3G iPhone In the Works

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Though obvious, several sites are reporting on comments by Steve Jobs that a 3G iPhone is coming from Apple. PocketLint specifically (http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/10212/11236/apple-iphone-3g-coming-2008.phtml) claims that Jobs said "You can expect a 3G iPhone later next year", however, Engadget's reporting (http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/18/live-from-apples-mum-is-no-longer-the-word-event-in-london/) was a bit less definitive:
Our phone has a talk time of 8 hours and that's really important when you want to use your phone for internet and music. 3G needs to get back up to 5+ hours, something we think well see later next year.

Meanwhile, The Street (http://www.thestreet.com/s/faster-apple-iphone-due-next-year/newsanalysis/techtelecom/10379941.html%22) claims that a 3G iPhone will be available sometime in the 1st quarter of 2008... but their historical accuracy has been quite poor.

Regardless, the fact that Apple is working on a 3G iPhone is not particularly newsworthy. Steve Jobs stated during the iPhone's Macworld San Francisco 2007 keynote that they are planning on making "3g phones and all sorts of other amazing things in the future" (video clip .mov 1.7mb (http://images.macrumors.com/article/2007/09/18/3giphoneplan.mov))

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2007/09/19/3g-iphone-in-the-works/)

[DMann]

Let's build a wide spread, reliable 3G network first.....

[redAPPLE]

something like, build it and they will come...

[Nermal]

Let's build a wide spread, reliable 3G network first.....

Done. Now let's release an iPhone in this country :rolleyes:

[ma2ha3]

3G is for sure. apple want the japanese market. it will happen. be patience.
most probably a new iphone 3g with better battery life. fatter.

[A Pittarelli]

perhps the canadian market as well

[andiwm2003]

Let's build a wide spread, reliable 3G network first.....

aeh..3G has already full coverage. what else is there to build:confused:

[CHROMEDOME]

aeh..3G has already full coverage. what else is there to build:confused:

Build the towers so people can access the 3G...what coverage are you talking about?

The U.S. has horrible 3G coverage, Sprint and Verizon's EV-DO network is more accessible but not as fast as ATTs 3.6 stuff. T-Mobile doesn't even have a 3G network yet and other countries are workin on 4G...

[iliketomac]

aeh..3G has already full coverage. what else is there to build:confused:

No, 3G is not prevalent everywhere - not even in the US...yet. It'll get there though... It is the current gold standard after all!

[aswitcher]

I am pretty sure now I will get the touch and wait for the 3G iPhone due out a good year or so away...

[iWizzard]

No, 3G is not prevalent everywhere - not even in the US...yet. It'll get there though... It is the current gold standard after all!

lol, US is the most backwards country in the western world. Take a look outside US. Europe and eastern asia has had 3G for about 5 years, some parts of asia is testing with 4G.

3G phone migth not be so important in the US but many people will not accept a internet speed reduction by 90% if they buy a new smartphone.

[Voidness]

Technically, the current iPhone is 3G, because EDGE is considered to be a 3G network technology. :)

Also, the 3G technology found in many current phones isn't that much faster than EDGE. Those phones are limited to 384Kbps. However, more recent 3G phones employ a 3G technology called HSDPA. That can go up to and beyond 14.4 Mbps, but current network implementations are 1.8Mbps and 3.6Mbps.


So yes, I'm going to hold out for the next iPhone with REAL 3G :) and hopefully GPS

[andiwm2003]

No, 3G is not prevalent everywhere - not even in the US...yet. It'll get there though... It is the current gold standard after all!

lol, the wolrd is larger than the US.

3g is already old. my 3g phone was free with my contract and is a 3 or 4 year old model.

strange thing is that 3G is everywhere but no cell phone maker could really make use of it. and the only company coming up with a phone that would use 3G to it's fullest comes from the only backwards country without 3G. and then of course they aren't using 3G. oh the irony........:rolleyes:

[LoganT]

It really doesn't matter if 3G isn't everywhere in America. Just because it's not available to you, doesn't mean it's not available to other people. I'm sure ATT would update their network in time for the launch of the 3G iPhone (remember, like how they did with EDGE). Oh and incase you guys forgot, 3G is backwards compatible with EDGE. So if you aren't in a 3G area in down converts to EDGE.

[Dagless]

3G is pretty well implimented here. A friend back in college (going back a while now) had a 3G phone and had a very good signal, even though we were far from any city.

No iPhone for me till they get 3G. I'm not paying that kind of money for something lacking a feature present in phones half the price.

[twoodcc]

I think by the time we see 3g on an iPhone, 3g will be worth using

[hob]

I'm reminded of that story Scott Adams (Dilbert creator) tells in one of his books about a computer company that pre-announced a computer, took pre-orders and just as it was about to be released, pre-announced the next one - causing many of their customers to cancel their orders and pre-order the new one.

Everyone knows the 3G iPhone is coming, and in European/Asian markets (pretty much everywhere but the US) it really is important. No-one wants to be locked into an expensive contract for EDGE connectivity...

I wonder how bad their sales are being cannibalised because they didn't wait till they could implement 3G properly...

[jessica.]

perhps the canadian market as well

Canadians still count? :) I'm totally kidding. I'm quite fond of the Canadians....quite fond.

The 3G network sucks imho but it can be better if they spend the cash to build it. I hope that happens but then again I don't really see me buying an iPhone anytime soon either. ;)

[iJawn108]

perhps the canadian market as well
with who though? telus? rogers? bell? fido?
I'm sure you recall rogers boasting about how they had the iPhone and now nothing. lol

[Lepton]

Apple will release a 3G phone worldwide on June 24th. :)

Steve is right, current 3G chips are hogs. And the iPhone will be using them heavily, what with it always searching out new connections, always checking EMail, getting visual voice mail and so on, in addition to whatever you are doing. These phones are iPods. You can't have old-chip 3G phones sucking A/V play time out of the iPod part of the device. More than traditional phones, the iPhone needs good battery life.

Much more efficient chips are just about here and they will make such a huge difference that Apple is biting the bullet until they can get them into their production lines. It wouldn't make sense to bring out old-chip 3G phones now when new-chip 3G phones can be here in six months.

That said, I'm dying for a 3G phone, there's smoke coming out of my ears, here on Long Island ATT rolled out 3G some time ago and it's just sitting there unused by iPhones.

[Virgil-TB2]

Done. Now let's release an iPhone in this country :rolleyes:Being as I am also in a country that doesn't have the iPhone (and likely won't have it for a long time), I have a question about the 3G iPhone that I have never seen discussed or answered anywhere. Perhaps it's a real stupid question and that's why no one talks about it, but here goes anyway... :p

If the 3G phone comes out, is that a different iPhone from the original iPhone? What I mean is, does the contract with AT&T for an EDGE phone mean that they also get the exclusive deal on "iPhone 2.0" with 3G? Or is that a different product altogether?

What I am getting at here is whether or not Apple could release a 3G iPhone ... (anywhere really, but specifically in the US for example), and sell it to AT&T's rivals either in Europe or the US. In Europe, you are already not allowed to lock customers in to a particular provider, so likely in a short while you will sell iPhones on almost any network that will support them, but will the US really have to wait two years to not use AT&T? Or will the 3G iPhone arrive next year on a different provider opening up the whole field?

I live in Canada, and Rogers will never allow the iPhone on Apple's terms so the only real hope that I can see is that a 3G iPhone is available on all the little carriers next year. Is this even possible?

[Orng]

I live in Canada, and Rogers will never allow the iPhone on Apple's terms so the only real hope that I can see is that a 3G iPhone is available on all the little carriers next year. Is this even possible?

That would be really nice... My current Rogers contract expires in spring 2008. If by some miracle there is a 3G phone, a Canadian launch, and the option to use a different carrier, all they have to do is announce it before May and I'll be first in line. Cause frankly, I'm sick of giving Rogers money. Otherwise I might get some other doohickey phone, maybe one with a camera. Neat!

[ortuno2k]

I'm waiting for a 3G iPhone to get one.
I've really got no rush.

[monkeydust]

i live in the uk
and my current mobile ( a sony w850i) is 3g. 3g is alot bigger over here then it is over in the us
its on most basic phones and with a fully integrated web browser i would like to atleast have a half decent browsing speed. which i dont see on edge.

dont think ill buy a 2g iPhone probally wait for the 3g i still have a contract with my current carrier until march 2008 anyways.

[studiomusic]

No iPhone for me till they get 3G. I'm not paying that kind of money for something lacking a feature present in phones half the price.

