3G iPhone: is June launch now inevitable?
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Mar 6th 2008 3:25PM
posted Mar 6th 2008 3:25PM
Hint: Apple's WWDC, while unannounced, is expected to begin on June 8th.
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What's an iPhone?
Ah, lovely sarcasm. :)
Anyway, I do hope the CANADIAN version comes out!
Rumors in Scandinavia, say that '3' Scandinavia (Sweden and Denmark) gets the exclusive rights to sell a 3G iPhone in these two countries.
So if the iPhone will be in Scandinavia, it is very likely it will be in Canada (probably before)
Who cares if there's 3G or not. The EDGE connection is faster than I was ever expecting, and I don't need friggin' broadband speeds 24/7. I have used nothing but iPhone EDGE internet for days while I was away with no WiFi and there is absolutely no complaint here. Furthermore, if you haven't noticed, WiFi is rolling out pretty much everywhere; at McDonald's, department stores, malls, etc.
tl;dr 3G is a NON-ISSUE, it's just Apple-hate fodder for the 2% of tech-nerds (and maybe Mariah Carey) that care about a little extra speed.
John:
Its the classic Apple argument. Its not an option but you don't really need it, so its ok. Steve says so. Steve says this Koolaid is good too. mmmmm.
Yes EDGE is pretty fast, calculations in Copenhagen say the speed is between 400-600 Kbps (much higher than 1G 3G)
But I would still prefer 7,2 Mbit speeds everywhere.
iphone is a cell phone by apple that has put windows mobile phone sales to shame on markets where both units are available
Agreed, a Canadian release with an unlimited data package. Ah crap, I just drooled on my keyboard again.
John: Have you ever even tried using a 3G phone? Compared to EDGE it is lightning fast. And it's not about whether you need the speed or not, but expanding the list of applications: 3G would allow great online content streaming and near-instant web-app loading.
@Richard Lai
I definitely wouldn't say 3G is worthless, but I wouldn't go so far as saying its "lightening fast". In fact, it really depends on the device. My Treo 700WX is so damn underpowered that page loading in pocket IE or opera mini is a few seconds SLOWER than on my iPhone for most websites. Now would a 3G iphone be potentially much faster than an Edge iphone, most likely. On regular ~300K website pages it won't make a huge difference, but I agree with you that it will enable things impossible over edge, such as decent quality video streaming, video conferencing, etc
There was a press event?
*On Topic: Yep, looks like June good buddies!*
How could you really believe anything else? We haven't even gotten to firmware v. 1.2, and they're already announcing 2.0. Sounds like it's ripe for iPhone 2.0 to me.
At which point I will give me first iPhone to my girlfriend and buy the new one on the spot.
Makes total sense.
i think were all going to be dissapointed by apple once again....sigh..
Engadget once again reporting that there is ...nothing to report. I'm rather sick of sniffing Apple's farts.
You're better off smelling Apple's farts than mine. Trust me on that one...
Why did you guys not ask about 3G during the Q&A today?
@Andrew M,
It's pointless asking Apple about unreleased product, they simple don't comment, ever.
Thomas
They specifically said they were not there to talk about hardware.
"It's pointless asking Apple about unreleased product, they simple don't comment, ever."
So why the hell are you asking us as if we know?
Sigh... anyway, I guess there really isn't much news other than this. Anybody heard any recent news on the Casio EX-F1 or that random 3 lense fisheye camera?
I hear both will get real keyboards in 2012.
There isn't a doubt in my mind that Apple will release a new phone in June. Steve said it himself by mentioning that the app store will be released with the 2.0 upgrade. 2.0 generally means a new handset.
I think he just means version 2.0 of the iPhone's OS. After all, this press event was about the iPhone thats out now, and the applications thats capable of running on the current handset.
Simply put, instead of 1.1.4, it'll be 1.2.0 (or something similar), not necessarily a new handset.
That makes sense.
No FCC filing, no iPhone. That's why they pre-announced in Jan '07 for a late June '07 release. If it were coming, we'd already have heard about it through that channel by now.
@ Tim
It's an update, not a new product.
@ Beau
If the new iPhone is a 3G iPhone, it still needs to go through FCC since it has a new 3G radio.
Informations on the iphone was great when it first came out. But my goodness, this is becoming overkilled.
it's "overkill"
just thoughted i'd mentioned that.
