Apple Grrl

Apple sent out an email to customers requesting advance notice of iPhone sales today. The email contained tips for use, as well as the reveal that the iPhone would use Entourage or Outlook for your contact management and syncing and require iTunes for activation.

Full text of email:

iPhone arrives on June 29. iPhone features an amazing mobile phone, is the best iPod we’ve ever created, and puts the Internet in your pocket with desktop-class email, web browsing, searching, and maps. And iPhone makes it all easy to use with its revolutionary multi-touch user interface. iPhone syncs with your PC or Mac just like an iPod, so organizing your content now will help you start calling, texting, emailing, surfing, listening, and watching even faster when you get your iPhone. Here are a few suggestions to help you get ready:

Contacts
Making a call with iPhone is as simple as tapping a name. You won’t need to re-enter all your contacts because iPhone syncs with the address book you already use on your computer—Address Book or Entourage on a Mac, or Outlook or Outlook Express on a PC. If you keep your contacts on the web using Yahoo! Address Book, iPhone can sync with them, too. To get ready for iPhone, organize your contacts in one of these applications and make sure they’re up to date with the latest phone numbers and email addresses. If you don’t have contacts on your computer, don’t worry. You can still enter them directly into iPhone.

Calendar
Using its built-in calendar, iPhone lets you check your appointments with the flick of a finger. iPhone uses iTunes to sync with the calendar application you already use on your computer—iCal or Entourage on the Mac, or Outlook on a PC—just like it does with your contacts. If you don’t already use one of these applications to manage your appointments, now is a great time to start, so you’ll be ready to sync when your iPhone arrives. If you choose not to use a calendar program, that’s OK. You’ll be able to enter appointments directly into the iPhone calendar.

Email
iPhone is the first phone to come with a desktop-class email application. So now your phone can display rich HTML email with graphics and photos alongside the text. iPhone will even fetch your latest email every time you open the application and automatically retrieve your email on a set schedule, just like a computer does. iPhone works with the most popular email systems—including Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL, and .Mac Mail. If you’re not already using one of these services, now would be a great time to get an account. iTunes will make email setup on iPhone a breeze by automatically syncing the settings from email accounts stored in Mail on a Mac or Outlook on a PC. Don’t worry if you’re not on one of these email services; iPhone also works with almost any industry-standard POP3 and IMAP email system.

Photos
iPhone has a 2-megapixel camera and a gorgeous 3.5-inch display, so it’s a great way to enjoy and show off your digital photos. iPhone uses iTunes to sync your photos from iPhoto on a Mac or Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Photoshop Album, or any picture folder on a PC. You can carry thousands of photos on iPhone, but you can start by creating an album or two with 50 to 100 of your favorite photos, so that when you first sync your iPhone, you’ll be ready to quickly show off some of your best shots.

Music and Video
iPhone is the best iPod ever. Its beautiful, 3.5-inch widescreen display allows you to easily enjoy the music, TV shows, and movies you have in your iTunes library. If you already use iTunes, you can start getting ready for iPhone by creating a playlist of a few hundred of your favorite songs. If you don’t have iTunes, now is a good time to it and start a music and video library. That way, when you sync your iPhone with iTunes, you’ll be able to take your favorite music, as well as a few of your TV shows and movies, with you wherever you go. download

iTunes account

To set up your iPhone, you’ll need an account with Apple’s iTunes Store. If you already have an iTunes account, make sure you know your account name and password. If you don’t have an account, you should set one up now to save time later. To set up an account, launch, select the iTunes Store, and click the Sign In button in the upper right corner of iTunes. Sign in and you’re ready to go.

You are receiving this email because you asked to receive email updates about iPhone. If you have questions about
Apple’s Privacy Policy, click here.

Some products or promotions are not available outside the U.S. Product specifications are subject to change.
Copyright © 2007 Apple Inc. 1 Infinite Loop, MS 303-3DM, Cupertino, CA 95014.
All Rights Reserved / Keep Informed / Privacy Policy / My Info
If you prefer not to receive commercial email from Apple, or if you’ve changed your email address, please click here.

Copyright 2007 Leslie Poston, all rights Reserved

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I in no way think Apple was behind this part of the iPhone deal, however; it bears a mention. As badly as I want an iPhone, and as badly as the rest of the Appleverse wants one, I can’t believe there isn’t more buzz in the blogosphere about the little AT&T program designed to catch music piracy, which will include the iPhones and their users.