Yep, why buy a Macbook Pro when you can buy a Dell for less than half the price... it even comes with Vista standard! Something a Macbook Pro lacks...:rolleyes:

If you are going to wait for a 3g iphone... might as well wait for the 4g version.
It never ends.:apple:

[QuarterSwede]

lol, US is the most backwards country in the western world. Take a look outside US. Europe and eastern asia has had 3G for about 5 years, some parts of asia is testing with 4G.

3G phone migth not be so important in the US but many people will not accept a internet speed reduction by 90% if they buy a new smartphone.
The US may be backwards in some respects but not in this one. One of the reasons the US takes longer to implement technology is because the country is a lot larger than any European nation. I'm not trying to defend the US carriers because they do suck but I'm constantly annoyed by others outside the US talking out of their behinds.

[andiwm2003]

The US may be backwards in some respects but not in this one. One of the reasons the US takes longer to implement technology is because the country is a lot larger than any European nation. I'm not trying to defend the US carriers because they do suck but I'm constantly annoyed by others outside the US talking out of their behinds.

the us is ahead in many respects but its backwards in the cell phone market. europe as a whole is as large as the US. despite being 16 nations (plus nations around the EU) the managed to have a common standard and a modern technology that works in all 16 nations. i can use my cell phone even in egypt for a reasonable price.

the US is still fragmented in several technologies. and they are not even state of the art. and the US is one nation.

and i'm inside the US.;)

[chr1s60]

Like I have said many times now, I think this rumor is BS. If a 3G iPhone was this close to being ready, Apple would not be releasing non 3G phones in Europe towards the end of this year. They would probably have simply waited a few months more to release the 3G iPhone. I believe there will be no new iPhone with 3G until at least Nov-Dec 2008. Steve seems to be very content with the current iPhone and he is sticking to his stance that 3G takes up too much battery life and is too big.

[QuarterSwede]

the us is ahead in many respects but its backwards in the cell phone market. europe as a whole is as large as the US. despite being 16 nations (plus nations around the EU) the managed to have a common standard and a modern technology that works in all 16 nations. i can use my cell phone even in egypt for a reasonable price.

the US is still fragmented in several technologies. and they are not even state of the art. and the US is one nation.

and i'm inside the US.;)
Right, but how many different companies (different financing) have implemented this. In the US there are only a hand full that have to implement the infrastructure and even then they don't want to work together because they see them as competitors.

Another factor is population density which of Europe is a lot more. Companies aren't going to spend money renting land to put towers on in Alaska or a large part of Texas, etc.

What I'm really saying is that there are good reasons why things take longer to implement here in the states. Most people don't even understand a lot about economics, business practices etc (not that I'm saying you're one of them).

[jellomizer]

lol, US is the most backwards country in the western world. Take a look outside US. Europe and eastern asia has had 3G for about 5 years, some parts of asia is testing with 4G.

3G phone migth not be so important in the US but many people will not accept a internet speed reduction by 90% if they buy a new smartphone.

The United States is also a Lot Bigger Then Most countries With China, Russia and Canada being the only countries larger in size. And being the 172nt listed in the density of the population. Comparing with Europe and other countries for policy and infrascture is actually quite silly. The United States while haveing a majority Europian hareteage and culture. Is actually very differnt in the fact of its size and density. In say Germnany you can set up a full country wide wireless network that will service 99% of its citizans is much easier then making a wireless network in the United States that can service the same number of people. The country of Germany is a 1/3rd bigger then Texas and has 4 times the population of texas. And Texas is the #2 in most populas state. It is actually a much diifferent scale we have here.

[QuarterSwede]

The United States is also a Lot Bigger Then Most countries With China, Russia and Canada being the only countries larger in size. And being the 172nt listed in the density of the population. Comparing with Europe and other countries for policy and infrascture is actually quite silly. The United States while haveing a majority Europian hareteage and culture. Is actually very differnt in the fact of its size and density. In say Germnany you can set up a full country wide wireless network that will service 99% of its citizans is much easier then making a wireless network in the United States that can service the same number of people. The country of Germany is a 1/3rd bigger then Texas and has 4 times the population of texas. And Texas is the #2 in most populas state. It is actually a much diifferent scale we have here.
Someone gets it! Thank you.

[freddiecable]

I have a 3G SE-phone and I don't understand the bigg fuzz about 3G. It drains the battery, it's not blazingly fast and I miss my K750 SE phone which had much better battery life. I gladly go with iPhone & Edge since I mostly use wifi anyway. iPhone brings exactly what i want. That said I would not mind 3G but I mostly phone, sms and ipod. When need for surfing I usually have wifi nearby.

[winterspan]

The United States is also a Lot Bigger Then Most countries With China, Russia and Canada being the only countries larger in size. And being the 172nt listed in the density of the population. Comparing with Europe and other countries for policy and infrascture is actually quite silly. The United States while haveing a majority Europian hareteage and culture. Is actually very differnt in the fact of its size and density. In say Germnany you can set up a full country wide wireless network that will service 99% of its citizans is much easier then making a wireless network in the United States that can service the same number of people. The country of Germany is a 1/3rd bigger then Texas and has 4 times the population of texas. And Texas is the #2 in most populas state. It is actually a much diifferent scale we have here.


This MISINFORMATION has been rehashed a thousand times, particulary with respect to wired telecommunications, e.g., "The USA doesn't have good broadband internet speeds cause its cost prohibitive to lay fiber optic cable in the huge land mass". "The USA is behind in cellphone technology rollout because it cost's too much to upgrade so many towers", etc, etc. This disinformation is vomited out there by the telecom monopolies in this country!

Whether its about wired broadband or 3G cellphone technology, the flaw in that argument is that the population density of the top 25 markets (or even top 50) in the United States is quite high, definitely high enough to warrant competitive wired/mobile internet and 3G cellphone technology.
If population density was the problem, then NEW YORK SHOULD HAVE TOKYO-LEVEL HSDPA/HSUPA!

The cellphone market situation in the US, especially in regards to GSM providers, is truly abysmal. Of the two carriers, AT&T has a tiny roll-out of UMTS/HSDPA(slow 1.2mbps) only in the largest of cities, and T-Mobile has NO 3G AT ALL. Its almost 2008 for gods sake. This technology has been available since the LATE 1990's!

]Indeed the CDMA 3G coverage isn't too bad in heavily populated areas, but we are still far behind the latest technology and we pay out the **** for what we do get. $49.99/$59.95 per month just for 'unlimited internet'? What a joke!

I don't mean to jump on anyone, but Im very passionate about this issue and wish to dispel any misconceptions about why the US is falling so behind in certain technological areas. I mean for GOD **** SAKE, THIS COUNTRY WAS ONCE THOUGHT OF AS HAVING ADVANCED CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY, ALMOST AT AN ASIAN LEVEL 20 YEARS AGO. AND NOW LOOK AT US.

[B]You know what happened? 1994! The piece of *** corrupt Republican politicians sold us out to the wired telecoms long ago and now the wireless telecoms. I am so sick of it.

Im moving to Tokyo....

</rant>

[winterspan]

Yep, why buy a Macbook Pro when you can buy a Dell for less than half the price... it even comes with Vista standard! Something a Macbook Pro lacks...:rolleyes:

If you are going to wait for a 3g iphone... might as well wait for the 4g version.
It never ends.:apple:

The reason I don't agree is because if he takes a plunge on the 2G iphone, you are in a contract for 24 MONTHS. Surely the 3G iphone will be out before then, probably in 6-8 months. Then what??? Pay another $499?

[winterspan]

Build the towers so people can access the 3G...what coverage are you talking about?

The U.S. has horrible 3G coverage, Sprint and Verizon's EV-DO network is more accessible but not as fast as ATTs 3.6 stuff. T-Mobile doesn't even have a 3G network yet and other countries are workin on 4G...

Dude -- check your stuff. *ALL* of Verizons EVDO is now Rev.A. which tops out at 1.8 megabits/s upload and 3.1 megabits/download. Now of course peoples average is less around 600-1200 kbps down and and 400-900 upload.
and it totally depends on signal strength and whether you are using a 3G laptop card or a cell phone (limited processing power maybe?) But still its BLAZING FAST compared to what I had with GPRS/1xRTT/EDGE.
So yes, GSM 3G really sucks (read my other post), but CDMA isn't too bad.

