iPhone 3G S Launch Lines and Disassembly Photos

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-launch-lines-and-disassembly-photos/)


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2009/06/19/034339-IMG_0679_500.jpg

From Salt Lake City, UT (http://www.apple.com/retail/thegateway/) (Thanks Ben)
We're not sure if the iPhone 3G S launch will require long waits in line like previous years. The fact that customers have been able to pre-order the new iPhone will certainly dampen the turnout in the morning. Still that's not stopping some (photo) (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=7876730&postcount=131). One analyst predicts (http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/06/18/munster-500000-new-iphones-this-weekend/) Apple will sell about 500,000 units this time around, about one half of the number sold on the launch of the iPhone 3G. Still, that number is twice as much as the sales numbers for the original iPhone's launch weekend.

One French company (http://www.rapidrepair.com/guides/iphone-3g-s-repair/iphone-3g-s-dissasembly-repair-guide.html) has already obtained an iPhone 3G S and done a disassembly on the device:


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2009/06/19/035328-iphone-3g-s-fully-disassembled1_500.jpg



Article Link: iPhone 3G S Launch Lines and Disassembly Photos (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-launch-lines-and-disassembly-photos/)

[daneoni]

Looks exactly like the 3G insides

[C8XY]

I won't be queing this time around

[drewsky5]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

Yahoo for Salt Lake City!

[adamw]

The iPhone is a nice upgrade, but not essential IMHO, unless your old one is giving out on you. But many people will likely get one. The larger memory, longer battery life, and faster processor are just a few of the new features that will be enticing many to buy one.

It is a welcome upgrade.

[iPhoneFreak17]

I really wanna get this phone but got no $$$ damn it

[Fluffy Bunny]

Looks exactly like the 3G insides

Except for the actual chips used. But, yes, they both have wires, circuit boards, screws and a battery inside.

[talkingfuture]

Looks like most sites are reporting shorter lines. A lot of people probably ordered online.

Maybe it is time for Apple to look at ways of bringing in more iPhone customers over the next year, through pricing or other models.

[daneoni]

Except for the actual chips used. But, yes, they both have wires, circuit boards, screws and a battery inside.

I was talking more about about the way things were arranged

[str1f3]

Looks like most sites are reporting shorter lines. A lot of people probably ordered online.

Maybe it is time for Apple to look at ways of bringing in more iPhone customers over the next year, through pricing or other models.

The only way Apple is going to bring in new customers is to have it on more than one carrier. Sooner or later the pool of available switchers to AT&T will not be there. This is not only true in the US, but around the world. The exclusivity deals have to end.

[4np]

seems like the French beat iFixit ;)

[ob81]

Yeah. This phone is surely not worth sitting in line. The people sitting in line probably already have an iPhone. At this stage, there won't be many new customers sitting in line. Surely MMS (which is on every phone) and a camera upgrade didn't convince people that wanted an iPhone to finally get one.

Pre-order online ftw.

[talkingfuture]

The only way Apple is going to bring in new customers is to have it on more than one carrier. Sooner or later the pool of available switchers to AT&T will not be there. This is not only true in the US, but around the world. The exclusivity deals have to end.

Good point, its a shame there is no practical way of circumventing carriers and providing their own network. Maybe one day when there is WiMax or 4g or something covering as great an area as the phone network then Apple could create a skype type App that replaces the network. One Day.

I imagine that the reliance on the carriers and their inconsistencies must be Steve Jobs biggest headache (after his health).

[NATO]

The 3G-S is a hard sell for Apple this time round, mainly because the vast majority of the fanbase are still locked into 18-24 month contracts, and the expense of the 3G-S is an obstacle to new customers who don't see a vast difference physically between the 3G and 3G-S.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 3G-S but those mostly likely to appreciate the new features are those that are still under contract and unable to buy it without considerable expense buying themselves out of their contract.

I'm not surprised the launch queues are small this time round due to the above along with the fact that you can order online so there's less incentive to queue.

[edesignuk]

Says it all...engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-fizzles-out-for-global-retail/).

177519

[Truffy]

Disassembly photos, unboxing photos: I really don't get it. Is this some kind of techno porn?

[t0mat0]

Its not so much lack of queue in the UK store I went to, but rather more efficient (O2's activation service doesn't seem to be failing) and more people getting PAYG which is easier and quicker to sell to the customers. It isn't the same size of the 3G launch, but then that had such a long build up, as Apple stopped selling handsets for weeks beforehand.

If you read the liveblog, there were 30 at Regent Street by 7am. I'd imagine the queue would have been even smaller if O2 had got its act together and had done pre-orders to ship today for PAYG handsets...
Free coffee, and cookies/croissants/pastries at the O2 store I went to - >30 waiting at 8am, with another 30 waiting at the O2 store round the corner.

[auggie2k]

Update: They've identified the chipset as the SoC S5PC100 from Samsung and thus confirm an ARM Cortex A8 running at 600 MHz (operates at up to 833MHz though) and the ability to record 720p video and handle real-time video conferencing should Apple choose to go in that direction (iPhone 3G S records VGA only). PowerVR SGX graphics and 256MB of RAM too as expected. S5PC100 block diagram:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/06/samsung-s5pc100.jpg

System Board: Up Close

System board chips and part numbers can be seen below. Please view the comparison guide (http://www.rapidrepair.com/guides/iphone-3g-s-repair/iphone-3g-s-comparison-chart.html) for more details.

CPU - Samsung
339S0073ARM
K2132C2P0-50-F
0N1480911
APL0298
N1TVY0Q 0919

NAND Flash Memory - Toshiba TH58NVG702ELA89
IA8816
TAIWAN
09209AE

System Memory - 337S3754
CMA
G0919
5Y9307885E4

Infineon - 36MY1EE
A9177314
Z171033B

iPhone 3G S system board is shown on the left, right board is iPhone 3G.

Click below for the full image:

http://www.rapidrepair.com/guides/iphone-3g-s-repair/iphone-3g-s-images/iphone-3g-s-board-comparetb.jpg (http://www.rapidrepair.com/guides/iphone-3g-s-repair/iphone-3g-s-images/iphone-3g-s-board-compare.JPG)

[daneoni]

Lets face it really isn't that much of an upgrade anyway and pre-order option means those that were gonna get it regardless already have

[sammich]

Says it all...engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-fizzles-out-for-global-retail/).

177519

Wow, the difference is...night and day :D

[t0mat0]

The UK iPhone 3GS has a MUCH smaller plug now

[Lostanddamned]

At the store in Hastings, UK there were about 15 people queuing, I got there at about eight for a nine o'clock opening and was the second in queue (due to people milling around).

I now have the 1st 3Gs in town (bloke in front of me was sorting insurance through O2, so took longer). It is absolutely gorgeous.

In conclusion - yes, the queues seem shorter, and it doesn't seem like UK stores at least are selling out.

[timp123]

Its not so much lack of queue in the UK store I went to, but rather more efficient (O2's activation service doesn't seem to be failing) and more people getting PAYG which is easier and quicker to sell to the customers. It isn't the same size of the 3G launch, but then that had such a long build up, as Apple stopped selling handsets for weeks beforehand.

If you read the liveblog, there were 30 at Regent Street by 7am. I'd imagine the queue would have been even smaller if O2 had got its act together and had done pre-orders to ship today for PAYG handsets...
Free coffee, and cookies/croissants/pastries at the O2 store I went to - >30 waiting at 8am, with another 30 waiting at the O2 store round the corner.


Exactly the same in apple store southampton, and very few people went to the O2 store. Got mine by 9am :)

[timp123]

The UK iPhone 3GS has a MUCH smaller plug now

Yeh I was shocked how small the box was considering the normally chunky plug, nice size now

[chr1s60]

Says it all...engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-fizzles-out-for-global-retail/).

177519

There will be big lines again when Apple releases an all new designed iPhone. I didn't expect much for this launch.

