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The Evidence for a 3G iPhone... June 2008

iWizzard said:
Some of you guys are funny apple plans to release an 6 years old technology and you are speculating on an price increase of $100-$200 :rolleyes:
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I agree. That's crazy talk.

That being said, I'm sure there are people at apple thinking
"hmm...maybe we could launch a 3G iPhone for $499", keep it that price for a month, and then lower it once all the crazy super-apple-fanboys eat em up like candy.

After which, they can lower the price down to $299/$399 so they sell to normal people =)

Not saying I don't love apple products...but...some people will pay just about anything for a apple sticker on the back...crazy....
 
Shasterball said:
I am not sure where you are getting your population distribution information. Most Americans do not live in cities that have 3G networks.
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It's just a guess from personal experience with a 3G phone...but...every major/decent sized city I have been in has had 3G

Actually, not necessarily. UMTS (3G) and GSM are handled by different chips, and the GSM chip doesn't have to do EDGE. Most 3G Sony Ericsson phones do not support EDGE, just GPRS. So if you're not in a 3G area, you'll only get GPRS speeds even if EDGE is available.
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Oh really? Well that's pretty lame of Sony-Ericsson then! I have a Samsung, and I know it at least does 3G & Edge. But once again, we're talking what, maybe a $5 chip for EDGE these days? With the lowered cost of components, apple can throw in 3G & EDGE combo chip without having to raise prices.
 
I'm guessing along with the software update:

8 GB 2.5 iPhone - $299 (while supplies last)
16 GB 3G iPhone - $399
32 GB 3G iPhone - $499
 
3247 said:
Wrong again. :mad:

EDGE, also known as IMT-SC, is one of ITU's 3G standards, also known as IMT-2000. The current iPhone is a 3G phone because it supports EDGE.
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If we used those semantics then we could easily say that the 1xRTT phones are also 3G as well (which would mean every phone from Verizon and Sprint are already 3G). Somehow I don't think everyone is willing to make that leap.
The new iPhone will use a different standard that's faster than the minimum for 3G, which means IMT-DS, also known as W-CDMA or UMTS (with HSDPA/HSUPA), or IMT-MC, also known as CDMA2000.
If it was just for Japan, a CDMA2000 would be possible.

However, a UMTS phone that falls back to GSM (where available, i.e. everywhere except Japan and South Korea) will work anywhere in the world (using either GSM or UMTS), not just Japan. It is much more likely that Apple will make such a phone.
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Technically W-CMDA doesn't fall back to CDMA2000, unless the phone implements CDMA2000 3x (which very few phones do).
 
Stewie said:
What I want to know is if you will be able to shut off 3G and still keep EDGE active. From my past experiences with 3G phones, when they can't find a 3G signal they try and try and try until the battery goes dead. My last 3G phone (POS Treo) I was lucky to get 4 hours with it while it tried to find a non-existent 3G connection.
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Something like that is truly stupid. Now the question is: If Apple sells an iPhone with 3G and it can't find a connection, do you think their software will do something truly stupid or not?
 
whatever said:
Well, the rollout of a national WiMax network has pretty much fallen apart. Sprint was the telecom pushing this through and whether or not Sprint is even around in the next two years is questionable.

Now the major Cable companies, Comcast, Time Warner and a third one, has stepped in, but their goal is to fight the telecoms. Which appears to mean that the telecoms will left out of WiMax network, leaving just VOIP.

WiMax if it really gets off the ground is a good two to three years away from being a national network.
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Intel is interested in WiMAX as well. If every new Capella notebook comes with WiMAX something tells me Sprint and Clearwire will be okay.
 
nateomedia said:
I just stopped by an Apple Store here in California today and was told that they were completely sold out of iPhones. In fact, I was told that all Apple stores in California are sold out. I just looked at the Apple Store website and iPhones are back ordered 5-7 days. Hmm.

I'm not saying 3G is about to hit, but I think some sort of bump is about to happen. Considering that there wasn't even a shortage at launch, this seems a little fishy.
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i called about half of dozen southern ca stores and their all out of them. very weird indeed.
 
saxamoophone said:
It's just a guess from personal experience with a 3G phone...but...every major/decent sized city I have been in has had 3G
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Ya, I agree. But, that's maybe a quarter of the U.S. population? I don't really know. I live in NYC so I should be able to get 3G anytime -- then again, because I am in Manhattan I can pretty much get free wireless anytime... The big issue I have is: if you pay for 3G, when will you be able to use it? Can I use it when I am in Ohio visiting the g/f's family (arguably when I will really need it ;) )? Can I use it when I am on the road and definitely don't have wifi? I just don't know a lot about the 3G network and what I do hear points me to a "no". I would hope that the new iPhone would be able to use EDGE & 3G because EDGE, while slow, is a very well established network.
 
Shasterball said:
As someone who grew up in a lower-middle class home, worked while in HS, worked for scholarship to go to college, worked for 100+ hours/week for 5 years in grad school to get a PhD for less than 25k/yr, and is now going to law school and working at the same time (for way more than 60k/yr), I find your blog insulting and ignorant.
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The American dollar is still on fire in people's wallets - the truth is, people still can't spend their money fast enough, wherever it may be going, whenever it is spent. As long as we live in a society bent on building SUV's in a time of oil crisis (and such), people will be willing to go just as far for near anything else. Which is why eBay is the giant that we know today. Those who can afford the iPhone, more often than not, don't mind an extra $20 spent so long as they obtain what they're after. If they're satisfied with it, then the $$ is even further justified and therefore will be justifiable down the road - i.e. iPhone 2.0.

