iPhone - Post-Launch Coverage

This page lists US or world events after the first generation device launch in the US. Please see the main page for more, or go on to the European Launch page.

Back to the main page

To the European Launch page

Reviews were grouped in this page for your convenience.

Note: Apple-related Marketing and media events are in bold.

March 6th:

Apple releases the iPhone SDK and announces Exchange ActiveSync, Cisco VPN support for June release

• Apple Announces iPhone 2.0 Software Beta – press release

February 28th:

• Tim Cook Talks iPhone, SDK, Unlocking, Apple TV. Interesting summary of Tim Cook’s presentation at the Goldman Sachs Investment Symposium, where a lot of the discussion was actually around iPod Touch (apparently most people reporting on this didn’t actually bother to listen to the whole thing). iPhone in-depth discussion starts around 21 minutes in or so.

February 27th:

• Apple: Event on March 6 about iPhone SDK, enterprise – in which the words “enterprise features” are tacked on too obviously to be an afterthought.

December 15th:

• “I’ve got nothing against the iPhone. I just wouldn’t want my daughter to marry one.”:“http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13509_1-9834552-20.html?tag=head – a run-down of the Forrester Research mishap.
• “ They never can stop in time”:http://www.bynkii.com/archives/2007/12/they_never_can_stop_in_time.html – another

December 14th

• Canalys, Symbian: Apple iPhone Already Leads Windows Mobile in US Market Share, Q3 2007 – an overly enthusiastic analysis that persists in ignoring Nokia, skims over the Blackberry growth and ignores the peculiarities of the US market.

December 12th

• The iPhone Is Not Meant For Enterprises – a hilariously misguided analysis that was scorned throughout the media and had more than a few factual errors.

November 20th

• 3G iPhone rumour ‘rubbish’ says Vodafone

November 19th

• iPhone to get 3G in May 2008 – more rumors. Until I see an actual announcement from Apple, I’m not holding my breath.

October 31st

• Invention Of the Year: The iPhone – TIME Magazine

October 22nd

Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results – 1.119.000 units in the quarter, 1.389.000 since launch.

September 27th

Apple updates iPhone firmware to 1.1.1, adds Wi-Fi Music Store

• Orange premature on iPhone announcement

September 24th

Apple issues a warning about future upgrades likely resulting in modified devices becoming inoperable

CUPERTINO, Calif., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple has
discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs
available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's
software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming
permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update
is installed. Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update,
containing many new features including the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store
(http://www.itunes.com), later this week. Apple strongly discourages users from
installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones. Users who make
unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their
iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty. The permanent
inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not
covered under the iPhone's warranty.
    (C) 2007 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac,
Mac OS, Macintosh, iPhone and iTunes are trademarks of Apple. Other company
and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Which is hardly surprising, and serves the unlocking crowd just right.

September 21st

• Vodafone exec still in denial over loss of iPhone contracts – Ars makes it personal, and looks stupid in the process.

September 19th

• Vodafone claims iPhone subscriber loss only temporary

September 13th

Apple sends out invitations to a Sept.18th event at the Regent Street Apple Store.

• Ars Technica and most others believe this to be tied to the European launch.
• 3G iPhones will arrive before Christmas, says analyst – as I review this on Xmas day, I wonder who still believes in analysts.
• Analyst sees 3G iPhone from Apple by Christmas – further evidence analysts are guys who grasp at straws for a living.

September 10th

Apple Sells One Millionth iPhone – Press Release

• Apple sells 1 millionth iPhone, Steve Ballmer not available for comment

September 9th

• iPhone next week in Europe? Wait for Carphone Warehouse – Guy Kewney takes another stab at kick-starting the rumor mill.
• Apple licenses InterDigital tech, presumably for 3G iPhone – lagging two days behind the news.

September 7th

• InterDigital Inks License Deal with Apple – “The deal covers various 2G and 3G cellular technologies encompassing bandwidth allocation, roaming and power efficiency controls, and most likely also includes some type of packet data coding and delivery.”. I, being a bit on the cynical side, suspect that this has just as much to do with InterDigital’s disputes with Nokia: “InterDigital is also involved in a patent dispute with Nokia over third-generation technology. The U.S. International Trade Commission is expected to start an investigation of certain Nokia 3G mobile phones based on a complaint filed by InterDigital last month.”

September 6th

Apple publishes an open letter to all iPhone customers, offering US$100 in credit.

September 5th

Apple announces the iPod Touch, lowers prices by US$200, discontinues 4GB iPhone.