[edesignuk]

There will be big lines again when Apple releases an all new designed iPhone. I didn't expect much for this launch.I doubt it. Most iPhone's are going to be on contract, contract means you're already locked in, so you either cannot upgrade when the new one comes out, or you pre-order for delivery. Crazy lines at stores are most likely a thing of the past.

[illitrate23]

Says it all...engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-fizzles-out-for-global-retail/).
lol - engadget are so full of it
i was there for the original november one and i was there for today's too
the picture from today must have been before 7am because i saw the queue at 7 and there were about 20 people in it - and by the time i got inside there must have been 90+ people already queuing around the store

and the pic from November is after they'd opened the doors and people are going in - which, if i remember, was at 9:02am and so Oxford St was busy with xmas shoppers anyway

[williamtcforsyt]

Cued since 3:30am at O2 Princes Street, Edinburgh - sad I know. Cue was at 10 when doors opened. First in line, very efficient staff in store, no problems activating in store. MMS working Tethering working too.

It's so quick at loading apps and general navigation!!!

[str1f3]

There will be big lines again when Apple releases an all new designed iPhone. I didn't expect much for this launch.

There's very little they can do to the design of the iPhone except to change the material of the case. The tapered edges are perfect as is. The problems are:

-they are tied to one carrier
-most of the 3.0 features could be had by last year's hardware
-many iPhone users have existing contracts
-video is the only feature you could sell to customers

The biggest problem is the first one. RIM will beat Apple again this quarter because they make phones for all carriers. As much as there are Apple loyalists, there are people who are loyal to their carriers because they're happy.

[Detlev_73]

Well, I tried pre-ordering one the day after 3gs announcement and actually paid for the 16 GB. AT&T preferred to give folks that ordered way after me a tracking number: no love felt there :mad:. Changed my mind, I really wanted a 32 GB, so here I am waiting in line with only 4 parties ahead of me. Went to bed at 9:30, gotta love the Ambien, melatonin, Valerian, potassium, and two Walgreens "Sleep 2" pills: yes, enough to put down an elephant :eek: .

It's a neat experience: not bad at all!

[Drinahn]

Says it all...engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-fizzles-out-for-global-retail/).

177519

Slight difference being that the original was launched at 6pm after work, a time when Regent Street is bustling anyway, rather than 7am, when Regent street is far from bustling.

[bombardier.v2]

Arrived outside O2 in the UK at 8am to a queue of about 10 people. By 8.45 there were another 5 behind me. There is a CPW directly opposite who opened their doors earlier than O2. All those behind me, and me, went over to CPW - the first guy left without a phone as they were not doing PAYG, only contract. I bought a black and a white 16Gb (one for me, one for my wife - I have a 3G but am putting the SIM in that into the 3GS and giving my 3G to my daughter to get around the contract!). I walked out with the first two 3GS sold in Hertford! One other person bought one at CPW after me, everybody else in the O2 queue was buying a PAYG.

I didn't expect huge queues today because of the contract shenanigans, and there weren't any. Not sure what the UK Apple Stores would be like though, as opposed to the O2 / CPW stores.

Haven't unboxed it yet.

[dogg]

Cued since 3:30am at O2 Princes Street, Edinburgh - sad I know. Cue was at 10 when doors opened. First in line, very efficient staff in store, no problems activating in store. MMS working Tethering working too.

It's so quick at loading apps and general navigation!!!

Glasgow Apple Store: probably about 50 in que by 8am. When i left it was around 8:30am, walked past the O2 Store in Buchanan Galleries which was open. No que, 1 person buying. Then walked past CPW also in Buchanan Galleries, no que, no one inside.

Oh dear.

[eastercat]

While I know it's for a look at the innards, it's so sad to see that phone taken apart. :(

[iucpa]

Still 1:15 until the store opens and there are nearly 100 people here. Talked to a store employee who said they expect 2,000 people at this store today...

[bytethese]

The line's VERY reasonable here, but I got here just before 5am and am about 30th in the reserved line. :)

[johnsmclean]

Cued since 3:30am at O2 Princes Street, Edinburgh - sad I know. Cue was at 10 when doors opened. First in line, very efficient staff in store, no problems activating in store. MMS working Tethering working too.

It's so quick at loading apps and general navigation!!!

Actually that is quite sad !

[conch575]

The line's VERY reasonable here, but I got here just before 5am and am about 30th in the reserved line. :)

Wow.. I just realised people are posting here from their phones.. I'm slow. I wish the 3G S was released today in Australia, I want one!!

[Macminiintel]

I am at the meadowhall apple store in the uk, they let me in the shop lol so i have already tried it before most people woooo, the is only 10 people in line, i bet it will get busy later on

[bytethese]

Wow.. I just realised people are posting here from their phones.. I'm slow. I wish the 3G S was released today in Australia, I want one!!

I'm bad, I have a chair and my laptop but I did snap that with my iPhone 3G. :)

[kas23]

-many iPhone users have existing contracts


This is probably the biggest reason. The 3Gs just isn't going to set records like the 3G did. The orginal iPhone sales paled in comparison to the 3G sales and now all of those people are tied into contracts. And even if Apple was to lower the price, will people be wanting to extend their contract for another 2 years? Especially with AT&T's attitude. The exclusivity agreement may have helped Apple at first, but now it's hindering them. Apple should be allowed to sell the phone to anyone they please, even if they're just buying it to blend it or whatever.

[SethRogen]

I'm at a Tampa, FL At&T Store at 5:55 A.M, 12th in line and a couple people behind me.

[Truffy]

Actually that is quite sad !
What is? The turning up at 3:30 or the inability to spell 'queue'? :D

[Antangil]

From the Huntsville, AL store, the line is a bit... sedate; me and one other guy. I can't decide whether I'm the biggest Apple fan in HSV or just the dumbest. <grin>

[YoGramMamma]

UStreamin live

@chriscrutch: iPhone 3GS Launch, Charlotte NC (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/2rvX)

[macshill]

http://i42.tinypic.com/2ajdnoi.jpg

Nice. :)

[Romanesq]

The line's VERY reasonable here, but I got here just before 5am and am about 30th in the reserved line. :)

Well that pretty much proves the power of pre orders and home authorization along with overlapping contracts.

5th Ave. is an indicator. It should be a smooth day. :)

[ataboc]

can't wait for mine to get here in the mail!

[williamtcforsyt]

What is? The turning up at 3:30 or the inability to spell 'queue'? :D

Now I remember why I stopped posting in these forums years
ago- minority of rude individuals!

1. Waiting in a 'queue' in Scotland means cold hands quickly so 'cue' is easier rattle off on an iPhone
2. I'm dyslexic so occasionly I'm not perfect
3. Waiting in line 3:30am may be sad, but taking the time to post a completely unessersary and quite frankly rude reply is much sadder and pretty unconstructive.

[Chupa Chupa]

Re: Lines

Lines are obsolete when you can SANELY pre-order and have it delivered to home/office/etc. Apple could have allowed pre-ordering the last two go-arounds but it understood the PR value in the visuals of long lines.

I have no doubt the "early adopter" sales of the 3GS will be equal to or better than the 3G and absolutely smoke 2G sales (remember that hype-o-rama with news shows dedicating their entire hour to interviewing line waiters and new buyers). However, 3GS raw sales estimates in the half million range is no competitions for 2G lines around the block consisting of 400 people.

With the tracking thread here well over 5000 posts (5000!), not to mention all the 3G owners who complained they couldn't upgrade to what is essentially the same phone + a better cam and video I think its hard to make the case the 3GS is not in high demand or extremely anticipated.

[MacGeekDC]

And Here We … Go! The iPhone 3G S has just officially launched in the US. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/HopeIsKindled/herewego.jpg

[Chupa Chupa]

And Here We … Go! The iPhone 3G S has just officially launched in the US.


Nope. It won't launch until the FedEx guy hits my door this afternoon. :D

[commander.data]

So the teardowns have confirmed an ARM A8 Cortex, but I wonder what version of the PowerVR SGX is in the iPhone 3G S? The SGX520 as Anand thinks or the SGX530 as the Palm Pre has. I'm guessing they'll have to look at the graphics drivers to find out since the GPU is integrated into the SoC and wouldn't have an easy part number to identify.

