Bites from the Apple, Part 1: iPhone 3GS (or 3G S) Aftermath
Much to no one's surprise (save for maybe Apple commentator Rob Enderle and stock analyst Gene Munster), new iPhone hardware was announced at the WWDC keynote with few eye-openers after the many leaks of the last few weeks. The iPhone 3GS (or is it 3G S?) delivered the goods with a higher megapixel camera (featuring auto and selective focus, as seen at right), video recording capabilities, a digital compass (which can help re-orient maps according to your heading), and a one-two combo of faster processor and more RAM for a snappier feel. They also threw in a few extra goodies, including voice controls and a voice recorder. And with the new iPhone 3.0 software, it's also got copy and paste, MMS picture messaging, and tethering for acting as a modem for your laptop (more on those last two a little later). I'm sure that all Apple fanboys/fangirls are pleased as punch, even though it didn't include a matte black backing, right?
Wrong. But hey, it wouldn't be a major Apple release party without a kerfuffle, complete with online petitions and threats of class action lawsuits.
The focus of all the angst this time around is AT&T's upgrade policy for current owners of the iPhone 3G, who won't get the subsidized price for the iPhone 3G S (or is it 3GS?) that's being offered to new customers ($199 for the 16 GB, $299 for the 32 GB) right off the bat. Current customers can get an early upgrade price break only after they've owned their first handset for about 18 months. (As an EDGEy OG iPhone owner, I'm on my way to subsidized iPhone 3GS bliss.) Now there's something to be said for going the extra mile to make the rabid hordes of tweeting/blogging Apple fans happy, as that helps avoid the flurry of online fury. But there's also some understandable business math that AT&T has to do, which is summed up neatly by The Macalope in his weekly column:
Both sides are getting it wrong. And the reason they’re getting it wrong is they’re both calling it the wrong thing. In a standard telecommunications industry shell game, AT&T fronts part of the hardware cost to Apple to make the phone look cheaper to get you in the doorDr. Macenstein makes the case that it's Apple that's really at fault with its inflated pricing, but AT&T sure isn't winning many friends with its delay in offering MMS and tethering (said to be ready later in the summer)--both of which are being offered by most of Apple's other global cell carrier partners. Should be interesting when Apple and AT&T get together to renegotiate their contract. As always, leave your thoughts in the comments--will you be upgrading? are you mad as heck about the upgrade policy? etc.--but there's a lot more to cover so let's move along...That isn't a "subsidy" by the traditional definition. It's a loan. AT&T is loaning you the money to buy an iPhone and you're signing a contract to pay it off over the next 18 months. If you decide you want out of your loan, you have to pay a buyout.
If you don't want to sign a contract, you can buy a no-commitment phone, but they start at $599 for an iPhone 3G S. See, AT&T gets its money one way or the other. Nobody's "subsidizing" anything.
Get ready for an early wake-up call on June 19, the first day that iPhone hit the stores: many Apple Stores will open at 8am while AT&T will open at 7am for customers who pre-order the 3GS. For a sneak preview, check out some of the unboxing photos of the 3GS over at MacRumors (originally posted to Engadget's Chinese site).
- If you're feeling bitter about the upgrade kerfuffle, Farhad Manjoo should help talk you down by arguing in Slate that you can live without the new iPhone 3GS since it's the App Store that's really the key element of the handset.
- If you're at all worried about AT&T, Advertising Age offers some suggestions on how it can weather the backlash
- If you've got an existing iPhone or iPhone 3G, mark June 17 on your calendar, as that's the date that the iPhone OS 3.0 gets released as a free upgrade to iPhone users.
- However, what's free for iPhone users isn't free for iPod touch users--who will have to pay $10 for the upgrade. Not all of the features built into iPhone 3.0 will transfer over to the iPod touch, but it will be able to access such new features as copy/paste, upgrades to the iTunes Store, and the landscape keyboard.
- While Apple has been rather mum about the specifics of its iPhone 3GS (I'm going with this nomenclature) specs, T-Mobile Netherlands has quantified what the "S for speed" really means--a 600 MHz processor and 256 MB of RAM (compared to a 400 MHz processor and 128 MB of RAM for the old iPhone 3G).
- Michael Jones over at TUAW has a good rundown of the new features of both the hardware (3GS) and the software (3.0 OS) that shows what functionality is found across the iPhone family and what's exclusive to the iPhone 3GS.
- This would have been something to see down at WWDC--a hyperwall of the App Store (made up of twenty 30-inch Apple Cinema Displays) showing live (well, slightly delayed) sales of 20,000 of the most popular iPhone apps (they ripple and pulse when a purchase is made).