AT&T marks the first of the big Telcos to join forces with the RIAA and MPAA to clear the internet of pirated content. AT&T makes claims that this technology they are developing will only target the most egregious offenders, however; it is a huge leap of trust that I just can’t see my way clear to make on their behalf. Why don’t I trust them? They were the company that released private user phone data to the governement not so long ago, and that agreed to allow the government to spy on users’ calls.

“The risk AT&T faces is fighting the last war by spending money and energy plugging an old hole in the wall when new ones are breaking out,” said Fred von Lohmann, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Freedom Foundation. The San Francisco digital-rights organization has sued AT&T, alleging it illegally released customers’ phone data to the federal government.

Will I still buy an iPhone? Perhaps. I was more excited when the deal was first announced last year under the auspices of Cingular, the company I used for my wireless carrier and a company I trusted. Now that Cingular has become “The New AT&T”, I have less enthusiasm for the deal. I hope Apple knows what it has gotten itself into - this deal with AT&T, known for shady tactics and consumer abuses, could backfire and erase decades of good will Apple has developed with its customers.

My honey asked me how this would be a problem, and I had to explain to him that most of us keep our music on iTunes and in an iPod. The iPhone also contains iTunes and an iPod and will sync with your computer’s iTunes, just like your existing iPod. So even if you don’t use AT&T for internet, if you are a music pirate, your music could end up on your iPhone, accessible by AT&T in their piracy sweeps.

But what if you don’t put stolen music on the iPhone? It’s always possible to make a mistake and allow a stolen tune to slip through on a playlist, all it takes is one careless sync. But what if you don’t steal music (or maybe you used to, and you have a couple of files from years and years ago, but you haven’t in ages)? My worry here is that people like me, who either don’t steal music at all or who stopped snagging free music long ago, but who do support unsigned bands and little known artists by swapping files with other music lovers, will get culled in a sweep simply because the files aren’t on the RIAA radar. I’ need to see significant proof that the RIAA and AT&T can and will tell the difference between unknown music files like those, or between “Hey Joe, check out this song” swaps that lead to sale, and so far I don’t see the RIAA enforcers as capable of telling these swaps apart from actual piracy.

Proceed with caution Apple Fanz, proceed with caution.

Source, Source, Source

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Dear Apple Honchos,

I know I strive for non-biased reviews of your products, however; I have a proposition for you. I will write daily glowing reviews of the coveted iPhone, even if it sucks donkey balls, if you would just donate one to me. for evaluation purposes on a permanent basis, of course. Kisses!

Your slave,

AppleGrrl

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Thanks to TUAW for this tidbit today, found here.

Price thinks prepaid isn’t dead despite what you see in those commercials. The new AT&T feature packages look as if they’re ready to bring prepaid phone services to a new level. So 2-year-contract? No 2-year-contract? Prepaid? No prepaid? I’m just getting whiplash. What do you think?

Oh and by the way: that commercial Scott posted earlier today? Check out the very end and see if you notice…what’s missing.

Hope for non Cingular (down with “the new AT&T”! bring back the little orange man!) customers yet.

[tags]iphone, at&t, cingular, contract, iphone ads, verizon, iphone prepaid[/tags]

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It’s official, the much-anticipated iPhone has a release date: June 29th. The commercial aired during 60 Minutes this week confirmed what we’ve all been waiting to hear: when, exactly, we can get our hot little hands on an iPhone.

Now the speculation can begin in earnest. some of my favorite Mac rumors swirling around the interwebs today are the rumor of the 12th mystery application, the opening of the iPhone platform at WWDC in June and the New York Times’ concern that the iPhone has been so hyped people will actually be disappointed with it once they get it. (not likely)

(more…)

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in 1988, Apple released this video, simulating what they thought the computing world would be like in 2010. With 2010 fast approaching, how accurate do you think they were?

[tags]apple, future computer, future of computing, nostradamus, mac, steve jobs, commercial, apple 1988, apple 2010, knowledge navigator[/tags]

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Amazon announced today that it was finally opening its long-rumored DRM free music store. You an look for it to open later this year. With a full catalog of DRM free music and 12000 choices so far, is this a threat to iTunes? Not really. Apple continues to be at the forefront of the DRM free fight with the remaining three record labels (EMI being the only major label who has already signed on with both Amazon and Apple). Steve Jobs continues to use his heavy hitting industry clout to bend the last hold outs to his will, er, make them sign a DRM free agreement for his customers. (more…)

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Apparently, it’s all in the design, and in the design process. Technology Review takes the time to walk us through the Apple design process, revealing why Macs really do “just feel right”. Most of the meat of the design reveal is in the end of the article but it is worth a read all the way through. Some highlights:  (more…)

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