January 10th, 2007
First look: Apple iPhone
Two and half years and 200 patents later, the long-rumoured, heavily-anticipated iPhone is reality.
Watching the keynote you really get the feeling this is Jonathan’s baby. Doing away with fixed physical buttons to use an entirely touch-driven interface is not only revolutionary and daring for such a complex device, but immediately reveals itself as the obvious and logical solution.
And the only physical control on the front of the iPhone — the solitary “home” button — is classic Jonathan Ive: distilling everything into one zen-like control that acts as the anchor to the entire system, providing familiarity and a sense of safety to the user.
Indeed the design of the iPhone demonstrates a sense of humour in the Apple design team and an open challenge to the Nokias and Motorolas of the world. Who else would think or dare to design a smartphone — a product typically littered with countless buttons, flip-out keyboards and volume dials — with no buttons whatsoever — and succeed?
On a technical level the Apple iPhone also triumphs. The world’s thinnest smartphone packing the highest resolution display ever shipped on a mobile device, and a vast list of internal components including a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor and an accelerometer.
Of course these hi-tech components allow usability problems to be overcome, but it is all delivered with such simplicity. How do you view the a landscape image or video? Turn the phone to the side. How do you make an image bigger? Move your fingers apart. How do you make it smaller again? Move your fingers together.
The only negative reaction I have seen to the iPhone so far concern the lack of 3G connectivity, the locking to the Cingular network and the price, all of which may affect its success.
However on on a design level this is another Jonathan Ive masterpiece, on a level with the iPod and iMac. Go Jony!
AppleInsider have high-resolution photos of the iPhone on display at MacWorld.
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January 10th, 2007 at 2:01 am
it looks amazing.. just wowwwwwwww… thank you apple for the competition. competition is good for us consumers
January 10th, 2007 at 11:01 am
This is just GREAT!!!
But this is so sad that we have to wait 1 year in Europe…
The design is amazing! I love it! I bet that in some months it will be copied by others companies.
Your work is great! Thank you for so much freshness and inovation.
I hope I could be some day be inspired like you in my profession !!
Loris
January 11th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
It was 6 o’clock and the roommate was sleeping. Far apart from the Macworld and I have seen the iPhone in the official website.
iPhone is great. I felt rather exciting when the page have been downloaded. But, surprisingly , I felt a little uncomfortable while I have viewed through the keynote at engadget.
Jony had no progress in the new works on macbook pro, power mac, ipod, imac and macbook. I don’t think iPhone is a revolution production from ive. In my opinion, the “Sunflower†imac G4 is the best work from ive. I felt rather exciting when I saw shuffle II or powerbook G4’s promotion movie clip from apple.com.iPhone’s project is a great project while apple is stepping the new area.I don’t think ive have used about 1 year to design an iPhone. iPhone is not a works. It’s just a production which satisfy that people’s need.
iPhone is worthly to buy, as the function is great for us. But i think ive can do better on the iPhone.This is what I think about the iPhone.