[MacGeekDC]

Says it all...engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-fizzles-out-for-global-retail/).

177519

NYC begs to differ. (CNET)

[bytethese]

NYC begs to differ. (CNET)

Haha, I can see myself in that CNET pic!

[DELLsFan]

The only way Apple is going to bring in new customers is to have it on more than one carrier. Sooner or later the pool of available switchers to AT&T will not be there. This is not only true in the US, but around the world. The exclusivity deals have to end.

+1

The US lines are shorter primarily because the market is saturated and restricted to one carrier. The US lines are shorter because customers cannot easily and economically upgrade to the 3GS if they are recently under contract with AT&T and a previous iPhone. The lines are shorter because of the economy in general. The lines are shorter because of PRE orders. The lines are shorter because of pre-orders. The lines are shorter because there really isn't a compelling reason to upgrade from the 3G, unless money is burning a hole in your pocket, or you are obsessed.

Happy day for new 3GS owners. Not as happy for Apple, methinks - as last year.

[iOrlando]

pretty large wait lines for an evolutionary update..don't ya think?
its speedy, spucky, its 3GSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[planethitsradio]

Here at the only Rogers store in Ottawa that is open at 8 AM in Ottawa and there is only a few people here. Alot better than last year.

[AtlasBoy]

Says it all...engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-fizzles-out-for-global-retail/).

177519

Actually it does not say anything meaningful as the 3gs could be ordered online and shipped to your house or job. I work in Silicon Valley, and know at least 30 people who are getting the phone today, and not a single one is going to a store. You can't determine the volume or success of this phone by the lines at the stores. It's pointless to compare to prior years lines.

[Mac21ND]

Good point, its a shame there is no practical way of circumventing carriers and providing their own network. Maybe one day when there is WiMax or 4g or something covering as great an area as the phone network then Apple could create a skype type App that replaces the network. One Day.

I imagine that the reliance on the carriers and their inconsistencies must be Steve Jobs biggest headache (after his health).

Agree - Chalk me up as one of those people who would have bought on the very first day of the iPhone if not for the carrier.

I'm basically having to wait until it comes to Verizon. Not because I love or hate Verizon; it's that all of my family and majority of friends are on Verizon (yep, I'm stuck in their "network calls are free" game).

[happydude]

enjoy, all you 3Gs'ers!! i'll be waiting for the 4th gen . . .

[.:R2theT]

Re: Lines

Lines are obsolete when you can SANELY pre-order and have it delivered to home/office/etc. Apple could have allowed pre-ordering the last two go-arounds but it understood the PR value in the visuals of long lines.

With the tracking thread here well over 5000 posts (5000!), not to mention all the 3G owners who complained they couldn't upgrade to what is essentially the same phone + a better cam and video I think its hard to make the case the 3GS is not in high demand or extremely anticipated.

People have to admit that it is blowing the Pre out the water though. Both from a PR standpoint as well as, most likely, actual sales. I haven't heard the Pre mentioned in the news since several days before the 3GS was introduced.

And I keep seeing the articles saying RIM is worried about the iPhone. How can they not be? Apple has one phone on one carrier and will probably sell like 5 million phones this quarter. RIM will sell like 7 or 8 million but with many different phones on many carriers. Again, how can they not be worried?

[happydude]

People have to admit that it is blowing the Pre out the water though. Both from a PR standpoint as well as, most likely, actual sales. I haven't heard the Pre mentioned in the news since several days before the 3GS was introduced.

And I keep seeing the articles saying RIM is worried about the iPhone. How can they not be? Apple has one phone on one carrier and will probably sell like 5 million phones this quarter. RIM will sell like 7 or 8 million but with many different phones on many carriers. Again, how can they not be worried?

and if apple ever gets out of exclusivity with at&t, RIM will be sh#tting their pants.

[blur35mm]

Was 13th in line at the AT&T store and they took pre-orders first. Hate to see the line when they open at normal hours later this morning. About 20 people in line as I left the store.

Very nice phone so far!

[PhilaScott]

I'm at a Tampa, FL At&T Store at 5:55 A.M, 12th in line and a couple people behind me.

AT&T Store in Center City Philadelphia on 16th Street has a couple dozen people in line.. quiet overall.

[bytethese]

Wow, still crazy in here but I have my iphone 3Gs in hand and I am loading my content back on the device. :) Here's a few pics I took at the Apple Store here:

[kugino]

first in line at the chandler fashion center store in chandler, az. store employees working hard to get the store ready and the 3GS displays set.

the mall doors opened at 4:30...apple store manager said they would open early - at 6:15...two lines, one for pre-orders and one for "walk-ins"

[solarguy17]

NYC begs to differ. (CNET)

but that is ridiculous becuase that is one of the busiest stores most other stores might have lines but not huge ones. ATT store here had maybe 15 people in line at 900 exacty and only 5 preorders

the first guy in line had no preorder and had shown up and camped in a tent at since midnight. I got there at 600 and I was the 4th in line (realy first becuase I had preorder).

most people were in and out in 5 minutes
it want that big a of a deal, it took me erto get my stuff set up since I was swtiching from verizon but only 25 mintues.

[The Phazer]

NYC begs to differ. (CNET)

There will be an international difference - in the UK O2 have raised handset prices 87% over the 3G. In the US AT&T have not.

The O2 scene is pretty widely replicated elsewhere in the UK, and I believe O2 WON'T deliver it to an office address, so that isn't the reason either.

i was there for the original november one and i was there for today's too
the picture from today must have been before 7am because i saw the queue at 7 and there were about 20 people in it - and by the time i got inside there must have been 90+ people already queuing around the store

and the pic from November is after they'd opened the doors and people are going in - which, if i remember, was at 9:02am and so Oxford St was busy with xmas shoppers anyway

I was there at the 2G launch too - that picture would have been accurate at 9:02am then as well, NINE HOURS BEFORE OPENING. There was easily five thousand people in the queue for the 2G launch at Regent Street by the evening

If you're saying that there were 90 at peak today, then that's a pretty embarrassing failure for Apple and O2.

Phazer

[peterlobl]

Like a brick of cream cheese, the Philadelphia experience just now was sooo easy! Almost eerily so ;)
no mayor (ex-mayor) street to be seen, but I was in and out of store in 15 minutes, so maybe he was lurking..
got in at 702, phones waiting longer than any of the five of us inside, little bit of clerk chitchat, and come 715 I'm filming the Delaware river... And Camden, NJ!!
walt whitman would be happy

[StuddedLeather]

Okay so yeah I'm in line and NYC of course is crowded...I'm at the West 14th street store I've been in line since 7 and I'm not close. maybe around 150 people ahead of me. At least I can use Apple wifi hahaha. I'm going to post a pix in a few!!!

[mkjj]

About 30 or so people at 8am.

Me, still in contract with 3G, so will wait until the next one

[twoodcc]

i might end up getting one, but not today

[Glideslope]

The only way Apple is going to bring in new customers is to have it on more than one carrier. Sooner or later the pool of available switchers to AT&T will not be there. This is not only true in the US, but around the world. The exclusivity deals have to end.

CDMA version on Verizon in late 2010. :apple:

[E.Lizardo]

The 3G-S is a hard sell for Apple this time round, mainly because the vast majority of the fanbase are still locked into 18-24 month contracts, and the expense of the 3G-S is an obstacle to new customers who don't see a vast difference physically between the 3G and 3G-S.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 3G-S but those mostly likely to appreciate the new features are those that are still under contract and unable to buy it without considerable expense buying themselves out of their contract.

I'm not surprised the launch queues are small this time round due to the above along with the fact that you can order online so there's less incentive to queue.


So...You expect sales to suddenly plummet?