[512ke]

I just got back from a month in Spain. The USA has got 100 times more money than the Spaniards do, but they got: health care, cheap medicine (same manufactureres), PAL TV that smokes NTSC, faster cell networks, faster internet, much better cell coverage even in the remote countryside, no potholes on the highway, tons better produce and food (less industrialized Pringles-type junk than we have), cars that get 50 miles per gallon with a fraction of the pollution (TDI engines).

What the heck gives?

I know somebody will say, well then shut up idiot and go live there. But I don't wanna live there. I love it here. I just don't get what makes the USA "the great #1 country" when all our public stuff is like old, busted, with falling bridges, crumbling airports (LAX stranded 50,000 travelers this Summer 'cause their old Windows immigration routers crashed), our schools need serious paint, Medicare is about to go bye bye, etc etc.

Oh, and also, our country is like a quadzillion dollars in debt.

Is this off topic, when the topic was about 3G? I don't think it's off topic. I think there's a connection among our lagging phone system, our laggining educational system, our highway system and our school system.

All our systems are not "go."

But there's one that still kicks every other country's *ss: The U. S. Postal service my friend. They rock.

[winterspan]

I just got back from a month in Spain. The USA has got 100 times more money than the Spaniards do, but they got: health care, cheap medicine (same manufactureres), PAL TV that smokes NTSC, faster cell networks, faster internet, much better cell coverage even in the remote countryside, no potholes on the highway, tons better produce and food (less industrialized Pringles-type junk than we have), cars that get 50 miles per gallon with a fraction of the pollution (TDI engines).

What the heck gives?

I know somebody will say, well then shut up idiot and go live there. But I don't wanna live there. I love it here. I just don't get what makes the USA "the great #1 country" when all our public stuff is like old, busted, with falling bridges, crumbling airports (LAX stranded 50,000 travelers this Summer 'cause their old Windows immigration routers crashed), our schools need serious paint, Medicare is about to go bye bye, etc etc.

Oh, and also, our country is like a quadzillion dollars in debt.

Is this off topic, when the topic was about 3G? I don't think it's off topic. I think there's a connection among our lagging phone system, our laggining educational system, our highway system and our school system.

All our systems are not "go."

But there's one that still kicks every other country's *ss: The U. S. Postal service my friend. They rock.

Yep - It is all connected. It's called multin-national corporations ruling the roost --> 'bought and paid for' corrupt government, a greedy and self-concerned-only wallstreet business class, etc.
I think you are confusing the United States with a representative democracy. We in the US now live in a hybrid Kleptocracy/Oligarchy state where all the power and therefore the money rests in the small base of corporate elite who uses ********* campaign financing, bribery, kickbacks, etc to control the corrupt politicians who respond to their every whim. Seriously, look at who the president is and who is around him. He's a failed Big Oil business owner. Apparently that qualifies you to lead the free world.

This phenomenon of Big Business taking over 'Big Government' has been happening for 30 years now, it was just VASTLY ACCELERATED by the 1994' Conservative Republican Win. the Newt gingrich days or as I call it "The year of the reptile" And since Bush got elected it has really Taken flight
E.g. Cheney's 'energy task force' , Invading Iraq (what? no invasion of north korea? oh wait.. thats right.. no oil), Bush admin officials editing scientific documents regarding climate change, keeping open our southern border, marching NAFTA forward, etc etc etc. I could go one for days.

Thankfully, at least a minority now is starting to see the light and is starting to ask questions like you are. Unfortunately the "average majority" in this country is so incapable of rational thought and the process of deduction, that Im am worried we may be too late. All it takes is some fear-mongering and "them liberals' are gonna' raise yer taxes' [sic] and we end up at square one.

Sad really.. I hope we can turn this around soon..

[studiomusic]

The reason I don't agree is because if he takes a plunge on the 2G iphone, you are in a contract for 24 MONTHS. Surely the 3G iphone will be out before then, probably in 6-8 months. Then what??? Pay another $499?
($399?)
If he wants 3g, yes. Then sell his 2g phone. The contract is not tied to the 2g phone, it's tied to the customer. If you find you don't want an iphone, you can switch to a different phone/plan.
If I want to get a core 2 duo EXTREME in my mbp, I'll need to buy a new macbook pro... the new one will still work on my internet connection.

If you want to wait, wait... I'll be using and enjoying my iphone until then.
To each his own I guess!

[winterspan]

($399?)
If he wants 3g, yes. Then sell his 2g phone. The contract is not tied to the 2g phone, it's tied to the customer. If you find you don't want an iphone, you can switch to a different phone/plan.
If I want to get a core 2 duo EXTREME in my mbp, I'll need to buy a new macbook pro... the new one will still work on my internet connection.

If you want to wait, wait... I'll be using and enjoying my iphone until then.
To each his own I guess!

I understand the obligations of the contract, my point was that you probably wouldn't be able to get much for a 2G, 8GB iPhone when the next model comes out with 3G 16-32GB 800x480 screen, etc. He would pay $399 now and then $399 in 6 months maybe recouping $100-150 or so if hes REALLY lucky and first gens hold their value. 800-100 = $700 do that. But yea, it depends on how much money you want to spend on a phone. Me? I probably would do it if I wasn't in a 3G verizon contract with a decent phone. Ill just get the touch for now and be done with it.

[aapl.jlo]

This is just what they did for the Moto RAZR. They make these small upgrades to their phones and call them the next model-HARDLY. I can't tell the difference between the RAZR G1 and the current one, it's stupid. Lets hope that they don't do the same thing with the iPhone and expect people to rave over a slightly different product-i.e.-something 1/16 thinner.

[uNext]

Yep - It is all connected. It's called multin-national corporations ruling the roost --> 'bought and paid for' corrupt government, a greedy and self-concerned-only wallstreet business class, etc.
I think you are confusing the United States with a representative democracy. We in the US now live in a hybrid Kleptocracy/Oligarchy state where all the power and therefore the money rests in the small base of corporate elite who uses ********* campaign financing, bribery, kickbacks, etc to control the corrupt politicians who respond to their every whim. Seriously, look at who the president is and who is around him. He's a failed Big Oil business owner. Apparently that qualifies you to lead the free world.

This phenomenon of Big Business taking over 'Big Government' has been happening for 30 years now, it was just VASTLY ACCELERATED by the 1994' Conservative Republican Win. the Newt gingrich days or as I call it "The year of the reptile" And since Bush got elected it has really Taken flight
E.g. Cheney's 'energy task force' , Invading Iraq (what? no invasion of north korea? oh wait.. thats right.. no oil), Bush admin officials editing scientific documents regarding climate change, keeping open our southern border, marching NAFTA forward, etc etc etc. I could go one for days.

Thankfully, at least a minority now is starting to see the light and is starting to ask questions like you are. Unfortunately the "average majority" in this country is so incapable of rational thought and the process of deduction, that Im am worried we may be too late. All it takes is some fear-mongering and "them liberals' are gonna' raise yer taxes' [sic] and we end up at square one.

Sad really.. I hope we can turn this around soon..



Bravo, Bravo.

[carltabet]

In the following (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gyq0lTubjk) video, Steve Jobs says 3G needs to get back up to 5+ hours of talk time, something he thinks we'll see late next year.

In other words, 1st quarter 2008 is likely early for 3G iPhones.

[spydr]

The need for 3G is over-rated.

Seriously, I thought I would wait for one - then yes, it dawned on me I would die without an iPhone if I kept waiting for the next upgrade. So I went and tested it out. Wifi speed was great. EDGE, was certainly acceptable. Perhaps not for videos - but that I don't really care. But what I CANNOT trade off is usage time - my phone is giving me about 7-8 hours (in combined usage) and 8 hrs of usage with 3G is not coming in 3-4 months and I can guarantee that.

And you sir — waiting for that 32 gb model with 3G and GPS transceiver, good luck! :rolleyes:

[iLeoMarc]

Yep - It is all connected. It's called multin-national corporations ruling the roost --> 'bought and paid for' corrupt government, a greedy and self-concerned-only wallstreet business class, etc.
I think you are confusing the United States with a representative democracy. We in the US now live in a hybrid Kleptocracy/Oligarchy state where all the power and therefore the money rests in the small base of corporate elite who uses ********* campaign financing, bribery, kickbacks, etc to control the corrupt politicians who respond to their every whim. Seriously, look at who the president is and who is around him. He's a failed Big Oil business owner. Apparently that qualifies you to lead the free world.

This phenomenon of Big Business taking over 'Big Government' has been happening for 30 years now, it was just VASTLY ACCELERATED by the 1994' Conservative Republican Win. the Newt gingrich days or as I call it "The year of the reptile" And since Bush got elected it has really Taken flight
E.g. Cheney's 'energy task force' , Invading Iraq (what? no invasion of north korea? oh wait.. thats right.. no oil), Bush admin officials editing scientific documents regarding climate change, keeping open our southern border, marching NAFTA forward, etc etc etc. I could go one for days.

