June 15, 2008
iPhone 3G Specs, Details, and Final Thoughts
The 3G iPhone will be launched on July 11th, 2008. Here are the specs:
-4.5x2.4x0.48 inches weighing in at 4.7 ounces
-8GB of flash memory in Black, 16GB versions come in white or black
-3G UMTS/HSPDA speeds. It is also compatible with GSM/EDGE in areas that don't have 3G (outside most major cities)
-Builtin GPS chip, Wifi 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth 2.0_EDR compatible
-same 2.0 megapixel cammera
-480x320 3.5 inch Multi-touch widescreen display
Differences from iPhone 1.0. It will not come with a dock. It also won't have the sleek metal back. The headphone jack will not be recessed, so you can use your normal headphones. The pricing will be $199 for 8GB with a 2 year contract and $299 for the 16GB version. Although this may look $200 cheaper than the old iPhone, you will be in fact paying $40 more over a 2 year timeframe as the 3G data plan costs $10 more per month ($10 x 24 months = $240).
It looks like other than the 3G speed upgrade (roughly 2X faster), the new iPhone isn't much improved. It uses the same processor. I was hopping for a front-facing camera with video conference over iChat as that would of been a killer app, but it looks like that wasn't meant to be. One wonders if AT&T put the kabosh on that idea as it would overload their new 3G network and possibly cut into voice revenue. The only reason I can imagine iChat isn't available yet on the iPhone is AT&T protecting its SMS texting revenue.
I can't believe we still don't have copy/paste functionality and the ability to sync a memopad/notepad notes onto the iPhone from a PC. Apple what are you thinking?