[jjhplus9]

http://twitpic.com/7si6e
Queue's what queues...
Not one of the customers in the O2 flagship store in Belfast was buying an iPhone3Gs...
It was the same at the AppleStore just arround the corener

[auburnfan24]

First iPhone in Birmingham!!! 6:48am!!! Posting with it now. FAST! Loooooove it!:D

[Bubba Satori]

Apple Telephone & Telegraph

Shouldn't this site change it's name to iPhoneRumors ?

I hope Apple spins off the computer biz so that "Apple Computer" would concentrate on it's core biz instead of being a redheaded stepchild filled with gaping product holes and severly limited product offerings.

I miss Apple Computer. :(

http://nunetherlands.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/steve_wozniak_thumbs_up.jpg

[pooryou]

The iPhone is a computer ;)

[Cynicalone]

Here the Apple Store didn't receive any of the new iPhone 3G S 32GB models. That certainly isn't helping to build up the line.

[Applebyter]

Looks like most sites are reporting shorter lines. A lot of people probably ordered online.

Maybe it is time for Apple to look at ways of bringing in more iPhone customers over the next year, through pricing or other models.

That just makes the odds bigger for those who didn't pre-order, to get one when they go to get one...like myself.

[SethRogen]

AT&T store in Tampa I got there at 5:55 A.M 12th in line, when they let us in about 55 people there. Then the guy says who pre ordered, we were the first people in line to pre order so I got the pleasure of going in first lol.

[Arissa1990]

its the same... just a speed boost, etc.. I wont be standing in line...:p

[KristenM]

The guys at the AT&T store were great this morning. At 6:50 the manager came out with a list and checked off everyone's name whose phone had arrived for them. If you had preordered before Tuesday of this week, your phone was there in a brown box with your name on it and you have 7 days to pick it up (as if!). He said he had 10 others for non-preorders. He made sure that the two people that had shown up that preordered but their phones hadn't arrived, got 2 of those 10 phones. One guy got pissed because he hadn't preordered so he wasn't going to be allowed inside until 9:00 (umm hi, read much? there was a huge sign on the door stating that for the past two weeks!).
At 7:00 they let 4 groups in -- one for each of the reps there. There was a security guard at the door who let another group in when someone finished.
It took about 15 minutes to upgrade our account and activate the two phones and the manager even came over to congratulate me on being the first person in Enfield, CT to own the new iPhone :D
Drove home and I'm syncing it now!

[GeekLawyer]

CDMA version on Verizon in late 2010. :apple:

Doubt it. Multi-carrier in the US when 4G/LTE is out there. I don't see a CDMA (dead-end) version of the iPhone. Certainly not late next year when CDMA is even closer to death.

[bizzaregood]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27889163@N08/

[Michael CM1]

Disassembly photos, unboxing photos: I really don't get it. Is this some kind of techno porn?

Yes. Apparently the first is because nobody believes Apple on what is actually in the box. As far as disassembly, that's like XXX tech porn. I can't comprehend why someone would buy one of these just to rip the damn thing apart and take pictures. There's some starving kid in China who put that thing together and every tech magazine (or wannabe) tears one apart.

[RichardF]

Update: They've identified the chipset as the SoC S5PC100 from Samsung and thus confirm an ARM Cortex A8 running at 600 MHz (operates at up to 833MHz though) and the ability to record 720p video and handle real-time video conferencing should Apple choose to go in that direction (iPhone 3G S records VGA only). PowerVR SGX graphics and 256MB of RAM too as expected. S5PC100 block diagram:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/06/samsung-s5pc100.jpg

System Board: Up Close

System board chips and part numbers can be seen below. Please view the comparison guide (http://www.rapidrepair.com/guides/iphone-3g-s-repair/iphone-3g-s-comparison-chart.html) for more details.

CPU - Samsung
339S0073ARM
K2132C2P0-50-F
0N1480911
APL0298
N1TVY0Q 0919

NAND Flash Memory - Toshiba TH58NVG702ELA89
IA8816
TAIWAN
09209AE

System Memory - 337S3754
CMA
G0919
5Y9307885E4

Infineon - 36MY1EE
A9177314
Z171033B

iPhone 3G S system board is shown on the left, right board is iPhone 3G.

Click below for the full image:

http://www.rapidrepair.com/guides/iphone-3g-s-repair/iphone-3g-s-images/iphone-3g-s-board-comparetb.jpg (http://www.rapidrepair.com/guides/iphone-3g-s-repair/iphone-3g-s-images/iphone-3g-s-board-compare.JPG)




Could anyone please explain this?

If the chip can record video at 720p, isn't there a way to modify the OS ourselves to change the resolution the iPhone 3G S captures video at?

Or is it not that simple?

[kugino]

25 minutes to go here in AZ...pre-orders and reserved phones will be allowed in first, at 6:15. others will be allowed to buy phones starting at 7. glad i pre-ordered!

[vassillios]

That iPhone 3g box looks waaaay taller than mine.

[macshill]

Wow, still crazy in here but I have my iphone 3Gs in hand and I am loading my content back on the device. :) Here's a few pics I took at the Apple Store here:

Wow, you're living on the edge there.

1.) Having a liquid near your MacBook

and

2.) Having a liquid near your MacBook in public where some dumb slob could knock it over. ;):D

But whatever floats your boat.

[bytethese]

Wow, you're living on the edge there.

1.) Having a liquid near your MacBook

and

2.) Having a liquid near your MacBook in public where some dumb slob could knock it over. ;):D

But whatever floats your boat.

Haha, it was empty! I drank it all waiting in line for 2hrs. :)

[vassillios]

Now I remember why I stopped posting in these forums years
ago- minority of rude individuals!

1. Waiting in a 'queue' in Scotland means cold hands quickly so 'cue' is easier rattle off on an iPhone
2. I'm dyslexic so occasionly I'm not perfect
3. Waiting in line 3:30am may be sad, but taking the time to post a completely unessersary and quite frankly rude reply is much sadder and pretty unconstructive.


Why are you dissing on the rude guy? He used a smiley face so that immediately negates his rudeness.

[MacLover4491]

Apple is not doing well. It is time to unlock the iphone to other carriers. haha. I bet you they will have to do it next year. All the androids, wm7, webOS, Apple cant compete very well against them. There is no advantage in keeping the iphone to at&t unless apple wants competitors stepping on them.

[labman]

with your AT&T rants most cell phones out are contracted too 1 service. yes Nokia might be on several carriers but different but most different models are carrier specific plus if AT&T bugs you that much either go to another carrier get another phone or pay the non contract price for the Iphone and unlock it then go where you want. But highly unlikely the Apple AT&T marriage will end real soon. and even if they did get more carriers or left AT&T many of you would still be crying. why they go to that one why not this one give me a fricking break! and the main reason I am getting the 3GS ia speed the rest is just gravy. and I wouldn't call them minor upgrades. but hopefully next years model will include built in Microwave. :rolleyes:

[Tones2]

I pre-ordered at an AT&T store in Chicago. I got there at about 6:30 AM and was the only person there. At about 6:45 another person showed up. At 7 AM when the store opened, there were maybe 9 people in line. Everyone got in initially when the store opened. It took about 10 minutes for me to get processed and when I left there was no one else in line.

Tony

[njfuzzy]

I won't be queing this time around

Nor shall I. My preorder is ready for delivery this morning.

I'm surprised there are any lines, given the large number of preorders allowed. The fact that anyone is queuing makes me think that there must be very high demand for the new model.

I expect many of the millions of people (like me) who bought the original iPhone will be very interested in this one.

[ppdix]

2.5 hours later and they can't solve the technical issues. Nobody is getting an iPhone yet.

[andrew0122]

Man why can't we all just leave the Jesus phone alone and allow it to live unhindered?!?

. . . You know like a majestic unicorn. /sarcasm

Well, I best be off to go pick mine up at the AT&T store. Really wish I had an Apple store near by.

[junker]

I have a few questions.

I have a 1st gen - what to do with it? Can I keep it as a second phone to my account without upgrading to a family account? (giving it to my wife)

If not, is there any resale value now to it?

