Jun 10 2008
… just one more thing! [so where was it?]
iPhone 3G, Snow Leopard, Mobile Me and…
(Miami Beach, FL)
I don’t think I’ll be standing in line on Lincoln Road in July to get a the new 3G iPhone, like I did to get my current iPhone a year ago. While the increased performance of 3G networks is promising, wireless networks haven’t seen a flood of byte hungry Cell Smartphone PDA users, like there will be on July 12th, when the iPhone 3G is scheduled for sale. I want to see how well AT&T’s new 3G roll-out takes the pressure from all of the new users. I don’t think these changes in the iPhone 3G are compelling enough for me to jump, unless someone wants to buy my V.1. I have a list of a few of the “new” features (or lack thereof) that I can glean.
To me, this is what the first version iPhone should have been. Many of the pundits reflect that this version is named at sparking sales to new users, especially in the 70 countries where Apple has signed deals to sell it. With reduced pricing, it appears Mr. Jobs claim of selling ten million handsets by the end of 2008 is much more likely.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Faster 3G Network | WiFi is still G not the N or Wimax and will cost an additional $10/month for regular users. |
| GPS ‘like’ Service | No realtime directions (turn by turn) |
| Lower Price ($200 less) | So kills any resale value for V.1. higher AT&T Data costs and must add addtional year to contract. No sales w/out contract. |
| Flush Earphone Jack | No improvement in Bluetooth or BT Stereo capability |
| 16 GB Memory | No 32 GB model -No memory expansion slot only 2 Megapixel still camera |
| Flush Earphone Jack | No improvement in Bluetooth or Stereo capability |
| APP Store for Software | DRM restrictive wrapper–No 3rd Party GPS allowed |
| Microsoft Exchange Support | No Flash Support |
| More Efficient Battery | No user battery interchangeability |
While there are some nice improvements, I’m not willing to give AT&T another year without a fight, particularly after the screwing I took from Sprint when I was forced to use the network in order to use my new iPhone. I exepect to see a great deal of the software the iPhone is missing developed and available for download as soon as V.2.0 is released. So, this time I can wait for the wrinkles to get worked out, and REAL subsidies to become available.
New software for the old (less than a year old?) iPhone, is also scheduled for release as a free upgrade at the same time. Many of the pundits speculate that this 3G phone is not aimed at existing iPhone customers. They believe that the new model is aimed at new users, “fence sitters” and corporate enterprise users, who have resisted integrating the popular smartphone into their organizations.
Here is what I think about this new model.
This is the model and form factor Apple wanted to release initially, but it didn’t quite get it out the door this way due to either lack of component availability or component manufacturer capability. It appears the latter has been resolved now and the current 3G chip is more efficient than was originally Hon Hai/Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturer of the iPhone for Apple is ramped up now and ready to deliver multi-millions of the sleek phones.
Perhaps the glow and “halo effect” in the USA is diminished some, but the rest of the world now will be able to get and use the iPhone as noted that they have penned deals with 70+ countries and will simultaneously release iPhone 3G worldwide (they claim), which remains to be seen of course. Hardware has surprisingly little change. The display size, 16GB max storage capacity and video playback features are the same as iPhone 1.0. WiFi is still “g”; not “n”.
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