3G iPhone coming early next year?
By Conrad Quilty-Harper 
posted September 18th 2007 8:38AM
posted September 18th 2007 8:38AM
Steve's response to our question about the lack of 3G on the iPhone was kinda reasonable -- battery life is a major issue on current 3G chips -- but that doesn't mean the technology isn't improving rapidly. According to The Street, we could see an iPhone with a 3G capable chip by the first quarter of next year. Of course, Apple declined to comment -- they never talk about future products -- but we wouldn't be surprised if the company dumps a proper HSDPA / UMTS device onto the market around that time, and Steve Jobs did make it pretty clear that 3G battery life constraints should be lifted by "later next year," and that 2nd and 3rd gen iPhones are certainly in the works. We seriously hope they come sooner than later: EDGE + WiFi is a horrible compromise these days, what with 7.2Mbps mobile connections starting to pop up around Europe.[Thanks, Adam P.]
"And where does it say that Apple wants £1000 for the iPhone? £269 is the price tag pulled straight from the press conference/event."
I think the OP is talking about the handset price and the enforced 18 month contract. Combined, you are paying £899 minimum.
lol, the UK and most of Europe have a huge coverage HSDPA - EDGE is such old hat here also, infact so old that o2 have been installing older gen EDGE to their network - sheer madness. So why did they release the iphone in the UK? I am assuming it is because of the huge profitability of mobile networks over here - so I am not too sure why you are painting the picture of some sort of a super advanced Australia compared to Europe!??
Tony C - Well I can see who the iphone fanboi is going on your posts on this post!
I have thechoice of an N95 and an iphone - but until the iphone gets a decent camera and 3G, then sadly the iphone just isnt an option. The N95 suprisingly is larger because.. its almost a year old now, it has a large 5mp camera module, 3g chips are larger, a GPS module and an integrated 3d chip - for its ngage platform. Now maybe you will understand why an N95 is slightly larger and totally outclasses the iphone, even being so old and even if it doesnt look too great!
Don't get me wrong... I love Apple and their products, but I'm no stranger to buying what's a smarter or more affordable choice.
I cut my teeth on Apple II's and later the first Macintoshes way-back-when, but they were too expensive for me to buy. Going into the workforce, I took the IBM-PC compatible route, have been on that side of the fence for years and hadn't really owned a Mac until I finally bought a MacBook Pro last year.
Much as I enjoyed the hyper-hyped introduction of the iPhone when it was first announced, I still knew I wouldn't really get one, unless it met my needs without compromise. I don't own one. I still have a RAZR, and I'm still seriously thinking about replacing it with a RAZR2 when my contract lapses. I very much like the slim flip-phone form factor and don't really feel like want to change. Even with a gorgeous 3.5" touch screen and all its shiny features staring me in the face, it makes the device too large for me to comfortably pocket and use on a daily basis.
Um, I have been doling out BlackBerry devices for the past 8 months and I saw these SIM cards about 3 months ago. Wanna see?
3G doesn't seem worse on battery life to me, my 3G V3xx RAZR gets a little more talk time and close to double the standby time of my V3 RAZR which didn't even have EDGE let alone 3G, and my phone is always in 3G mode as there is very good 3G coverage where I live.
Engadget, I'm an Apple fan and all, but seriously: this is getting ridiculous. Not only is this non-news, it's plain stupid at that. The iPhone launches here in the UK, which had some people expecting 3G, but now that it's not here? "Uh... next year! yeah!"
And more thing, the iPhone or iTouch still does not have BT 2.0 with A2DP! Why so backward on technology?
I beg to differ with Engadget/Jobs statement about "battery life is a major issue on current 3G chips".
That's just a Lie. You can tell this lie to people not used to 3G phones, like in the US market, but you can't try to persuade people who are actually using 3G phones since more than 3 years !
Battery was a major issue with the first 3G phones, but it's not an issue anymore.
My old Nokia E61 (3G+Wifi) lasts at least 2 days hooked up to 3G network (for push email) 8 hours a day, with around 1 hour phone-calls every day.
Seems to me just like apple justifies their usual delay in lead-to-market.
Even if stuff about the battery were the truth, what makes you think that 4 months are enough ? It's not that the 3G phone born yesterday. Why 4 months would be enough for a breakthrough in a technology developed and widely used since more than 3 years ???
Wouldn't be the first time Apple lies and their fanboys believe their lies. Won't be the last too.
Well, i have one Nokia N80 and with the 3G turn Off i can get double time from the battery - guess what? the 3G is always turn Off.
I really dont need 3G, never send a MMS (dont know anyone that uses MMS) and some times i use the phone as a modem for my laptop in the Vodafone network (Portugal), 3G off, and is really fast.
I prefer a slim elegant phone to a Nokia Brick whit that stupid S.O. they call Symbian (super slow, hyper hard).
I have paid 500 euros for my Nokia N80, and after 6 months i have 2 stucked buttons, scratches and dust inside de screen. Nokia never more. (sorry for my english...)
Then blame the phone, not the network. I have seen Nokia phones with excellent battery life on 3G network.