Also, I have the account of 450 minutes (with an accumulation of ~3200 rollover) I'd like to keep the rollover minutes with the addition of the 3G or 3GS, how would this be done?

I realize a lot of this could be answered with: "Just get the new contract and phone."

However, I like the current contract and the phone handles most everything I need it for - the biggest thing for me about the new phone is the better camera (I use it for work to document various things and situations)

I don't play games nor plan to do much video or video editing (Really? ON the iphone?!! I can wait until I return to my G5 at home)

[janstett]

Hesitant upgrader from the 3G here.

The big thing that tipped me over was a feature that's flying under the radar -- voice command. Voice dialing should have been in the first phone, and I really feel this feature should have been added to older phones in the firmware, but adding in other things like iPod control won me over. Driving almost 3 hours a day this is a huge deal for me.

Other smaller factors -- more space (who can't use more space, my 16GB is full), I can use the boost in speed for SimplifyMedia, the video will be a cool feature, and I'm a budding iPhone developer so I'm adding it as a 2nd line to sidestep the prohibitive $499 price and I'll use my old phone exclusively for development.

[jholzner]

Doubt it. Multi-carrier in the US when 4G/LTE is out there. I don't see a CDMA (dead-end) version of the iPhone. Certainly not late next year when CDMA is even closer to death.

I agree. However, I would like to at least see them get on T-Mobile here in the states. That would be better than nothing.

[jamest71]

I went to the King of Prussia mall in PA to get my first iPhone this morning. I would say there were about 80 to 100 people in line. I was about #25 in line and was out with my new iPhone(already working and making calls!!!) by 8:10. Store starting taking in people around 7:15. Great experience. The surprising thing to me was the number of people in line who already had iPhones.
Not 2 seconds after the Concierge clicked the activated message on my iPhone, I was getting texts from my gf. I was calling and texting in minutes.

[junker]

The big thing that tipped me over was a feature that's flying under the radar -- voice command.

If I remember correctly, that is an extra charge on your bill for the voice commands feature... I could remember that wrong, but just be aware.

[MikeyUSC]

If I remember correctly, that is an extra charge on your bill for the voice commands feature... I could remember that wrong, but just be aware.

You remember that wrong.. this is Voice Command on the 3Gs, not through AT&T..

[andycinek]

Suburban Square Ardmore, PA 6:00 a.m.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycinek/3641135214/

Also read my line experience at http://iteach20.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-line.html

[GeekLawyer]

I agree. However, I would like to at least see them get on T-Mobile here in the states. That would be better than nothing.

Agree completely. I deeply dislike ATT's exclusive and wish there was carrier competition in the US. I just don't see it until LTE.

If I remember correctly, that is an extra charge on your bill for the voice commands feature... I could remember that wrong, but just be aware.

This is not correct.

[janstett]

I'm basically having to wait until it comes to Verizon. Not because I love or hate Verizon; it's that all of my family and majority of friends are on Verizon (yep, I'm stuck in their "network calls are free" game).

I don't see Apple doing a CMDA version, what's the current state of Verizon's GSM efforts?

[notromeel]

Did I miss something?

I waited in line this morning for 2 hours, switched from verizon... and I cannot send multimedia via texts? Since when did this little blurb appear?

"MMS support from AT&T coming in late summer." :mad:

[gri]

+1

The US lines are shorter primarily because the market is saturated and restricted to one carrier. The US lines are shorter because customers cannot easily and economically upgrade to the 3GS if they are recently under contract with AT&T and a previous iPhone. The lines are shorter because of the economy in general. The lines are shorter because of PRE orders. The lines are shorter because of pre-orders. The lines are shorter because there really isn't a compelling reason to upgrade from the 3G, unless money is burning a hole in your pocket, or you are obsessed.

Happy day for new 3GS owners. Not as happy for Apple, methinks - as last year.

Or you still have an original iPhone (pretty expensive one, too) and now its a nice time to get a new one - though I will miss my 1G one, pretty reliable in spite of its shortcomings...Will probably stay in the family.

[janstett]

If I remember correctly, that is an extra charge on your bill for the voice commands feature... I could remember that wrong, but just be aware.

There is a "soft" service where you call AT&T and they do things for you. That is an extra charge and what you are thinking of.

There is also a new feature in the 3.0 firmware called "Voice Command" that lets you operate the iPhone (including iPod functionality). It's built into the OS (though sadly not activated on older phones).

[thecypher]

with your AT&T rants most cell phones out are contracted too 1 service. yes Nokia might be on several carriers but different but most different models are carrier specific plus if AT&T bugs you that much either go to another carrier get another phone or pay the non contract price for the Iphone and unlock it then go where you want. But highly unlikely the Apple AT&T marriage will end real soon. and even if they did get more carriers or left AT&T many of you would still be crying. why they go to that one why not this one give me a fricking break! and the main reason I am getting the 3GS ia speed the rest is just gravy. and I wouldn't call them minor upgrades. but hopefully next years model will include built in Microwave. :rolleyes:

Well said! I completely agree. There will never be a CDMA iPhone. Let the Verizon lovers keep dreaming:eek:
CDMA is a dead relic. Nobody on the planet uses that technology. The whole world is on GSM. Apple sells their iPhone in what 84 countries around the world right now?? duh?? Why do they need to manufacture a CDMA version?? I was on Verizon wireless for nearly 10 years starting with the old analog phones. I have been on AT&T for about 4 years now. While Verizon had great consistent coverage so does AT&T. I get great coverage everywhere I go and good call quality and I can use my phone when I travel abroad.

So all you Verizon loyalists, quit whining and get on the bandwagon or go stay with your Verizon service and use ****** phones. No phone and I mean no phone in the market even comes close to the iPhone in terms of its usability and its power no matter what anybody says. I have owned top of the line Nokia phones, Sony Ericsson, Motorola etc. and I have never used any of these the way I use my iPhone. Yes a lot of them had cameras, e-mail and web access, music playback blah blah. But just try using these features.

[justflie]

Did I miss something?

I waited in line this morning for 2 hours, switched from verizon... and I cannot send multimedia via texts? Since when did this little blurb appear?

"MMS support from AT&T coming in late summer." :mad:

That's been known and widely complained about (and rightly so) for about two weeks. It was announced during the WWDC keynote on 8 June.

[reckless2k2]

I went to the King of Prussia mall in PA to get my first iPhone this morning. I would say there were about 80 to 100 people in line. I was about #25 in line and was out with my new iPhone(already working and making calls!!!) by 8:10. Store starting taking in people around 7:15. Great experience. The surprising thing to me was the number of people in line who already had iPhones.
Not 2 seconds after the Concierge clicked the activated message on my iPhone, I was getting texts from my gf. I was calling and texting in minutes.

I showed up at Oxford Valley Mall in Langhorne PA at 7:30am and no line at all. I walked right in and got my phone. I pre-orderd but they said there really wasn't much of a line at all. They assumed it was because they had so many pre-orders in the back office. They had quite a few non-preorder phones as well. A couple people walked in while I was waiting and just got one with no problem. I was in and out in no time. Amazing. Last year there was a line well over 100 deep and turn-aways.

[fc4090]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

it's 6:50am and only we 4 guys standing in front of AT&T shop....bummer!!!

[thecypher]

Agree completely. I deeply dislike ATT's exclusive and wish there was carrier competition in the US. I just don't see it until LTE.


Who else is there in the US besides AT&T who does GSM? Just T-Mobile. Their service is as good as any other carrier as long as you are in a major metro. As soon as you step out into the suburbs you are doomed. The phone is a brick at that point. BTW, wherever T-Mobile has good coverage they use AT&T network. T-Mobile does not have a lot of their own network in the US. They mostly ride on AT&T's network :D

[rscott505]

When I got the to Suburban Square, Ardmore, Pennsylvania store this morning at 5:30, there was about 20 people total in both the reserve and walk up line. Everyone was chatting and real friendly. (Obviously a nice advantage to waiting in line is the opportunity to speak with fellow mac fans.)

By 6:30, we, at the front of the line, heard that the line was starting to stretch quite far back behind the store.

