Apple Announces iPhone 3G

[brisweeney]

i have one question.

on the current price plans, does the included 1gb download package get used when your surfing or checking email via a free wifi network, like at home or in a bar/cafe with free wifi access, or is it only used when you have to connect cellularly?

 

[duncyboy]

To those who replied to my post, like I say- I apologise if I'm being naive

Even being a naive soul, surely it's a little conniving of Uncle Steve to say a "Maximum Price Of $200 Worldwide"?

We'll just wait and see what happens. If Apple do change their selling strategy- only available through the carriers or if you sign up in-store then I'm goosed- but if they sell them in Apple stores and I can unlock them then I'll wait for that.

 

[seedster2]

While the price was great the rest of the added features were disappointing.

a-GPS and 3G are great but that isnt compelling enough for many to switch carriers especially when the data cost has increased. The price drop isn't special as the remaining unchanged hardware must cost a lot less and the thing is composed of a lot of plastic.

Where are all the people who said that the profit sharing would lead to better service for the end user?

This just seems like a platform for them to make tons of the app store. The incremental software improvements are long over due and common on other smartphones. I'll stick V1 and get the new 9000

 

[Masquerade]

OK now i understand why Steve Jobs says that other phones with 3G technology have an autonomy of 3-3.5 talk hours. People using these phones use the face camera for videocalls, otherwise they switch off the 3g.

 

[Anuba]

yeah, just spotted that too - BT Openzone from 11 July. That's great - there are loads of the BT hotspots all over the place. I'm no expert, but it looks like we're actually getting a better deal than in the USA. Who would have thought it?

It was to be expected... in Europe we've had 3G for several years, in the US they're rolling it out as we speak. Americans have to pay for the carriers' investments today, you paid your debt a long time ago. Also, you're 60 million people packed into a group of islands half the size of California. In the US there are fewer people per square mile to carry the infrastructure burden.

Uh?! No Face Camera? Europe? Lol

Yeah, it's a bit daft... the iPhone is a crazy mixture of 5 years ahead of its time and 5 years behind. On one hand, fantastic interface and design, great battery life... on the other hand, no face cam, laughable 2 megapixel cam with no flash, 3G trumpeted as a cutting edge feature, no MMS... is it 2012 or 2003? Help!

 

[Anuba]

dp

 

[speedious]

I need to know about Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP) ...has that been added yet on 3G iPhone?

 

[wildmac]

Yeah, it's a bit daft... the iPhone is a crazy mixture of 5 years ahead of its time and 5 years behind. On one hand, fantastic interface and design, great battery life... on the other hand, no face cam, laughable 2 megapixel cam with no flash, 3G trumpeted as a cutting edge feature, no MMS... is it 2012 or 2003? Help!

For the US, it is cutting edge.

3G certainly puts it on top, and it may kill the Sprint offering before it sees the light of day.

I don't see the big deal about the camera. I don't need a front facing camera, I want one where it is so I can see what I'm shooting on the screen. A better sensor would be nice, but not if it's a big power drain.

For me, 3G is the thing that might make me switch. Cheep data plans on Sprint are the only thing keeping me there.

 

[severe]

I don't care about mlb.com or for sports fans, AP News for new enthusiasts, etc. Here's what I'm paying now:
$39.99 Monthly cost = 450 Anytime Minutes/5000 Night & Weekend Minutes
$20.00 Monthly cost = iPhone Data + 200

Perfect for my needs, cheapest plan avail. for the iPhone. It would be a bit of an upset for me to see that go up another 10 bucks to $70.00 a month.

Same here. Though I added the additional texts for $10, which provides a nice buffer some months. I average just less than $80 per month after tax. Another $10 would suck.

Though the new iPhone seems nice, as of now I'm in no hurry to upgrade, which comes as a bit of a relief.

 

[jonharris200]

Here's a question to ponder:

Did any of the actors visible in the new iPhone ad actually see the product before today?

 

[Anuba]

I don't see the big deal about the camera. I don't need a front facing camera, I want one where it is so I can see what I'm shooting on the screen. A better sensor would be nice, but not if it's a big power drain.

Personally I don't need one either, but I can see where the complaints are coming from. It's not merely the fact that most upper range 3G phones have a front facing camera, but also (and probably mostly) the fact that Apple makes a big deal about iChat, and unlike most manufacturers they stick a camera on all their laptops as well as the iMac. It's that inconsistency that bugs people, that a camera- and videoconferencing-obsessed company feels that it's overkill to put a camera where everybody else puts one. And to top it off, the camera on the back looks like and is located exactly where you'd expect a front facing camera... but on the back, as if to say -- yep, we know exactly how to integrate a front-facing cam, we just felt like putting it on the other side to annoy you.

 

[wildmac]

Personally I don't need one either, but I can see where the complaints are coming from. It's not merely the fact that most upper range 3G phones have a front facing camera, but also (and probably mostly) the fact that Apple makes a big deal about iChat, and unlike most manufacturers they stick a camera on every iMac, MacBook and MacBook Pro. It's that inconsistency that bugs people, that a camera- and videoconferencing-obsessed company feels that it's overkill to put a camera where everybody else puts one.

It might have something to do with the enterprise market too. A back camera can be covered up. One on the front would preclude you from taking in into many businesses.

 

[mac*jedi*g]

Bellyache...

Is it me, or does anyone else has that taste of incompleteness in their mouth?