:)
its becoming BOTH.
Whats the big deal? its just a phone.
it's not just aPhone... it's iPhone douchbag. :)
Correct me if I am wrong, but if apple updates the iPhone's cell equipment.. then it will have to pass through the FCC again. Don't FCC filings take around 2 months to clear? They would have to submit soon in order for it to be in June.
Damn Right! FCC would have on file.
We need to enjoy what we have, let the keep development up because thats what important.
Not completely true. While Apple would have to file something, a sufficiently worded confidentiality request would block all evidence of a 3G iPhone from public viewing until a requested date has passed. This happens all the time.
Thomas
Apple will simply do what they did with the first iPhone: ask the FCC to keep the product under a veil of confidentiality
@Thomas
Ah, I was not sure if a product could be completely under wraps. I do know that Apple could request for everything to be kept from the public, but I thought that there would have to be a note on the site about it, basically a list of the filings, but everything marked confidential. Thats what usually happens, and happened with the first iPhone, everything was marked confidential until June, yet there was still a listing on the FCC website.
@ Alex
The first iPhone was not submitted to the FCC till after apple released it. Steve jobs noted this in the 07 Macworld keynote that the reason they released it before submitting it to the FCC was so the FCC did not "release it for them"
My guess is that Apple will either wait till WWDC to announce it, and have it out late summer or they will file the FCC paperwork and ask for it to be confidential until sometime in June.
In June the iPhone would have been around for close to a year and IMO minor updates in software and design should be launched together with ther new firmware.
I'll bet the world will spin off it's axis when this world changing event happens.
I think they still see some more opportunities to make money with the iPhone. Wait until it completely dries, then announce the 3G iphone.
whens this shit coming out for the touch?
same time as iPhone.
I thought this shit was supposed to come out today. Apple is an awful company. I wish there were other companies that built MP3 players. Google should make one.
There are plenty of other companies that make mp3 players. Many of which are better than Ipods. if only the Zune software didn't suck so hard, I could recommend that.
Or maybe you were being wry, in which case, carry on. =)
this "shit" did come out, or in other words the promised sdk is here but we wont be able to use the apps till june, and think it the enterprise stuff was a pretty big surprise so all in all this was a pretty good event for apple
not to say apple doesnt have its problems, they are just a company trying to get paid just like any other. Why dont macbooks have led option yet? whats the deal with no airport extreme drive back ups now that time capsule is out? I could go on but I still like os x more then windows so I am over a barrel. I think apple could make stuff more open but alas the sacrifice of using os x is you accept it is gonna work but might not be as customizable or specific as you hope. Sorry I ventured off topic there...
when is the coming out for the itouch?
Damn the iphone. Engadget used to be decent, now all there is is iPhone, MacBook, apple apple apple. Can we please just group all this together under apple 3/6/08 and then do one with tomorrows date for all the apple jibberish that will be on here tomorrow and so on... P.s. Before I get raped by fanboy, I am writing this on my itouch.
i came here to post this. i pull up engadget and there are literally 2-3 non-apple stories, and a billion about the f'n SDK. not. a. big. deal.
how about putting all this bullshit into ONE post somewhere, maybe in the advertising section or something?
Ok, first of all its an iPod Touch, not an itouch. Secondly, engadget posts about everything. I dont like it when there are a million posts about cameras that are barely different thantheir predecessors, but there are people that due. This site caters to a lot of crowds. It can't be helped if you see something that you don't care about.
If your sick of these posts, why not skip it? You say you hate these stories but you wasted your time commenting.
maybe it's so we can voice our opinions, dumb shits.
@ Stankychicken
"P.s. Before I get raped by fanboy, I am writing this on my itouch."
HAHahahahahha!!!!!
God Dammit..............I want my 3g iphone......i just want an iphone......and i dont know whether to buy now or wait til 2.0 comes out.....i mean, arent we all by wifi all the time anyway.....so wat if edge is a bit slow.........
Travis, I read this piece of info from another site, and it made sense.
"If you're patient enough to wait for a 3G iPhone, you're patient enough for Edge on the iPhone."
That said, as long as you're in a decent coverage area (I am in the S.F. Bay Area, so pretty good coverage here), Edge speeds are definitely acceptable. While it isn't blistering fast, it is fine for mobile use. I am also in WiFi coverage most of the time (work and home), so I am not restricted to Edge as much as I thought.
