WASHINGTON : Apple was making final preparations on Thursday for the release of its much-anticipated iPhone, a new device putting phone, web browser and music player into one, and in the palm of the hand.
The eagerly anticipated debut of the device on Friday is expected to be yet another likely triumph for the Cupertino, California-based Apple - a company with a knack for creating chic gadgets that consumers are willing to pay premium prices for.
Marketing expert Britt Beemer, chairman of the American Research Institute, said iPhone frenzy is "one of the biggest buzz of these last years."
Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive officer, in January unveiled the glitzy gadget as "a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone."
Jobs added that within a year the company hopes to claim a one percent share of the worldwide market of one billion mobile phones.
That ambitious goal could be achievable, judging from public interest. The frenzy surrounding the rollout is expected to prompt would-be owners to camp out in front of stores stocking the iPhone.
Some 230 million Americans already carry a cell phone, but Apple is banking that a handheld portable stereo that also can make calls will convince them to abandon their current phones and buy an iPod.
Even the steep price of 499 dollars for the four-gigabyte model iPhone and 599 dollars for the eight-gigabyte model - roughly five times the cost of a conventional phone - is not expected to dampen consumer interest.
Although it brings together several portable technologies - mobile phone, camera, web browser, music and video player - the pocket-sized gizmo has no mechanical keyboard and allows almost all controls to be handled by touching a finger on the unit's screen.
Apple itself will sell the iPhone at its 170 Apple Stores, and ATT, which is providing the phone service, will also stock the phones. Buyers also will be obligated to sign up for a two-year phone contract with ATT.
The launch comes as Apple continues to bask in the glow of its phenomenally successful iPod. The company recently marked the sale of its 100 millionth personal music devices, making it, in Apple's words, the "fastest-selling music player in history."
Meanwhile, Apple announced last week that YouTube videos will stream directly to iPhones so that users of the soon-to-be launched devices can watch video clips on the device's 3.5-inch (8.89 centimetre) screen
Analysts are divided on whether the Apple's "smart" mobile phone will be an industry-changing device or be too expensive to compete with other smart phones such as the BlackBerry.
On its website, Apple said the iPhone will include "a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device." It will also include a two-megapixel digital camera.
The iPhone is to debut in Europe by the end of this year and in Asia in 2008.
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