Steve Jobs hosted a companywide town hall meeting for Apple employees earlier today, all about iPhone. Word is: Full-time Apple employees who've been there a year or more will receive one of the devices, free. This adds up to a total retail value of more than $12 million. izmodo: Link. Engadget's posts: one, two..
UPDATE: OK, I just received some corrected details on the Apple internal iPhone giveaway:
All full time U.S. employees receive a free iPhone. All part time U.S. employees who've been at the company for more than a year get a free phone. Everyone gets the 8GB model, and presumably this includes Apple retail store employees, too. The number of $12M quoted by Engadget is wrong, because that references worldwide employee stats. This is for US employees only at this time.
Apple will limit day-of-release purchases to two iPhones per person, max: Link.
How many mobile phone consumers will switch from their current carriers to AT&T because of iPhone? Link, and here's a "HOWTO dump your carrier" guide.
What about international markets? Snip from the relevant Apple press release:
iPhone will be available in (…) Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008.
Here are the 13 AT&T Store iPhone Objection-Response scripts: Link.
Apple published the AT&T rate plans earlier this week, here: Link.
One of the more commonly voiced skeptical points, pre-launch — how usable can this thing be as a txting device without a conventional, opposable-thumbs-friendly keyboard? Apple posted what amounts to a response yesterday: Link to "iPhone Keyboard" video.
Macintouch has a good features FAQ here: Link. SFGate published a pretty comprehensive FAQ here: Link.
Reviews from people who have spent time with the iPhone: Pogue (NYT), Mossberg (WSJ), Levy (Newsweek), Ed Baig (USA Today). I found this clever scorecard helpful: Link.
This PC World article lists 11 bummer factors: Link.
On the Apple website, official word that accessories and products certified as iPhone-compliant will carry a "Works with iPhone" logo: Link. More on the accessories market here, and a critical take here.
iPhone and security: A big deal. Not a big deal. Big deal or not a big deal?
Some people are taking Brian (Gizmodo) Lam's "Jesusphone" thing too seriously: Link versus Link.
Here's a Google Maps mashup that combines the Maps API with locations of AT&T and Apple stores, as well as listings on Craigslist and eBay. Link for more info on how to use it. (Thanks, Mike)
(Xeni): I'll be joining CNN International anchor Kristie LuStout at 5:40pm PT/840PM ET today (Thu., June 28) to talk about the you-know-what for a few minutes.
Previously on BoingBoing:
Apple uses big-handed model to "shrink" iPhone
Dude in line for iPhone to raise money for AIDS drugs in Africa
Further ponderance of the iPhone's size
Eric Mueller video blogs from the NYC iPhone line
Nintendo Sixty Fouuuuuur versus iPhooooone (video)
Reader comment: Tom Stevens says,
Link to a news article in the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus.
Apple's new iPhone is NOT available for sale in Vermont due to the fact that AT&T is the sole wireless provider for the phone and AT&T is not offered in the state.
Small Dog Electronics in Waitsfield is a Vermont Apple product dealer, and CEO Don Mayer said this week he is disappointed the iPhone will not be available here.
"I think it's very unfortunate that Apple has chosen to limit distribution of the iPhone," he said. "They've frozen out Vermont as the only state in the union without service. I understand why – that they will have their hands full with what they already have, but it leaves us and people in many other rural areas out in the cold."
Other areas affected in this area include parts of New Hampshire and Maine…
M. Pamela Bumsted in Alaska says,
Vermont isn't the only one in the cold. Alaska is also part of the USA and it is out of the running. I believe there is a huge penalty. Link to news article.