September 4th

• Report: iPhone outsold all smartphones in July – iSuppli predicts that Apple will sell a lofty 4.5 million units in 2007 and up to 30 million by 2011. It’s still nothing but a drop in the Nokia ocean, though.

August 24th

Apple releases the 1.0.2 software update.

• iPhone unlocked: AT&T loses iPhone exclusivity, August 24, 2007, 12:00PM EDT – let the games begin.

August 22nd

• Speculating on the iPhone memory footprint and CPU speed – all this while, and nobody really knows what the thing is.
• iPhone Europe speculation, now with multiple carriers – “[…] time to bang your head against a wall because there’s another iPhone Europe rumor!”
• More iPhone Europe rumors – in which we learn that O2 paid UKP 4,030 million for its 3G license. Funny, considering that folk in the UK keep wondering where O2’s 3G coverage actually exists.

August 21st

• Orange, O2, and T-Mobile agree to iPhone revenue deals
• Apple signs up 3 European carriers for the iPhone – pounces on the FT news, adds little.
• Apple secures Europe iPhone revenue deals – pure rumor. For instance, the part where it was mentioned that “The operators are set officially to announce the partnerships at the IFA trade fair in Berlin at the end of August.” never happened.

August 17th

• Apple-Vodafone Euro Deal Imminent? – same rumor, better presentation.
• Apple, Vodafone discussing iPhone minutiae? – you just gotta love how fanciful rumors are getting. Must be the sun, the tequila, or both.

August 15th

Two new ads (All These Years and All the Parts) are posted on the Apple site.

August 13th

• More iPhone Europe rumors, now with trademark worries, too – fallout from the pre-silly-season rumors. Nothing new.
• The iPhone Hacking Kit, step by step – hacking the iPhone goes beyond mainstream and becomes, er… “respectable”.

August 6th

• Further progess made on US, European iPhone unlocking – a few years ago, mentioning SIM cloning or similar techniques on a news site was considered dodgy at best. With the iPhone craze, it’s suddenly gone mainstream to the point where respected technical news sources are doing it…

July 26th

• Apple sold 270,000 iPhones in the first 30 hours – corresponding to the 146K activations reported by AT&T.
• Apple Q307 conference call deflects deeper iPhone questions – speculative title, but good info.

July 25th

• Higher iPhone revenue sharing numbers speculated – hovering near US$9/user/month (more for new AT&T subscribers).
• iPhone now running multiple Open Source applications thanks to improved build tools – finally, the ARM toolchain is put to good use under Mac OS X.

July 24th

• Is the iPhone a Success or Flop? – debunking the speculation.
• AT&T reports 146,000 iPhone activations in first two days – considering all the tales of woe regarding activation, I’d say this doesn’t reflect all the sales for the first day and a half (the shops opened at 18:00 on Friday, Q3 ended on Saturday).

July 20th

• iPhone product image leaked on T-Mobile Germany – there and gone.

July 17th

• Securing your iPhone’s traffic – a quick dip into security and VPN features, with a few odd statements and a bonus KB link.

July 16th

• El Reg lobs iPhone at Genius Bar – choice quote: “Carry an iPhone, and you’re just one of the lemmings.”
• Analyst 25 percent of iPhone buyers new to AT&T – speculative, but interesting. Gross adds like this are any operator’s wet dream.

July 5th

• iPhone – The Musical – David Pogue posts a musical video about buying an iPhone. Simply hilarious.
• Stupid Europress – ‘Eurosnobs to Get iPhone, One Day’, Sources Declare – best post on the iPhone all week.
• Who’s Sari now? – Vodafone and that iPhone O2 contract – this is getting increasingly silly.
• Another day, another European iPhone carrier
• O2 denies iPhone deal is done
• O2 says it hasn’t signed a U.K. iPhone distribution pact with Apple – Oopsie.
• O2 nears iPhone partnership – in which we learn two things (i.e., rumors):
  • That Apple intends to limit the Autumn European Launch to Germany, France and the UK (which means they will not be launching on the most innovative mobile markets in Europe). Odd to see no mention whatsoever of Italy, Finland, etc., which means someone doesn’t get the European mobile market.
  • That the European iPhone would also be 2.5G (which is pretty much suicidal as far as web surfing is concerned, since GPRS does not provide a good HTTP browsing experience, period).
• O2 ‘to get iPhone contract in UK’ – Oh really?
• O2 beats rivals in battle for the rights to Apples iPhone – but no press releases on that by the time the Times Online posted this.

July 4th

Apple publishes the Web Development for iPhone page.

• Files in iPhone reveal overseas plans for T-Mobile, Vodafone – interesting, but doesn’t prove anything.

