Apple's 3G iPhone to launch 11 July

Yes, he did it. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has just unveiled the 3G iPhone, doubling the handset's talk time in the process - and halving the price. Last year, Jobs said Apple wouldn't connect the iPhone to 3G networks because of the communications technology's battery demands. Apple's clearly licked the problem: the new iPhone is …

[Ian Ferguson]

One comment:

I'm glad I got the original.

And no, I'm not worried that I paid over the odds for it; the 3G contract is bound to be more expensive, and I'm suspecting that the new low price has something to do with that (I reckon they've bowed to operator pressure and will be subsidising the capital cost).

The one thing I'm hoping is that it has similar processing capabilities as the old one; I'll hate it if all the good apps are for the 3G version only.

Having had a look at their website, I also suspect that they've done to GPS what they did to Bluetooth; supporting it in the most basic way possible. The blurb says that your location can be found with GPS or triangulating using Wi-Fi spots and GSM towers; why would they need to do the latter if the GPS is fully-featured? Sounds a bit dodgy to me.

It all seems a bit of a damp squib. Why haven't they upgraded the camera or storage space, or made it thinner? Where are the other cool new features to keep it up to date with the competitors? But then... I'm probably just trying to justify my purchase of the original. It's no worse than the original, so it'll be just as lovely to use, and continue to polarise opinion.

[Anonymous Coward]

price

Is that the real price? If so, its pretty good.

If that is the price after you lock into your carrier's plan, then it is completely meaningless without knowing the carrier's plan.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes but what about the contract length

I bet here in the UK, O2 will make customers sign-up to a 24 month contract for £101 8GB 3G iPhone. And what does 'HSDPA-capable' mean. Let's wait until we get the real specs. 2MP cam still? No free music! Things missing are more important then the things that have changed :)

[Gareth Davies]

Nobody's telling anything about the distribution channels......

$199/$299 is a great price, but you can bet it will come with an 18 month contract and will be hard to get hold of without one.........

Bet you won't be able to take a 3G iPhone home without signing the contract before you leave the shop............looking at the Apple Uk Store, the only outlets are O2 and CPW, not Apple's own stores. This is likely due to the fact that Apple Stores aren't geared up for Contract sales.

Itunes activation will be to associate your profile rather than take your card details methinks.

Either that or the plan is to make it so cheap it puts everyone else out of business.

[Lime Smoothie]

Al. you have to do is dream....

£101 payg or unlocked, Apple would clean up.

£101 locked to O2 on an 18-24 month contract at £40+ pm? No thanks. Pretty but not worth the thick end of £1,000.

They seem to be going for Blackberry users with the look of the new apps - but the BB is free on most contracts and not tied to one network. Doh!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah Right

"Jobs promised that wherever you buy the 8GB model, you won't pay more than the equivalent of $199 (£101/€127)"

As if UK retailers won't be selling it for the US$ price, but with a £ sign in front...

[Andre Carneiro]

Sounds like he ticked all the boxes....

... except it's still only O2 that carries it.

So no, thank you. :)

[Ben Bufton]

I'm intrigued...

... what's still missing?? By my (quick) checklist, the iPhone is now perfect...

Anybody? :)

[David H]

I want one...

But only if it's available on PAYG. (Personally not bothered if it's locked to O2.)

[Jared Earle]

Evolution not revolution

I am pleased with this announcement, but disappointed by having to wait 5 weeks. 3G, GPS and decent battery life. Could they have done more? I'm not sure, maybe more memory and a better camera, but I reckon I'll be upgrading anyway.

Nothing too surprising and many will be disappointed. I'm not. Let's hope O2 are giving free upgrades for another 18 months in blood.

[Anonymous Coward]

who cares

Who really cares

Paris because she stupid enough to buy 1

[Andy Scott]

even in the uk?

I'll believe that uk price when I see it. paris because even she's not thick enough to believe that

[Thomas]

The price is the biggest seller for me

If they're only £100, I might just be tempted. Obviously a lot of people will be put off by the contract, but isn't this likely to spell trouble for iPod sales?

[Ben Ash]

Droool

I want one, but will wait to see if it's network locked....

[Andrew Hart]

Wow

Even people who don't approve of apple smugness (myself included), have to be impressed at the iPhone 3G, I think it looks good enough to replace my trusty Vario III.

Mines the one with the fruity smell in the front pocket

[Anonymous Coward]

The Joy

Oh joy of joys I just couldnt sleep last night with the excitement of the new iphone

Paris because she's stupid enough to buy 1

[Antidisestablishmentarianist]

It's OK, you can still whine

Golly, with all this inclusion of 3G, GPS, better battery time, better price, what will all the whiners whine about?

Ah, but it's OK, as Apple caters to the whiners just like it does to all market segments. There is still no copy and paste, MMS, video recording.

Whine away.

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice

I suspect that Apple may shift one or two of these.

[Wonderkid]

A confused product, oh Apple...

OK, so as an N95 8G user of approx 2 weeks, I, like many others waited with excitement for the '3G' iPhone. While it may be priced affordably (consider that all other phones are free, even the N95 8g, HTC models etc on mid level and above contracts here in sunny England), and improves on the original, the 3G iPhone appears to lack a target market. So, it has some innovative games, but if that's the case, why no decent camera for youth to snap their friends with?

