iPhone (Germany) to be Announced Next Week?

[phatspider]

Ive been using my (unlocked) US iphone on Vodafone UK and according to iphonenetworktest.com i'm getting data speeds of up to 375kbps. Now Vodafone doesnt even have edge so thats just GPRS speeds - which I think is none too shabby. certainly usable.

I also have a 3G router - basicaly a wireless router that takes a 3G data card. Its running HSDPA so capable of up to 1.4mbps so ive been testing out connecting via wifi to that on the iphone to see what the diff would be. Now, as expected its certainly quicker, but only up to about 700kbps max.

So I dont mind too much that 3G is missing for now. In the next revision i'd love to see 7.2mbps HSDPA but I can wait

 

[michelepri]

Unfortunately T-Mobile in Germany is not a company Germans particularly like. In reality all major German mobile phone companies are expensive and primitive if you compare with other European companies, but T-mobile is probably even worse. I thought until now that T-Mobile customers were mostly corporate because no individual would willingly pick them.

As for phones being unlocked, I don´t think so. I don´t know the law here concerning cell phones and competition, but I am quite sure it is nothing like Italy, France, or Belgium, where consumer protection is a more central issue in laws and politics.

So I don´t see why cell phone consumers would ever come to get more protection and competition laws than the USA, which is to say basically nothing.

 

[VaDor]

3G is overrated here in the states. AT&T's 3G coverage is not anything to write home about.

Here in New York state, there are only 2 places that have 3G coverage, NYC and the Hamptons. The rest of the state is on EDGE. Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany are all EDGE.

So if the 3G coverage is not there in most states, why should Apple put it into the iPhone?

I'm pretty happy with my 190kbps on EDGE as is because if I need faster speeds I just find myself a WiFi locale in a pinch.

Yeah but that is in the US.. here in Europe I have 100% 3G coverage and I don't want to go to a old technology that never was implemented here.

In Europe we step over EDGE , GPRS -> 3G. iPhone is great but for 399€ ( 399€ --> 552.655$ ), I would expect at least 3G!

 

[CD3660]

...just look at the 3G version of the Razr V3 - it looks ridiculous compared to the original thin version.

You obviously haven't seen the V3xx which has been out since late last year, is 3G, and very thin!

Jobs is no fool - but he's taken the tough decision that with current technology available they've opted against a bulky power hungry iPhone and gone with EDGE until they can come up with something better.

He is no fool for sure but I think that he was being economical with the facts when he dismissed the feasibility of 3G in the iPhone earlier this year.

The V3xx for example, is 3G, has excellent battery life and is very thin. If Motorola could achieve this at the end of last year, why couldn't Apple achieve it a few months later?

 

[emotion]

Yeah but that is in the US.. here in Europe I have 100% 3G coverage and I don't want to go to a old technology that never was implemented here.

I'm pretty sure nowhere in Europe has 100% coverage. The UK and Germany certainly don't have.

In the UK O2 now has EDGE. EDGE will have better coverage until 3G is built up to speeds of HSDPA (not 3.6 but 7.2/14.4 MBit/s) which will happen over the next year maybe. Just a theory though.

The justification for extra EU price might be 16GB capacity.

 

[Project]

You obviously haven't seen the V3xx which has been out since late last year, is 3G, and very thin!



He is no fool for sure but I think that he was being economical with the facts when he dismissed the feasibility of 3G in the iPhone earlier this year.

The V3xx for example, is 3G, has excellent battery life and is very thin. If Motorola could achieve this at the end of last year, why couldn't Apple achieve it a few months later?

The V3xx doesnt have a bright, battery sucking 3.5" screen or Wifi.

 

[Compile 'em all]

The V3xx for example, is 3G, has excellent battery life and is very thin. If Motorola could achieve this at the end of last year, why couldn't Apple achieve it a few months later?

I am sorry, did I miss something in your post?. You can't compare power consumption just like that. The iPhone has a HUGE screen compared to the V3xx for one thing. And it does a lot more than what the v3xx can. Just because the v3xx is 3G and has good battery life doesn't mean that a 3G iPhone will have a good battery life.


EDIT: Didn't see Project's post.

 

[megfilmworks]

The difference between 3g and EDGE is very small. I hated 3g on my Razr (battery hog, not that much faster in the real world and lacking in coverage) They are both safety nets when wifi is not available, like the analog sound track on a film with Dolby Digital. Forget 3G, develop wifi coverage!

 

[b0ned0me]

In the UK O2 now has EDGE. EDGE will have better coverage until 3G is built up to speeds of HSDPA (not 3.6 but 7.2/14.4 MBit/s) which will happen over the next year maybe. Just a theory though.

Yeah, EDGE which they seem to have recently added with a simple software upgrade to their base stations, specifically for the iPhone. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/14/o2_edge/
So just because 3G is widespread in a market (and in the UK it is), don't assume it will mean any changes to the iPhone.