I told myself before buying the iPhone that I knew a new one is coming in 2008, and that I would sell my current one when the 3G one came out, then buy the new one. Now I'm not so sure. I am not tied down to a contract (ZiPhone rocks), and I really like the phone. Plus, Edge isn't as bad (in my experience) as everyone said it would be. I'd have to do a side by side and see how big the difference really is (and how the battery life will be effected) on a 3G phone before making the switch.
Do some research and make a decision for yourself.
I doubt there will even be a 3G iPhone released in 2008. Because iPhone users (like me) were put into a 2 year contract, and i might be wrong, (i dont pay my bills, my parents do, so i'm not sure) don't you have to finish the 2 year contract?
Um, 3G iPhone will *NEVER* come to pass for as long as the Apple/AT&T deal is in effect. AT&T doesn't want 3G iPhones. Look at all the stats that show a large percent of all net traffic coming from iPhones. AT&T doesn't want that tying up it's 3G network. They get to throttle iPhone traffic with a technology excuse. And I mean seriously, how many people don't buy iPhones *solely* because it isn't 3G. It may be a mitigating factor, but I doubt it is the only reason some people don't jump on board. Once the exclusivity is over, expect to see a 3G iphone. But by then, it will be a revamped iPhone 2.0 anyway, not a refresh of current hardware.
Again, 3G iPhone 1.0 ever.
@Dave:
Say what? Apple and AT&T signed a 5 year deal (2007-2012). Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure we'll see a 3G iPhone before 2012.
So the manufacturer of a handset has to hold off on new hardware until you early adopters can upgrade? Yours is one of the most asinine comments I've read on this topic so far.
Knowing Apple they may start shipping 3G cable iPhones in June but only allow them to run in Edge. Months later they will try and charge you $1.99 to activate the 3G functionality like the Wireless N chips.
I was waiting several months for a 3G iPhone, but I got tired of waiting and picked one up shortly after the 16GB was announced.
Speculation from "very reliable sources" have been saying a 3G iPhone was coming "very soon" ever since the iPhone was released. Has it been released or announced? Nope. You can find hundreds of posts from other blogs regarding a 3G iPhone announcement in September 2007 during that Apple Event, then January of this year at MacWorld, then supposedly this SDK event, and now this June's WWDC? So far, nothing.
While I truly believe a 3G iPhone is coming out later this year (as said by the ATT CEO), June could be a safe bet for the product announcement, and then a release in the Fall/Winter. FCC will surely leak it months before release, and we all know Apple would prefer to announce before its leaked.
Meanwhile, I think I'll hold on to my current iPhone until the new 3G phone is JailBroken and easily unlockable before buying one, maybe a month or two after release.
The 3G Iphone will be out before June once Apple wants the Iphone in Japan, China and India for volume purposes. These markets will not accept anything but 3G.
The question is about battery consumption. Any commnents?
3G and new Apps = first mobile phone that needs to be continuously conntected to a power supply?
I can already say that I have my iPhone conncted to a charger whenever possible. It lasts a decent amount of time for a phone, but I use it like its a laptop.
Hi, my name is Engadget...
IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE
Come on guys, I HAVE an iPhone and this is annoying to me, what about all of your readers who don't?? why break up 1 liveblog entry into 11 stories on your homepage??
you should check out the iConsolidate, it's the new black.
The same reason they blog about every camera they see at those conferences. I could care less about the new chip in the Olympus/Canon/Etc, but they cover it just the same as the iPhone.
Thank you.
bob should check out the new 'scroll to the next news story'. It's the new 'shut up and quit whining about iPhone coverage'.
Some of us waited to buy one and this news is very interesting.
(that's why)
YES! Now lets move on to other tech matters...
And "Tell me of your home world Usel"
I don't want apple to come out w/a 3G iphone...then I'll have to buy another iphone and I can't afford that :P
Apple has released new product every single week since the beginning of the year. So... ofcorse we're seeing apple news all the time. If MS or Nokia were on a roll like this.. i'm sure we'd see the same amount of coverage.
What i'm sayin it... ppl, stop ur b!tch!ng.
"If MS or Nokia were on a roll like this.. i'm sure we'd see the same amount of coverage."