3G works great on my ATT 8525 phone. I'm not sure what Steve Jobs is pushing onto people about battery life, as the 8525 gets longer talk time (8+ hours) than the iPhone. Not to mention the ability to copy/paste, flash support, MMS, free mp3 ringtones, open software, stereo bluetooth, and about half the price. Talk about a reality distortion field.
Depending on when it comes out I'm waiting for the Samsung SGH-F700V or I'm going to get the N95 because although it is a year old it is still one of the best smartphones on the current market.
Samsung F700 Specifications
Standard: HSDPA 1.8Mbps/UMTS, EDGE/GPRS
900/1800/1900 MHz + 2.1GHz
Camera: 5 Megapixel with Auto-Focus
Display: 262744 TFT (2.78”, 440x240)
Features: Full Touch Screen
MPEG4/H.263/H.264/Real
MP3/AAC(+)/eAAC+/Real
QWERTY Keypad
MMS/E-mail/JAVA/WAP 2.0
Bluetooth® / USB
Flash UI / Document Viewer
Full HTML Browsing
Offline Mode, BGM
Memory
MicroSD™
Size: 104 x 50 x 16.4 mm
*Drool* Now thats a sexy phone.
I wonder what Vodafone means by "for Christmas"... does that mean they come out before so you can give them as gifts or actually at Christmas.
I admit the iPhone is nice and in design and ingenuity it is maybe even better then most phones out there but the functions provided just don't match up to the high end standards of the new phones... Plus, No price reductions with higher monthly payments... Wtf?
I like buttons. When are they going to upgrade it with buttons?
Well said. Buttons rule for input. Had touchscreens on my last two phones and they're nothing but a pain.
I heard 3G in February. At least that's what the Cingular guy told me when I asked when I was going to be back and see him to buy the next version.
I'm okay with this, if it comes out between after Feb I will get it for $400. I am assuming $400 is the sweet spot for the iPhone. I am excited about this. I want a 5MP camera or at least 4MP and I want some zoom functionality to it and flash. I also want at least 16 gigs of space and I'll be moderately happy.
You have to stop comparing what the UK and Europe compared to what the US has. Regardless what is available phone wise, whining is not going to get the job done. 9 out of ten people do not need it, and this is why the US isnt moving in this direction - not with phones, equipment, carriers or twinkies.
NOW THATS A BIG TWINKIE!
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for US carriers to make 7.2Mbps mobile connections available at an affordable price.
I may or may not represent the kind of user Apple would like to attract to the iPhone; I'm a consultant by profession and hence a "small business" user.
Having had a chance to use colleagues' iPhones, I've had a chance to see what it does and what it doesn't do, especially compared to the competition. I currently use the Cingular (now AT&T) 8525, also known as the HTC Tytan, running WM6. What I like about my current phone is its processing power, supporting applications, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and the fact it support 3G. What I don't like about my current phone is:
1. There is a known problem with constant call dropping due to auto switching between 3G and slower/older networks. To resolve this, I've had to install a 3rd party application that allows me to effectively turn off 3G, in the process depriving me of one the reasons I got the phone in the first place (I can turn the 3G back on, but it makes little sense to switch just to check a quick web page or send/receive emails).
2. It's extremely clumsy to place phone calls. The onscreen dialer is too small for my fingers to use (and my fingers are hardly large), and the lack of a dedicated number pad means I need to open the phone, use the QWERTY keyboard... except in low light, because the auto-backlight doesn't come on unless you've already typed a letter/number. Let's just say that dialing is a major problem, with no easy fix in sight (I've looked for third party applications that provide a larger on-screen keypad, with no success).
3. For reasons I can't explain, it will not allow me to answer perhaps 1/3 of all incoming calls.
4. For browsing the web, the screen is still too small, and Pocket Internet Explorer (PIE) is poorly designed (massive amounts of wasted screen space) and doesn't support many web standards. Even third-party browsers leave a lot to be desired.
In contrast, what I most like about the iPhone is:
1. It's the first mobile phone I've seen in which you really can browse the web as the web. I can call up a web page and see the page much as I see it on my computer, and can go for there. FOR ME, THIS IS THE CRITICAL ADVANTAGE OF THE iPHONE COMPARED TO ANY OTHER DEVICE I'VE SEEN ON THE MARKET.
2. It's ease of use stands out, especially compared to very clunky WM operating system, even after I've installed all kinds of 3rd party apps to make the phone "easier" to use (pretty much the whole SPB suite of utilities).
Here's why I won't be purchasing the current generation iPhone, and, by implication, what Apple will need to do to get me to buy its product:
1. 3G. Others have said it, and it's true: I want mobile broadband, not mobile slowband.
2. Dedicated keyboard. Apples on-screen keyboard is impressive in its ability to figure out what I've typed, but a slide-out or otherwise attachable keyboard is a requirement for those among us who do email frequently from our phones, especially business users.
There are a number of other features that would be nice, and might be worth paying more, but the above two are the deal-makers or deal-killers for me. I hope both are addressed in a next-generation iPhone, though I'm not sanguine about the second of the two. But if someone else comes out with a phone with a larger screen (for proper web surfing), 3G, and my QWERTY keyboard, then they'll get my next phone purchase.
If anyone from Apple is reading this board, please note.