- With turn-by-turn directions now available in the iPhone 3.0 software, Consumer Reports that major GPS companies like Tom Tom and Navigon (though no Garmin) will be jumping into the App Store with their navigation wares.
- O'Reilly's Radar blog also notes some of the location features that application developers can take advantage of, including taking advantage of Google Maps (instead of building out a mapping system), the ability better read barcodes, and geocontent sharing.
- The iPhone 3GS has an oleophobic screen coating that should help prevent smudgy fingerprints (via MacRumors).
- My pal/colleague Glenn Fleishman writes in Macworld that the iPhone 3GS includes compatibility with the next step in 3G connectivity--HSPA with 7.2 Mbps of download speed. However, AT&T won't be supporting the 7.2 speeds until later this year in select markets (it currently provides 3.6 Mbps 3G speeds).
- CNet's Webware blog contemplates whether Apple's MobileMe service is now worth the $99 annual subscription thanks to the iPhone 3.0's new Find My iPhone feature coupled with the upcoming iDisk app (for accessing content stored
- For more on the iPhone 3GS features, check out the guided tour video posted at Apple.
- And finally... I love this T-shirt design of the iPhone's Settings app exploded into individual components (seen at right; via Cult of Mac). Artist Sebastiaan de With only printed a few for special giveaway at WWDC, but I'm hoping he uploads the design to a online T-shirt repository like Cafe Press or Zazzle.
--Agen G.N. Schmitz
Gary on June 13, 2009 at 05:18 AM
So what? What's the point of all this gadgetry when we are forced to use the miserable AT&T network. I was on and loved Verizon. I hate this whole iphone & AT&T experience. As a decades-long Apple fan and user, this forced wedding to wretched AT&T is a terrible betrayal of the historical Apple customer experience. I converted my whole office (I own the business) about ten months ago to iphone, and we're all on the $150+ per month plan. I hate it, wish I'd never done it, have been patient hoping they'll fix the problems, and now am contemplating canceling everything and asking for all money back from both Apple and AT&T. We did not get, and are not getting, what we paid for. Period. It just sucks. The f***ing phone doesn't work.
Peg C. on June 13, 2009 at 05:53 AM
We both have iPhone 0G or 2G's or whatever pre-3G is. We have had a lot of issues (his won't charge properly and dies mid-call; my first one died with no warning after 8 months and took all my music and contacts with it; Apple replaced it minus all my stuff and would not give me a discounted upgrade to the 3G which was coincidentally released that same week). I'll be losing my good-paying IT job this year and we will both get rid of our iPhones and AT&T (and our 2nd home phone line and our cable TV and who knows what all else) unless we can find cheap AT&T phones/service. $160/mo. for service for the 2 of us is insane. We may succumb to pre-paid phones again. Yuck.
I loved my first iPhone and was obsessed with it - until it died. Now I don't trust it and can barely stand to use it. I'm still wedded to my iPod, though. Hubby wants a MacBook for multimedia but we are done with frilly, silly phones.
Geggyta516 on June 13, 2009 at 06:23 AM
The amount of crying and whining that is going on is amazing. No one is forcing anyone to upgrade or sign up with ATT. If you can't afford it or don't like the service, don't buy it. All carriers have localized issues with their networks and coverage. That's why they give you 30 days to test and return if it's not working out for you. With the amount of crying going on across the interverse you would thing that armed ATT henchman are coming to each house and forcing people to Upgrade!
Sean on June 13, 2009 at 06:54 AM
I'll be spending the "early upgrade" price for the 32 gig 3GS phone on June 19th.
Am I happy about it? No. I could wait until Dec to get the subsidized price but I'm not going to. The new model has enough new bells + whistles to make it worth it to me to pay for the upgrade. My old phone will then become the Ipod Touch I never bought, probably permanently attached to my home stereo ready to launch Pandora at a moments notice.
When I was drinking it was not unusual to drop $500 in strip clubs in a single weekend. Compared to that, $500 for a sweet Iphone is not a lot to spend.
Hucbald on June 13, 2009 at 07:30 AM
I'm still lovin' my original EDGE iPhone, but I'm an anti-power-user. I just like having email, Safari, an iPod, and a phone in one device. I've never even downloaded a single app for it. However, I did spend about an hour in the App Store one night. Found it impossibly difficult to sort through, didn't see anything compelling, so I just blew it off and never went back.
I'm going to upgrade to the 3GS after the initial crush dies out, but mostly because 32GB is enough to hold my entire iTunes library, so I won't have to pick and choose what music I take with me on trips. The TomTom turn-by-turn navigation app is something I'll want though, so that will be my first app. LOL!
