Applemorphic

Reports are coming in from all over the web with additional details about the iPhone, too many such reports to link them here. You’ve probably already seen them, but from my perspective, here are some of the highlights that weren’t obvious in Tuesday’s announcement.

• As far as we can tell, the iPhone system is closed, meaning you get to use the software that Apple provides for it.  Its hard to imagine Apple making the iPhone widget-friendly and not allowing users to install widgets of their choice (among other software).
• The iPhone is not Microsoft friendly. As of today, it apparently cannot read or write MS Office files, sync with Outlook, or connect to an Exchange server unless that server supports IMAP or POP.
• iTunes songs cannot be set as ringtones.
• The screen appears resistant to smudges, or at least they don’t impact viewing (they seem to be more obvious when the phone is off).
• Like other iPods, the battery is not user-replaceable.

I expect all but the last of these to change at some point in the future. After Apple actually gets this thing produced in volume and into the field, and now that they can openly develop solutions for it, things will evolve rapidly.

I’m still wagging my tongue over the new Apple iPhone, and hoping that fingerprints are as easy to remove as my saliva. But I’m starting to think about the possibilities for this little device that I doubt there are published answers for, or anyone who can talk about them if they have the knowledge.

• Bluetooth: Apple released its own diminutive Bluetooth wireless headset, so we know that works. But what about their Bluetooth keyboard and mouse? Unless the company has specifically disabled these devices, they should work as input methods, since the iPhone runs on Mac OS X.
• Video: The iPhone also has an iPod connector for syncing with desktop Macs and PCs. iPods currently support video out through their dock, which the iPhone will also have. Does this mean that the iPhone will also support video out, at least for photos and videos? And if only for those objects, surely some hacker could create video out for the entire device…
• Bluetooth/Video Combination: The natural conclusion, then, is that it may very well be possible to use an iPhone as a ultra tiny little Mac, complete with keyboard, mouse and monitor. Disconnect them, and take it on the road for all the touchscreen goodness described at today’s keynote.

Which leads me to also wonder if someone will modify an iPhone to allow iTunes “squirting” as the Zune does…     Stay tuned…