The 3G iPhone Shows Up --> Thoughts?

[YSSMAN]

Key Features:
Charcoal Back
Solid Metal Buttons
Same 3.5" Display
Camera
Flush Headphone Jack
Dramatically Improved Audio

3G Advantage
Showing a EDGE vs 3G comparison loading a webpage, 3G took 21 seconds. EDGE...waiting...waiting...uhh...59 seconds! Same phone, same location. 2.8X faster - and they claim loads webpages faster than Nokia N95 (33 seconds) or Treo 750 (34 seconds).

Battery Life
10 hours 2G talk time
5 hours 3G talk time
5-6 hours of high-speed browsing
24 hours of audio playback

And GPS!

And it's coming to 70 countries over the "next several months."

More Affordable
$199 for 8GB

$299 for 16GB (which also comes in white)

Coming July 11th

Full pricing and plan details here...

Is anyone else jumping on this ship now that the price has dropped? I've been holding off until it dropped to this level, but given that I've still got a contract with Sprint, I can't run away just yet. I will happily abandon the already-sinking Sprint ship if AT&T offers to buy-out my plan, but my guess is that with them subsidizing the price down to $199 on the 8GB model (all I'd need), there isn't much room for deal-making.

 

[Sage]

Well, here’s the Apple fanboy coming in to give a bit of negative news… The $200 drop is amazing (I blasphemed quite badly and loudly when I first read about it), but AT&T is raising its data plan by $10/month. This means that over the course of a 2-year contract, you’re paying an extra $240. Subtract the $200 price cut, and you’re actually paying an extra $40 (for 2 years – it only goes up from there). It’s probably worth it for the 3G alone, but don’t trick yourself into thinking that it costs less than today’s iPhone, because it doesn’t.

That said, I’m so much more excited about the SDK. The possibilities are amazing.

 

[Omnis]

Raising it's data plan by $10/month? That's terrible! Damn it. Is this raise going to be retroactive for the EDGE phone too, or just for 3G?

 

[Sage]

Looks like just for 3G (I’m getting my info from here, BTW).

Do cell phone contracts even make allowances for retroactive price raises?

 

[Thiele]

I like this mobile phone, they said on the news it's going to come out here "soon" I might get one if it comes out on Telstra.

 

[YSSMAN]

I'm really not sure... I had been considering a switch to the Samsung Instinct for my Sprint service for quite some time, but after the so-so reviews, I was pretty much sold on the Apple kool-aide. The big problem was that Sprint was requiring a $70 plan, basic, on the Instinct no matter what... Something that I was told was moved to the flat $99 plan eventually.

I had figured the iPhone would have stayed at the same $60 plan, but I was wrong. Then again... Is it coming with more texts, or no? I was thinking about that earlier, as adding an unlimited data plan and a 300 text plan brings me right to the $60 mark over here at Sprint... Similar results at AT&T.

Meh.

I'll only make the switch early if they'll buy out my contract. Otherwise, I may go to a MotoQ9c if the RAZR keeps giving me crap...

 

[V1P3R]

So... No flash, still fat and still suck with At&t. It's not and EPIC FAIL, but definitely FAIL.

Samsung Instinct FTW!

 

[Muzaffar]

So... No flash, still fat and still suck with At&t. It's not and EPIC FAIL, but definitely FAIL.

Samsung Instinct FTW!

Yeah, I thought the 3G iPhone is going to be great here in Malaysia, I guess not. I mean, even with all the technologically advancement over the old iPhone, it still doesn't fully support 3G. Where's the camera at the front? Could you even do video calls with this phone? I'll take the LG KU990 over this thing any time of the day.

 

[V1P3R]

Malaysia... Aren't you guys like 10yrs. ahead like Japan is to the crap we get in the US? Or at least have "iPhone" knock offs right?

 

[Muzaffar]

Malaysia... Aren't you guys like 10yrs. ahead like Japan is to the crap we get in the US? Or at least have "iPhone" knock offs right?

