Will Apple Give iPhone 3G For Europe?

[speakerwizard]

a good question (posed on iphonerumors.com) http://www.iphonematters.com/article...3g_for_europe/
the 3G has far more coverage in the uk than u.s. and would almost be expected to have 3G at that pricepoint, plus the U.K. Mobile phone market is far more competative here (or so i read), whats your thoughts?

[Stella]

You'd think adding 3G for Europe would be a given, but you never know with Apple. 3G may only be added to the iPhone when the u.s is ready, despite large parts of the world ( i.e., Europe and Asia ) are already enjoying large 3G coverage.

Originally Posted by speakerwizard

a good question (posed on iphonerumors.com) http://www.iphonematters.com/article...3g_for_europe/
the 3G has far more coverage in the uk than u.s. and would almost be expected to have 3G at that pricepoint, plus the U.K. Mobile phone market is far more competative here (or so i read), whats your thoughts?

[bilbo--baggins]

Originally Posted by Stella

You'd think adding 3G for Europe would be a given, but you never know with Apple. 3G may only be added to the iPhone when the u.s is ready, despite large parts of the world ( i.e., Europe and Asia ) are already enjoying large 3G coverage.

It's an interesting question. After reading lots and lots of comments from American owners of the Sony Ericsson M600i complaining that it didn't have EDGE it sounds as though EDGE is more important than 3G to them. On the other hand in Europe EDGE is irrelevant to most people, and 3G is the standard now.

It really would be nice to think that the delay in bringing the iPhone to Europe was because of finishing a 3G version, rather than due to "iTunes content" style bureaucratic delays.

It seems that anything that requires localised negotiation takes Apple far too long.

[ehurtley]

Originally Posted by speakerwizard

a good question (posed on iphonerumors.com) http://www.iphonematters.com/article...3g_for_europe/
the 3G has far more coverage in the uk than u.s. and would almost be expected to have 3G at that pricepoint, plus the U.K. Mobile phone market is far more competative here (or so i read), whats your thoughts?

Well, we have networks here in the US that have faster-than-EDGE already, in place by Cingular neé at&t already, in addition to other providers, such as Verizon. at&t already even has 3.6 Mb/s capable computer cards, and apparently has 3.6 Mb/s capable phones due out any day now. (1.8 Mb/s phones are already available.) By contrast, EDGE is about 473 Kbps, max, although most providers don't use that mode. (I use EDGE right now, and it's fine for what I use it for.)

[AppleIntelRock]

Cingular's got a big 3G network already. If they could easily give 3G, I think they would have.

[dextertangocci]

Originally Posted by Stella

You'd think adding 3G for Europe would be a given, but you never know with Apple. 3G may only be added to the iPhone when the u.s is ready, despite large parts of the world ( i.e., Europe and Asia ) are already enjoying large 3G coverage.

And South Africa...

[Chundles]

Originally Posted by dextertangocci

And South Africa...

And Australia, our 850MHz HSDPA 3G network which will go to 14.4mbps by the end of this year currently covers over 98% of the population - and that's in a nation the same size as the contiguous US without the economy of scale the US could provide.

I would expect the iPhone to be 3G if not when it comes to Europe then at least when it comes to Asia.

[tom.96]

3G for on a phone costing that much is a must for me. I'm envious of my friends on 3G with all their whizzy stuff! I use my mobile for WAP and just the thought of having real internet on the iphone is amazing.

[TEG]

The reasoning behind using EDGE in the USA/CND, is that HDSPA/3G is only in major metro areas, and Apple wants the iPhone to be open to the most people. I think the delay for the iPhone in Europe and Asia is so they can cram 3G into the iPhone, then in 2008, a 3G iPhone will be available in NA.

TEG

[ehurtley]

Originally Posted by Chundles

And Australia, our 850MHz HSDPA 3G network which will go to 14.4mbps by the end of this year currently covers over 98% of the population - and that's in a nation the same size as the contiguous US without the economy of scale the US could provide.

I would expect the iPhone to be 3G if not when it comes to Europe then at least when it comes to Asia.

Except Oz can cover 98% of the population with much fewer resources than the United States.

I mean, really, what's between Perth and Darwin, other than kangaroos?

The U.S. may be just as large physically, but we actually have at least moderate size cities every couple hundred miles, not every thousand or so miles. (Although the East Coast of Oz would be roughly equivalent to the East Coast of the US.)

[MacWalk]

I think they'll do what they did with the MacBook Pro when it came out which is they bumped the 1.67 to 1.83 at the same price.

By the time this out in the UK and the rest of europe, they might even slip in a front camera or even just a 3G chip