What good is the Mobile Me service if you cannot even take a flash photo to upload to Facebook/Mobile Me etc? And why no stereo Bluetooth for those of us who like a true wireless existence so we can hide our precious while jogging through the park of dark shadows? I use my great sounding Sony stereo BT phones with my N95 snug and safe at bottom of pocket. On a related issue of confused market: So iPhone now integrates well with the enterprise - great stuff Apple, however: a) Why no improved on screen QWERTY keyboard for mobile professionals? (Belkin? Kensington? Griffin? Why not make a clip on mechanical keyboard for iPhone?) b) There is GPS but no SatNav!

The not so shabby Nokia Maps built into my N95 works really well once you get a sat lock - and the LOUD stereo speakers announce your next turn - and of course make the phone a great 'clock radio'/ beach music player too. Now, what Apple SHOULD have done was to launch TWO iPhones, a youthful iPhone Nano with without the enterprise features and (as per prev posting earlier today), an iPhone Pro with the features preferred by mobile professionals - such as those who use a Blackberry. (NOTE: typing on a glass screen a lot is something you NEVER get used to due to stress put on your fingers, unlike mechanical keyboards that absorb the impact.)

I love Apple, but feel they have lost the plot by pandering to everyone, but focusing on no one thanks to compromises in every area - including my last criticism, lack of wireless innovation such as 3.5G and WiMAX/ support for some P2P fon.com like providerless networking - a great op for Apple to undermine the old school telcos. I expect revolution from Apple, not catchup! So flame me! It's a free country, it's hot and I'm bothered. ;-)

[Benny]

And still..

no decent camera, or addon storage? Steve, you're gonna have to do better.

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/06/09/samsung_launches_omnia/ give me those features with the iPhone UI, and I'll grab it like a pervert at the playboy mansion.

Untill then, I just can't justify that money for a 'pretty thing' (and yes, Im a apple fanboi)

[Mike Dyne]

Nice...

... but not quite nice enough.

I have a k850i with 8GB of memory. It can do 3G/HSDPA browsing, has an MP3 player, a 5MP camera and a radio.

I also will always be able to type a message faster using T9 than on an iPhone.

Agreed with the above remarks or iPhone Nano. That WOULD make me interested.

Maybe next time eh Apple?

[J]

hahahaha

"Jobs promised that wherever you buy the 8GB model, you won't pay more than the equivalent of $199"

[checks date, been in a coma?, no, it's not April 1st yet]

Yeah, and Santa Claus will bring me one of those too?

And to people whining about the camera: c'mon, you don't need more than 2 Mpix for this thing. With the ridiculous optics of those tiny lenses, it's already more than is useful. And even 2 Mpix is good for 10x15cm prints, let alone web posting. And don't even suggest many will have the patience to edit the pic (crop) on the phone before sending...

[Frank Sugino]

16GB Black or White

The 16GB version is available in black or white.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Ian Ferguson

'The blurb says that your location can be found with GPS or triangulating using Wi-Fi spots and GSM towers; why would they need to do the latter if the GPS is fully-featured? Sounds a bit dodgy to me.'

Actually it makes perfect sense. Using cell and WiFi locations is faster than GPS and uses much less power. It also works indoors and in urban canyons where satellite signals are weak or non-existent. The precision varies, but it can be as good as GPS where there are plenty of towers and known WiFi base station locations.

[Aditya Krishnan]

Are they friggin' kidding

At those prices? Nokia, SE and the like had better start digging their own graves. I mean, thats only like 1500 bucks (about 20 pounds) more expensive than say, the SE K750i and cheaper than my W510i!!

[censored]

I already pay...

£35 a month to O2 so a lock-in contract doesn't bother me and isn't what I'd get on any other phone.

So, for £100 I think I'm a convert.

[Nathanael Bastone]

Whats this?

Apple giving a fair price to UK customers?

Should I check myself into the mental asylum now?

I must be going funny in the head...

[Where IS the Paris Hilton Angle?]

[Jimbo Gunn]

iPhone a good buy...

According to this report, the iPhone continues to defy the laws of Physics and work miracles ;)

3G iPhone breaks petaflop barrier

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s5i36703

JG

[frymaster]

cameras on phones are meh anyway

if you're sending a photo to your mate (or m8) then 2megapixel is more than enough.

oh, wait, you can't :P

I've yet to see a mobile that could do any kind of decent video recording anyway (failure to react to light levels and the Worst Sound In History are the two main problems)

I won't be getting one - I don't have a regular enough income at the moment for a big contract - but there's no denying it's MUCH more feasible than the original. I'd actually consider it at some point if it did MMS

[jai]

@Wonderkid

i'm sorry, but have you actually used an iPhone?

it took me all of 5 minutes to get used to typing on mine

(and yes, i spend all day at work typing on a "proper keyboard" a naff standard dell one)

i find now i'm far faster on the iphone than i used to be on my other phones - even than i was on my old psion organisers whose keyboards were larger and easier to use than today's slide out keyboards

[Stuart]

The second coming.

