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LAS VEGAS - It was a competition to see who could talk louder on the phone yesterday as the US technology industry made way for their new rival in the mobile phone business, computer and iPod maker Apple.
Apple used its MacWorld conference in San Francisco to unveil
the iPhone, a slim, black mobile that company head Steve Jobs hopes will "make history".
Besides making calls, the device allows users to email, surf the internet, check maps, play music and watch TV shows and films. Unlike other "smartphones," the iPhone can show a full internet page and is controlled by the touch of a finger.
Jobs expects to sell 10 million iPhones to claim 1 per cent of the mobile phone market by 2008 and will use the popularity of its iTunes music service to try to do so.
Apple has sold 67 million iPods since 2001 and 1.5 billion songs through iTunes.
The iPhone will sell for $700-$900 in this country when it becomes available here next year.
It is not clear whether the iPhone will be made available to both Vodafone and Telecom.
Paul Brislen, Vodafone's external communications manager, said the company was keen to get the iPhones here this year. The phones operate on Vodafone's GSM network.
Mr Brislen said people wanting to bring iPhones in from other countries would be able to, but some functionality might be lost.
"They will certainly work on the network but people just have to make sure that wherever they buy them they can run on the New Zealand frequency."
Wall Street has initially blessed the move, with Apple's shares jumping.
The stock could get another lift if speculation that Apple is close to getting access to the Beatles' catalogue proves correct. The group's music is not available for download but the song Lovely Rita was played at the iPhone launch. Music on the phone has also been a strong theme at the other big technology show under way this week, the CES electronics expo in Las Vegas, where computer industry veteran Michael Dell urged computer makers to adopt recycling programmes and vowed to plant a tree for every Dell computer sold.
Elsewhere at CES, Nokia, LG and Motorola launched new phones of their own.
* Peter Griffin attended CES as a guest of Microsoft