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3G iPhone Going Into Production In May
A few folks noted the rumor mill churning over 3G iPhones coming soon. Apparently they might be going into production as early as May, and announced somewhere in the 2nd quarter. Hopefully they manage to stick a GPS and another 16 gigs of memory in this one.
I don't think it is so soon. It's already almost been a year since the original came out.
This isn't Apple's other electronic markets, cell phones are updated almost the time, and usually it's not just a "slap a stick of bigger memory on it and call it a day" sort of revision. They need and should be adding more features to compete with the rest of the market.
With that said, I don't understand why the hell people keep begging for GPS, I just feel that there are so many other better self GPS only products that get the job done that Apple shouldn't bother with that market. Besides, if you're shelling out hundreds on an iPhone, I have a feeling you may have a GPS system of some sorts already.
Never underestimate the power of the 'coolness' factor. Also, you write off the nicer interface as if its somewhat insignificant. That's the CORE component of any consumer electronic market. The public is going to interact with the most part through the interface, if it sucks, they're not going to spend the time to learn it.
Like it or hate it, you got to admit that the iPhone has a pretty nice interface and it's not too hard to learn. When my mom and aunts, who are in their 40s and not very technologically adept, decided to pick up iPhones and can use them as well as me, you know they're doing something right.
It all boils down to this: what the iPhone does it does well.
:-)
I have used other smart phones such as the Motorola Q and the Blackberry, but the iPhone is the simplest to use for what I want: easy to access and read e-mail and web browsing and a phone. It also does simple things like work as my calculator, a calendaring system, take notes on it, do alarms, stop-watch, stock quotes, weather and whatever else you download for it now. And oh yeah, it is my iPod too and I synch it with Bluetooth to my car for use as hands-free.
As someone else already pointed out, the ease of use and interface are the key things that a good smartphone really needs - and Apple succeeded quite well with their first try. Yes, it didn't have 3G or GPS built-in for the first pass at it, but future versions most certainly will. Once they add the rest of those features, i'll be surprised at what people will find to complain about it then. It will probably never have enough memory for the complainers and i'm sure the DRM and device lock-down are also something to continue to complain about, but i'm happy with the phone now just as much (or more than) I was when I bought mine back in September after they lowered the price on it. Now if only AT&T could get some better coverage around where I live
"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." - Tennyson
The other reply got modded flamebait, but the spirit of the answer was correct - consider how it's not just marketing from Apple themselves, but from phone shops that promote it, and news media from Slashdot to the BBC. What's this - a news article not about the release of Iphone, but simply a new version supporting a feature that's long been a standard? Most phones don't get a story at all.
Apple appear to be taking advantage that many people are unaware how almost every phone (even cheap ones) can do Internet access as standard, so they are able to promote it as a new and wonderful thing (even on Slashdot, I see this happening).
(And it's not clear it has "succeeded" apart from in the sense of not flopping? Sure it's succeeded, but so has the Treo and many other phones, but if you mean been a success above all others, that's not clear at all to me.)
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Why the original iphone didn't get all these features I'll never know
Cost. The thing is already $400-$500. Imagine if you added all of those "features"...
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
Why would you want a standard 3.5mm headphone jack? You wouldn't be able to take calls on the earphones. The jack still works for regular headphones already, so what's the problem.
Because a GPS that network enabled is a great tool.
Traveling? Want to find a restaurant? Just use your cell with GPS and you can even dial the number and make reservations. Yes auto GPS systems have that but do you carry them in your pocket? When you travel you may or may not have a GPS in your rental car. Yea you could take your portable one with you but what if you don't have a rental car and are just walking? What if you are riding with someone that doesn't have a GPS?
Again it is always in my pocket. It is the same reason that I have web browser on my phone and a media player.
It is always with me and it is small and light.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Such is the case for most of the connectivity technologies that see more rapid adoption overseas. There are large areas of the USA that are simply not densely populated enough to justify the expense of rolling out cutting-edge networks there. It isn't a matter of the US simply being behind the technological curve, as some like to assume.
Pardon the PHB nature of this next statement, but these are the types of differences that turn a 3 year ROI into a 10 year ROI, and slow down adoption.
The iPhone could be equipped with a perpetual motion machine and a love ray that instantly seduces any woman it is aimed at, and some people would still complain that it doesn't support MMS, and thus they would rather have their free flip phone.
Don't underestimate the power of the dark side.
"by that I mean people who don't sit on slashdot all day wondering why everyone else isn't building robots" DECS
I'm sure they're also attracting the people that have tried out the browsers on their phones, and found them so painful to use that they've just given up. I'm one of them - I never use the browser on my Samsung Z560 unless I really have to. In contrast, I'll browse the web on my iPod Touch quite happily - it's not as good as a desktop browser, but it's not that far off.