Apple be praised... all hail the second coming of the iPhone and the salvation of all the heretics who indulge in the sins of other mobile phones.

[RIch]

still no flash...

and all the good shit is only for the jailbroken ones. I reckon its the best all round mobile platform for now but I also reckon Apple will pi$$ that up the wall by continuing to cripple it with network tie-ins.

And talking of convergent devices, isn't Jobs starting to resemble Ballmer?

[Lime Smoothie]

Its official

O2 website confirms cheapest tariff £30 and £99 for handset.

You can get the 8gb 'free' if you are willing to pay £45 pm or the 16gb for £75. 18 month contract.........

so £700-800 pounds over 18 months then , which is probably as long as the battery will last before it packs up.

Paris- because being a jailbird, she can see a scam a mile off.

[Webster Phreaky]

Here's the SIMPLE FACT! iPhone is a DISTANT 3rd Place World Wide

According to a just released report by Gartner Research, the Apple iPhony is in a dismal DISTANT Third Place in the World Wide Smart Phone market space behind Nokia and Research In Motion (Blackberry). This despite the year long barage of constant Apple iPhony TV and Print ads, all the Paid Off Media Whores and the reported 8 thousand iPhones that Apple has GIVEN AWAY to Media Hacks, Movie and TV show "product placements" and assorted celeb jerks to flash in public.

EAT THAT FACT, Apple Kool Aid Drinkers.

The count-down begins to all the Bugs and Flaws this iPhone has, just like the first one had and just like every other product Apple has their name put on by manufacturers with Chinese Sweatshop factories.

[Ivan Headache]

Cameras in phones

I wonder why everyone (well not everyone but several) complains about the camera. Note - I've not got an iPhone but I have got an iTouch.

I have a Nokia with a camera on it - it's the second one I've had over the last 4 years or so and I've taken about 4 photos with it (them) - Why - because I'd rather have a real camera that I can control. Both my daughters have phones with cameras - how many pictures have they taken? well a few more than me but barely into double figures - why? - because they both have proper cameras.

Mrs Ivana Headache has a Nokia with a camera on it. How many pictures has she taken with it? Exactly zero. Why? because like the rest of the Headaches she has a proper camera.

The youngest Headache was 18 a couple of weeks back and we had a meal out for about 25 people. All of those people had mobile phones - all had phones with cameras. How many used them to take pictures? just 2. yes you've guessed - all the others had proper cameras.

That said, if the new iphone is not tied I might just be tempted.

[Tony]

Is there an icon for 'gone into coma'

I gotta say, it's great you can type on that touch screen - well done.

I've used an iphone - for 2 months and found it beautifully annoying to use. By that I mean I'd have colleagues and friends playing with it endlessly but always happy to hand it back at the end of the day. Bit like a friends baby...

Managed to sell it for what I bought it for though - liked that alot.

New one sounds good - I think people would be more willing to suffer the inadequacies if the price comes in as the article says. Just not me...

...I've moved on & upgraded.

[heystoopid]

Oh Heck

Oh heck , that was quick from launch in January 2007 to obsolete June 2008 from spyphone mark one to mark two model , that man called god really knows how to put the money siphon into all the Isilly fans wallets and bank accounts and spy on them at the same time , sweet !

But then again who really cares , as the other 1.1 billion or more users ignored the hype and brought other models instead in the preceding twelve months instead !

Or as they say a "An ifool and his money are easily parted !"

[Nikolaus Heger]

Too Simple is Complicated

So simple - no more than $199. Unfortunately, there's no info on how much it costs without subsidy. Or whether they'll even sell it without.

The hardware is WOW - it's perfect in every way. I already have an iPhone and it's close to perfection but this is even better.

But why make pricing such a mystery? Why not just freakin' sell it unlocked AS AN OPTION to those who don't want to sign up with a carrier. It looks like Apple is going to take 3 years to get their sales model to where it's exactly the same as all others.

Here's some notable absentees from the list of countries where the iPhone is sold: China, most of SE Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, etc.

[Spinner]

Headline?

You guys aren't even trying now, the headline should have been "The Second Coming of the Jesus Phone"

[Andy]

I've long suspected...

...that network operators don't allow handsets to use full 3G speeds. How else to explain that modern phones get much, much slower connections than "mobile broadband" dongles? And yes, I know the CPUs suck for page rendering, but they can go faster over 802.11 so that's not the main issue.

Maybe I'm paranoid.

[John McGhie]

Still too slow for an HSDPA market

By my calculation, twice EDGE speed is about 768 kbps. Roughly one-tenth of what it takes to make it a contender in the Australian 7.2 Mbps HSDPA market.

The 2 MP camera is 2/5ths of what the Sony and the Nokia offer.

And the talk time is still a bit short for Paris Hilton :-)

[bigfoot780]

o2

Good news let's hope o2 do what at and t are going to do for exsiting iphone owners and honour current contracts.

[Mark Rendle]

I am unmoved

Experia X1 FTW!

[Jon Beverley]

Read the small print

On the Apple site it says "Twice as Fast. Half the Price*" notice the asterisk!

