An iPhone exclusive: Features that would truly make Apple's latest and greatest worth $500+

The iPhone needs 3G. It will speed up web-surfing, possible iTunes downloads, and other wireless features. There are more reasons why iPhone needs 3G but lets focus on other things.

It would be definitely helpful for businesses for Apple to have the iPhone include a mobile suite of iWork. This includes a mobile Pages application that could somehow read Word documents and save as any format you want (Word) because lets face it, half the planet uses Word. I am not saying that Pages is bad, but it would be nice for it to communicate with Word. Also, a Keynote and PowerPoint reader, or possibly a mobile Keynote unto itself. Like, Pages communicating with Word, Keynote would have the ability to read PowerPoints, edit them, and then save them as PowerPoint’s but secretly being a beautiful Keynote. In addition to Keynote and Pages, a handy little spreadsheet application would be nice. I wouldn’t want to pretend like I know anything about spreadsheets but I would assume it would be nice to have on the go and with the ability to communicate with Excel.

Along with an iWork suite, I would be nice to have iLife jammed in there. A mobile, simplified iMovie to give basic editing, transitions, effects, and the like to your videos recorded with the iPhone’s camera, a little Garageband to make a personalized ringtone or little movie score for that iMovie, iPhoto is already in there, iWebs I wouldn’t see any need for (but might be possible), and iDVD is out of the question. Also, once you finish your movie edited with iMovie and given a soundtrack with Garageband, I think it would be nice for it to be able to have the movie imported into iTunes (the one on the phone) and then the ability to send it to other phones. Like MMS.

iTunes with its core features would be wonderful on the iPhone. Imagine being on the run and in the background or anywhere or anyplace you hear a song you must have. You then whip out your iPhone log into your iTunes account, buy a song, download it and then listen to it within seconds. Or you are at school and someone has the latest and greatest song that they let you listen to for a second. You then take out your iPhone, buy it, download it, and then listen to it right there. I don’t see quick iTunes downloads being that speedy without a 3G network, so once again, a 3G network would be nice. You could also buy videos, ringtones and games right there and then. That would be awesome.

I think a little game designing is in need for the iPhone. I mean seriously, who wouldn’t want to take advantage of the touch screen’s functionality? A couple cool, innovative, Nintendo DS-like games would be pretty slick to have on the iPhone, especially if given the option to download them quickly over the 3G network’s iTunes store. And it would be cool if the games you had already downloaded for your 5th Gen iPod work on the iPhone. Backwards compatibility, you might say.

Another must-have feature on the iPhone is for it be able to have downloadable widgets. People create them, submit them to Apple, Apple approves, (no malicious phone virus and it is appropriate) and then other users can download them for free. There you go. Just like the feature they have here but for the iPhone.

Let’s face it; a major downfall of the iPod is its battery life. I’m pretty sure Apple has been avoiding removable battery life for numerous reasons, but they just don’t outweigh the need to have one. For the iPhone to have all these cool features and then some, it requires lots of juice. So the iPhone needs a removable battery that can be upgraded to higher power one (like the PSP’s standard battery with the option to buy a third-party, higher juice-load battery). And if you are on the run, watching the latest Lost episode, and you see that your battery life is in the ultra red zone and you have dimmed your screen down to the lowest of the low, you just shut the iPhone off, take off the protective plate, take out the dying battery, and plop in your fresh higher powered batter, and continue from where you left off. Genius right?

Another huge need for the iPhone is memory. 4GB or 8GB is not gonna cut it for all of the songs, videos, ringtones, photos, documents, extra applications, and other precious data we are talking about. It might cut it for a Blackberry or BlackJack, but not for our beloved iPhone. I think there should at least be a 10GB standard (maybe 15) and a 20GB premium (maybe 30). And, it should not be a HD. They have it right where it should be; a flash drive is less battery consuming.

I think with all these extra dandy features on the iPhone MAYBE it would be buyable at 500 or 600 dollars. But until I see true, solid power, amazing applications, 3G, removable batteries, a full functioning iTunes store, tons of memory, innovative games, and other luxuries, Apple’s iPhone has gotta be $350 or less. End of story.

Also, I am hearing a lot of cool innovative ideas from bloggers and other people. If you have any ideas for the iPhone just post them here. You’ll get feedback, potentially flamed, but ultimately your idea will be heard.

You heard it here,

Jake Lyon

PROGRAM YOURSELF

-Jake Lyon

QUALITY CHECK- Kodak Easyshare V570

Under certain lighting, settings, you can get this quality. Provided the object you are taking a picture of doesn't move. Look at Tazmo's (the kitten) tail. Blur? I think so.

-Jake Lyon

Apple likes Gizmodo (too)?

One of the tabs on that safari snapshot says Gizmodo? Hasn't Gizmodo been one of the biggest Apple Rumor sites? And I thought Apple hated apple rumors. You can find this image at http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/safari/

Oh well. Looks like Apple has a soft spot for Gizmodo.

Interesting tidbit though.

-Jake Lyon


FOLLOW-UP: Proof of Gizmodo Apple Rumors:

http://gizmodo.com/search/Apple%20Rumor

Why the Macbook Mini will be released with Leopard, iWork '07, and iLife '07.

You want one of Apple's sleek laptops? None in your price range? Exactly. Apple only offers laptops over the $1099 ($1049 with education/ business). So, without anything that's a new apple laptop under the big 1k, you slip and buy a 500 dollar HP Compaq laptop. Bad news for Apple, good news for PC (or in this case HP Compaq).

The Macbook is a very popular laptop in the education field. If Apple could somehow create a cheaper, more portable laptop, it could do a lot better in the mainstream market. It could actually do well.

Why wasn't it at Macworld 2007? Possibly to not steal the thunder of the iPhone. But I think it was due to Leopard's release date. Why create a Macbook Mini that doesn't run leopard standard? Of course it wouldn't be the turn of the century product, but it could boost the Macbook line's sales, create a wider market, and ultimately be awesome.

I presume that all computers will be shipping with Leopard when Leopard comes out. I presume, the Macbook Mini will be introduced.

More soon.

-Jake Lyon

New iPhone Names?

Apple's recently unveiled iPhone now has a lawsuit crawling around. Cisco, a VoIP company, has a phone already out and copyrighted...it's name? None other than the iPhone. So, if Apple loses the lawsuit (hopefully not) what should it be named?

Some want Macmobile, Macphone, MacCellular, but didn't Apple make it clear that this is not a product of Mac? Will they change it to use a Mac moniker, or will they hold tight to their word?

Of course iCell, iConnect, iHateCisco are possibilities.

More soon.

-Jake Lyon