July 3rd

• D.Telekom’s mobile unit clinches iPhone deal: paper
• T-Mobile announcing German iPhone deal tomorrow?
• German paper: T-Mobile to carry iPhone in Germany – waiting is now a whole lot more fun – at least for half of Europe. Meanwhile, stick a fish in your ear
• Vodafone ‘will confirm Euro iPhone deal when one million phones are sold’ – Thursday? – let’s wait and see.
• Apple Rises on iPhone Margin Report – 4.9%. Not bad.
• iPhone Safari isn’t Safari 3.0, and other development surprises – I had already figured as much.
• Apple IPhone Sold Out at Most Stores After Four Days
• Stingy AT&T spoiled the iPhone party – apparently ‘Fine EDGE’ was a little dull.
• iPhone May Sell Fast, But Not RAZR Fast – a somewhat lopsided attempt at comparing iPhone sales to RAZR sales (which evolved in a pretty different way, and towards a lower market segment)
• Goldman Sachs analyst pegs Apple iPhone sales at up to 700,000 units in first weekend – wow. Judging from the Engadget infographic, availability seems to be petering out.
• iPhone hackers disclose vulns and hunt for clues – nobody had found “alpine” yet.
• iPhone creates stir on US launch – the BBC quotes 525.000 sales in the first weekend, with 1800 AT&T stores sold out and a 2-to-4 week waiting period for online sales.

July 2nd

• The rumors of an European announcement don’t pan out on time. Everyone lets it pass.
• AT&T users report data issues in the public forum.
• Telecom and Vodafone take note: 50% of iPhone buyers switched network – no wonder, with AT&T being the only game in town.
• ‘Half a million iPhones sold;’ Vodafone wants a piece of that action – more speculation
• Rival Manufacturers Chasing the iPhone – Hare, meet tortoise.
• Followup: AT&T Offering Refunds For Forced iPhone Accessory Bundles – I wonder what sort of incentives AT&T really applies to their retail sales.
• iPhone autopsies conducted – The Reg, a bit late to the party.
• Apple publishes the Out-of-Warranty Battery Replacement Program page quoting three business days to replace the battery.
• That $599 iPhone Costs $220 To Make and Teardown reveals iPhone parts cost two bills – more takes on the production costs.
• Taking the iPhone Apart – US$220 in parts (theoretically, not counting integration costs)
• Review: The iPhone Is Apple’s Latest Triumph – InformationWeek
• Movie trailers for your iPhone – people start noticing site tweaks here and there.
• AT&T claims to have fixed iPhone activation woes – this was the single most prominent gripe in the whole user experience. It will be interesting to see what lessons Apple and AT&T learn from it.
• iSkin, DLO and XtremeMac Intro iPhone Stuff – cases, screen protectors, etc. No hats, though.

July 1st

• iPhone.com has been acquired by Apple – eight years after they registered iphone.org, they spend a 7-digit sum to get the .com domain.
• Under the Hood: Inside the Apple iPhone – great detailed analysis of the logic board.

June 30th

• HD video: iPhone interface complete walkthrough – look, but don’t touch.

June 29th

• Europe to get 3G iPhone from Vodafone, T-Mobile and Carphone Warehouse
• Breaking: Several AT&T Stores Forced Customers to Buy Accessories With iPhone – something’s afoot.
• Ignore US launch: European Tri-iPhone launch will reveal 3G iPhone for Voda, T-Mobile and Carphone Warehouse – Guy Kewney kicks off another bout of European launch rumors – that didn’t pan out when he said they would.
• Why iPhone will change the mobile music business – an angle that hasn’t panned out yet, and doesn’t seem likely soon.
• Steve Jobs: Doesn’t Get Mobile, Completely Full Of It, Or Both? – good angle on Wi-Fi vs. 3G.
• Apple iPhone Cell Phone Review – Battery Life – a good place to start reading what is probably the most detailed review yet, at least from a handset tester’s perspective (other highlights include audio quality, camera testing, lack of dial-up features and, of course, the keyboard).
• Apple’s iPhone Dissected: We did it, so you don’t have to
• Mayor on line to buy iPhone – the Mayor of Philadelphia, out in the rain. Choice quote: “…an illustration of how much work has changed, saying he was getting as much done in line thanks to his Blackberry…”
• Apple publishes a PDF version of the user manual, the iPhone Acessories, the “Fingertips” video and iTunes 7.3.
• Jobs and Stephenson talk iPhone, give EDGE speeds a boost – hours prior to the launch, more rumors of ‘Fine EDGE’.