Something don't taste right here. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy that the important features are now confirmed (3G, GPS, new APPs, etc...) but I don't like the fact that we (USA) have to wait with 21 other countries to get our hands on the new toy on July 11. (Something is rotten in Denmark...and I don't think its their coverage area.) Apple is located here, in US; but shouldn't we get the first dibbs? And, by delaying the roll out until July, doesn't it make 2 months of no sales of the iPhone? It also waste the use of the block of dates for AT&T employees that cannot take off btwn June 15(?) thru July 15 for the prep/sales.

 

[organik]

What's with the complaints?

The prices are fantastic!

No front camera = probably wouldn't use it that much anyway. Think about it. Do you always want to see who you're talking to or be seen, at the expense of your battery life?

No 32gb = I still have a 4gb iPhone. I stream my 1TB+ media library from home. With 3G I won't even need wifi to do it. So, with a little ingenuity, capacity is not an issue.

No MMS = use e-mail, MMS is a dying technology

No video = what do you mean no video? I ALREADY record video, with sound, on my iPhone. That's what the App Store is for!

No copy/paste = ok, you're right, it probably should have this.

I do wonder what I can get for my first gen. 4gb. Probably not much. Oh well.

 

[Anuba]

It might have something to do with the enterprise market too. A back camera can be covered up. One on the front would preclude you from taking in into many businesses.

Speaking of the enterprise market and security, I just read an interview with some Gartner analyst who said that iPhone 3G is doomed to fail in the financial world, the military, health care and such markets because it lacks encryption. Not sure what to make of that really... do other business phones have speech encryption?

 

[branjosef]

thickness

Now that we know that the iPhone 3g is thicker it now makes sense why apple streamlined the edges of the new iPhone as to create the illusion of a thinner phone. I remember reading all the rumors of a more curved back and sides and wondering why...well, now we know because when you look at it, you see a thinner phone and apple is sure playing this up with the side shot of the iPhone 3G and caption that says "half the price"... when in reality the phone is a hair thicker overall.

 

[Anuba]

Apple is located here, in US; but shouldn't we get the first dibbs?

You already got first dibs a year ago!

Sure, the HQ is located in the US but it's a multinational company. Their stuff is designed by a Briton, manufactured in China, assembled in Ireland (the computers anyway)...

And besides, you have to wait for those countries all the time. You could have watched any Hollywood movie 3 months in advance, but they hold off the premiere until every little bitty country is done with subtitling and/or dubbing.

 

[wildmac]

Speaking of the enterprise market and security, I just read an interview with some Gartner analyst who said that iPhone 3G is doomed to fail in the financial world, the military, health care and such markets because it lacks encryption. Not sure what to make of that really... do other business phones have speech encryption?

Not really. It's more of an issue with data security. What they need is the capability to login with a SecureID card and then access services. So it's up to Cisco or one of the other vendors that makes access software to run on the iPhone.

A business need that requires voice encryption will likely not allow a phone with a camera anyway. Where I work, there are buckets for your phones/pagers/cameras/pdas outside of many conference rooms.

 

[Jon5700]

Hell I think its better for me (Tmobile) is just use a 16gb 2g model and be happy with wifi, i use the ipod more or so anyways.

Does anyone think the 3g is really that worth it, especially in my case?

 

[compuguy1088]

It might have something to do with the enterprise market too. A back camera can be covered up. One on the front would preclude you from taking in into many businesses.

Actually even with a back camera, it may preclude you still from taking into businesses, especially the government. Hence why there are blackberries that have no cameras....

 

[jnyepu]

I am a longstanding T-Mobile customer and am now only considering the iPhone and AT&T for the 3G capability.

I do admit that the lack of MMS and cut & paste is perplexing. Isn't there a 3rd party MMS client I read about somewhere?

Anyway, what I'm hoping to find out is if the 3G iPhone/plans will immediately be available through the Premier website, or if it will take a few months before it filters to Premier pricing? My wife is a Fed Govt (USDOJ) employee, and the discount is pretty decent through them.

Thanks.

 

[ziggyonice]

In regards to the video conference camera...

Personally I don't need one either, but I can see where the complaints are coming from. It's not merely the fact that most upper range 3G phones have a front facing camera, but also (and probably mostly) the fact that Apple makes a big deal about iChat, and unlike most manufacturers they stick a camera on all their laptops as well as the iMac. It's that inconsistency that bugs people, that a camera- and videoconferencing-obsessed company feels that it's overkill to put a camera where everybody else puts one.

This explains it completely.

 

[Nykwil]

here's a question...how long till a dock like the one in the iPhone3G commercial is made?

The phone could've been cgi'd in so i doubt the actors got to see the phone.

 

[HLdan]

Poor effort Apple, really poor. I was hoping to upgrade my OLD nokia N80 but can't believe they still haven't caught up with a half decent camera, small front facing camera for video calling and MMS !!!!! oh and no video recording, bloody hell, what planet are you on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like ill be getting the Nokia N96 instead, even has a TV tuner

What planet are you on? Apple is still gonna sell a ridiculous ton of these phones, they won't lose sleep from not getting business from you. Not everyone needs a hybrid camera on a PHONE.

 

[Roller]

I presume that voice dialing isn't in there, otherwise it would have been demoed or at least noted somewhere. But is there any way of programming a voice dialer with the SDK?