Right before 7:00, the great staff came out with bottles of water and tastykakes (a philadelphia thing). They started letting us in right at 7:00, with the people who reserved going in first once they verified that we had in fact reserved. I was about the fourth person in, and the set up could not have gone smoother. I was out of the store by 7:25 with my shiny new iPhone in hand. As I walked back to my car, I would say there was about 300 people in line. So nothing like the endgadget picture.

Once I got home, I loaded it up by doing a restore from backup.

This things really flies compared to my first generation iPhone. I hope everyone enjoys the day, and has good luck with their new iPhones.

[jonnyb]

Says it all...engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/19/iphone-3g-s-fizzles-out-for-global-retail/).

177519

Doesn't say it all, actually...

I arrived at the Apple store Regent Street at about 5.50am this morning. I'm not in that picture. So it must have been taken prior to that.

By the time us early arrivers had been let in to wait inside at around 7am, there were 40 or so of us. After we were let in, the queue continued to build outside until the actual advertised opening time of 8am. By the time I left with my 3GS soon after that there were plenty of people.

The pic on the right was taken as the doors opened on November 9th 2007. At 5.45am on that morning, there was a similar number of people. About 9, in fact. Yes, I was there that morning, too.

But I guess it wouldn't be much of a story if Engadget compared apples with apples would it?

[machappymeal]

Quite start in the Belfast apple store. Also just a small queue at the o2 store belfast.

[wardev]

why is the 3GS box so much smaller?

[Parky]

The 3G-S is a hard sell for Apple this time round, mainly because the vast majority of the fanbase are still locked into 18-24 month contracts, and the expense of the 3G-S is an obstacle to new customers who don't see a vast difference physically between the 3G and 3G-S.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 3G-S but those mostly likely to appreciate the new features are those that are still under contract and unable to buy it without considerable expense buying themselves out of their contract.

I'm not surprised the launch queues are small this time round due to the above along with the fact that you can order online so there's less incentive to queue.

It is an update to an existing model, nothing more.
Apple do not expect masses of existing 3G users to upgrade.
This upgrade is to make the iPhone more attactive to people who don't own one yet. New feaures and a big price reduction (remember the 16GB has fallen by $100).

[Parky]

The UK iPhone 3GS has a MUCH smaller plug now


That is brilliant!

[joshwest]

I picked up mine this morning in Nashville and the line was about 10 deep, when i pulled up i asked the line is this for pre-orders and some lady said yes and said back of the line. Two minutes later a lady came out and said did anyone in the line pre-order their phone I raised my hand and she waved me to the front of the line and said wait a min and i went in. Then a lady in the line proceeded to complain that she was here first the AT&T employee said "i'm sorry mamm he pre ordered last weekend they get to come pick theirs first." Then after the pre-order's received their phone's they let regular people in line buy them. They were not suppose to let them in till 9.

[coasterswim]

My AT&T store was not letting non-pre-order people until 9 am with no exceptions. Even though there were only a handful of pre-orders.

[gri]

enjoy, all you 3Gs'ers!! i'll be waiting for the 4th gen . . .

We will be enjoying the 5th generation than. Thats going to be hell of a device... Or - should we better wait for the 6th one, which is probably EVEN better...?:rolleyes:

[paulvee]

Just got mine. Connected to the iTunes store - I am upgrading from a prior one. No problems until activation, then the old "there was a problem with activation which may take 48 hours to resolve" message. Now it's just waiting.

This is giving me deja vu.

[paulvee]

another thing, it came with Danish activated, just like when I update the 3G to 3.0. that's sloppy.

[calvin2006]

As long as the iPhone is exclusively on AT&T I won't be buying one unless someone else (employer) is paying the service fee. AT&T has ripped me off enough in the past, and Sprint has been very good for the past 5 years. I would consider switching to T-Mobile or Verizon if the iPhone went to one of them as well, but AT&T is a deal-breaker for me.

[UMHurricanes34]

Just got mine. Connected to the iTunes store - I am upgrading from a prior one. No problems until activation, then the old "there was a problem with activation which may take 48 hours to resolve" message. Now it's just waiting.

This is giving me deja vu.

Throw your old SIM in there and see if it gives you signal. I put the SIM from my 1G iPhone into the 3GS after getting impatient waiting for it to activate and it gave me signal right away.

[Parky]

There will be an international difference - in the UK O2 have raised handset prices 87% over the 3G. In the US AT&T have not.

The O2 scene is pretty widely replicated elsewhere in the UK, and I believe O2 WON'T deliver it to an office address, so that isn't the reason either.



I was there at the 2G launch too - that picture would have been accurate at 9:02am then as well, NINE HOURS BEFORE OPENING. There was easily five thousand people in the queue for the 2G launch at Regent Street by the evening

If you're saying that there were 90 at peak today, then that's a pretty embarrassing failure for Apple and O2.

Phazer

Why is it embarasing?
This is a minor upgrade to the iPhone, it is not something people will queue up for, it is just a better product on the market which will ensure it continues to sell well. Only the Fan Boys queue, the rest of the world (same people) buy one at their leisure!

[mike105]

Can I use my old Sim card (i have a 3G sim) or do I have/must use a new one that comes with an iphone? What do you guys recommend?

[nbs2]

So, I walked up to an ATT store at 8:30, and since they had blown through the pre-orders I looked like an idiot for a minute while I stood outside. Then I walked in and bought a Black 32.

No wait, no muss, no fuss. The only issue was that they wouldn't order mobile me for $70 for me (claiming they would only do it for new lines). It worked out for the best, since I don't need to renew right now and I'll be buying a new machine later this summer anyway.

[typ356]

I arrived at my AT&T store at 6:55, Left by 7:25 with 2 new 3Gs' that I pre-ordered. Service was fast and very professional. Then I left the line was about 15 deep in downtown State College PA.

[JackTheTripper]

Got mine. Got to the local apple store at 5:00. 50 or so people in front of me. There was one line for everyone but at the front they separated us up into reserved and non-reserved. (Looks like they had more staff dedicated to he reserved cause that line moved a little faster.) Met Woz at about 5:15. Got a pic and a sig and chatted a bit. They opened the store about 5:50 instead of their scheduled 7:00. I was out the door with my phone at 6:30.

[mac*jedi*g]

Damn, you've already broke it apart?! I hope someone hire these guys the next time an Alien species crashes here on earth! :eek: Imagine if these beings asked for our help, we would have already jacked their vehicle. :D

PUNY HUMANS!!!

[NinjaHERO]

I wonder if there will be a little bump again in January. Is it possible to go up to 64gb that soon?

Either way I am fine with my 3G. I will be more excited next summer to see what is coming out.

[stockcerts]

The 3G-S is a hard sell for Apple this time round, mainly because the vast majority of the fanbase are still locked into 18-24 month contracts, and the expense of the 3G-S is an obstacle to new customers who don't see a vast difference physically between the 3G and 3G-S.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 3G-S but those mostly likely to appreciate the new features are those that are still under contract and unable to buy it without considerable expense buying themselves out of their contract.

I'm not surprised the launch queues are small this time round due to the above along with the fact that you can order online so there's less incentive to queue.

This describes my situation. I'll be eligible in December for the fully subsidized price, but that puts me just over six months away from the next generation. I'll probably end up skipping this one and be content with my 3G (I keep telling myself that).

[DELLsFan]

"Update: CNet blog documented the opening at the 5th Avenue NYC Store:"

Someone tell all the "journalists" to get out of the way so these goofballs can get their phones! :D

[gathart]

Even in plymouth UK where there are several O2 shops were one to two hour waiting times.

[gri]

I agree. However, I would like to at least see them get on T-Mobile here in the states. That would be better than nothing.

But I believe T-mobile is behind in their GSM coverage US-wide so not neccessarily a better coice. TDSN is not an option as it is not worldwide, so no Verizon for the time being.

