Buzz Report: Eye on iPhone Video

Buzz Report: Eye on iPhone Video Transcript

Hi, I'm Molly Wood, and welcome to the Buzz Report. This week, iPhone 2 is around the corner, and even though it makes me feel kind of sick sometimes, we're going to go ahead and spread some hype, special-edition style. It is, after all, the Buzz Report. But first, it's the gadget of the week. The Gadget of the Week is the frickin' iPhone 2. What do you think? Let's get back to the news. Hysteria is spreading as the second coming of the iPhone approaches. The new version of the phone will almost certainly be announced Monday at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. So far, we know it'll be 3G, but we don't know what kind, we're pretty sure it'll have GPS, and I'M fairly certain it will include at least one crushingly disappointing omission. That's just Apple for you. It's no surprise that there's hardly ANY news on what might be in the new iPhone. The closest thing we have to news is an Apple patent filing reported late this week. It suggested the phone COULD have instant messaging, a blogging client, Java software downloads, multimedia messaging (hooray), voice-activated commands like voice- dialing, and audio capture, as well as GPS. But that's a patent filing. It's just for technology they MIGHT use. I mean, they could be planning to hold off on multimedia messaging until iPhone 3. I wouldn't recommend it, but it's possible. So, beyond that, we have the hype, the rumors, and the sheer obsession. Our own Crave blog did five paragraphs on what we'll CALL the darned thing -- will it be the 2G 3G iPhone? iPhone 2.0? What about the iPhone 2.0 software, if you put that on the OLD iPhone, it's not the iPhone 2.0, it's ... oh, no. And what if we call it the 3G iPhone and then there's a third-generation iPhone someday? It'll be horrible! And then there's the question of WHEN the phone might go on sale. A recent Forbes report suggests the phone is just sitting in boxes at distribution centers, waiting to hit the streets. But see, they probably won't get them into stores by Monday, because they can't risk someone SEEING them, so it could be a week or more after the announcement that they go on sale! Then there's the most pressing question of all. WILL it have cut and paste? WILL IT!? It's all almost enough to obscure any ACTUAL news, like, hey, here's an interesting story. According to research firm IDC, more people bought Blackberrys than iPhones in the first quarter of this year ... oh, and Blackberry actually INCREASED its lead in market share over the iPhone! Well, that's interesting. Even Palm gained market share in Q1. That's probably like, who knows, at least 10 million people who seriously do not give a CRAP about anything I've just said in the last two minutes. Sorry, guys! Although if this next piece is any indication, those numbers MIGHT be about to change. It's time, ladies and gents, for: What the hell? With Brian Cooley Well, I'm getting ready to buy an iPhone. What the hell? Don't get me wrong: I've use lots of Apple gear on the job, and I admire it and the company a whole bunch. I just never want any of it for my own. I prefer to use a less expensive computer with a broader array of software ? A portable player that does a little more, not a little less ? and a TV set top box that doesn't sneer at me when I want to exist outside of iTunes. But by the time I talk to you next week Apple will probably have unveiled iPhone 2.0. And then I'm screwed. It suspect it will have all the improvements that will forever end conversations that begin with "what smartphone should I buy ??": 3G, video capture, GPS, a usable earphone jack, a new wave of 3rd party apps. It may even be thinner. I hate that! Oh, and I'll pay a price well beyond the purchase price: I'll have to start using iTunes. And when I pull out my phone people will think I'm either a pretentious art student or a self-absorbed entrepreneur. Maybe I'll devise a cover that makes it look like a Treo so people will just think I'm an idiot. So now what? Well, I get in line with all the other people who "think differently" by doing what Steve tells them to, and go buy one. Wow. I gotta admit, I didn't see that coming. But uh ... I'm probably gonna get one, too. See you in line, Cooley! I'm Molly Wood, and this has been the Buzz Report. Thanks for watching.