Read the small print at the bottom and bingo! - "*Based on iPhone 3G (8GB) and first-generation iPhone (8GB) purchases. Requires new 2-year AT&T rate plan, sold separately."

Perhaps not as great a deal a first impressions!

[Colonel Panic]

Wait for January

Here's why its still got the 2 MP camera. In the Book of Steve, expandable=bad. So no SD card slot. So you're limited by onboard RAM. Steve doesn't want you filling up that 8 or 16 GB of RAM with 5 MP pics of your friends when you could be filling it with iTunes tracks at $1 a pop.

So when RAM prices make a 32 GB model feasible, I bet we'll see that camera get a bump.

Now quite what they're smoking in Cupertino that they couldn't fix copy and paste I don't know...

The reason the Palm was such a success (and arguably the CrackBerry) is that it does (did?) the basics well. Contacts, Appointments, Tasks and Notes (and later email).

The iPhone does not yet handle Notes properly, and its too early to tell whether the Tasks are properly synched over the air (whether through ActiveSync or MobileMe)

Maybe the bit that Steve doesn't get is that those of us who don't have minions to remember stuff for us need to write it down somewhere..

[Mark Aggleton]

@Webster Freaky

Not that I'm a particular fan of apple - quite the opposite but one thing that seems to have been missed in this report (unless the Telegraph is lying) is that you can now connect to Exchange Server. As the majority of businesses use this for email this announcement should make RIM in particular worry as corporate takeup will rocket. Hopefully more on the other side of the pond though...

[Anonymous Coward]

What is missing is more important

No 5MP camera

Probably can't use it as a modem

Does it really have 3.5G or it just 3G with a very fast browser

No video recording

Probably has A2DP finally, but no confirmation

No front facing cam (okay, video calling is for s few people)

No MMS

No replaceable battery (crazy for a 3G device)

And AT&T are contracts are 24 months. I wonder how long O2 can sustain the subsidy with only 18 month contracts (and ones where you can't reduce the tariff after 9 months like with every other contract!)

[Anonymous Coward]

FAO All you pay-go-ers...

O2 will be doing it on PAYG.

http://www.o2.co.uk/iphone/paygo

So, no contracted needed still meaning unlocking should be easy as pie with ZiPhone again.

[Dr Patrick J R Harkin]

Weren't there problems with Exchange?

Have they been solved? I can't say I'm that bothered by the low quality camera - I do use the camera on my phone to snap things to show to SWMBO that I think might look good in the house, but not much else - and I don't spend enough time on public transport to make me bother apout the mp3 side of things (still not even got an iPod) but the ability to interact correctly with my work eMail could sway me.

[Anonymous Coward]

Current iPhone owners get to upgrade early, penalty-free...

Well this has completely sold me on iPhone 3G - according to the O2 website:

"Existing iPhone customers can upgrade early to the new 3G iPhone for free*

To thank you for being an iPhone fan, we're offering you an early upgrade to the brand new version when it launches on 11th July 2008. You won't have to wait until the end of your existing contract, all you'll need to do is agree to a new 18-month minimum term contract."

Looks like we get the same deal as new customers (the "free*" is the same anyway) but are basically able to end our current 18 month contract straight away (by signing up to a brand new one).

Nice going Apple - now all that remains to be seen is whether MMS will be supported natively (not seen an official word either way yet), or whether there will be an app that can do it (and I'd be very suprised if there wasn't - as jailbroken iPhones have had an MMS app for ages). Also whether they have expanded bluetooth at all - though that isn't really of that much concern to me (nor is the camera).

[Anonymous Coward]

@Ben Bufton

Well for one its missing a camera that takes pictures rather than the sketching ant it currently has. Oh and freedom, I believe it still has the handcuffs attached.

[Adam T]

Worth it.

I think the prices are a big jump in the right direction. £159 for the 16GB is still £110 cheaper than I paid for the current 8GB one, and I can give this one to my missus, and she can upgrade to the 3G at her leisure.

I'll be getting one.

[Anonymous Coward]

contracts

I'd like to know where all the people who complain about the £35 per month tariff get there phone contracts from - are there some secret 35p a month unlimited data plan contracts out there?

I'd like to know as I am upgrading soon and I would like some help finding these secret deals...

[Bryan]

@Mike Richards

There is no GPS on the unit, it uses Mobile towers and mapped wi-fi hotspots.

Gotta get one.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Ivan Headache

Are you complaining that your phone has to be able to call law enforcement? 911/999 etc.. I bet you use that all the time. I for one have used my camera phone on many many occasions because I know its there, most people forget. I do not however carry a seperate camera with me at all times..

I have used my camera to take pictures of; traffic accidents, burning buildings, criminal offences, acts of stupidity, Health and safety Violations, amazing hailstones, BSODs, Tourist Maps, stupid roadsigns, and even for small things, like an instore offer displayed on shelf that sounded too good to be true, it was, and didn't scan at checkout but they let me have it as I had the pic. oh and next time PC plod gets his taser out there will be pics of that too!

There is no excuse for not having a decent camera. virtually every other phone has one. apple just want to save something for the next release to squeeze more money for the next big phone!

[Matt Sims]

And yet...