Unkle Jac on June 13, 2009 at 08:23 AM
On the "loan subsidy" analogy-
If it truly were a loan your service plan would cost less once the "loan" were paid off- no?
and if you paid full freight on the phone do you get a cheaper plan? I think not
Will on June 13, 2009 at 09:40 AM
It's a "loan" in that they're guaranteeing the payback through the early termination fee/enforced term. If you don't have the contract, you're not obligated to anything, and they have no "guaranteed" return.
That's how the "loan" works.
Jumpin' Jellybeans on June 13, 2009 at 11:02 AM
I need new iPhone. Alright, I'm a lemming addicted to the bleeding edge.
Dennis Jon on June 13, 2009 at 11:19 AM
I left my last service provider because they thought new customers were more important than existing customers. I can leave AT&T, wil begin looking into other phones and service providers today. Why pay for new when an up-grade will do? So many today forget what competive industries actually stands for; think it is noly a slogan. Watch my money go to BlackBery! Heck if Nobama can use it it can't be that hard.
Eric B. on June 13, 2009 at 12:05 PM
AT&T is truly a crappy network, but to those of us who have nostalgia after switching from Verizon, remember how much they lock their phones down. I think a lot of the freedom we take for granted with the iPhone would not have been the same under a Verizon regime.
@Peg C.: Didn't you ever back your phone up to iTunes? If you had, all your apps, music, contacts, and settings would have been easily restored. (I've done it a number of times, for developer firmware updates -- takes about 30 minutes.)
Hassan on June 21, 2009 at 04:23 AM
We have Apple iphone 3gs 32gb for $350usd...
1)Flash player support
2)Quick back option without going to home screen while switching between apps.
3)File browsing and storing
4)Option to attach images, file etc from email app itself.
5)Multiple signature options
6)Manual rotate gesture option
7)Notes app should be more powerful word process (fonts, text size etc)
8)All Grouping of contacts for test message e.g. friend and family groups.
9)App for grouping key social networking sites(for posting universal photos, text to all social networking sites together.
10) Auto spell check in safari browser (like mozilla) when adding text in twitter, facebook leaving comments at blog etc.
11)Build in Flash in camera for night photo shot
12) Front facing camera for video Chat
13) Use cover flow for using multitasking third party apps (limit to 5 apps, not to drain the battery life)
14)Thin quick time player app to run video downloaded from web.
15)Group notification alert or not attended tasks(missed MMS, SMS, PHONE, Chat message, meeting, event etc)on single screen.
Email: tlainc@hotmail.com
Hassan on June 21, 2009 at 04:23 AM
We have Apple iphone 3gs 32gb for $350usd...
1)Flash player support
2)Quick back option without going to home screen while switching between apps.
3)File browsing and storing
4)Option to attach images, file etc from email app itself.
5)Multiple signature options
6)Manual rotate gesture option
7)Notes app should be more powerful word process (fonts, text size etc)
8)All Grouping of contacts for test message e.g. friend and family groups.
9)App for grouping key social networking sites(for posting universal photos, text to all social networking sites together.
10) Auto spell check in safari browser (like mozilla) when adding text in twitter, facebook leaving comments at blog etc.
11)Build in Flash in camera for night photo shot
12) Front facing camera for video Chat
13) Use cover flow for using multitasking third party apps (limit to 5 apps, not to drain the battery life)
14)Thin quick time player app to run video downloaded from web.
15)Group notification alert or not attended tasks(missed MMS, SMS, PHONE, Chat message, meeting, event etc)on single screen.
Email: tlainc@hotmail.com
Hassan on June 22, 2009 at 03:27 PM
We have Apple iphone 3gs 32gb for $350usd...
1)Flash player support
2)Quick back option without going to home screen while switching between apps.
3)File browsing and storing
4)Option to attach images, file etc from email app itself.
5)Multiple signature options
6)Manual rotate gesture option
7)Notes app should be more powerful word process (fonts, text size etc)
8)All Grouping of contacts for test message e.g. friend and family groups.
9)App for grouping key social networking sites(for posting universal photos, text to all social networking sites together.
10) Auto spell check in safari browser (like mozilla) when adding text in twitter, facebook leaving comments at blog etc.
11)Build in Flash in camera for night photo shot
12) Front facing camera for video Chat
13) Use cover flow for using multitasking third party apps (limit to 5 apps, not to drain the battery life)
14)Thin quick time player app to run video downloaded from web.
15)Group notification alert or not attended tasks(missed MMS, SMS, PHONE, Chat message, meeting, event etc)on single screen.
