iPhone

iPhone

The iPhone is an internet-connected multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Since its minimal hardware interface lacks a physical keyboard, the multi-touch screen renders a virtual keyboard when necessary. The iPhone functions as a camera phone (also including text messaging and visual voicemail), a portable media player (equivalent to an iPod), and an Internet client (with email, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity). The first-generation phone hardware was quad-band GSM with EDGE; the second generation added UMTS with HSDPA. Apple announced the iPhone on January 9, 2007, after months of rumors and speculation. The iPhone was introduced in the United States on June 29, 2007 before being marketed worldwide. Time magazine named it the Invention of the Year in 2007. Released July 11, 2008, the iPhone 3G supports faster 3G data speeds and assisted GPS. On March 17, 2009, Apple announced the iPhone firmware version 3.0, due to be released June 17, 2009. The iPhone 3G S was announced on June 8, 2009 and will be released on June 19. History and availability Development of iPhone began with Apple CEO Steve Jobs' direction that Apple engineers investigate touchscreens. Apple created the device during a secretive and unprecedented collaboration with AT&T Mobility—Cingular Wireless at the time—at an estimated development cost of US$150 million over thirty months. Apple rejected the "design by committee" approach that had yielded the Motorola ROKR E1, a largely unsuccessful collaboration with Motorola. Instead, Cingular gave Apple the liberty to develop the iPhone's hardware and software in-house. Numerous codenames and even fake prototypes were devised to keep the project secret. Jobs unveiled iPhone to the public on January 9, 2007 in a keynote address. Apple was required to file for operating permits with the FCC, but such filings are available to the public, so the announcement came several months before the iPhone received approval. The iPhone went on sale in the United States on June 29, 2007. Apple closed its stores at 2:00 pm local time to prepare for the 6:00 pm iPhone launch, while hundreds of customers lined up at stores nationwide. On launch weekend, Apple sold 270,000 iPhones in the first thirty hours. The original iPhone was made available in the UK, France, and Germany in November 2007, and Ireland and Austria in the spring of 2008. On July 11, 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G in twenty-two countries, including the original six. Apple sold 1 million iPhone 3G's in its first 3 days on sale, enough to overload Apple's United States iTunes servers. Apple has since released the iPhone 3G in upwards of eighty countries and territories. In April 2009, rumors surfaced that Verizon Wireless had spoken to Apple regarding the possible development of an iPhone for their network in the United States, breaking AT&T's monopoly. Over 3 million units were sold in the first month after the 3G launch, at a "blistering sales pace". The phenomenon of popular willingness to upgrade to the 3G so soon after purchase of an earlier model was attributed to Apple's popularity and its frequent imitators. The anomalously high demand for the first-generation iPhone was reflected in free-market prices for older models that began to rise steadily within days of the 3G launch resetting the price baselines. Apple sold 6.1 million original iPhone units over five quarters. The company sold 3.8 million iPhone 3G's in the second quarter of fiscal 2009, ending March 2009, totaling 21.4 million iPhones sold to date. Sales in Q4 2008 surpassed temporarily those of RIM's BlackBerry sales of 5.2 million units, which made Apple briefly the third largest mobile phone manufacturer by revenue, after Nokia and Samsung. While iPhone sales constitute a significant portion of Apple's revenue, some of this income is deferred. Hardware Screen and input The touchscreen is a 9 cm (3.5 in) liquid crystal display (320×480 px at 6.3 px/mm, 160 ppi, HVGA) with scratch-resistant glass, and can render 262,144 colors. The capacitive touchscreen is designed for a bare finger, or multiple fingers for multi-touch sensing. Most gloves and styluses prevent the necessary electrical conductivity. The display responds to three sensors. A proximity sensor deactivates the display and touchscreen when the iPhone is brought near the face during a call. This is done to save battery power and to prevent inadvertent inputs from the user's face and ears. An ambient light sensor adjusts the display brightness which in turn saves battery power. A 3-axis accelerometer senses the orientation of the phone and changes the screen accordingly, allowing the user to easily switch between portrait and landscape mode. Photo browsing, web browsing, and music playing support both upright and left or right widescreen orientations. The accelerometer can be used to control third party games, and the 3.0 update will introduce shaking the unit as a form of input. Later, a software update allowed the first generation iPhone to use cell towers and Wi-Fi networks location trilateration, despite lacking GPS hardware. The iPhone 3G supplements those methods with A-GPS, and the 3G S adds a digital compass. The iPhone has three physical switches on the sides: wake/sleep, volume up/down, and ringer on/off. These are made of plastic on the original iPhone and metal on the iPhone 3G. A single "home" hardware button below the display brings up the main menu. The touch screen furnishes the remainder of the user interface. The back of the original iPhone was made of aluminum with a black plastic accent. The iPhone 3G and 3G S feature a full plastic back to increase GSM signal strength. The plastic is black for the model with less storage