...still tied to 02 :(

Shame. A lot of businesses would love phones like these but probably have large contracts with other networks such as Vodafone or Orange. How does Apple expect to break into the business market or even the consumer market with deep penetration if you are forced to use a specific carrier?

[Stuart Castle]

@Webster Phreaky

"According to a just released report by Gartner Research, the Apple iPhony is in a dismal DISTANT Third Place in the World Wide Smart Phone market space behind Nokia and Research In Motion (Blackberry)"

Yes, but it got to that position in a year or so, and beat most of the established market (Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung etc).

[Anonymous Coward]

Meh.

Wake me up when a) it's PAYG and b) *I* get to choose the network without having to resort to miscellaneous bits of hackery.

[DrXym]

Still too expensive

Any price more than $0 on an expensive 24 month contract is taking the piss.

Also noteworthy is you *must* register and activate in store. They're doing this to prevent unlockers but rather than say this (and its a reasonable thing to say) they come out with a lame excuse that people actually want to register in-store.

[Ascylto]

Hey! Webster!

Good to see you back, Webster, with your welcome and unbiased comments on Apple stuff. A refreshing breeze in a stuffy world.

How was it at the asylum? Was the food good?

If anyone doubts the efficacy of ECT, read Webster Phreaky's posts ... why, he nearly spells barrage correctly, just one more 'n' Webbo!

Mmmmmm ... that Kool Aid!

[Thomas]

@Webster Freaky

I think you're unlikely to find many Apple Kool Aid drinkers here. Kool Aid isn't marketed in the United Kingdom.

[Anonymous Coward]

£99 - 18 Month Contract

Free on £45 tariff. £99 on £35 tariff. Also available on Pay as you Go.

[Anonymous Coward]

O2

Aside from the Pay Monthly plans mentioned above, they also offer Pay As You Go, 269 pounds for the handset, no contract, that sounds pretty good to me!

I also happen to agree with the previous poster re cameras on phones. If you actually care about photos you will never use a phone to take it. Even the Samsung phone with AF etc or any with limited optical zoom or the likes they are all still weak compared to an entry level compact (let alone even bridge camera). I've taken the rare photo with my camera phone at tourist exhibits some times just to take the piss, and then used a real camera after that.

Also Webster is a funny one, i hadn't paid attention to that many of his posts but its always amusing have a kid with excessive hormones running rampant on a site!

[StooMonster]

O2 free upgrade site up

O2's website is up.

iPhone is now available on Pay as You Go as well as corporate accounts, but for existing iPhone customers there's "free" upgrades for the top packages assuming that one agrees to a new 18-month contract and is £99 on the more affordable tarrifs.

I've already signed up for a 3G iPhone replacement on 11 July. :)

[Anonymous Coward]

Top 11 reasons you won't buy one..

Reasons You Won't Buy an iPhone

11. Your current cell phone contract runs out in 2020 and has a $10,000 cancellation charge.

10. You're still paying off your first iPod from three years ago.

9. Strangely, you value "avoiding starvation" more than "looking cool."

8. Already named your kid Iphone and it would make things too confusing at home.

7. Refuse to purchase anything vaguely rectangular after bad experience with Fig Newtons.

6. Believed the rumor that Steve Jobs was going to lick every single one.

5. Waiting for 80's style boombox and brick phone to come back into fashion.

4. Waiting for the kPhone to be released from KDE.

3. As a child you were molested at a Mac Users Group.

2. Already have a long enough penis.

1. Never really understood the fascination with overpriced, proprietary Apple products. Plus, enjoy not being cool.

from bbspot.com

http://www.bbspot.com/News/2007/06/top-11-reasons-you-will-not-buy-an-iphone.html

[Anonymous Coward]

@Ian Ferguson

> The blurb says that your location can be found with GPS or

> triangulating using Wi-Fi spots and GSM towers; why would they

> need to do the latter if the GPS is fully-featured? Sounds a bit

> dodgy to me.

i think A-GPS is better for use in areas where their are tall buildings, eg in central london my gps satnav gets confused every so often about which road i'm on and goes a bit haywire, with A-GPS this (apparently) doesn't happen

and looking at the o2 this morning price doesn't seem to be that unreasonable with good upgrade offers (even offering p&g)

[Si]

Spot on Wonderkid...

I'm more than a little disappointed by yesterday's iPhone announcements to be honest. I was very much hoping for some more improvements beyond simply tagging on 3G and GPS; functions which are industry standard in every other "smartphone" on the market.

I was expecting a bumped up camera at the very very least. Apple are quick to big up the fact that with the 2.0 firmware and 3rd party blogging apps you'll be able to photoblog right from your phone, but there is no way 2mp is sufficient. Only in the most direct of sunlight do camera pics on the iPhone turn out with any quality, otherwise their grainy and dull and just generally poor quality. Add a flash to this and I think it would be much more appealing, any pics my mates or I take are usually on nights out; ever tried taking photos on a night out with an iPhone? Nightmare, as with any cameraphone with no flash, which is why it's bloody standard these days.

The only other "notable" "feature" on this new model aside from 3G and GPS is a non-recessed headphone jack. That's not a friggin' feature Apple, it's a correction.