Well, we are still modern in a way. Of course, if you could afford it that is. The 3G market is pretty big here in Asia, so its no surprise these kind of phones are selling well. Unfortunately, the iPhone wasn't release in Malaysia, and most of them are either imports or were bought from overseas. But hey, at least you have something there as well right?

I also don't know if the iPhone "knock offs" are sold here either. But why iPhone when you an get LG, HTC, O2, Dopod and all those other 3G phones? There are still way better than the iPhones in terms of price, functionality and quality. The iPhone is just a show off......

 

[V1P3R]

Well, considering it's a big deal when a phone with a 2.0 camera and you find out in places like Japan has had like what 5.0 or real stand alone camera quality or a phone where you can use it as your atm card you scratch your head and ask... WTF? As for me I'd just want the damn thing to last more than a year or so. It's irritating to have to pay for new crap every 2 yrs. Another thing is having the damn thing keep good reception in typical places. WTF... it's 08. xD

All I see is companies trying to suck funds off you and in return you get a crappy service.

 

[Omnis]

Looks like just for 3G (I’m getting my info from here, BTW).

Do cell phone contracts even make allowances for retroactive price raises?

I'd hope not, but I meant a price raise for a contract renewal. If they raised the price for EDGE, I'd definitely have to sell my old phone instead of giving it to someone in my family.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the new phone and especially the new software. That Loopt App is going to be awesome. Also, Modality's and MIMvista's apps look great to me since I want to study to become a radiologist.

 

[Mark T]

$199? So considering the current exchange rate I should be able to get one for about £115, although the demand will push the price closer to £170.

 

[YSSMAN]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Vodaphone (that's the iPhone carrier in the UK, right?) was knocking the price down to £100? It seems like I can recall reading that on Gizmodo, but I really don't remember.

Which reminds me, a full AT&T internal memo on the phone has been leaked already...

I really do want the phone, but I dunno, AT&T is still full of FAIL all together. The Instinct will be a fairly decent alternative, but the problem is, I end up paying the same (well, actually more) by going that route. I'll likely make a more informed decision when my contract runs out, so nothing clear-cut for now.

 

[Jondot]

I'm waiting to see what price the contracts O2 offers are. At the moment it's £35 for a measly number of texts and minutes, so if it goes up just because 3G has appeared I'm not impressed. Particularly as their 3G coverage in the south east is so poor - I'd like to actually use it somewhere other than the middle of Tower Bridge.

 

[F1GTR]

I also don't know if the iPhone "knock offs" are sold here either. But why iPhone when you an get LG, HTC, O2, Dopod and all those other 3G phones?

User interface. I had an N95 before my iPhone, and the UI on the iPhone is miles ahead of any other phone on the market. The music playback is unrivalled with the coverflow and gapless playback. The build quality is top notch and precise. The extra features such as the camera on the N95 were rarely used by me since I carry a camera with me almost all the time, and while 3G was nice I'm having no trouble with the EDGE network.

O2 have offered the iPhone 3G for free for existing iPhone customers, providing they renew the 18-month contract... No thanks, I don't see the 3G as enough of an upgrade IMO.

 

[Azuremen]

3G is the big thing I've been waiting for. EDGE is so painfully slow it is a joke, but now with the 3G and the reduced price, I am seriously tempted to eBay my iPod touch, walk into an AT&T store and pick up an iPhone.

If just they weren't the devil and I wasn't with Verizon...

 

[YSSMAN]

Yeah, I year ya... A Sprint person called me today and I got into a small arguement over the merits of the iPhone versus the Instinct, and it was quite a lot of fun. I'm not as completely sold on the iPhone as I had originally been (after doing some research), but its still a primary goal. It all depends on when my contract ends with Sprint... That, or if they're going to give me a major discount on the phone.

I keep hearing that the Instinct is a good phone, one of the best on Sprint, and that its a reasonable iPhone alternative... But its not an iPhone, and the main level of fail comes with the browser (among other things).

Mehhhh.

...At least it isn't a LG Voyager...

 

[Azuremen]

And now I am hearing rumors that Verizon will get an EV-DO iPhone in September. Anyone have any more info on this or is it just madness going around?