Thankfully, at least a minority now is starting to see the light and is starting to ask questions like you are. Unfortunately the "average majority" in this country is so incapable of rational thought and the process of deduction, that Im am worried we may be too late. All it takes is some fear-mongering and "them liberals' are gonna' raise yer taxes' [sic] and we end up at square one.

Sad really.. I hope we can turn this around soon..

WOW. All this bashing America cause we don't have 3g?

[benzslrpee]

we do have 3G, last time i checked, Verizon and Sprint all have nationwide EVDO REV0/REVA networks out. only T-Mobile and AT&T/Cingular can't get their balls in one sack and implement a 3G network. trust me, to whoever posted that AT&Ts 3G speed is faster than either Verizon's or Sprint's, you might want to re-check that. Rev-A beats the snot out of what AT&T has to offer.

and umm...some of you are kinda scaring me with your political analysis. relax. in the end it's just a cell phone. don't blow a vessel over this.

[cervaro]

Talk about slitting your own throat Apple. If I was in the market for an iPhone, which I'm definitely not under the current O2 deal, knowing a 3G is on the way within 12 months would put me off even further. Whatever happened to Apple's legendary, bordering on anal sense of secrecy when it comes to hardware releases? Then again, at least he was honest in mentioning the 3G variant is in the works, but still, maybe it wasn't the time to be so honest Steve when the UK network/offer is pants!

[cliffjumper68]

Let's build a wide spread, reliable 3G network first.....

already exists, I have verizon and experience great bandwidth everywhere I go with my blackberry. Is apple locked in to att on just the one model of iphone or any phone model they release?

[evilbert420]

we do have 3G, last time i checked, Verizon and Sprint all have nationwide EVDO REV0/REVA networks out. only T-Mobile and AT&T/Cingular can't get their balls in one sack and implement a 3G network. trust me, to whoever posted that AT&Ts 3G speed is faster than either Verizon's or Sprint's, you might want to re-check that. Rev-A beats the snot out of what AT&T has to offer.

What's funny is that AT&T/T-Mobile's 3G is CDMA-based, while Verizon/Sprint is not... the opposite of their voice.

I just switched from a 3G phone. While its speeds as a wireless modem were great, browsing wasn't any faster than on EDGE.

There are two big benefits to AT&T's 3G: You can receive data while talking (you can't with Verizon or Sprint), so when I've had people emailing me during a conference call I can actually get their mails/attachments. Also unlike Edge you don't get the radio intereference with speakers.

Besides, if you buy a new iPhone next summer (when I expect them to release a 3G phone) they'll just extend your contract another 2 years.

[koobcamuk]

Im moving to Tokyo....

See you there my friend.

I just got back from a month in Spain. The USA has got 100 times more money than the Spaniards do, but they got: health care, cheap medicine (same manufactureres), PAL TV that smokes NTSC, faster cell networks, faster internet, much better cell coverage even in the remote countryside, no potholes on the highway, tons better produce and food (less industrialized Pringles-type junk than we have), cars that get 50 miles per gallon with a fraction of the pollution (TDI engines).

What the heck gives?

I know somebody will say, well then shut up idiot and go live there. But I don't wanna live there. I love it here. I just don't get what makes the USA "the great #1 country" when all our public stuff is like old, busted, with falling bridges, crumbling airports (LAX stranded 50,000 travelers this Summer 'cause their old Windows immigration routers crashed), our schools need serious paint, Medicare is about to go bye bye, etc etc.

Oh, and also, our country is like a quadzillion dollars in debt.

Is this off topic, when the topic was about 3G? I don't think it's off topic. I think there's a connection among our lagging phone system, our laggining educational system, our highway system and our school system.

All our systems are not "go."

But there's one that still kicks every other country's *ss: The U. S. Postal service my friend. They rock.

Nicely said.

already exists, I have verizon and experience great bandwidth everywhere I go with my blackberry. Is apple locked in to att on just the one model of iphone or any phone model they release?

Which blackberry has 3G?

[carltabet]

Let's not forget the US is as big as Europe and has a population of 300 million. There are many reasons to complain but this is a "young" nation that has been developing for a few hundred years, not thousands. The point is, the potential for growth is there and areas that lag behind such as cell networks will catch up. If demand for 3G is strong, operators will improve coverage on a state by state basis to start with. I suspect a 3G iPhone next year will push ATT to dramatically improve its network. If only there wasn't an exclusivity contract, all the networks would compete and improve their 3G coverage.

[megfilmworks]

For everyone who believes the US is so far behind in technology, guess that doesn't include Cupertino, Ca.?? For all the naysayers, put your belief in action and do not purchase the iPhone! Get some French phone. As far as Pal vs NTSC. Who cares? There is virtually no HD in Europe and that is the future not analog.

[sibruk]

It seems, from an outsider's perspective, that the US wireless market is in need of a bit more regulation? The very fact that you have to pay to receive calls on your cellphones is utter lunacy. This and the fact you generally lag behind on the technology as discussed in this thread all smacks of big corporations taking advantage of its customers - operating as a cartel basically through the overcharging and by not upgrading technology.

Technically, the current iPhone is 3G, because EDGE is considered to be a 3G network technology. :)


EDGE has never been considered a 3G technology! I've heard it being called 2.5G, and sometimes even 2.75G, but both of these are just terms dreamt up by marketing people who have been given the task of making what should be obsolete technology sound better and faster.

Also, the 3G technology found in many current phones isn't that much faster than EDGE. Those phones are limited to 384Kbps. However, more recent 3G phones employ a 3G technology called HSDPA. That can go up to and beyond 14.4 Mbps, but current network implementations are 1.8Mbps and 3.6Mbps.


In the UK (and I think most of Europe), HSDPA phones are the norm now. If we are holding EDGE up to scrutiny, we have to compare it directly to HSDPA (both of which are extensions/add-ons to the original 2G/3G capabilities).

We're basically comparing the equivalent of broadband and dial-up here - the speed improvements are similar. I know which I'd much rather have!

It is a real shame about the iPhone in Europe not having 3G - we really do have good 3G coverage here. 80% of the land mass of the UK is covered by at least one operator with 3G coverage. I can imagine that's probably close to 95% of the population with 3G coverage from one operator or another at home and at work.

[Kubrickx]

We can't blame just the carriers for lack of coverage, we have to blame ourselves too. How many people here want a cell tower in their backyards? Cell towers have to be placed somewhere to get the most coverage for an area, and have to fight the little villages/towns who don't want towers in their yard but are the same ones complaining about their cell phones not having a good signal. Just my .02

[winterspan]

We can't blame just the carriers for lack of coverage, we have to blame ourselves too. How many people here want a cell tower in their backyards? Cell towers have to be placed somewhere to get the most coverage for an area, and have to fight the little villages/towns who don't want towers in their yard but are the same ones complaining about their cell phones not having a good signal. Just my .02

Its not the "little towns" that are complaining about service. For GODS SAKES, HAVE YOU SEEN AN AT&T 3G MAP???? Its 80% OF THE COUNTRY THATS COMPLAINING! It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO with the placement of cell towers. If that were the case, then EVERY *** city and suburb which have more than enough tower sites would all be running 3G HSUPA/HSDPA by now. And that is NOT THE CASE. Look at Verizon, they have good 3G EVDO coverage in very populated areas where they can make the most profit, and then smaller areas that are affluent are also covered well. Its obvious they cherry pick the areas where they are going to make the most money and leave out everybody else. (And im not talking about population 5,000 farm towns in the middle of nowhere).

The problem is the TOTAL ABDICATION OF FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATION. This in turn is caused by the RISE of EVIL, GREEDY, BOUGHT AND PAID FOR REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS SINCE 1994. YOU GET WHAT YOU VOTE FOR!!!
Its the GOP Support Triangle of Stupid ** NRA rednecks, bible banging evangelicals, and the no-ethics money-lust corporate culture. The TRIFECTA!

[LoganT]

Its not the "little towns" that are complaining about service. For GODS SAKES, HAVE YOU SEEN AN AT&T 3G MAP???? Its 80% OF THE COUNTRY THATS COMPLAINING! It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO with the placement of cell towers. If that were the case, then EVERY *** city and suburb which have more than enough tower sites would all be running 3G HSUPA/HSDPA by now. And that is NOT THE CASE. Look at Verizon, they have good 3G EVDO coverage in very populated areas where they can make the most profit, and then smaller areas that are affluent are also covered well. Its obvious they cherry pick the areas where they are going to make the most money and leave out everybody else. (And im not talking about population 5,000 farm towns in the middle of nowhere).

