The iPhone will hit shelves Friday and is expected to fly right off them.
The maker of the iPod’s first venture into the cellular phone market is expected to blow other smart phones out of the water.
The iPhone comes with either four or eight gigabytes of memory, a true-to-form Internet display and a touch-screen interface. But at a starting price of $499, it has many in its projected demographic of 18 to 34-year-olds emptying their savings accounts.
And the costs do not end with the device. Users must also sign a two-year contract with AT&T (formerly Cingular), which holds an exclusive two-year agreement on the iPhone. Reports from AT&T via the Macworld Web site claim unlimited data packages to accommodate iPhone technology will be roughly $20 a month.
“I’ve been putting off getting a new cell phone for four months,” said Kelby Rasmussen, architecture sophomore. “I saved all the money I got from my birthday in May for the phone.”
Rasmussen is one of many students feeling the draw to buy the phone, which combines many useful services into one device.
“Instead of having to bring my agenda, iPod, laptop, and cell phone to school, I’ll only need to bring my iPhone,” Rasumssen said.
Hailed by Apple’s Web site as the integration of an iPod, phone and Internet, the phone offers a desirable platform for many students.
“The iPhone offers things like visible voicemail which allows you to select one voicemail to listen to within a list instead of listening to every single one,” said Brett Robicheaux, sales representative at AT&T Corporate store on Perkins.
The phone also offers up to eight hours of talk time and as much as 10 days on standby, according to Apple in-house testing.
“The phone has an internal GPS locator, a display that lets you browse through your music selection, and it can download movies,” Robicheaux said.
Many rumors are associated with the phone and its capabilities.
“I really think the phone is going to blow other smart phones out of the water,” said Jordy Wax, communication studies senior. “The big holdback people will have with the phone is its price, and the fact that it has an exclusive service provider – AT&T.”
There is no wait list available for the iPhone. Only corporate locations will receive iPhones, including the AT&T stores on Perkins Road and Corporate Boulevard. Family-owned wireless stores will not have the iPhone on Friday, and several expect the phones to go on backorder once they arrive.
“Corporate stores will close down at 4:30 p.m. on [June] 29th and reopen at 6 p.m. to release the iPhone,” Robicheaux said.
The unique release schedule is intended to give people working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. a chance to buy the phone without taking off work.
“We don’t know how many phones we’re getting,” Robicheaux said. “Corporate expects there to be people camping out at the stores the day before, but I’m not so sure.”
In Baton Rouge, Robicheaux expects people to wait in line Friday morning, but not overnight.
“You may expect people camping out for something like a video gaming system, but this is a phone,” he said.
AT&T expects new customers to sign contracts because of the phone.
“From what I understand, many people are waiting for the phone to be released to make the switch [to AT&T],” Robicheaux said.
Despite the hype the iPhone is receiving, other leading wireless service providers remain confident their subscriber numbers will not suffer.
“We do not feel there will be a significant drop in subscribers in the next few months,” said Patrick Kimball, public relations manager for Verizon Wireless. “Wireless customers have consistently chosen the Verizon Wireless network over our competitors and we expect this trend to continue.”
Sprint, the third-largest wireless provider in the country, agreed.
“We are confident that, once our customers compare, they will find Sprint provides the best features and most variety for the money,” said Kristin Wallace, manager of corporate communications for Sprint. “Sprint has loyal customers due to its extensive wireless broadband network, large variety of handsets, value music downloads and handsets priced less than $100.”
AT&T’s competitors are confident in the quality of their products.
“Verizon Wireless currently offers 18 phones that can download music directly to the phone over the air – a capability that you cannot get with the iPhone,” Kimball said. “We have offered downloadable video content for over a year, live TV on your phone for several months and a huge variety of wireless devices that are more versatile and affordable than the iPhone.”
The other leading companies feel the phones and features they offer are on par or better than what the iPhone and AT&T can offer, and have been offering them for longer.
“Sprint was the first carrier to offer music on its handsets in October 2005,” said Wallace.
But for some, there are draws to the iPhone besides reliability and features. Several students are attracted to the look of the iPhone.
“To me, Apple products are art – useable art,” Rasmussen said.
Apple’s Web site states, “No matter how you look at it, the design of the iPhone is incredible.”
Wax believes the iPhone will take off with the younger or style-conscious users.
For the Apple faithful, the release of the iPhone could not come a moment too soon.
“I’ve been using Apple computers for about three years now and I love their products,” Wax said. “Using an Apple-made phone is a dream come true.”
—Contact Wallace Levy at [email protected]