No front facing camera? On a 3G phone? What?! Even if it was only a bloody VGA camera! One of the biggest initial attractions (and I say initial because it's a feature that's rightfully taken for granted in any 3G phone these days) of 3G phones was the ability to video conference on the go, how in the name of sweet sweet Jebus has this been left out? I can see no explanation for this at all other than half-assedness on Apple's part.

BUT. I think we're missing something; something which Apple will consider an important point : this is not the iPhone 2. It's the iPhone 1.5, it's what the iPhone 1 should've been off the bat.

Macworld 09 = iPhone 2, I'll bet then we'll see all the features that should've been in this newly announced model.

Will I upgrade from my current iPhone 1? Probably, but only if 02 here in the UK are gonna offer me that free upgrade. I don't mind renewing my contract, but if I have to pay a single penny extra then I'm not interested. I'm more interested in the 2.0 firmware than 3g, and I'd be more than happy to just stick with my iPhone 1 and upgrade the firmware at no extra cost.

[Si]

"Upgrade early...penalty free"?

Not if you're on the £35 PM tariff, like I am. I'll have to pay £99 if I want to upgrade.

Absolute joke.

Those on £45, a tariff £10 dearer PM than mine, get the free upgrade.

Can someone please explain the rational there?

[Mick Sheppard]

From free

Carphone Warehouse are listing the new iPhone as being available from free dependent on tariff. The only thing that stops it being sold like any other phone now is that you can't buy it SIM free, at a higher price, and select the carrier of your choice.

It also looks as though buying over the web from Apple is a no-no anywhere and buying from an Apple Store in the UK is no longer an option either. So the only place you can buy one over here is from somewhere that can sign you up to a contract.

Devil SJ 'cos he's yet to realise how the phone market works in Europe. Oh well, onto the Eurostar to get an unlocked one from Belgium.

[Shakje]

@Stuart Castle

Are you saying there wasn't already an established market for Apple products? It didn't matter what tat they pushed out they would get high sales for it and you know it.

On the other hand, this looks like a good offer, and makes it less insultingly stupid to buy an iPhone, a lot less. If it weren't for already owning an N95 8Gb I'd maybe even look at getting one, but I don't see the point shelling out for it :/

Anyway, no doubt it will do pretty well, even though the camera is still wank and the timings on it are bad. Maybe if Steve applied similar logic to other Apple products they would do better (in terms of computing market share)..?

Good product (it is really, although not as good as some would say), decentish price (a lot better than it was, although still too steep to be worth considering seriously), and 3G (we'll see how fast it is won't we?). Until it's tested I'll reserve full judgement, however, even as an MS fanboy, I'm giving Steve a halo. B+

[Ivan Headache]

@ AC

I'm at a loss as to why having a camera in my phone is any benefit for calling the police - as far as I'm aware they don't do messaging.

[Nealle Page]

Where is the 3G Blackberry?

I have used 2 Blackberries a Nokia e61 etc and believe that the BB has the Nokia licked on most features. But as a frequent traveller I believe that I would be better served by an iPhone Saves on devices to carry etc.

I laugh at the fact though that everyone takes pot shots at Apple when RIM is also behind in the 3G race my BB also only has a 2MP camera. So what. If I am travelling this is fine if I want to take nice photos I get my DSLR out.

[James Grinter]

what a lot of fuss..

.. people make about the 'locking' of the phone.

For ages in the UK (I realise it differs elsewhere) even contract phones have often only been available 'locked' to a particular network, to facilitate subsidy. A Motorola Timeport I wanted to buy back in 2000 was only available on (then) Cellnet. Specific versions of Sony Ericsson phones are often only available through one network.

.. people make about the camera.

Nearly all (a sweeping generalisation, sure) phone cameras are rubbish.

.. people make about no front-facing camera.

Have you ever used your phone for video calling? I've had a phone with front-facing camera for 3 years, and its just an annoyance when I hit the video-call option by accident.

MMS - ditto: and the phone has email, so far more flexible.

.. people are making about the GPS.

This new model has Assisted GPS - look it up.

.. tariffs.

I've not found these cheap contract deals in the UK either. Well, you can get them if you want to deal with T-Mobile's UK network. But I quite like having my phone work inside an office.

O2's deals, including the data and WiFi, seems pretty competitive to me. Even the upgrade option sounds fair (for the person on the 35 quid a month tariff - well, the person on the 45 quid tariff who gets an upgrade for free has paid £120 more over the year than you. So your £100 upgrade seems a better deal.)

But, it's a free world. You don't have to buy anything you don't want to. You don't even have to buy a new phone at all.

[Richard]

The published spec says it has "Assisted GPS"

So it has GPS with knobs-on ... go look up Assisted GPS. It uses mobile cell tower triangulation to assist the built-in GPS hardware when losing line-of-site or in trees or ... umm, cities.

The fact that this GPS works in conjunction with Google Maps is interesting ... and that does route planning and there is an open API for both Google and the iPhone and Apple are allowing developers to give away software via the iTunes "portal" and apparently without charging them (a 30% top-slice if developers charge for an app but 0% if they give it away) ... so expect a free or cheap satnav software sometime soon with automatic map updates thanks to Google Maps.