The problem is the TOTAL ABDICATION OF FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATION. This in turn is caused by the RISE of EVIL, GREEDY, BOUGHT AND PAID FOR REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS SINCE 1994. YOU GET WHAT YOU VOTE FOR!!!
Its the GOP Support Triangle of Stupid ** NRA rednecks, bible banging evangelicals, and the no-ethics money-lust corporate culture. The TRIFECTA!

YEAH!! MERICA! REDNECKS YEAH!

[MarshallM]

For everyone who believes the US is so far behind in technology, guess that doesn't include Cupertino, Ca.?? For all the naysayers, put your belief in action and do not purchase the iPhone! Get some French phone. As far as Pal vs NTSC. Who cares? There is virtually no HD in Europe and that is the future not analog.

There's no HD in Europe? I don't know if you mean excluding the UK, but Sky HD does work fabulously (sport, film, news, documentaries) in HD! :)

Yes blame it on the republicans, I'm slightly scared now! :rolleyes:

[megfilmworks]

Virtually none, compared with the US where we are almost fully transitioned to HD. That was for a poster who said he loves PAL vs NTSC. By the way,
the Republicans scare me too. And I'm sure you would agree that the UK is not in Europe!

[Keiichi]

Virtually none, compared with the US where we are almost fully transitioned to HD. That was for a poster who said he loves PAL vs NTSC. By the way,
the Republicans scare me too. And I'm sure you would agree that the UK is not in Europe!

I'm not a big supporter of any nation but I have to tell you that at least Germany has also almost fully transitioned to HD (Don't know about other countries in Europe so far). Most TV stations on satellite and terrestrial are broadcasting in HD.

[mactogo]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Though obvious, several sites are reporting on comments by Steve Jobs that a 3G iPhone is coming from Apple. PocketLint specifically (http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/10212/11236/apple-iphone-3g-coming-2008.phtml) claims that Jobs said "You can expect a 3G iPhone later next year", however, Engadget's reporting (http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/18/live-from-apples-mum-is-no-longer-the-word-event-in-london/) was a bit less definitive:


Meanwhile, The Street (http://www.thestreet.com/s/faster-apple-iphone-due-next-year/newsanalysis/techtelecom/10379941.html%22) claims that a 3G iPhone will be available sometime in the 1st quarter of 2008... but their historical accuracy has been quite poor.

Regardless, the fact that Apple is working on a 3G iPhone is not particularly newsworthy. Steve Jobs stated during the iPhone's Macworld San Francisco 2007 keynote that they are planning on making "3g phones and all sorts of other amazing things in the future" (video clip .mov 1.7mb (http://images.macrumors.com/article/2007/09/18/3giphoneplan.mov))

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2007/09/19/3g-iphone-in-the-works/)

edge is fast enough for me. Wouldnt get new iphone just because it has 3g. gps would be nice but it doesnt have to be built-in. May be they should sell it separate device specially for iphone. i would get one for sure. Great phone, love it.

[benfilan]

edge is fast enough for me. Wouldnt get new iphone just because it has 3g. gps would be nice but it doesnt have to be built-in. May be they should sell it separate device specially for iphone. i would get one for sure. Great phone, love it.

are you sure he actually said there would be a 3G iPhone?

from reading the transcript (from the UK announcement of the iPhone) he said "thats something we'll see in the future" i.e: a 3G chipset that isnt a huge battery drain. not necessarily meaning a 3G iPhone

[tom.96]

The iphone is great and everyone I know wants one -- when it has 3G. Certainly from my perception in the UK it is important to have 3G and new phones at that price point almost always have it built in.

I suppose Britain is a bit smaller than the US (just a bit) and the higher density of the population makes it more economically viable to put in a good 3G system. I work in East Devon (full of little villages, towns by the sea on the South Coast) and very often 3G coverage beats 2.5G.

3G is a big deal!

[uNext]

I can just see it now.

People are asking for 3g now but complain about battery life later, Complain about monthly voice/data plan charges, Complain about all the problems 3g networks bring.

We can have a gps,video/still camera,80gb,mobile applications of ilife 08,iwork etc. Anything you can think off
and want and people will still complain.

"THE MOBILE APPLICATIONS OF ILIFE & IWORK SUCK"
"3g networks suck my coverage is bad""
"The video cameras quality sucks"
"By apple adding the video feature they dumbed down the camera which now SUCKS"
"80GB? i CANT EVEN HOLD MY 200GB LIBRARY ON IT, THE GEN2 IPHONE SUCKS"
"GPS IS LAGGY AND NOT VERY RESPONSIVE IT SUCKS"

please the iphone is the best **** out there right now.

3g is not a big deal....people are complaining about data charges now
image then

[LoganT]

I can just see it now.

People are asking for 3g now but complain about battery life later, Complain about monthly voice/data plan charges, Complain about all the problems 3g networks bring.

We can have a gps,video/still camera,80gb,mobile applications of ilife 08,iwork etc. Anything you can think off
and want and people will still complain.

"THE MOBILE APPLICATIONS OF ILIFE & IWORK SUCK"
"3g networks suck my coverage is bad""
"The video cameras quality sucks"
"By apple adding the video feature they dumbed down the camera which now SUCKS"
"80GB? i CANT EVEN HOLD MY 200GB LIBRARY ON IT, THE GEN2 IPHONE SUCKS"
"GPS IS LAGGY AND NOT VERY RESPONSIVE IT SUCKS"

please the iphone is the best **** out there right now.

3g is not a big deal....people are complaining about data charges now
image then

Um 3G costs the same as EDGE. The data plans for a 3G iPhone would be the exact same price as the current iPhone.

[spydr]

Um 3G costs the same as EDGE. The data plans for a 3G iPhone would be the exact same price as the current iPhone.
I am pretty sure the previous poster meant data charges while roaming outside US.

[Frunobulax]

In the following (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gyq0lTubjk) video, Steve Jobs says 3G needs to get back up to 5+ hours of talk time, something he thinks we'll see late next year.


Why does Jobs talk about "talktime"? Why would I use UMTS for talktime when I can just use the GSM network (which typically has better coverage)?

I wish one of the reporters had asked how much data you can download on edge and UMTS (say with a 3.6 Mbps system) on a single battery charge. That would have been interesting to know (not how many minutes of "talking" I can do) and would definitely not have shown edge as being the better solution...

[ks-man]

The problem is the TOTAL ABDICATION OF FCC TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATION. This in turn is caused by the RISE of EVIL, GREEDY, BOUGHT AND PAID FOR REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS SINCE 1994. YOU GET WHAT YOU VOTE FOR!!!
Its the GOP Support Triangle of Stupid ** NRA rednecks, bible banging evangelicals, and the no-ethics money-lust corporate culture. The TRIFECTA!

This guy is hilarious. I vote Republican (it's all b/c of the taxes) and I love how some Democrats get so worked up into a frenzy when talking about politics and how the US is one big conspiracy. My wife's father is like that and nothing makes me laugh harder than when he goes into one of his tirades. This guy may even have my father-in-law beat.

Don't worry, this country will never vote for Hillary so I hope you enjoy the idea of at least four more years of red.

[sweetie81]

Let's build a wide spread, reliable 3G network first.....

Germany has one :)

[sibruk]

This has gone way off-topic now but....

Please don't take this the wrong way - I absolutely love America in so many ways. However, I do find it funny how most Americans seem to have a knack of always turning things into a Democrats vs. Republicans argument. It's very strange how you must pigeon hole people into one or the other. Surely the best thing is to just work out what's the best for your country and its people on any given subject?

A government which allows telecommunications giants to drag their heels in rolling out new technology - which tacitly approves of these huge companies taking advantage of their customers by making them use now-defunct technology which is five years out of date (and dare I say it, verging on "third world") - is not in the best interest of Americans. It definitely sounds to me like regulation is in order!

[Yannick]

(…) And I'm sure you would agree that the UK is not in Europe!

UK is indeed in Europe. :rolleyes:

It is also in the European Union, even though it didn't adopt the Euro currency. ;)

[MonkeyHugger]

And I'm sure you would agree that the UK is not in Europe!

Only if you were educated in America by mickey mouse.

