World of Apple

One blog reports that AT&T have begun sending out surveys to those who purchased an iPhone (presumably through an AT&T store).

AT&T survey

As the blogger proceeded through the survey, he came to a question regarding the speed of the EDGE connection on the iPhone. The survey listed several applications, one of them was iChat.

It is unknown whether this is simply a mistake on AT&Ts behalf or whether we’ll see a software update from Apple in the near future.

Walt Mossberg has posted a list of common questions about the iPhone.

When asked about the iPhones ability to play online video, Mossberg answered:

At launch, the iPhone version of the Safari browser is missing some plug-ins needed for playing common types of Web videos. The most important of these is the plug-in for Adobe’s Flash technology. Apple says it plans to add that plug-in through an early software update, which I am guessing will occur within the next couple of months.

Following rumours circulated earlier, O2 has come out and said that it has not signed a deal with Apple to be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the UK.

“No deal has been signed with Apple,” O2 spokesman David Nicholas said today by telephone from London. “We don’t comment on rumor or speculation.”

“We’ll bring the iPhone to Europe in late 2007,” said Alan Hely, Apple’s London-based spokesman. He declined to comment on a possible U.K. network partner.

The Times Online is reporting that O2 has won exclusive rights to the iPhone in the UK.

O2 has beaten its rivals to win the exclusive UK rights to offer Apple’s iPhone. The tie-up, the mobile phone industry’s most sought-after deal in years, marks a major coup for the 18 million-customer group. The final contract is expected to be signed imminently.

According to the report the iPhone will retail at £300 in a market where most high-end phones are free.

The article also suggests that Orange is the front-runner in France.

Also FTD.de (via Mac Rumors) is reporting that the iPhone will land in only the UK, Germany and France this coming Autumn. The iPhone will NOT feature 3G according to this particular source.

[Update - 5 July 2007 - 08.00 BST] - One reader, Mark Sutton has previously contacted World of Apple regarding a conversation they had with O2 customer support. According to Mark Sutton O2 customer services ensured him that the iPhone would come in the fourth quarter of this year and that the message had been received by internal memo.

World of APple has attempted to get more details from O2 customer services with no success.

Mac Rumors notes on some interesting results that have come from some efforts to hack into and explore the iPhone.

On the iPhone are several logo files, besides the default AT&T and Cingular logos there are also files for T-Mobile and Vodafone, both of which are included in recent rumours about the carrier of the iPhone Europe.

The following logo files are stored in the iPhone’s logo directory;

Default_CARRIER_ATT.png
Default_CARRIER_CINGULAR.png
Default_CARRIER_TMOBILE.png
Default_CARRIER_VODAFONE.png

Also of note it has been discovered that the ringtones on the iPhone are simply unprotected AAC (m4a) files in a directory. This would suggest that getting a ringtone onto the phone is as simple as copying it into the directory.

Last Friday it was widely reported that Monday July 2nd would bring Europe an announcement regarding the iPhone.

Guy Kewney of Newswireless.net who originally broke the story puts the delay down to legal wranglings as well as Apple waiting to announce the sale of 1 million units in the US.

“What we’re hearing is that there was a contract drawn up in Germany; but that when Vodafone’s Newbury lawyers saw it, they said they weren’t signing a contract under German law, and it had to be re-drafted under UK legislation.”

Also according to Kewney completed “activations” of iPhone accounts currently stands at 600,000.

According to The Washington Post Apple has set a deal with T-Mobile to bring the iPhone to the German market.

The phone will reportedly sell for 450€ (around $612) starting on November 1st.

The article offers no information on features of the phone.

Howard Forums has an interesting post saying that Apple intends to solve many initial issues with the iPhone in the coming months prior to the release of Leopard.

The information is said to be sourced from a mobile interface designer who met for coffee with an Apple employee earlier today.

The first point the post makes is that Apple is building a file browser for the iPhone and will come in the form of a software update before Leopard’s release in October.

The post goes onto describe a few dozen new features that are currently being pined for by early iPhone adopters.

• File browser, like the one in Leopard, complete with Cover Flow for files
• Disk mode
• Version of “iWork” to show Keynote presentations
• “Spotlight like” search
• Widescreen keyboard in all apps
• Copy and paste function, along with select text
• Ability to add accounts directly in Mail.app (not through iTunes)
• Leopard will include special integration with the iPhone, in particular file browsing
• iChat coming “very, very soon”
• “Real applications” coming shortly
• Photo sharing, similar to that of iPhoto
• .Mac syncing between iPhone and .Mac servers
• File sharing through Bonjour over WiFi
• Ringtones coming “very, very soon”
• Camera software to include software based image stabilisation
• Flash coming soon, just needs tweaking