In fact, I was ranting to my boss just now about the fact that my phone browser forgets cookies when the browser is closed (which happens every time you close the clamshell, annoyingly). It's particularly apparent when using PayPal Mobile, which shows you a regular login page by default. You can opt to log in using your mobile number and a PIN, and if you've got the cookie you'll be automatically redirected. Mine, unfortunately, forgets the cookie.
I'm with you on the camera. My iPhone has become my primary camera just because it's always with me--even though the quality sucks. If they could boost the resolution, get the focus and color quality a little better, add a flash--all of that would be really nice. What I would really dig is if you could shoot quicktime with it. All of my point-n-shoot digital cameras shot video in quicktime. I'm really surprised the iPhone doesn't shoot any kind of video (even the little 15-30 second clips).
;-)
I know everyone complains about EDGE, but I hope the 3G layers on top of the EDGE support. You can get EDGE just about anywhere--even if it is dog slow. Sometimes that's really handy.
For me, more memory and a better camera would be my main selling points. I want fast access, but I usually make do with EDGE. I suppose I'd change my mind if I saw what 3G could be like on an iPhone
"Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs." -- Switchfoot, Ode to Chin
I do already have GPS but I really hope the next iPhone has it and is available soon. If the first version had GPS I would already own an iPhone and I probably wouldn't have a normal suction cup GPS. I would instead be suction cupping my iPhone to the windshield.
Now that I have a good car GPS system to save me from getting lost all the time, I want one in my pocket. I can think of a few times when I have been out in a city on foot, and had to worry about getting lost. It would have been nice to have GPS in my pocket whith the confidence that I would never get lost again. Knowing that you will never get lost makes you free to explore. This is as true in a car as on foot.
I think the main reason that the iPhone doesn't have GPS is that it is a tough feature to really get right. All the GPS systems I have owned have had their flaws. I can understand why you wouldn't want to introduce all that complexity and accompanying scrutiny when you are trying to get an already compelling (to some people) product out the door. I'm still basing my next cell phone purchase on GPS capabilities.
I have a Garmin nuvi 660 and a Nokia E70. Both are fine devices. But there are MANY times when carrying my GPS is impractical (basically anytime I'm not in a car) and having a phone with even a subset of the Garmin's abilities would be handy. I can do the google maps thing same as the iPhone, but it is not very useful especially compared with a real GPS. Personally I don't listen to much music but a GPS built in to my cell phone (again, with appropriate navigation software) would be a huge win for me. One of the reasons I did not buy an iPhone was because it didn't have any built in GPS capabilities and I found a way to get my Nokia to integrate (via bluetooth) with a compact GPS. Not a perfect solution but a good one. Should the iPhone get some good GPS capabilities that would make it a LOT more attractive to me.
Has anyone seen an FCC approval filing for this yet ?
Surely since they had to pre-announce the first iPhone to protect against the FCC announcing it for them, we could expect to see a similar request before a 3G iPhone comes into being ?
That sounds like a physical problem, not a standards problem unless a standard 3.5mm jack is required to have a certain amount of space around it.
Why do iPods outsell other MP3 players? You can tout their UI or iTunes, but I honestly believe it comes down to the fact that they look cool and, perhaps more importantly, many folks who buy them are trying to also make a fashion (or cultural) statement. No longer does one need to have an opinion on individual issues...or evaluate the superiority of a specific product. No...all you need to do is grab a brand and slap it on your forehead.
Someone mentioned that the iPhone is essentially a sexed-up Treo. As a long-time Treo owner, I very much disagree. It isn't even close to a Treo...at least in terms of functionality.
I love my Treo. Is the PalmOS dead? Almost certainly. Is the Treo hardware innovative? Not anymore. Not even close. So why do I prefer the Treo over an iPhone? Countless reasons, 3G and multiple carriers aside (and those are fairly large issues to set aside).
Start with the fact that I can install whatever software I want on my Treo...and do - MP3 players, streaming internet radio players, video players (and recorders), a JVM, games, eBook readers, an RPN calculator, PDF readers, DocsToGo to both view AND create Microsoft Office documents, third-party phone dialers, third-party web browsers and email clients, third-party IM clients...whatever I want...and they are not AJAX applications. They are rich client-side applications with access to the full range of phone functionality.
Memory is another issue. How much RAM does an iPhone have? My Treo? It has infinite storage...since it accepts SD cards. I just came back from vacation...and I brought about 30 hours of video, including full length movies and content from my TiVo. I also brought several thousand MP3s and hundreds of eBooks. SD cards are dirt cheap and extremely portable...and essentially allow you to have infinite storage on the go...and obviate the need to upgrade every time that you have gigabyte lust.