[janstett]

lol, US is the most backwards country in the western world. Take a look outside US. Europe and eastern asia has had 3G for about 5 years, some parts of asia is testing with 4G.

3G phone migth not be so important in the US but many people will not accept a internet speed reduction by 90% if they buy a new smartphone.

lol, your postulate is naive, immature, and uninformed.

While, yes, it gets frustrating being in the US as a gadget freak, we don't get the latest gadgets for a few reasons:

(1) The US is a very large country. Japan can afford to rewire the entire country every 18 months for a new standard because it is the size of California. In the US it's a problem -- people are concentrated on the coasts near big cities and that's where new services typically start, but to build a complete network you have to get 80% of the country covered. That's very expensive and time consuming.

(2) In Europe, how was traditional wired phone service? Pretty poor, from what I understand. My wife has family in Poland that only now gets a wired phone into their house. The US has been well wired for over 100 years, so there is large market inertia in ISDN, DSL, IP phone, cell, etc. So ironically, being in a poorer country that didn't have good infrastructure to begin with is better because when you do get telecomm infrastructure it's easier to throw up some cell towers.

(3) Competing networks -- I'm going out on a limb here, but do the European/Asian markets have competing carriers and networks, or do they all share the same network infrastructure? Over here we have at least two competing networks and infrastructures -- AT&T/T-Mobile (GSM) and Sprint/Verizon (CDMA).

(4) Culture -- Japan readily throws out good technology for better technology. Outside of the early adopters, people in the US are less likely to do that.

I wish I had 3G in the iPhone, but most of the time I use it I'm in Wi-Fi coverage anyway (just wish it had SIPS/Voice-IP, but regardless, WiFi is faster than 3G as Steve Jobs says) and really 2.5G isn't that bad for me. A little slow but tolerable.

[janstett]

As far as Pal vs NTSC. Who cares? There is virtually no HD in Europe and that is the future not analog.

This is really old news, but since we're fighting about 60 year old obsolete TV standards...

PAL does offer slightly higher resolution (720x576 vs 720x480). BUT...

- Lower refresh rates (more flickering) - 50 Hz vs 60 Hz
- Film transfers to PAL are sped up by 1/24th -- so the runtime is shorter than it should be and the audio pitch is higher.

[janstett]

delete duplicate post

[janstett]

delete duplicate post

[H.isidorius]

Germany has one :)

Netherlands got 3 of them (Vodafone, T-Mobile, KPN). However, we do not have EDGE anymore :eek:

[H.isidorius]

(2) In Europe, how was traditional wired phone service? Pretty poor, from what I understand. ...
(3) Competing networks -- I'm going out on a limb here, but do the European/Asian markets have competing carriers and networks, or do they all share the same network infrastructure?

Ad. 2 - depends on where you are in Europe. Countries like The Netherlands, UK, Germany, Scandinavian have had very good networks for nearly 100 years too. Just the old communistic countries and some more poorer countries like Spain, Portugal and Greece where lacking behind...

Ad. 3. Most have fiercely competing vendors not sharing networks. In general since the EU broke the monopolies, things have improved dramatically; more choice, lower price, advances in technology, strong regulators... This all helps a lot to move things forward. Still not the same technology acceptance as for example Asia or more specific Japan. So, in general not bad here for mobile technology :)

[LtWinters101]

Yep, why buy a Macbook Pro when you can buy a Dell for less than half the price... it even comes with Vista standard! Something a Macbook Pro lacks...:rolleyes:

If you are going to wait for a 3g iphone... might as well wait for the 4g version.
It never ends.:apple:

Hey first post here. I am thinking of getting an iPhone in the next few months. Should I be holding my breath for a 3G phone or not? I totally understand the problem of having stuff get outdated really fast. What is the benefit of having a 3G phone tho? I keep hearing different things from people on this thread. It seems the network is pretty bad for 3G here in the States. Would I really want to wait for G3 considering that I don't even know what it will do for me?

[Greenmarble]

I'm in the same boat as LtWinters101, though I've more or less made the decision to wait for the faster phone at this point. Here's why:

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/03/04/3g-iphone-arriving-in-2nd-quarter-2008/

120 days (or less) left...

Meanwhile, AT&T is adding 3G networks across the country. They've pledged to have 350 cities up and running by the end of 2008:

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=25146

[carlgo]

We can't blame just the carriers for lack of coverage, we have to blame ourselves too. How many people here want a cell tower in their backyards? Cell towers have to be placed somewhere to get the most coverage for an area, and have to fight the little villages/towns who don't want towers in their yard but are the same ones complaining about their cell phones not having a good signal. Just my .02

Cell towers are just about the strangest thing ever, on every level. Surely there has to be a better way of doing this.

No, I don't want a refinery, nuc plant, cell tower, transmission line, freeway, tallow plant, pit bull farm, motocross track, hazardous waste dump, Hells Angel's bar, ICBM silos, sewage treatment plant, oil well, coal mine or any weird people near me. I know all these things are considered to be wonderful by some, but not by me or near me, either.

Sorry for not being aboard on the good ship SS Old Technology.

[Chef Medeski]

The US may be backwards in some respects but not in this one. One of the reasons the US takes longer to implement technology is because the country is a lot larger than any European nation. I'm not trying to defend the US carriers because they do suck but I'm constantly annoyed by others outside the US talking out of their behinds.

the us is ahead in many respects but its backwards in the cell phone market. europe as a whole is as large as the US. despite being 16 nations (plus nations around the EU) the managed to have a common standard and a modern technology that works in all 16 nations. i can use my cell phone even in egypt for a reasonable price.

the US is still fragmented in several technologies. and they are not even state of the art. and the US is one nation.

and i'm inside the US.;)

The United States is also a Lot Bigger Then Most countries With China, Russia and Canada being the only countries larger in size. And being the 172nt listed in the density of the population. Comparing with Europe and other countries for policy and infrascture is actually quite silly. The United States while haveing a majority Europian hareteage and culture. Is actually very differnt in the fact of its size and density. In say Germnany you can set up a full country wide wireless network that will service 99% of its citizans is much easier then making a wireless network in the United States that can service the same number of people. The country of Germany is a 1/3rd bigger then Texas and has 4 times the population of texas. And Texas is the #2 in most populas state. It is actually a much diifferent scale we have here.

Area doesn't matter. Population density does. European Union has a population density of 122 people per square km. USA has one of 31. Everyone see the distinct contrast. Clearly the EU has a much greater advantage when setting up phone networks because networks are usually not limited as much by load as by range. Thus the USA has a much bigger problem with there much lower population density.

On similar accords, Canada has such a problem because it has a population density of 3, but thats not quite accurate since no one lives 200km above the border (I mean honestly...) A more accurate population density often cited for that strip of land is 15 people per square kilometre, still a much lower number than the US. Hence the often even slower adaption of technologies.

[natejohnstone@g]

Hey first post here. I am thinking of getting an iPhone in the next few months. Should I be holding my breath for a 3G phone or not? I totally understand the problem of having stuff get outdated really fast. What is the benefit of having a 3G phone tho? I keep hearing different things from people on this thread. It seems the network is pretty bad for 3G here in the States. Would I really want to wait for G3 considering that I don't even know what it will do for me?

A lot of people are in this position right now. Here's the deal as far as I know (anyone can feel free to interject):

3G is only a factor for using "on-line" feature of the iPhone or other devices. Basically, it's what your internet browser will run on when WiFi is not available. 3G is much faster than the currently-used EDGE platform. The current iPhone will certianly continue to work in the US for a number of years to come, but does not and will not work in many other countries.

As to whether or not 3G a big deal to you, there are several factors to consider:
1) How soon do you need your iPhone? If you can wait until June-August or so when the new one comes out, do so. A second generation device is always better than a brand new product line, regardless of the EDGE vs. 3G debate.

2) How much do you expect to use internet features when you're not in wifi range? For many, the amount of time spent outside wifi range is very small, so the whole 3G issue is really no big deal. For many, much of their time is spent using the cellular online functions, so the speed difference between EDGE and 3G is a major consideration.

3) Short vs. long term needs. Are you the type of person who buys a new phone every 2 years or less? If so, then it might not matter too much, since the next iPhone you buy will be 3G (or whatever is better by then). If you expect this iPhone to be your device of choice for 4 years, then you may want to wait until June. If you need a new phone NOW and can't wait, pick up an iPhone tomorrow. I doubt you'll be kicking yourself too hard in a few month's time.