space, but the more spacious version is also available in white. Audio and output One loudspeaker is located above the screen as an earpiece, and another is located on the left side of the bottom of the unit, opposite a microphone on the bottom-right. Volume controls are located on the left side of the unit and as a slider in the iPod application. Both speakers are used for handsfree operations and media playback. The 3.5 mm TRRS connector for the headphones is located on the top left corner of the device. The headphone socket on the original iPhone is recessed into the casing, making it incompatible with most headsets without the use of an adapter. The iPhone 3G eliminates the issue with a flush mounted headphone socket. While the iPhone is compatible with normal headphones, Apple provides a headset with additional functionality. A multipurpose button near the microphone can be used to play or pause music, skip tracks, and answer or end phone calls without touching the iPhone itself. A small number of third-party headsets specifically designed for the iPhone also include the microphone and control button. Apple sells headsets with volume controls, but they are not compatible with the iPhone. The built-in Bluetooth 2.x+EDR supports wireless earpieces, which requires the HSP profile. Stereo audio will be added in the 3.0 update for hardware that supports A2DP.[40][41] While illicit solutions exist, the iPhone does not officially support laptop tethering[50][51] or the OBEX file transfer protocol. The lack of these profiles prevent iPhone users from exchanging multimedia files, such as pictures, music and videos, with other bluetooth-enabled cell phones. Composite or component video at up to 576i and stereo audio can be output from the dock connector using an adapter sold by Apple. Unlike many similar phones, the iPhone currently requires third party software to support voice recording. Apple is planning such an application for the 3.0 software update. Battery The iPhone features an internal rechargeable battery. Like an iPod but unlike most other cell phones, the battery is not user-replaceable. The iPhone can be charged when connected to a computer for syncing across the included USB to dock connector cable, similar to charging an iPod. Alternatively, a USB to AC adapter (or "wall charger," also included) can be connected to the cable to charge directly from a AC outlet. A number of third party accessories (stereos, car chargers, even solar chargers) are also available. If the battery malfunctions or dies prematurely, the phone can be returned to Apple and replaced for free while still under warranty. The warranty lasts one year from purchase and is extended to two years with AppleCare. The cost of having Apple provide a new battery and replace it when the iPhone is out of warranty is slightly less than half the cost of a new 8 GB iPhone. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a consumer advocate group, has sent a complaint to Apple and AT&T over the fee that consumers have to pay to have the battery replaced.[58] Though the battery replacement service and its pricing was not made known to buyers until the day the product was launched, it is similar to how Apple (and third parties) replace batteries for iPods. Since July 2007 third party battery replacement kits have been available at a much lower price than Apple's own battery replacement program. These kits often include a small screwdriver and an instruction leaflet, but as with many newer iPod models the battery in the original iPhone has been soldered in. Therefore a soldering iron is required to install the new battery. The iPhone 3G uses a different battery fitted with a connector that is easier to replace, although replacing the battery oneself still voids the warranty. The original iPhone's battery was stated to be capable of providing up to seven hours of video, six hours of web browsing, eight hours of talk time, 24 hours of music or up to 250 hours on standby. Apple's site says that the battery life "is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 400 full charge and discharge cycles", which is comparable to iPod batteries. The iPhone 3G's battery is stated to be capable of providing up to seven hours of video, six hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi or five on 3G, ten hours of 2G talk time, or five on 3G, 24 hours of music, or 300 hours of standby. SIM card See also: SIM unlocking The SIM card is located in a slot at the top of the device. It can be ejected with a paperclip or a tool included with the iPhone 3G.[63] In most countries, the iPhone is usually sold with a SIM lock, which prevents the iPhone from being used on a different mobile network. Storage The iPhone was initially released with two options for internal storage size: 4 GB or 8 GB. On September 5, 2007, Apple discontinued the 4 GB models. On February 5, 2008, Apple added a 16 GB model. The iPhone 3G S will come in 16 GB and 32 GB variants. All data is stored on the internal flash drive; the iPhone does not contain any memory card slots for expanded storage. Included items Both the iPhone and the iPhone 3G include written documentation, stereo earbuds with microphone, a dock connector to USB cable, and a cloth for cleaning the screen. The original iPhone also included a dock to hold the iPhone upright; it is not compatible with the iPhone 3G, for which a slightly different dock is sold separately. The iPhone 3G includes a tool to eject the SIM card; the original model required a paperclip. Both versions include a USB power adapter, although iPhone 3G's sold in North America, Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, or Peru include a more compact version than those bundled with iPhone 3G's sold elsewhere, or the original model.