[daddywags214]

Cleveland, Legacy Village: Arrived at 6:30am, behind 50 or so people. By the time they opened the doors, 100 or so were gathered, waiting. I got in by 7:40 or so, walked out at 7:55. It was a very smooth, professional experience. I've just gotten home and activated it. It's great!

[buccsmf1]

If you're saying that there were 90 at peak today, then that's a pretty embarrassing failure for Apple and O2.

Phazer

Engadget

"Update: According to O2, sales for the 3G S have already surpassed numbers for the iPhone 3G during last year's launch. Looks like pre-orders were in full effect here."

swing and a miss.....

[lewissk]

at 8:15 this morning the line still wraps around the outside of the building at the Gateway Mall Apple Store in Salt Lake City.

[mdntcallr]

Why is it embarasing?
This is a minor upgrade to the iPhone, it is not something people will queue up for, it is just a better product on the market which will ensure it continues to sell well. Only the Fan Boys queue, the rest of the world (same people) buy one at their leisure!

I agree, Apple is doing the bare minimum hardware wise in this upgrade, while doing smart chip upgrades inside. my bet is this iphone is cheaper to manufacture than the old 3g was when it first came out.

so they upgraded slightly the:
1- Chips
2- battery
3- camera, yes it can now do video, but... it is only 3 megapixels and although it can focus. many other camera phones are just better, and no led flash. sorry i think they could have stepped up to 5 megapixels and.... 720p hd video.
4- software, 3.0 is the real upgrade here, but alot of tech, tethering and mms you cant use in usa.

does anyone know if the speakerphone is louder than before? the prior speakers have been horribly low volume when compared to Blackberry's.

its time for apple to do more on the iphone!

[Tardyon]

Lolz! FedEx tracking says my phone is on the truck awaiting delivery. Ironic is because my office is right across the street from the FedEx station here in Boulder Co. Oh wait.. I see it! Hurry up and drive the 100 feet over here!!! :eek: :D

[normwood]

Deliberately drove by at&t this morning....I'm not upgrading at this time.....to see if there were lines like last year on launch day. This was at about 6:15. Not a single soul in line. There appeared to be a few hunkered down in their cars sipping lattes...but nobody standing in line.

[gri]

:rolleyes:I agree, Apple is doing the bare minimum hardware wise in this upgrade, while doing smart chip upgrades inside. my bet is this iphone is cheaper to manufacture than the old 3g was when it first came out.

so they upgraded slightly the:
1- Chips
2- battery
3- camera, yes it can now do video, but... it is only 3 megapixels and although it can focus. many other camera phones are just better, and no led flash. sorry i think they could have stepped up to 5 megapixels and.... 720p hd video.
4- software, 3.0 is the real upgrade here, but alot of tech, tethering and mms you cant use in usa.

does anyone know if the speakerphone is louder than before? the prior speakers have been horribly low volume when compared to Blackberry's.

its time for apple to do more on the iphone!

Its so funny - if you were offered a new Mac, twice as fast, 1/3 more battery capacity, 2-4 x the RAM, better graphics, new features including one hardware based in the same enclosure - would you complain as well...? Just a thought.

[EagerDragon]

I have 3 of the 3G iPhones in a family plan. Looks like it will be January at the earliest to be able to upgrade at the lowest price.

So I think I will sit this one out, maybe next June they will have the multicore CPU's and the front side camera for video iChat.

By the time I can upgrade, I have 5 months to go, so enjoy the new toy guys, I will play with the next version.

[OasisFanboy]

By the time I can upgrade, I have 5 months to go, so enjoy the new toy guys, I will play with the next version.

And by the time you're only halfway through that contract, us 3GSers will have the NEXT version to play with! :p

[mdntcallr]

:rolleyes:

Its so funny - if you were offered a new Mac, twice as fast, 1/3 more battery capacity, 2-4 x the RAM, better graphics, new features including one hardware based in the same enclosure - would you complain as well...? Just a thought.

umm is it really 2-3x as fast? probably not, yes the speed on the data from GSM is alot faster, but ATT network will not be able to take advantage of it for some time. yes the cpu is a little faster and there is more ram, but these are just incremental advancements, nothing earth shattering.

sorry, i just feel that Apple should have offered a little more. camera is not good enough, and alot of us would be happier with swapable batteries and a louder speaker.

[carpets]

I'm in no hurry for my new iPhone 3GS.:eek:

I bought the original iPhone here in the UK when they first launched.

My 18 month contract was up in May this year.

I've been waiting patiently for the new 3GS, so a few more days till my Birthday will hopefully see a 32gb Black model:D

My wife wants my original iPhone.;)

(sings) "Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me"

[Thex1138]

So does anyone think that the additional 233mhz can be implemented through the OS? Perhaps OS 3.5 or 4.0.. saving the extra grunt for next cycle...?

That would be nice :-)

[JackTheTripper]

umm is it really 2-3x as fast? probably not, yes the speed on the data from GSM is alot faster, but ATT network will not be able to take advantage of it for some time.

Yes, it really is. It's not that the data is coming down faster than on the 3G, it's that the page get's put together faster.

Did some side by side tests and 100% of pages are faster and 80% of pages are twice as fast. The other 20% are ALMOST 2X as fast but if you're going to be picky really they are about 1.8X.

[mdntcallr]

Yes, it really is. It's not that the data is coming down faster than on the 3G, it's that the page get's put together faster.

Did some side by side tests and 100% of pages are faster and 80% of pages are twice as fast. The other 20% are ALMOST 2X as fast but if you're going to be picky really they are about 1.8X.

fair enough, but... i still wish they did more to upgrade the other parts.

[ppdix]

I can't believe this S. The video camera doesn't work after I restored the phone from my existing backup! Thank u Apple for such a great piece of S!!!!!!:mad:

[sam10685]

Disassembly photos, unboxing photos: I really don't get it. Is this some kind of techno porn?

Yep. I don't get it either. I guess like real porn, these pictures help some people be happy.

[lilmacarony]

i dont know where that iPhone 3G box is from, but it is as big as the orig. iPhone box....my iPhone 3G Box is the same size as the iPhone 3GS box....

[kockgunner]

Can someone post a picture of the original, 3G, and 3GS boxes? Which one is the biggest and which is the smallest?

Edit: Nvm. I found some on another thread. Some pictures show the 3G and 3Gs box as the same size and some show the 3G box was bigger. hmm.

[vansouza]

Now I remember why I stopped posting in these forums years
ago- minority of rude individuals!

1. Waiting in a 'queue' in Scotland means cold hands quickly so 'cue' is easier rattle off on an iPhone
2. I'm dyslexic so occasionly I'm not perfect
3. Waiting in line 3:30am may be sad, but taking the time to post a completely unessersary and quite frankly rude reply is much sadder and pretty unconstructive.

Cheers... brilliant reply.

[Macsterling]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

I'm so glad I pre-ordered and chose the shipping option. My phone was here at 9:30 this morning, no lines, no fuss just smooth. My phone is up and running and I'm glad there were no issues.

[redskinsf]

:D I picked up my preorder from AT&T this morning at 7:15AM... was really quick and easy and they actually let me upgrade my existing iPhone 3G I bought on launch day last year. Apple and AT&T allowing preorders this year was a very smart idea, it truly worked gracefully (atleast for me).

I have to say.. I really love the voice control feature on the new 3G[s]... it's accurate and totally fun to use.. that alone for me made it worth it... although I think Apple could have simply issued that as part of OS 3.0 for the existing 3G owners.

Overall, the 3G[s] was worth it in my opinion. :D

[twoodcc]

nice. i think i might call the stores around here, just to see if anyone has one

[manu chao]

I can't believe this S. The video camera doesn't work after I restored the phone from my existing backup! Thank u Apple for such a great piece of S!!!!!!:mad:
And your existing backup would not happen to originate from a video-less iPhone 3G?

[om1]

Can someone post a picture of the original, 3G, and 3GS boxes? Which one is the biggest and which is the smallest?

Edit: Nvm. I found some on another thread. Some pictures show the 3G and 3Gs box as the same size and some show the 3G box was bigger. hmm.