4) Is 3G even available in your area? Check the AT&T website for this. For example, where I live right now 3G is not even available, it's EDGE only. So even with a new 3G iPhone I'd be stuck on the slower network until we get upgraded on my area. So this get's back to the long vs short term issue. Even if your current area is EDGE only, if you expect it to become 3G by the end of the year, is it worth it to you to wait for a 3G phone?

5) Are you planing on traveling internationally? The current iteration of the iPhone does NOT work in Europe or Japan, just to name a few places. It is believed that the 3G version will be able to do so.

For me personally, #5 is the clincher. I will be moving to either Europe or Japan in 15 months (US Air Force) and want to be able to still use my phone wherever I move too. Even if I don't join a network over there, I want to at least be able to use Skype for my calling, so I'll need 3G network capabilities.

It should be noted that :apple: will continue updating the software of the current "first" iPhones even after later models come out. MOST 3rd party applications will therefore work on the first iPhone, even in a year or two. So software-wise, there is no reason to wait for the iPhone2.

iPhone2 will have 3G, and will of course have twice the memory of the current iPhones (a big deal to me). Others expect many and various other improvements, but no one knows for sure. Better camera? Built-in iSight? Longer battery life? Better GPS? Other amazing things that we didn't know we even needed before, but soon will not be able to live without? You never know with :apple:, but it's always fun to watch and see what happens.

I plan on buying the new iPhone as soon as it comes out.

[wheezy]

I plan on buying the new iPhone as soon as it comes out.

Me too, and I bought my current iPhone in December with that mentality. I use the cell-network often enough that 3G will be a welcome add.

As a side note, I believe that 3G phones don't have the noisy speaker interference that the current iPhone suffers from. I had a 3G Samsung phone for a few months and never heard that noise unless it was switching over to EDGE, so it's a small bonus, but something nice if you ask me. I like plugging my phone into some external speakers and I hate hearing that cell-sound popping my speakers.

[UltraNEO*]

GeeWhiz! When the sodding iPhone 3G finally arrives I think we'll be on 4G! And Apple will forever be playing catchup! Currently, various new handset that's are entering the market place already has 3.5G compatibility.... and that's current, like NOW! TODAY!! (march 2008) not March 2009!

And they're saying it'll be sometime NEXT YEAR!
Gwad, I give up! I'll stick to my plastic phone...

[Snips]

Here's the deal as far as I know (anyone can feel free to interject):

5) Are you planing on traveling internationally? The current iteration of the iPhone does NOT work in Europe or Japan, just to name a few places. It is believed that the 3G version will be able to do so.


Allow me to correct that: The current iPhone *does* work in Europe. 3G is widely available in Europe, but many phones in daily use do not support 3G (including the iPhone, which is officially available in the UK, France, Germany etc).

For Japan, the statement is true: 3G *is* required and the current iPhone won't work.

[zainjetha]

If in japan 3g is the minimum required i wonder what sort of broadband they have or internet connection. it must be blazing:)

[SwiftLives]

It should be noted that :apple: will continue updating the software of the current "first" iPhones even after later models come out. MOST 3rd party applications will therefore work on the first iPhone, even in a year or two. So software-wise, there is no reason to wait for the iPhone2.

Yeah...Apple isn't exactly known for their enthusiastic support of previous generation devices. They do not offer upgrades for any previous iPod other than a new iPod.

My guess is that there will be features - software features - available on the iPhone 2 that will not be available or even offered on the original iPhone.

I really do think the longer you can wait for an iPhone, the better off you'll be.

[Aydo]

The way I look at this whole debate, is with caution. Honestly, if they do release a new 3G iPhone then the old iPhone would've only been out for a little over a year. If Apple really did that, I would feel alienated and I'm sure most other customers will too.

The thing about the current iPhone is it's on EDGE which is 2.7G. For everyone saying it's "much faster" it's not. I can't seem to see Apple's justification for this a year after the first one comes out.


Apple prides itself for looking out for its customers, and this is not the way to take care of them, after having them spend $400+ on a phone and have it be somewhat outdated a year later. For me it's common sense, what do you guys think?

[UltraNEO*]

If in japan 3g is the minimum required i wonder what sort of broadband they have or internet connection. it must be blazing:)

Depends on what people have installed. Personally I'm on Optical Fibre, capable of 120MB/s (Megabytes per second) however real world tests are slightly lower, see links below for speeds tests.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=5086951&postcount=30

Suitable Mobiles/Keitai or Cellphones with full HSDPA complience can have a downstream upto 11Mbps, though the current network is capable of 14Mbps.

[ThreeOhTwoLX]

I live in an area with little to no 3G coverage, and i know AT&T is gonna do a huge rollout of towers and more coverage, but i dont think they can make it happen that fast. I only live about 11 miles from New York City, and have no 3G...it's only major city ready right now.

[emotion]

I live in an area with little to no 3G coverage, and i know AT&T is gonna do a huge rollout of towers and more coverage, but i dont think they can make it happen that fast. I only live about 11 miles from New York City, and have no 3G...it's only major city ready right now.

On a new 3G iPhone you'd still have EDGE though. When full 3G comes you'll then be ready.

3G coverage in the UK on O2 isn't too good either. Especially HSDPA, as that's the standard you really want the device to be at.

[Spritey]

perhps the canadian market as well

Not sure if Canada has enough billionaires for Apple to be interested... Because that's what you have to be in order to be able to use the data transfer services...

Checked my mail a few weeks ago 12mins = $200. And no, I'm not joking

[Shaman Beloved]

Not sure if Canada has enough billionaires for Apple to be interested... Because that's what you have to be in order to be able to use the data transfer services...

Checked my mail a few weeks ago 12mins = $200. And no, I'm not joking


What kind of data plans do you get around the world everyone?
Here in Finland the best I've found:

1. unlimited data + 1000 sms per month; calls 8,9 cents per minute (euro cents):
9,95 euro / month for max. 384 kbps 3G/EDGE or 15,95 euro / month for max. 2 Mbps

2. unlimited data; sms and calls 6,9 cents per msg/minute:
from 9,80 euro (384 kbps) to 29,80 euro (2 Mbps) / month

Of course if you don't get a data plan of any kind you pay like 1,50 euro / MB.

[SwiftLives]

Apple prides itself for looking out for its customers, and this is not the way to take care of them, after having them spend $400+ on a phone and have it be somewhat outdated a year later. For me it's common sense, what do you guys think?

As opposed to other phones that somehow aren't somewhat outdated within a year? Or computers? Or iPods?

Does Apple offer anyone with an iPod some sort of discount for future models? Or do people with older Macs with a PowerPC processor get some sort of free or discounted upgrade to an Intel machine?

I hate to be a cynic, but chances are that when Apple releases the brand new iPhone, they won't be providing any sort of upgrade path or firmware update for current iPhone users - other than the option to purchase a new iPhone (and probably extend your contract with AT&T).

I don't see this as any different from any other wireless phone maker. And frankly, I don't see it being any different than Apples upgrades in the past.

[aerove]

As opposed to other phones that somehow aren't somewhat outdated within a year? Or computers? Or iPods?

Does Apple offer anyone with an iPod some sort of discount for future models? Or do people with older Macs with a PowerPC processor get some sort of free or discounted upgrade to an Intel machine?

I hate to be a cynic, but chances are that when Apple releases the brand new iPhone, they won't be providing any sort of upgrade path or firmware update for current iPhone users - other than the option to purchase a new iPhone (and probably extend your contract with AT&T).

I don't see this as any different from any other wireless phone maker. And frankly, I don't see it being any different than Apples upgrades in the past.

well..technology is like that.. what u buy today maybe obselete tomorrow.. if u r rich u could always keep buyin wats new els.. u culd hold on to wat u hav as long as it doesnt hamper ur productivity..:apple:

[jlbrown23]

Apple prides itself for looking out for its customers, and this is not the way to take care of them, after having them spend $400+ on a phone and have it be somewhat outdated a year later. For me it's common sense, what do you guys think?

Another way to look at "taking care of your customers" is that you get them the latest technology as quickly as possible. Holding back on this would NOT be common sense - it would be catering to early adapters, which is a bad idea.

I was DYING to get an iPhone, but 8GB & slow net access were red flags to me - not to mention the 18 months left on my 24 month Verizon contract when they first started selling iPhones. I really wanted at least 16GB(preferably 32GB), and fast browsing/streaming, and wasn't about to take the ~$2500 plunge without those things. Not to mention that 1st gen devices always have their bugs.

I think there are a LOT of people out there like me who are holding off & the 2nd gen iPhone couldn't come soon enough. Who would Apple be serving by not getting this to us ASAP? How are they wronging you? Did they lie about the product they sold you?