As per the Blog, in a sense, it is supposed to be insulting and ignorant, but such comments can be expressed there. It is an entirely fictional method of thinking from a made up character. It's all a part of how America has it's own way of thinking and eventually I'll get that big picture out there, but that's for another time. Sorry you take it so personal but keep in mind it is fiction.
 
Shasterball said:
I am not sure where you are getting your population distribution information. Most Americans do not live in cities that have 3G networks.
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According to Wikipedia:

The United States is an urbanized nation, with 80.6 percent of its population residing in cities and suburbs.
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AT&T is saying that all cities of over 100 thousand people will be fully covered with 3G by June, if not done already, and they're likely not going to stop there, so it's safe to say that a majority of Americans live in cities with 3G networks.
 
AlphaAnt said:
AT&T is saying that all cities of over 100 thousand people will be fully covered with 3G by June
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By June....how convenient.
Did they really say June?

If they did, everything sums up to a June release of a 3G capable iPhone. :)
 
Shasterball said:
Ya, I agree. But, that's maybe a quarter of the U.S. population? I don't really know. I live in NYC so I should be able to get 3G anytime -- then again, because I am in Manhattan I can pretty much get free wireless anytime... The big issue I have is: if you pay for 3G, when will you be able to use it? Can I use it when I am in Ohio visiting the g/f's family (arguably when I will really need it ;) )? Can I use it when I am on the road and definitely don't have wifi? I just don't know a lot about the 3G network and what I do hear points me to a "no". I would hope that the new iPhone would be able to use EDGE & 3G because EDGE, while slow, is a very well established network.
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Speaking from recent personal experiences, in the large rural areas between major cities (such as parts of Ohio, the I-95 corridor in the Carolinas and Georgia, etc.) you're lucky to have phone signal in some places (along I-68 near Grantsville, MD for one), let alone EDGE, EVDO, 3G, etc. I got a Verizon signal at my grandmother's house in West Virginia when I stood on top of a hill overlooking a river, but not really anywhere else.

When I did get any data signal (either Verizon's EV-DO or AT&T's EDGE/HSDPA) while moving, it was spotty and short-lived. When I got to the destination, if it was a somewhat rural area, it wasn't any better, but when I stayed near a city it was fine. The hills around Ohio/West Virginia are pretty nasty, so unless you're near one of the major metropolitan centers, don't get your hopes up too high.
 
Nik said:
By June....how convenient.
Did they really say June?

If they did, everything sums up to a June release of a 3G capable iPhone. :)
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Yes, they said June. My Account Rep was pushing the 3G AT&T Blackberry during the presentation which happens to be coming out around then, so that's what they were gearing towards.

I said the same thing about convenience, and asked about the iPhone, and their response was basically that no one in AT&T knows what the heck Apple is doing, so I doubt their network plan accounts for the iPhone.
 
diamond.g said:
Intel is interested in WiMAX as well. If every new Capella notebook comes with WiMAX something tells me Sprint and Clearwire will be okay.
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Intel has been interested in WiMax for a while. But what I'm saying is that if there is no national network, then the chip will just be idle.

The three main partners in WiMax is Sprint (not doing well), Motorola(not doing well) and Intel (doing well).

Now the cable companies are investing and we all know how forward thinking they are.
 
AlphaAnt said:
According to Wikipedia:



AT&T is saying that all cities of over 100 thousand people will be fully covered with 3G by June, if not done already, and they're likely not going to stop there, so it's safe to say that a majority of Americans live in cities with 3G networks.
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Ahem...my point is that I don't think MOST Americans live in cities with 3G. MAYBE every city in the U.S. with a population of over 100 thousand people will have 3G by June. I don't really believe it, but it's not up to me to debate it. EVEN if that is true, the total population of EVERY city in the U.S. with a population of over 100 thousand people is ~163 million (a little over 50% -- which, yes, is "most"). It obviously makes sense to sell such a phone because a lot of people (arguably those with most money) can take advantage of it. BUT, these people also travel and need a phone they can use everywhere.

Wait, what was my original point? I don't remember. :D
 
AlphaAnt said:
Speaking from recent personal experiences, in the large rural areas between major cities (such as parts of Ohio, the I-95 corridor in the Carolinas and Georgia, etc.) you're lucky to have phone signal in some places (along I-68 near Grantsville, MD for one), let alone EDGE, EVDO, 3G, etc. I got a Verizon signal at my grandmother's house in West Virginia when I stood on top of a hill overlooking a river, but not really anywhere else.

When I did get any data signal (either Verizon's EV-DO or AT&T's EDGE/HSDPA) while moving, it was spotty and short-lived. When I got to the destination, if it was a somewhat rural area, it wasn't any better, but when I stayed near a city it was fine. The hills around Ohio/West Virginia are pretty nasty, so unless you're near one of the major metropolitan centers, don't get your hopes up too high.
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Yes. Same experience here. Maybe we should just get long ethernet cords. Who's in?
 
D 5 said:
Tomorrow_ Something iPhone...
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There must be something going on...

I was flying into the US, tried to get an Iphone in New York, sold out, could take a few days they said. Now I am in Utah, same sold out.... Called a friend in SFO to check, he went to store same issue... No IPhones on stock, couldn't tell when they come back should call next day

As they were nearly never really short on IPhones this is obvious, especially as the guy in store told me they were sometimes out of 16G, but never out of both models and they were getting only very small numbers...

So let's see what's going on / coming...
 
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