And for everyone wittering about data costs - T-Mobile UK charges £7.50 on top of your voice contract for unlimited data access, which would make it an obvious choice for an unlocked iPhone......

 

[lamadude]

As said before, a lot of European countries don't have a lot of EDGE coverage. So there it boils down to either 3G or GPRS, and I just can't see an iPhone being much fun on GPRS.

 

[emotion]

Yeah, EDGE which they seem to have recently added with a simple software upgrade to their base stations, specifically for the iPhone. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/14/o2_edge/
So just because 3G is widespread in a market (and in the UK it is), don't assume it will mean any changes to the iPhone.

Widespread? Aside from the network's hype here's O2's actual coverage:

The dark blue bits are coverage for 3G. Outside cities (where there's much faster wifi too) there's very little in the way of coverage.

At this moment in time is 3G the best option? Maybe next year.

And for everyone wittering about data costs - T-Mobile UK charges £7.50 on top of your voice contract for unlimited data access, which would make it an obvious choice for an unlocked iPhone......

Yes, and T-Mobile's coverage is even worse. Nice price plan though it is. I expect O2 to come up with something similar for £10/12.

As said before, a lot of European countries don't have a lot of EDGE coverage. So there it boils down to either 3G or GPRS, and I just can't see an iPhone being much fun on GPRS.

Where doesn't have EDGE? They'll have to wait until the 3G/16GB update in November/Feb (depend on what you read).

 

[emotion]

..snip...

 

[CD3660]

I am sorry, did I miss something in your post?.

Yes you did I'm afraid.

I was not seeking to compare the power consumption of a V3xx and an iPhone, nor indeed the functions of each device. That would be absurd.

I was simply (rather too simply it seems) making the point that technology has moved on very rapidly from the days, only 2 years ago, of the V3x (the original 3G Razr), a hefty device that would drain the battery in no time.

Personally I do not believe that an adequately performing 3G iPhone was not in the advanced stages of development at the time that Steve Jobs was suggesting that it was not a feasible proposition.

What's the betting that the 3G iPhone with good battery life appears by February '08 at the latest? I'd put money on it.

 

[gugy]

What's the betting that the 3G iPhone with good battery life appears by February '08 at the latest? I'd put money on it.

I would say even prior to that. For me the latest to see a 3G version would be at MWSF. But more importantly for me is 16gb version.

 

[skoops]

The german website/magazine heise.de claims that T-Mobile will be the exclusive iPhone-provider NOT ONLY in Germany, but also in Austria, The Netherlands, Hungary and Croatia.... Let's just hope they all launch simultaneously....

 

[CD3660]

I would say (3G) even prior to that (Feb. '07).

This is the kind of speculation that I just want to believe. You never know but it may be less than 48 hours away for the U.K. (but I doubt it).

 

[yoffie]

Another Hard Evidence that Think Secret is wrong

I found another hard evidence that iPhone UK will come before November.

From 12/09 ~ 30/10 Apple UK has been offering Back-to School promotion i.e buy a Mac get a iPod Nano free. I just go through the terms and conditions of it and guess what, I found this:

3. For the purposes of the Promotion, to be entitled to the money-back rebate, the Qualifying Education Customer must
purchase the Qualifying Products simultaneously, with one purchase being a qualifying Mac Product and the other
purchase being a qualifying iPod Product, defined as follows:
Mac Product – any one of the following:
All Macintosh computers and the Configure-to-Order versions of these products are eligible, except for Mac mini, Apple TV and iPhone.
iPod Product – any one of the following:
All iPods and iPod nanos, excluding iPod shuffle.

If there is no iPhone until November in UK, then why hell they put it in the terms and conditions?

 

[emotion]

If there is no iPhone until November in UK, then why hell they put it in the terms and conditions?

Interesting find. Could just be a mistake of course.

I have a feeling it's for immediate launch and it's the US spec iPhone.

 

[joe8232]

That is a really interesting find regarding the t&c's of the back to school promo but I don't think it means anything. My reasoning for this is that if you look at the web address for the t&c's [ http://input.media.euro.apple.com/apple/promotions/terms/backtoschool/uk/tsandcs.html ], towards the end is UK, which is great, if you change it to fr, de then it switches to the french and german equivilents which is also good, but you can also put 'it' for Italy where the iPhone is not expected to launch and it is still mentioned

EDIT: Also is mentioned for finland [fi]

 

[matznentosh]

In the UK, I would say that nobody pays over £50 UK for a new contract phone these days. People expect them to be FREE if they are signing a contract which is £35 or more each month.

My Nokia E65 on launch day was free with my contract. Im sure there are people with bucket loads of spare cash who can justify the iphone, but it seems massively over priced for what is still essentially... a mobile phone.

I'll say it again. People don't buy the iPhone because it is a better Blackberry, or better Nokia. People buy the iPhone because it does something no other phone does.