I have no sympathy for early adopters complaining about the price/function of their devices. Things ALWAYS cost more and are a little buggy early on, but you get to USE THEM longer than other people. This is known, and if you demand the instant gratification, you know the risks. And I am typing this on a MacBook Air, so I am not judging or criticizing. I'm sure that in the next year the prices for the SSD(maybe even a 128GB) will come down enough that I would rather have that than my 80GB HD model, or they'll get a much better(maybe even easily swappable) battery, or the price will go from $1800 to $1500. But so what? I have it NOW, and I love it. If I have to skip a generation or two because I can't afford to buy a new one every time there is an improvement, then when I finally DO buy a new one it will be MUCH better than the one I have because Apple strove to constantly improve(2TB Flash drive, 1 lb & half the thickness with 802.11z wireless & powered by photovoltaic cells in the casing?)

[emotion]

I have no sympathy for early adopters complaining about the price/function of their devices.

I agree and I got my iPhone (with no regrets, it's ace) on the day it was launched here.

However the logic that other users have posted that the phone has been around for a year (come June) so must have a hardware refresh doesn't wash with me either. I'd like the 3G iteration of the device to be as good as possible. If that means waiting another 6 months from now, so be it.

When it does land it should be a big enough leap forward that I'll want that too.

As for support for previous devices. I expect Apple to continue that when the new phone comes. In the same way that my 867GHz 12" Powerbook can still run Leopard. Think of the iPhone as a handheld computer (as that is what it is), rather than just a mobile phone.

[mhaas]

Area doesn't matter. Population density does. European Union has a population density of 122 people per square km. USA has one of 31. Everyone see the distinct contrast. Clearly the EU has a much greater advantage when setting up phone networks because networks are usually not limited as much by load as by range. Thus the USA has a much bigger problem with there much lower population density.

On similar accords, Canada has such a problem because it has a population density of 3, but thats not quite accurate since no one lives 200km above the border (I mean honestly...) A more accurate population density often cited for that strip of land is 15 people per square kilometre, still a much lower number than the US. Hence the often even slower adaption of technologies.

Well, that is true but than again the Scandinavian countries have a similar population density as Canada has - Norway, Sweden and Finland to my knowledge have an excellent network coverage - exactly because of the low population density.

Its very important to have a good coverage if you don't have anyone living within the next 150 km, if you get stuck you need to be able to call someone...

[3247]

5) Are you planing on traveling internationally? The current iteration of the iPhone does NOT work in Europe or Japan, just to name a few places. It is believed that the 3G version will be able to do so.Korea and Japan. Only.

However, if you're travelling a lot internationally, the iPhone may be the wrong choice. Due to the net lock, you can't insert other (local) SIM cards.

[jnc]

5) Are you planing on traveling internationally? The current iteration of the iPhone does NOT work in Europe or Japan, just to name a few places. It is believed that the 3G version will be able to do so.

uhhhh...? :confused: UK, France and Germany have iPhones, for at least for 5 months here in the UK. Released in Ireland and Austria today, don't know about rest of Europe.

[newtonuk]

However, more recent 3G phones employ a 3G technology called HSDPA. That can go up to and beyond 14.4 Mbps, but current network implementations are 1.8Mbps and 3.6Mbps.
and hopefully GPS

My normal 3G phone is 3.6Mbps, but my HSDPA data card is 7.2...

[jemo07]

The US may be backwards in some respects but not in this one. One of the reasons the US takes longer to implement technology is because the country is a lot larger than any European nation. I'm not trying to defend the US carriers because they do suck but I'm constantly annoyed by others outside the US talking out of their behinds.

Well I guess that 3G has been deployed throughout the EU does not count? Not to mention the Middle East? ;)

[emotion]

My normal 3G phone is 3.6Mbps, but my HSDPA data card is 7.2...

3.6Mbps is a HSDPA speed. Traditional 3G goes to 384 kbit/s afaik.

As for 3G coverage, it's far from full in the UK (esp. on O2).

[iCantwait]

well to put you alll to shame, australia has the largest and fastest mobile network in the world, and i guess probably the 8 planets closest to the sun!!

[iStefmac]

I really don't buy the battery excuse anymore. Like Steve Woz says, "is there really that much of a difference? i don't buy it."

Neither do I. Heavy iPhone usage kills battery___Period. Makes no difference if its EDGE or 3G or WifI or watching a movie.

If they rolled out the current standards in an 3G iPhone tomorrow, it would behave just as anyone expects. Like an iPhone always on wifi.

Although with 3G we could pretty much eliminate WiFi since the iPhone handles that so poorly anyway.

[Greenmarble]

3G, two cameras, video conferencing, OLED display?

IPhone Sold Out In New York. 3G Launch Coming Soon?
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/03/iphone-sold-out.html

Gartner analyst stokes 3G iPhone rumors
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/26/gartner_analyst_stokes_3g_iphone_rumors.html

[Ironduke]

my God:eek:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-devices/news/2008/03/27/Super-3G-Hits-250Mbps-In-Real-World-Test/p1

[Greenmarble]

"UPDATE:Hon Hai Gets Apple Order For New iPhones -Source"
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200803280536DOWJONESDJONLINE000436_FORTUNE5.htm

[spacecadet610]

this 3g iphone is so hyped up, it's going to sell like hotcakes. So many people are waiting for the new version before buying the iphone. Maybe i should buy some apple stock now.

i sold all my apple stock at $6/share back in 1998. i'm an idiot

[Macminded]

HDSPA at least (allready has successor this format)
VIDEOCALLING
GPS
OLED DISPLAY
160 gigs of harddrive
5mp camera.
WIFI
Updatable software)

Yes I want one.


Anything less specs is WORSE than my HTC advantage. :D

The only thing I don't like about my current "phone" is its size, I would like 160gigs of harddrive like ipod and a 5mp camera in iphone format.

Other manufacturers released 3g ages ago. HDSPA is the standard now for internet on phone (3.5G) after that super 3g as mentioned in link. Apple's new iphone is "just" a simple 3g phone.

Edge sucks.

[emotion]

160 GB hard drive! Won't happen any time soon. These phones are power hungry devices, as are HDs.

[Lepton]

Here's my educated guess based on expected chips and ATT capabilities:

3G HSDPA with 7.2Mb/s download but slower upload speed. WCDMA for countries outside USA.

Better camera, up to 5MP. Probably depends on how good a teeny camera they can find. No flash. Video recording. Second camera likely, facing user, 320x240 max. Does video calls. Does video iChat. Based on an Apple patent thus far unused a second possibility is that the single camera is on a swivel so it can face either way. I think this would be less elegant looking and sturdy and so predict second camera. Support for AT&T Videoshare.

Bluetooth 2.0 using Infineon 8753. Extended data rate to 3Mb/s. Stereo Bluetooth.

GPS based on Infineon 2520. Accurate to 5 meters. Enhanced 911 support.

The CPU supports infrared but I believe that is used in the head proximity sensor so I don't predict IR remote. It supports a USB port but I don't expect that.

I'm guessing no additional charges for using AT&T 3G in the USA. I'm also guessing a May release so it is in the geek developers actual hands for WWDC and the WWDC can have sessions on the new abilities. At the very latest, they'll be announcing at the WWDC itself.

[stargurl84]

this 3g iphone is so hyped up, it's going to sell like hotcakes. So many people are waiting for the new version before buying the iphone. Maybe i should buy some apple stock now.

i sold all my apple stock at $6/share back in 1998. i'm an idiot

wow $6 a share....well everyone thought Apple was going in the can before the new wave of iMacs and iPods and the such

[PittAir]

well to put you alll to shame, australia has the largest and fastest mobile network in the world, and i guess probably the 8 planets closest to the sun!!

I love Australia, and good work. But are you telling us that you can get HSPDA all the way from Ayers Rock to Melbourne without interruption?

If so, great. If not, call back when you do.

[System 6]

Not quite all the way from Ayers Rock to Melbourne, but certainly a good part of it. Considering the sparseness of the population, the coverage is impressive (http://www.fonezone.com.au/?p=2074) (and I don't even like Telstra). If you've ever driven from Ayers Rock to Melbourne, you'd realise that there's bugger-all out there.

[tangledweb16]

Did those pictures of the shiny black back ever get confirmed or busted?

What was with those?

[g8bo]

Did those pictures of the shiny black back ever get confirmed or busted?

What was with those?

it was a fake...

if someone gets an iphone to test, it wouldn't be so scratched(=means "used") (among other proofs)...