Is the Treo UI sexy? Hell no. Sure, you can change it in many ways with third-party applications, but in general, the iPhone kills it in this regard...but the UI is also very FUNCTIONAL. I can enter an appointment in one click, have a global find function, can cut and paste, can search for a contact by typing a few letters and have it match either first name, last name, occupation, or company (using TakePhone). I can delete (or mark read) multiple email messages at once. I have a real keyboard with tactile feedback and ten other fully programmable hard buttons...and a D-pad. I have utility applications that can change phone behavior in almost anyway - how lights flash for various events, when the phone rings, how it rings (for example, different ring tones for different people...or times of day). I even have a utility that allows me to send a specific SMS to the phone and have it perform any one of a number of functions, include lock, wipe memory, or wipe memory and SD card. The real issue is that the platform is OPEN for development. Applications developed with the iPhone SDK will be crippled...and will have to live in tightly defined sandbox.
Oh well, Palm is all but dead...but that doesn't make my 3G Treo any less valuable...at least until something better comes along. I will admit, the iPhone's 320x480 screen (50% larger than my Treo's 320x320 screen) looks AWESOME...and I would love to have it. Safari also beats the pants off of Blazer and Opera Mini...and WiFi would be killer in certain situations. Thus, I am keeping a very close eye on the next iPhone...and developments in the iPhone SDK world...as I am with Android. I seriously doubt my next phone will be Palm-based...and I am no longer on contract so I am ready to jump platforms...but I have just not seen the compelling reason yet.
Your mileage may vary.
BTW, whatever phone you have, this software is an excellent way to get video on to it - http://www.pqdvd.com./ I am not affiliated with them in any way. I am just a very happy customer.
cheers,
Steve
The Treo did succeed and it would be more successful now if its software wasn't of such poor quality. The iPhone does many things better than the Treo even ignoring the Treo's stability problems.
The Treo concept remains a desirable one so you answered your own question. The company that does the best job with this type of device will succeed. Right now it is Apple (among others).
as a former treo 700p user it's because.....
you don't have to reboot it 5 times a day and it doesn't have interface lag switching between networks.
Oh the web browser is actually useable.
This isn't true anymore. About 83% of the U.S. population lives in cities. We just aren't a rural country anymore. The simpler answer is that we have a de facto telecommunications monopoly in this country, and we all know how much monpolies love innovation.
I am a believer of momentum and curves.
I have the palm version of the Treo. It is complete shite.
Form factor first, it is heavy and the antenna sticks out. The stylus fell out of the pocket long ago and they charge Apple prices for a replacement - $20 for three pointy sticks. I am now on my third replacement in two years. Some people I know have been through six.
The browser is crud. It does not have a cache so you have to reload every page even if you only just navigated there. The javascript is buggy.
The bluetooth implementation is poor, there is no WiFi. The command set is illogical, half the time you press the place call button to dial a number, but not always, sometimes that is cancel.
Unlike the iPhone it is at least unlocked. But the downside is that if you do put a third part app on it the chronic unreliability is likely to get worse.
The iPhone is the only phone on the market today with a web browser that does not completely suck. The fact that it is a really nice Web browser is kinda superfluous.
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You make some valid points there, although I don't think it's possible to build a complex consumer device that's "perfect" from everyone's point of view. When something like the iPhone is announced and hyped to death, I feel fortunate if it doesn't just outright suck.
:-P
When I want to use the phone while driving -- which is rare -- I just do it, the same way I'll drive 65 in a 55 zone when I feel like doing that. Yay for individual judgment.
And I rarely use the phone for email. I was (un)lucky enough to be one of the first GMail users, so I had my pick of user names. I picked a short one with a variant of my (relatively-common) name. Now I get an impractical volume of misaddressed email that renders the account useless, although amusing. So, since I don't delete anything or otherwise make any effort to manage the mailbox, the email UI is fine for my purposes.
Yes, Safari crashes fairly often, and no, the telephone itself is not exactly the best out there. And I definitely agree that the built-in specialty apps are either superfluous, or full of forehead-slapping missed opportunities. But the fact that the iPhone does so much stuff, and does it at least reasonably well, means that I'm pretty sure I'll never live without one unless forced to by extreme poverty or disease.
I've been looking at getting a Treo for years - the thing that stopped me was actually the keyboard, because all I ever really wanted was a Treo with a large screen and graffiti (Jot) support instead of a keyboard. And also (perhaps as a result of the keyboard) the Treo was always just a little too bulky to suit me, when I always loved the form factor of the classic Palm V.
But Palm never shipped that phone - Apple did. And so now I am an iPhone user. Palm abandoned the core of what made them great, lost their way somewhere along the path of mobile integration and schizophrenic PalmOS/Windows Mobile development.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Problem with your "one" device are as follows:
1) It will necessarily suck at at least one function
2) It will most likely suck at many
3) It might even suck at all of them
4) If one item gets outdated, the whole thing is
I don't want an all in one. My cell phone camera sucks. My cell phone's MP3 player sucks. My Cell Phone's GPS sucks. They function at such a low level that I don't even use them. This doesn't even count the lousy battery life of the damn thing.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.