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WWDC '08 Sees Slimmer, Improved, 3G iPhone

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the newer-hawtness dept.

Many of us have been watching Apple's WWDC 2008 keynote unfold live. There are many exciting tidbits, but most of all is the announcement of the 3G iPhone. Featuring an even thinner profile, black plastic back, metal buttons, flush headphone jack, improved audio, GPS support, and improved battery life, this is bound to make quite a few people stand up and take notice. Update 18:54 GMT by SM: Best of all it looks like they really took the price point to heart, 8GB iPhones are now $199 and a 16GB model will be available for $299, coming to an Apple store riot near you on July 11,2008.

8 of 804 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This is also likely to... by Solkar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why? Because a consumer electronics company refreshed a product? Should I be pissed at Sony every few months when they upgrade their camcorders? Should I be mad that the camcorder I bought from them five years ago cost more and is less capable than one I could buy today? Ditto with HP - the LaserJet model I bought in 2001 cost about $900. I can get one today that does the same job (and has more RAM) for $300 (or less). HP owes me $600!

  2. Re:Biggest news is... by _Hiro_ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    8GB Touch $299.

    8GB iPhone $199 + $59.99 * 24 = $1638.76

    I think the touch is the better deal. :P

    --
    -Pope Peter Porker, S.O.W., K.M.K.R., U.G.O.A., F.S.G.S.D.
  3. Re:EBay is happy! by Rycross · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I bought an iPhone at the $400 price, and I don't feel like a sucker. I bought it because I wanted the features that the iPhone had. I wanted a portable media player with a large screen for video that integrated with the software I was already using for my music (iTunes). I wanted to be able to use my gmail account with it. I wanted to do IM (Meebo.com). I wanted a good UI (I hate the Windows Mobile UI). $400 was pretty steep, but in the end I felt it was worth it.

    I don't feel bitter at all about this. I knew when I bought the first iPhone that there would be another version a year or so down the line. It was just common sense. But I didn't want to wait, so I paid a premium. Thats not a big deal for me.

    If I can get one for $200 with my current plan, though, I'd be really tempted to get the 3G.

  4. Quick, big picture analysis by Catalina588 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    iPhone 2.0: Apple will do in two years what took five years with iPod. That is, build a multi-billion dollar, global, sustainable, profitable business from scratch.

    Apple listened to developers and enterprise customers in nailing the iPhone feature list. No objections or gripes here.

    The 3G iPhone pricing is very un-Apple in being very attractive and without an obvious price premium. In fact, it is priced for mass-market consumption right now. That means there will be millions out there a year from now. And the ecosystem/market will flock to this high-profile platform, in turn creating even more pull.

    The stock is down today about 4%. Why Jim Cramer is saying "sell on the news" is beyond me. AAPL is going to be a lot bigger and more profitable a year from now.

    There is no technology risk here, so sit back and watch one of the great technology markets of a lifetime unfold.

  5. Re:Quick! by jandrese · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Video teleconferencing is your stumbling block? I can agree with not being able to swap SIM cards, but Video Teleconferencing is one of those features that people talk about a lot but almost never use in my experience.

    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  6. Re:Already? by costas · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I've been waiting for a proper iPhone to replace my N95. The specs from the keynote don't answer some basic questions:
    • Are the GPS maps stored or downloaded ad-hoc? because for those of us that actually travel and use GPS in foreign lands, paying 3G roaming rates isn't exactly a bargain.
    • OK, MobileMe sounds great, but what about Bluetooth syncing? again, if you are traveling, you can't rely on getting a WiFi signal between your phone and your laptop to sync your calendar (and you don't want to have to remember to plug it into USB either).
    • What about that camera? still 2MP, in 2008? AutoFocus, anything?


    The iPhone has an awesome screen and a great UI, but even this fixed version will probably fall again short of the N9x series outside of the US, where ppl don't usually have wide-spread WiFi, or unlimited 3G access, or care about PC syncing. Pity, here's waiting for WWDC 2009 again...
  7. Re:Biggest news is... by jimicus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's if you want the iPhone as a phone. But the iPhone without a contract is the same as a Touch, but a hundred bucks less. Unless Apple is imposing a restriction that you can't buy the new iPhone without signing up for a contract. The $100 less probably comes from the network subsidising the phone. (What, you thought those "free phones" you saw advertised were free to manufacture?)

    And if the network is subsidising the phone, there's no way you're walking out the store without the contract set up and the phone registered to it.
  8. Re:That's a short list... by Onan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm pretty indifferent to most of the things that seem to bother you, but one of your complaints stands out as especially backward: the display is "still" glass because it's a vastly better choice. Glass is harder to break, far harder to scratch, and easier to clean than plastic. The only downside is that it's a little heavier, but I find that to be quite worthwhile for never needing to worry about it getting scratched.

    If you're finding yourself breaking a lot of glass iphone displays... well, I can't imagine how you treat your phone, but I'm sure that you'd be breaking plastic ones twice as often.