I found it interesting that in yesterdays 1 hour and 50 minute WWDC keynote only about 10 minutes was spent announcing the new iphone hardware and at least 1:30 was spent on the iphone 2.0 firmware changes, new apps and open SDK.

They have even allowed event-driven applications to act like background apps but without the security risks and battery overhead.

The linkage with dotMac / MobileMe is also very nice and will give lots of businesses "push email" without having to buy in to blackberry or even host additional blackberry servers .. just link to Exchange (yuck .. I'd rather use it against Zimbra).

It once again shows that Apple is still a software company that uses well designed (but standard) hardware to sell its software.

[Anonymous Coward]

re: Si

"Those on £45, a tariff £10 dearer PM than mine, get the free upgrade.

Can someone please explain the rational there?"

Yes. They'll pay £180 more over 18 months than you will. You'll actually end up £80 better off than someone on a £45 a month contract if you pay £100 for the upgrade.

[Richard]

New £30/month O2 tariff in the UK

O2 have revamped the monthly tariffs ... no word on the PAYG tariff yet though.

The cheapest monthly tariff is £30/month and gives 75 minutes and 125 texts included ... more than enough for me who does not like talking to people but loves unlimited mobile data 8-)

So minimum cost for a monthly contract is: £30 x 18 months + £99 for the iphone = £639 ... or £35.50 per month.

I'm a cheapskate so its still more than I want to pay (I get 1Gb data via a £10/month Three usb modem buts it lacks the iphone GUI 8-) but I will get hands-on with an iphone and then finally decide. I don't think people can slam the iphone (or any phone) without actually trying it out.

[Anonymous Coward]

More on cameras in phones

Even with the Carl Zeiss lenses in mobiles, the image quality is still half of that in Carl Zeiss in compacts. My Sonic Ericsson photos are a joke compared to even a low end compact.

Regarding police, ive managed to use a 1.3mp image before off a camera phone (when i had no camera on me) over a traffic incident, and whilst the image wont reproduce a picasso, it will keep enough detail that you could get your convinction over it.

Re iPhone i am annoyed there is only PAYG and Contract lockins, I travel, a lot, and I can't rely on a single carrier or a single countrys SIMs, so i want a phone, that i'd be willing to pay a premium for, that allows me the flexbility i need.

I would like to buy an iPhone 3G, its web browsing and media functions trump any Windows Mobile or other Mobile platforms ability by far. And I have my Nikon D300 dSLR and Canon Powershot G9 compact if i care about photos!

[Danny Traynor]

@Bryan

As above, it DOES have GPS hardware in it.

TomTom have already stated that they have their software running on an iPhone. If GoogleMaps isn't usable for point to point directions (and I can't really see why it wouldn't be) then there's a pay for option there - my guess is it'll be ready to go next month when the AppStore goes live.

[Nameless Faceless Computer User]

Wrong focus

It's not about why Apple has an amazing gizmo. It's about why the competition has been caught off-guard. Very obviously, the technology exists for all carriers and cell phone makers to offer hi-tech devices. Apple is the only one who chose to pump the money into research and development while the competition actually moved backwards.

Years ago, it was possible to purchase a phone running Linux. Rather than reduce costs and improve the features of Linux based phones, they vanished from the offering. Now, it's back to a choice between Apple or Microsoft.

[Si]

Indeed, I are dufus

^ Yeah.

In my initial grrness I was admitedly only considering the figures up until July, and not the entire contract.

Consider me humbly schooled :P.

[Alan Edwards]

Used an iPhone?

> i'm sorry, but have you actually used an iPhone?

Yes. For about 2 days, before it went back in the box. I'll put the v2 software on it when it comes out, but I have a feeling it still won't be usable.

The keyboard is useless. It's semi-usable for typing actual words as it tries to guess what you're trying to type, but for passwords and other random sequences it guesses wrong 90% of the time. I had 10 goes at getting the iPhone on my wireless LAN and it screwed the WPA keyphrase up every time. And of course you can't put the password in a text file and paste it into the prompt.

You can't use a stylus on the screen. This means you're forever zooming in and out to make buttons etc. big enough to hit.

No copy and paste. How can any phone, let alone a supposedly 'smart' phone, be taken seriously without copy/paste?

No way to send files to it.

No To-Do application. Out of the box anyway, mine has one now...

Bluetooth is seriously crippled, I'm not sure why they even bothered.

It's a shame, because the interface makes it a really nice phone to use. The mute/volume/transfer to speaker etc. screen when you're in a call is by far the best I've come across.

[Giles Jones]

A-GPS

AGPS is very good. It uses various methods to improve GPS startup time. AGPS has a bad name as some phone vendors mislabel AGPS as a method for using cell data only (triangulation).

It is in fact the use of ephemeris data which is downloaded by the device to reduce the need to search for the satellites.

Sirf III is fairly cheap these days and I would imagine Apple have gone for something like this.

[Ian Stuart]

Still not up to par

the 2Mp camera I could fogive; the video I could live without.

But no MMS? Oh, come on... it's such a simple thing!

