Looking at the announcements from last week, one could make the assessment the first iPhones are a commercial beta product with not-quite-finished commercial development. The price cut may indicate the first iPhones were a market research test and fuller functionality will emerge following the release of Leopard and the availability of the 3G version of the handset.

Comments?

Only in the sense that it’s Apple’s first cellphone, and every product is a beta for the next one from the same company.

I wouldn’t say they are a beta but with the time they will surely be seen like we now see the first iMacs (the coloured ones resembling old computer terminals of the 80s)

Wait, my daughters still use on of those iMacs (lime actually.) 

[quote author=“Play Ultimate”]

Wait, my daughters still use on of those iMacs (lime actually.) 

Grape here

[quote author=“RedInAustin”][quote author=“Play Ultimate”]

Wait, my daughters still use on of those iMacs (lime actually.) 

Grape here

I have an original Bondi blue iMac (purchased the day they became available on 08/15/98) plugged in and on a table in the garage.

Original Bondi (OS9), in addition to a 350 (10.3) and a 500 (10.4.10 don’t ask how) that are all still in operation.

Back to the original question:

In light of last week’s announcements to cut the iPhone’s price and the anticipation of a 3G iPhone to be released sometime soon, was the iPhone and product pricing ready for prime time when first released to the public?

I think it was DawnTreader.  Just as the original iPods or iMacs look like antiques next to current models, they were all revolutionary at the time. 
If they waited till they were perfect they might miss the opportunity to grab a market niche.

I’ll accept the consensus view of the respondents to the question.

The original iMac was a desperate but effective smoke and mirrors stopgap product by SJ to bluff Apple’s way out of a hole. It didn’t offer anything new, just discarded the old (floppy, ADB, RS232, separate screen) and wrapped it in a novel enclosure, but that was enough.

I think the original Mac is the better analogy. The personal computer was already well established, but the Mac introduced an entirely new UI (and incompatibility with almost everything mainstream, including Apple II). SJ arrogantly presumed everyone would have one - the computer for the rest of us. iPhone is simply his second attempt at a universal personal information device for every human.

Therefore, the Mac 128K was the commercial beta for iPhone.

The iPhone doesn’t have a mouse! 

I think this is an easy call that the iPhone was the beta for the ipod touch!

Brand new CPU, new touchscreen technology, new UI, and new OS X device platform and form factor.  Get the kinks out with the relatively low volume iphone,  and then take this technology mainstream globally with the iPod.

I think this was discussed by DT, sleepygeek, and others back when the iPhone was announced and the multitouch iPod was the obvious next step.  I think Tommo or someone was discussing the possibility of the OS X iPod launching even before the iPhone, or something like that.

[quote author=“DawnTreader”][quote author=“sleepygeek”]Therefore, the Mac 128K was the commercial beta for iPhone.

The iPhone doesn’t have a mouse! 

Or Mac Paint

That would be touch screen and Google paint this time round. (I still have an original Mac with boxed copy of Macwrite/Macpaint!) iPhone is still the information appliance for the rest of us!

There is a Paint app for the iPhone.

http://sketches.latenitesoft.com/Home.html

It’s not so much a creative tool, but a way to mark up documents and send off to someone else.