow text messaging. The British plan is the cheapest and you get the most for your money. The Canadian plan has the most random additional charges, and you are locked into the contract for a long time, but it is still the cheaper than the American plan.

Advantages
	Great looks- not only slim but has a large, bright screen which is not common for a touch screen because they are usually less vibrant. Can also has as good a picture as a desktop monitor.

	Easy to get familiar with and easy to use

	Comes loaded with many elements- contains an address book, calendar, amps, notes, e-mail, and a web-browser that uses the same system as Apple’s computers meaning it can do many things at once.

	Great roaming capabilities- the iPhone has four bands of cell phone reception.

	Compatibility- Is compatible with many iPod accessories including speakers.

	Easy connector- With the iPhone’s built in Wi-Fi capabilities it makes it extremely easy to connect to Internet hot spots.

	Can play video- possible to watch TV shows and movies

	Built in Bluetooth- able to use wireless earpieces

      Spell check and word predictability- when texting it automatically performs spell check and automatically corrects words. Also, when texting the iPhone predicts your word usage.

      Storage capacity- Large memory of 8GB

Disadvantages
	Hard to use keyboard- said to be a “curse to the fat fingered.” Extremely hard to type on with precision.

	Battery is not user replaceable-The battery will only be replaced for free if still under warranty, if not then the battery can cost up to $86US to replace.

	Memory Cards-The iPhone does not have any memory card slots so you cannot attain expanded storage.

	Voice dialling and video calling cannot be done on the iPhone

	Camera- 2.0 megapixel camera that does not zoom, flash, autofocus or take videos.

	Bluetooth files- Due to the lack of certain profiles it is impossible to send multimedia files to other phones that contain Bluetooth.

	Smudges on the screen- iPhone gets dirty easily

	Need two hands to use it- Extremely hard to use driving and with no voice dialling makes the iPhone dangerous to use while on the road

      Price- The phone without a monthly plan costs $200US making it unaffordable for many.

      Flash, Windows Media Video, and Java cannot be used on the iPhone when on the web

What Makes It Unique
There are quite a few features that are unique to the iPhone, which have majorly contributed to the phone’s popularity.

 Multi-touch Screen- The most popular feature is the multi-touch screen which allows the user to operate the phone solely with the use of their finger.

 Virtual Keyboard and Buttons- There is no mechanical keyboard; rather there is a virtual keyboard for inputting any text.

 Visual Voicemail- Another very popular feature is the visual voicemail. The iPhone is actually the first phone with this feature, which allows the user to view the list of voicemail messages and chose to listen or delete messages in a non-chronological order.

 Safari Web Browser- The phone boasts Safari Web Browser which is one of the most advanced web browsers on a portable device.  3.5 Inch Screen- The virtual keyboard allows for a bigger screen to enjoy movies and webpage’s on. In fact the iPhone happens to have one of the largest screens in mobile history.

 Wide Screen Viewing- It has a built in accelerometer which detects when the phone has been rotated and so self adjusts its screen to display the contents accordingly.

 Proximity Sensor- The proximity sensor turns off the display when the phone is brought to the user’s ear, to save battery and avoid unwanted keys from being hit.

 Wi-Fi-This feature allows the iPhone to connect with the internet when it is within range of a wireless internet connection.  Frequently Update by Apple-  The iPhone is automatically updated by Apple with bug fixes and new features when plugged into computer.

 Google Maps- The phone contains a web mapping service that offers street maps, and a route planner for cars and pedestrians.

 Lot’s of Memory- Comes in 4g or 8g which leaves lots of room for movies and music, and can hold ten times the contacts of the average phone.

Conclusion
In previous years people required many different devices to do what the iPhone can do independently. The first version of the iPhone generated a lot of buzz, however it did not live up to its expectations due to its glitches and hefty price. The iPhone has gone through many modifications throughout the past year to filter out the design flaws. The price has fallen from $500 to $200 and the constant updates of applications improved the phone a great deal and made it more appealing to the consumers. Now it is the “it” product of the season. The iPhone disappointed at first but through modifications has redeemed itself.