... and as for the GPS: I've *once* had my N95 get a GPS signal, most of the time it less use than a Paris Hilton....

[Rodrigo Rollan]

@ ben Bufton

Well, I love the idea behind the Iphone, but to carry such a brick I at least expect:

Complete Bluetooth support (does Apple know that there are other profiles other than audio?)

MMS (nice try by 3rd party devs. but I like to actually send AND receive MMS. Don´t you dare say use Email. Email is slow and cannot be sent to any device)

Productivity apps (Real ones not preety , fuzzy, cuddly,nonsense ones)

Video recording

Memory Expansion (not because it lacks memory, but to be able to move data form on device to the other without the Freaking Itunes)

Otherwise, I stick to any other Smartphone, even a Wincrap Mobile one.

[Anonymous Coward]

C'mon, let's keep on whinging

'cos the more people there are whining and moaning about how crap the 3G iPhone is, the more chance of there being one in stock for me.

I've been holding out for the 3G iPhone announcement versus opting for an N95 to replace my N70. Turns out, it's not as well featured as the N95. It does appear, however, to have everything that I need from a phone. The 2MP camera's just like the N70 and that does me just fine. It will work with iTunes, unlike my N70, which is good because I like iTunes.

Now, I'm absolutely not an Apple fan-boi. But you know what, the iPhone is a NICE phone. So, once I've confirmed a few things, like how well it'll work with my hands-free kit in the car, I think I'm gonna get one.

Here's a question. How many copies of Nokia's first phone did they sell in 12 months?

[Ben Bufton]

@James Grinter

Everybody read James' post and get then get back to work!

Nice one James.

[StopthePropaganda]

Saviors and Second Comings

I hear Obama's going to endorse the iPhone!

Empty promises and flashy bits FTW.

Makes ya wonder why Apple has managed to keep brand loyalists even when they could have built the iPhone this way for this price right at first instead of screwing over their customers three times: first for the high price, then cutting it down, then releasing a "new" model with the specs that were floated about for the first model. No "new" technology here, all this was available at the first drawing board.

Apple: the masochists' brand. Abuse 'em. Humiliate 'em, and they'll worship you for it.

Paris: probably the witness of many "second comings" and likes to play bottom too.

[Anonymous Coward]

Happy o2 iPhone Customer

I finally and reluctantly gave in to the iPhone bandwagon when o2 took £100 the phone a little while ago at the same time as there was a £100 cashback available on it via Quidco. Much as I deperately didn't want to give into the hype, frankly I wanted one for pure gadget value and an effective £69 I could just about cope with.

Much as I really wanted to be the next Apple cynic, as I struggle a bit with all the crap that comes out of those with prayer mats facing Cupertino, the phone is absolutely brilliant. I've had phones with all the features that this one has but generally they are a pain in the arse to use. Even the "king of email", Blackberry can't handle HTML email which is about as much use as tits on fish for anyone who ever gets important circular emails like product updates, which I would guess a lot of people do.

The fact is, I've never used mobile email, internet or even SMS as much as I have with this one.

Add to this, the fact that I've just had a text from o2 offering (i.e. I don't have to investigate or beg) an upgrade for £99 to the iPhone 3G on 11 July.

I knew this when I got it, but the EDGE or lack of it in the UK is pretty slow for browsing and is my only real quarrel with the current model, so I will be more than happy to hand over £99 for my new iPhone, particularly as CEX are currently paying £275 cash for the old ones unlocked.

This is a great product and very fair service from both Apple & o2. If you don't like it, try the following phones which I've also had.

Nokia N95 needs constant rebooting, charging and patience of a saint.

Blackberry Pearl has a keyboard considerably more annoying than a iPhone and that trackball drives me crazy. Email is actually not that great, e.g iPhone Yahoo push is quicker that it is, no HTML.

I've also used various Windows Mobile devices etc. The fact is that the iPhone has less of the "throw it across the room factor" than anything else available.

[Anonymous Coward]

Nike Running App?

Have been a SE loyal for a long time now, but have to say that I think Apple have finally won me round with this. 16GB for £60 with a £45 contract when current £35 contract works out at at least £45 when you add in data usage. Seems alright to me!

One question I have though is if they have announced any plans to release a running application that uses the GPS? Nike+ with ability to map your route would be fantastic.

I suspect the other operators must be absolutely bricking it at the moment....!

And they decided to release it the week after my birthday - how considerate ;)

[Anonymous Coward]

@IvanHeadache

My point was that its a feature that is used by some! just because you dont use it doesn't mean it is not important and wanted.

As for you and Mrs Headache if you want to carry two devices feel free, charge two sets of batteries take two bags with you on holiday, always look like a tourist, and grow eyes in the back of your head when in a bar then feel free.

I prefer one device in my pocket.

Perhaps you ought to try a sony cybershot camera, maybe the K810 3.2Mpix it has many controllable features several shooting modes good autofocus proper flash etc.. (the K850 5MP is crippled! avoid it)

[Anonymous Coward]

New activation process?

I bet they've changed the activation process, otherwise you could get a free 8GB one on the £45 tariff, not bother activating it, Jailbreak it and stick your Voda / Tmob / orange / whatever PAYG sim in it...