Email: tlainc@hotmail.com
nextgen on July 15, 2009 at 11:21 AM
MGI NEXT GENERATION
Email: mgi_nextgeneration@hotmail.com
Email: mgi_nextgeneration@att.net
3GS Apple iPhone (32GB)-->>$350usd
3G Apple iPhone (16GB)-->>$280usd
3G Apple iphone (8GB)-->>$250usd
Blackberry Storm 9530-->>$350usd
Blackberry Bold 9000-->>$300usd
HTC Touch Pro2-->>$440usd
HTC Touch Diamond2-->>$400usd
HTC Touch HD-->>$350usd
Nokia N97-->>$400usd
Nokia N96 (16GB)-->>$280usd
Nokia 8800 Gold Arte-->>$300usd
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic-->>$270usd
Sony Ericsson W995-->>$400usd
Sony Ericsson Idou-->>$400usd
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD-->>$400usd
Samsung Impression-->>$450usd
Samsung i900 Omnia-->>$350usd
Ben Murray on July 29, 2009 at 06:20 PM
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iPHONE 3GS 32GB.........................$250
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BLACKBERRY PEARL FLIP 8220..............$260
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SONY ERICSSON SATIO.....................$340
SONY ERICSSON AINO......................$344
SONY ERICSSON W995......................$240
SONY ERICSSON G705......................$310
SONY ERICSSON G705U.....................$200
SONY ERICSSON T700......................$210
SONY ERICSSON W902......................$300
SONY ERICSSON W595......................$233
SONY ERICSSON W302......................$210
SONY ERICSSON TM506.....................$180
LG KC780................................$300
LG VIEWTY SMART GC900...................$311
LG KP500................................$271
LG KC910 RENOIR.........................$233
LG INVISION CB630.......................$322
LG KF300................................$150
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SAMSUNG STAR............................$342
SAMSUNG JET.............................$300
SAMSUNG ETERNITY........................$299
SAMSUNG OMNIALITE B7300................$311
SAMSUNG GALAXY I7500....................$351
SAMSUNG STAR S5230......................$312
SAMSUNG JET S8000.......................$350
SAMSUNG PIXON M8800.....................$321
SAMSUNG SGH-A767 SANGRIA................$344
SAMSUNG EMPORIO ARMANI NIGHT EFFECT.....$370
SAMSUNG BEATS M3200.....................$240
SAMSUNG RUGBY SGH-A837..................$320
SAMSUNG SGH-I907 MIRAGE.................$345
SAMSUNG INNOV8 I8510....................$361
MOTOROLA NAPOLEON Q9....................$300
MOTOROLA RAZR2 V9X......................$311
MOTOROLA A810...........................$312
MOTOROLA W376G..........................$320
MOTOROLA W377G..........................$344
MOTOROLA ROKR EM25......................$322
MOTOROLA ROKR EM28......................$310
NOKIA N97...............................$310
NOKIA N86 8MP...........................$300
NOKIA N79...............................$270
NOKIA N96 3-US..........................$266
NOKIA 8800 CARBON ARTE..................$344
NOKIA 5800 XPRESSMUSIC..................$244
NOKIA N85...............................$233
NOKIA E71...............................$222
NOKIA 3610 FOLD.........................$200
NOKIA E66...............................$211
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NOKIA7510 SUPERNOVA.....................$170
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Allrn Kennedy on August 15, 2009 at 02:03 AM
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NOKIA 8800 Sapphire Arte (UNLOCKED).............$400
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NOKIA 6210 Navigator (UNLOCKED)....................$200
NOKIA N81 8GB (UNLOCKED)............................$300
NOKIA 7900 Prism (UNLOCKED).........................$250
NOKIA N76 (UNLOCKED)...................................$200
IPHONE 3GS ..........................................$230
iPHONE 16GB (UNLOCKED)...............................$300
iPHONE 8GB (UNLOCKED).................................$200
iPHONE 4GB (UNLOCKED).................................$150
MOTOROLA MING A1800 (UNLOCKED)..............$500
MOTOROLA Z9 (UNLOCKED)...............$410
MOTOROLA Z6W (UNLOCKED)............................$150
MOTOROLA SIKEKICK SLIDE (UNLOCKED).........$170
MOTOROLA KRZR K3 (UNLOCKED).....................$250
MOTOROLA Q9H (UNLOCKED)............................$300
MOTOROLA v3i gold edition (UNLOCKED)............$200usd
MOTORLA Q (UNLOCKED)................................$220usd
MOTOROLA MPX300 (UNLOCKED).....................$115usd
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SAMSUNG F110 (ULOCKED)..............................$350
SAMSUNG F480 (UNLOCKED)............................$400
SAMSUNG G810 (UNLOCKED)...........................$500
SAMSUNG F700 (UNLOCKED)...........................$450
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mobile.salestore@gmail.com