Bwahahahahahahahahaahahahahaha!!!
Oh man! That's rich!! Wooooooo, you had me going for a moment.
The Engadget crew would rather put their d*cks in a grinder than give the same coverage they give Apple products to ANYONE ELSE.
youre kidding right? you should read other resources more often.
Apple would've gotten my money last year if they included all this for their first iphone. They have waited too long and pisses people off. Along came the news of Samsung, Lg, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and even the Meizu that got me to hold onto my wallet. This year the iphone is going to have some tough competition. The love for the iphone have totally warn off from me.
New love, the Xperia X1.
@Bob, you'll like this I'm sure.
http://www.whooptones.com?q=273-Steve
Whats an iPhone?
Just kidding. Hoping for other news besides Apple stuff. Slow Thursday continues.
Nice spin, I hope you get some money from Apple guys.
How much money does Engadget make via page-views for posting the obvious to anyone who has been paying attention, what say you?
Friday, June 27th @5pm seems very likely at this point.
i hope this is true. my verizon contract ends the beginning of june
knowing apple the 3g version will be avaiable only with 4and 8 gb
John: actually 3G is an issue if you're in markets that don't even have the iPhone yet....like Australia: we won't even be getting iPhone until the 3G version.
If there is a 3G iphone I would like a Camera in the front to video chat with other iphone users or Using Ichat on my mac. So that video chat with someone will be the norm. Apple can do this camera on the front and back. I don't care if the phone is thicker. I'd like a 32g drive, and stereo bluetooth ,and that would satisfy me, and oh yes not a 600 price tag. thank you apple
and a pony
A horse would go farther
Of course the 3G version will come out then. Suits won't want to be syncing their info over EDGE. They will definitely have to be using 3G.
The AT&T CEO has publicly stated there will be a 3G iPhone in 2008 so I don't understand why people are saying AT&T does not want a 3G iPhone and it will never come out.
If they were to announce a 3G iPhone, wouldn't they have to announce it months in advance since FCC filings would have to put through ahead of time? That's why they introduced the iPhone at Macworld in January since it took months for FCC approval.
@Jerod Dunn
1 SDK = 10 posts + this 1 post which serve no purpose. If 1 camera was posted about 10 times, then you would have a point.
@Bullitt
"If your sick of these posts, why not skip it? You say you hate these stories but you wasted your time commenting."
Skip to what? They haven't posted a blasted thing all day other than iPhone stuff.
@ Fred
Glad someone else understands. Look, I do not hate apple nor do I hate engadget. I just get tired of seeing so much coverage of it. It could all easily be grouped into one post instead of split up.....but then again, new posts = new traffic to the site. Kinda sad how the world works.
I'm waiting to buy an iPhone until it has 32GB and is 3G
The current iPhone can ALREADY HAVE 3G:
http://fixyourthinking.com/2008/03/iphone-sdk-wont-bring-3g-but-this-tip.html
3G + AT&T - Flash - Java = still a dealbreaker.
WWDC isn't looking like a likely release to me. They said iPhone 2.0 software is coming out in "late June". Seems to me that a 3G iPhone would likely come out at the same time. Although I suppose they could announce it at WWDC for end-of-month availability. Orrrrrr..... they might just hold off until after any wave of new purchases due to the availability of 2.0 subsides.
i dont get it, what does it mean by 3G>??
From wikipedia......
"3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Typically, they provide service at 5-10 Mb per second."
Big in places in Japan South Korea, starting to be picked up in Europe..
In comparison the EDGE does this...
"EDGE can carry data speeds up to 236.8 kbit/s for 4 timeslots (theoretical maximum is 473.6 kbit/s for 8 timeslots) in packet mode and will therefore meet the International Telecommunications Union's requirement for a 3G network, and has been accepted by the ITU as part of the IMT-2000 family of 3G standards. It also enhances the circuit data mode called HSCSD, increasing the data rate of this service."
has iPhone software V2.0 been jailbroken yet?
From http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iPhoneCenter.html:
"Data Access
In order to use data such as email, Google Maps, YouTube videos and web browsing, AT&T recommends using iPhone in a 3G or EDGE Network (coverage viewer), or from a local Wi-Fi connection."
I say I'll believe in the 3G iPhone when I see one being raised in excitement above my own head.