If that something is unique enough, fun enough, and useful enough, people will buy a lot of em. If not, then the iPhone will not be successful. Almost everyone is arguing whether EDGE is too slow, or if 3G is way faster, or just a little faster, or available, or not... try web browsing on the iPhone. I use a Treo 700p on Verizon, it has the fast CDMA system. It also has a really really crappy web browser. Most of the time it defaults to a horrible little cell phone version of the web site that doesn't show anything. Believe me, I would rather look at the iPhone web browser, even if it is slower in loading.

Again, my point is you should be assessing the iPhone for what it is, on its own terms. No other phone is like it enough for there to be a fair comparison.

Now, here is another point, or rather question. I'm in the US, so those of you in Europe and Great Britain, how compelling is iTunes? In the US, there is another quality of the iPod and the iPhone that makes them unique and desirable. Two qualities, actually:
1. they sync immediately and without effort with your computer. I guarantee you other mp3 players don't do that. I have to manually move songs over to my Treo, and it's always a crap shoot if the contacts and calendar information syncs correctly with the Treo.
2. iTunes works extremely well with the iPod and Iphone, again effortlessly. My Treo doesn't sort songs into albums for example, I have to do it manually.

So the question is, how important is iTunes in Europe and Great Britain? Would this add value to the iPhone? If not, then the iPhone, I think, would not be as compelling as it is in the US -again, regardless of how fast the darn thing is. If iTunes is important/useful/fun/used all the time, then the iPhone will have another reason to be considered a unique device, and a considerably valuable one as well. Worth the price? Consumers will decide that question.

 

[atomwork]

3G is overrated here in the states. AT&T's 3G coverage is not anything to write home about.

Here in New York state, there are only 2 places that have 3G coverage, NYC and the Hamptons. The rest of the state is on EDGE. Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany are all EDGE.

So if the 3G coverage is not there in most states, why should Apple put it into the iPhone?

I'm pretty happy with my 190kbps on EDGE as is because if I need faster speeds I just find myself a WiFi locale in a pinch.

you know how people are, they always find something to complain about. rather then looking how awesome and revolutionary this product is they do look at price, GB and 3G.

 

[Confidemus]

iPhone in Germany - typical situation

Hi all,

as a German, a typical situation is the following setup:
1. At home I have WiFi, so I do not need 3G.
2. While driving I'm not allowed to play with my iPhone. (When I go by train - ICE3 I suppose, there is WiFi again.)
3. On the client site there is WiFi again - with each client I have seen the last years. They all have open WiFi networks, normally you need/get a guest login.
4. With Starbucks, airports etc. there is WiFi again.

A. Yes I have a 3G / UMTS phone today (SonyEricsson K610i), but the only use of 3G is that I use the phone as a bluetooth modem for my MacBook, which works fine. And that's because of using Safari and Email, which I can do with the iPhone without the laptop.

B. The major hindrance will be the corporate usage of the iPhone. Especially in the large organizations the adoption of MS security features or Blackberry security features has mutated to organizational rules. So, when you try to get an iPhone with a large company you will find that the security policies fit perfectly to the above mentioned available technologies. That's it.
- On the other hand there is the policy, that you are not allowed to share viable company information via email. So why the are making that effort about security? Because of that formidable marketing of MS in the corporate headquarters. As a former IBM employee I know about the ancient times of IBM being in this position. Such a position can't stand forever, but you can't change that with a quarterly measured company strategy.

So what: For me as self-employed consultant the iPhone is just fine and I will switch my contract and phone number when it comes. I will be able to attend business meetings without carrying my Laptop. Wunderbar! And, did I say that: It contains an iPod, too, so minus one device for me.

Confidemus

 

[joe8232]

I agree there is wifi almost everywhere I go. Home has wireless, university has wireless. Out and about I have a subscription to BT openzone so that isn't an issue if there is a signal other than that I will have to put up with Edge but that is only for a minimum amount of time.

 

[emotion]

I agree there is wifi almost everywhere I go. Home has wireless, university has wireless. Out and about I have a subscription to BT openzone so that isn't an issue if there is a signal other than that I will have to put up with Edge but that is only for a minimum amount of time.

If you're moving about, current wifi technology doesn't work. ie. try using wifi on a bus/tram or most trains. Or in a moving car.

A lot of campus networks are VPN protected (as are some corporate nets). This can sometimes mean a Cisco client. The iPhone doesn't have this. In fact it has no VPN support at all.

 

[b0ned0me]

Widespread? Aside from the network's hype here's O2's actual coverage:

The dark blue bits are coverage for 3G. Outside cities (where there's much faster wifi too) there's very little in the way of coverage.

Meh. Who cares? Those cities are where most of the prospective customers live and work anyhow. It's not like lack of coverage in East Sprottingforth village was much of a hindrance to takeup of mobile phones back when the providers were still rolling out GSM.

Yes, and T-Mobile's coverage is even worse. Nice price plan though it is. I expect O2 to come up with something similar for £10/12.

Never had a problem other than when visiting Mum in the depths of North Wales. And there lack of 3G is the least of your worries