Probably the old UK boxes were supersized to fit their humongous power plugs. The newer power plugs are smaller than the older ones.

[Master Chief]

I agree, Apple is doing the bare minimum hardware wise in this upgrade...
3- camera, yes it can now do video, but... it is only 3 megapixels and although it can focus. many other camera phones are just better, and no led flash. sorry i think they could have stepped up to 5 megapixels and.... 720p hd video.
The new iPhone OS 3.0 makes things more acceptable, and adding a flash LED would have drained the battery too fast (for Apple's taste) and thus we'll have to wait for next years update when the battery capacity is upped again, and the case changes to make room for it (with a better lens).

p.s. What if I tell you that 720p is just another software update away?

[Staszek]

I think all of the people who think the 3GS will be a flop because of 3G'ers not moving over are crazy.

Apple sold 4.4million 3g models last quarter. That was without MMS or Video, and the people who bought it last quarter are not people who upgraded from the V1, if you were going to do that you already did. Those were new customers. Do you think that all of the sudden there will be no new customers??

Secondly, and I will probably get flamed, but the 3Gs to me is a much bigger upgrade then the V1 was to the 3G (at the time).

When the 3g came out all it gave me was 3G and GPS. I already had 16gb so I couldnt get larger memory, they didnt give me MMS and Video either.
Except for the external case the phone was the same, same processor and video, and I get much better battery life.

So I decided the 3g wasnt worth the upgrade. Then the 3gs comes, now to me its a huge upgrade, 3g of course but 7.2 version, 32gb, better camera, Video camera, MMS (yes the 3g does get that to but it didnt have it all this time either just like my V1, and I am betting most people who never bought an iphone are waiting for MMS), faster processor, better graphics (actually 720p capable if Apple decides to turn it on) and battery life closer to my original V1.

My point is you cant say the 3gs isnt a huge upgrade, it may not be for some, but for others its ginormous.

As for the lines being shorter, well this is the first time both Apple and AT&T offered preordering, I am one of the people who took advantage of that, and I am sure many others did to considering AT&T ran out by 6/13 of preorders.

Anyway good luck everyone and I am sure we will see some real sales figures lately. I am pretty sure everyone will be surprised because many of us V1ers came out in force and there were a ton of people on the fence about the iphone because of the lack of two VERY basic features MMS and Video. May sound silly but its true.

[davidbrummy]

This describes my situation. I'll be eligible in December for the fully subsidized price, but that puts me just over six months away from the next generation. I'll probably end up skipping this one and be content with my 3G (I keep telling myself that).

ditto. I quite like the idea of the compass meaning the map can orient itself but that is about it. No interest in the camera as the one I have takes good enough photos for Facebook.

I do wonder how many of these phone sold are new AT&T customers and how many are those upgrading from the 1st gen iPhone.

[Hawkeye411]

This is the lineup at my local Rogers store (Fredericton New Brunswick) this morning 5 minutes before the store opened (8:55) LOL.

My wife and I were the only ones there. Didn't take long for her to pick up her first iPhone (32GB Black). She loves it!!

Cheers.

[sg.hill]

There's very little they can do to the design of the iPhone except to change the material of the case. The tapered edges are perfect as is. The problems are:

-they are tied to one carrier
-most of the 3.0 features could be had by last year's hardware
-many iPhone users have existing contracts
-video is the only feature you could sell to customers

The biggest problem is the first one. RIM will beat Apple again this quarter because they make phones for all carriers. As much as there are Apple loyalists, there are people who are loyal to their carriers because they're happy.

Emphasis added by me.

From a full-contract perspective, this [hardware] isn't really a problem at all. Hardly anyone (in the US at least) will be able to continue justifying an upgrade every year and breaking their contract. Many people, myself included, loved the revolution of the first iPhone because it was so flexible. The layout of the buttons could change, the number of buttons could change, the thing could be a completely different phone in two years than the one you bought.

Apple needs to balance new hardware-enabled features with support for old hardware. I think they're well on their way to having an enormous number of adopters subscribe to their service and buy their product every two years, regardless of the incremental hardware updates.

Basically what I'm saying is Apple's goal is likely to make the phone's hardware extremely attractive to the person whose phone is 2 generations old, and allow the person with a 1-generation-old phone to enjoy the benefits of a software-driven phone. As long as contracts are two years long, they don't really have to pitch the product to the group that signed their contracts in the last year.

[RumorHasIt....]

Basically what I'm saying is Apple's goal is likely to make the phone's hardware extremely attractive to the person whose phone is 2 generations old, and allow the person with a 1-generation-old phone to enjoy the benefits of a software-driven phone. As long as contracts are two years long, they don't really have to pitch the product to the group that signed their contracts in the last year.

Apple doesn't care about the contract. They care about the number of phones sold.

To those that feel that this isn't as big a deal as the last time, after the numbers are out, I bet it sells more than the 3g's first week.

Of course the lines are less, many pre-ordered.

Once I have the money (beginning of Aug-I get three checks in July), I will get the 32gb version. That's 4x's my current and 2x's the 3G!

One thing to keep in mind with the new 3G S, is that there will be software updates that are specifically targeted for it. I can hear the 3G users complaining already!

[bombardier.v2]

I can't believe this S. The video camera doesn't work after I restored the phone from my existing backup! Thank u Apple for such a great piece of S!!!!!!
And your existing backup would not happen to originate from a video-less iPhone 3G?
My restored backup (from my 3G) to my 3GS went perfectly, and my video camera works fine.

[lfine39]

In Westchester Apple Store here just north of NYC, possibly 150-200 people my experience:

I pre-ordered my iPhone, got to store an hour or so early I was 5th in line
7:00am in store
7:02am phone in hand
7:05am activated
7:07am mobileme loaded and contacts, calendar,mail on phone
7:10am first call
7:10 1/2am first dropped At&t call
7:15am in car on my home
I had a good time on line chatting and goofing off with others there Apple staff like always a true pleasure to work with.... all in all a great experience:)

[flottenheimer]

Wondering when it will be available in Denmark. Come on Telia or Telenor - you can't keep on selling just the old 3G pretending nothing has happened.

I need a 3GS now.

[AHughes]

Wow, still crazy in here but I have my iphone 3Gs in hand and I am loading my content back on the device. :) Here's a few pics I took at the Apple Store here:

The second picture is just fantastic...it looks like my office most days


A macbook
a Public Place
and iPhone 3G (hopefully coming to Australia and my hands soon)
and COFFEE

I love your work sir ;)

[bytethese]

umm is it really 2-3x as fast? probably not, yes the speed on the data from GSM is alot faster, but ATT network will not be able to take advantage of it for some time. yes the cpu is a little faster and there is more ram, but these are just incremental advancements, nothing earth shattering.

sorry, i just feel that Apple should have offered a little more. camera is not good enough, and alot of us would be happier with swapable batteries and a louder speaker.

Actually, pretty close!

The CPU is almost 50% faster than the 3G, twice as much RAM, double the storage capacity and the autofocusing 3.2MP cam is amazing. Not to mention the new magnetometer. These are not incrimental advancements and while not "earth shattering" per se, are pretty significant advancements. The speaker is also louder than the 3G. :)

The second picture is just fantastic...it looks like my office most days


A macbook
a Public Place
and iPhone 3G (hopefully coming to Australia and my hands soon)
and COFFEE

I love your work sir ;)
Thank you!

[Lamboda]

But I believe T-mobile is behind in their GSM coverage US-wide so not neccessarily a better coice. TDSN is not an option as it is not worldwide, so no Verizon for the time being.

Well its better for me... being that AT&T had almost no service where I live, and T-mobile does...

[janstett]

I went to the Apple Store in Bridgewater NJ around 1:00 on launch day.

Around 20 people were on line. The store was wall to wall iPhone activation. I waited on the iPhone line for around 15 minutes, then on another line inside the store for another 10 or so waiting for an employee to process the sale and do phone activation. My new phone is a 2nd line, and of course there was a problem on the AT&T end. All in all it took about an hour and a half.