 

[Omnis]

And now I am hearing rumors that Verizon will get an EV-DO iPhone in September. Anyone have any more info on this or is it just madness going around?

Most likely madness. If Jobs had something that big in store, he'd at least hint at it to drive up AAPL stock price. Especially since it didn't even move after the keynote.

 

[Solid Fro]

A 22-year old is more interested in taking photos and having them uploaded automatically to their Flickr page, not whether they can sync their phone with their e-mail account. An iPhone without a decent camera, flash, nor video recording is not acceptable.

The apps seem interesting, like the MLB score ticker and the eBay app, but it's not what I want in a social environment. I rather find salvation in Nokia's upcoming N96 rather than the iPhone 3G.

 

[Omnis]

A 22-year old is more interested in taking photos and having them uploaded automatically to their Flickr page, not whether they can sync their phone with their e-mail account. An iPhone without a decent camera, flash, nor video recording is not acceptable.

Well that's a bit of a generalization. I use e-mail, calendar, and all that stuff far more than I do the camera. A solid chunk of the iPhone demographic is 30-40 year-old professionals who look for that kind of productivity before things like camera features. That said, the camera is pretty good and flash wouldn't make enough difference in your pictures for justify the cost of including it in the phone.

Just saying.

 

[GT Pro]

The price that they've dropped to is amazing. However, I just wish a 32GB could be on sale on the release date; 16GB isjust a little too little.

 

[Famine]

Aaaah, leave it to The Daily Mash.


(some ancillary, censored, expletives on the same page)

 

[Keichi Tsuchiya]

Well, thank God for my Dad's initial reluctance at that $500 price tag, waiting has paid off. The only beef I have is the lack of a bigger size. Would it have been so hard to go 32 gigs? Maybe thats how they'll keep the iTouch and the iPhone different.

 

[Azuremen]

A 22-year old is more interested in taking photos and having them uploaded automatically to their Flickr page, not whether they can sync their phone with their e-mail account. An iPhone without a decent camera, flash, nor video recording is not acceptable.

The apps seem interesting, like the MLB score ticker and the eBay app, but it's not what I want in a social environment. I rather find salvation in Nokia's upcoming N96 rather than the iPhone 3G.

Oddly enough I'm 22 and I can tell you I care far more about the e-mail and calender management than photos. The camera is just about last on my list of things to care about with a phone, and why I am fairly content with my iPod touch. Internet everywhere is the only reason I want to upgrade to an iPhone, mostly so I can keep better track of my e-mail and other mobile web stuffs.

 

[YSSMAN]

Quite right, and I'm very sure that between Jailbreak and the new SDK development, I'm sure that there will be more than enough third-party apps to take care of your issues. Personally speaking I find the iPhone more than capable to suit my needs, but then again, I'd be buying mostly because of the internet and the fact that it does what all phones do... Make calls.

 

[Omnis]

Would it have been so hard to go 32 gigs?

32gb devices retail for the same price as the iphone. So, you'd still be looking at $500+ with that included.

 

[Solid Fro]

Well that's a bit of a generalization. I use e-mail, calendar, and all that stuff far more than I do the camera. A solid chunk of the iPhone demographic is 30-40 year-old professionals who look for that kind of productivity before things like camera features. That said, the camera is pretty good and flash wouldn't make enough difference in your pictures for justify the cost of including it in the phone.

Just saying.

Oddly enough I'm 22 and I can tell you I care far more about the e-mail and calender management than photos. The camera is just about last on my list of things to care about with a phone, and why I am fairly content with my iPod touch. Internet everywhere is the only reason I want to upgrade to an iPhone, mostly so I can keep better track of my e-mail and other mobile web stuffs.

You guys must be real hits in social situations. Hey pretty lady, I can sync my e-mail wherever I go! I must be attractive, right?

Maybe?

Kinda...?

 

[F1GTR]

You guys must be real hits in social situations. Hey pretty lady, I can sync my e-mail wherever I go! I must be attractive, right?

Maybe?

Kinda...?

You're saying that.

After finding salvation in a Nokia.

On a forum.

About a video game.

Pot, kettle, black?