Stop hitting F5, iPhone OS 3.0 release still hours away?

You can refresh all you want but that won't make the 3.0 update for your iPhone appear any faster. In fact, you might want to give your trigger finger a rest for a few hours -- Engadget bud, Richard Lai, noted in a tweet that Apple's Singapore site says that the iPhone OS 3.0 update will release on the 18th while Apple India says the 17th, the date announced by Apple -- the difference presumably accounting for the 2.5-hour timezone offset between the two countries. That would peg an OS 3.0 release anytime between 1700 and 1930 in London or between noon and 2:30pm in New York. But don't let a little knowledge ruin your obsessive behavior, where's the fun in that?

Update: The theory is supported by reports that carrier 3 in Hong Kong sent a network-wide SMS notifying iPhone owners that OS 3.0 will be available on June 18th, 01:00 local time. That's 1pm on the 17th in New York, 6pm in London, and 1900 in central Europe.

[Via Pocket-Lint and Richard Lai]

Read -- Singapore launch
Read -- India launch

[Nick @ Jun 17th 2009 5:30AM]

I love hitting F5

[DR House @ Jun 17th 2009 5:34AM]

NOOOOOOOO

[Shinigami @ Jun 17th 2009 5:42AM]

Just wait till 20-th?

[Bobby @ Jun 17th 2009 6:16AM]

I do not understand what is point for Apple to release OS 3.0
it can be unlocked or not ?
Maybe Apple is not ready with 3.0

[skyblaze @ Jun 17th 2009 8:18AM]

what does F5 do again?

*presses F5*

o...

[Patriks7 @ Jun 17th 2009 8:25AM]

Wooooow, wait. The Apple loving writers here don't know that "F5" doesn't do shit on a Mac?

[Andy TGD @ Jun 17th 2009 8:43AM]

I like hitting all the 'F' keys together until sparks come out of the keyboard. Including the letter 'F'. Its like a "F"etish.

[JC @ Jun 17th 2009 8:45AM]

Looks like all the 3g owners will have to wait for their disappointment. I downloaded the developer release for 3g here:http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YU0RQC9C

Video and Voice Command are 3GS only and MMS doesn't work yet so the only thing you gain is a landscape keyboard, voice memo, search, & copypaste. Apple is pigeonholing everyone into upgrading to the 3GS even though the 3G is capable of all the features. The jailbreak for 3.0 can't come soon enough.

So let's all give apple a cookie for this "landmark" release that adds way over due/basic features to the iphone.

So sick of jailbreaking my iphone every release for basic features. Please save me Andoird or WebOS!!!!!

[shaunisadirty @ Jun 17th 2009 9:14AM]

I agree JC, does Apple really think they are fooling people into believing the last two versions of the iPhone, which have been marketed as the phone of the Gods, cannot do video recording and voice commands? I for one do not care enough about those two things, recording video with a crappy camera is not worth it and there is no way I am going to be talking to my phone to change music while walking down the street before I simply take it out of my pocket and change it. Not that much work. And when will asking my phone what song is playing seem to be the cool thing to do before just looking at the screen? I can't wait until I see a bunch of fucktards doing that, they'll never live it down.

The 3Gs is a complete joke. Most everything, aside from the compass and the slightly faster processor, can me accomplished on the first two phones. Who really cares about the compass and the faster processor is not that much faster. Are people really going to be walking down the street with their compass app telling them what direction they are going? Has it been that unbearable the last two years using maps without the compass? Everyday I see people whining because they are still under contract and can't get the subsidized price on the 3Gs. Save yourself some money people, the 3Gs is nothing new, upgrade your current phone to OS 3.0 and be happy with life.

[puhsitch @ Jun 17th 2009 9:42AM]

@shaunisadirty: My understanding is that the speed bump, graphics upgrade, and RAM boost have a pretty significant effect as a whole. May not mean all that much presently, but it should support more advanced software that will likely leave the older iPhones behind. I'm guessing that things like on-the-fly video editing would be a bit of a bear on the current models.

[iphonerulez @ Jun 17th 2009 9:56AM]

I must have the future of smartphones right now. F5, F5, F5, F5..... etc.

[Andy TGD @ Jun 17th 2009 10:08AM]

@iphonerulez

"future of smartphones"?

Copy and Paste is the future for you? My £29 W380i can do that.

[Ami Schreiber @ Jun 17th 2009 12:01PM]

re: Stop Hitting F5...

engadget knows their reads so well. :)

[Harkonian @ Jun 17th 2009 10:34AM]

Maybe you are not ready to comment on Engadget?

[Jason @ Jun 17th 2009 10:42AM]

@shaunisadirty : the upgraded 3MP camera (and associated video capabilities) is what has me most interested in upgrading to the 3GS from my 1st gen iPhone come January when my contract is up. That and MMS (not supported by 1st phones from what I've read), the GPS capability (but that was available in the 3G), plus being 16GB vs my current 8GB.

Overall I agree with you though on going from a 3G to a 3GS vs simply upgrading to OS 3.0.

The biggest (and only?) real benefit I can see to the Voice Control on the 3GS is giving you near hands-free control of your iPhone whilst driving. You've still got to push and hold the Home button apparently, but that's easy enough to do without needing to take your eyes off the road. It's kind of like Ford/MS's SYNC, just for your iPhone. It'd certainly make it easier to change songs vs fumbling with the device itself. I wonder if Voice Control will be integrated with the new TomTom nav app? Or even just with the standard built-in Maps app?

[G Tom @ Jun 17th 2009 10:48AM]

I use an iPhone, so I don't have an F5 key, you insensitive clod!

/you got memed, broz

[Kevin @ Jun 17th 2009 10:55AM]

Oh well I'm not in a huge rush to download it - I am not installing it until I can have it unlocked and ready to go with T-Mobile!

[Lundmark @ Jun 17th 2009 12:54PM]

@Andy TGD:

No, it can't. It can copy certain blocks of text and numbers to the clipboard, but it won't let you manually highlight sentences desktop-style. It sure took long for Apple to implement, but firstly it isn't all that important, and secondly, I don't believe there's ever been an as good implementation as this for copy/cut/paste.

[julio @ Jun 17th 2009 1:20PM]

the new iphone software is now on i just downloaded it right now

[prudyuk @ Jun 17th 2009 1:19PM]

it's here - delivered to the UK at 18:17 London time.

[David @ Jun 17th 2009 1:20PM]

it's out

[Peter Wettergreen @ Jun 17th 2009 1:36PM]

Got it. Download started at 1:15 EST. 230 megs completed download at 1:25 EST

[Dotes26 @ Jun 17th 2009 3:11PM]

Well... I got the 3.0 to download and now I'm getting itunes store timeouts when it's attempting to complete the install... great!

I might recommend waiting a day or two so Apple can get their kinks worked out of their network (again)......

ARGH!!

[Chris Chan @ Jun 17th 2009 5:31AM]

Were probally just about to launch hopfully in NZ cause were in the 18th now

[b3tard @ Jun 17th 2009 7:26AM]

Doesn't work like that. Apple release it at one set time. So say, local time in Cupertino is 09:00 on the 17th and they launch, it'll be 01:00 in Hong Kong but the 18th due to time difference.

Everyone gets it at the same time.

[erik @ Jun 17th 2009 9:10AM]

Everyone was up in arms on twitter yesterday thinking the update would be available at midnight....

[Calvin Pesh @ Jun 17th 2009 5:35AM]

oh man...lol

[PieceOfPanda @ Jun 17th 2009 5:32AM]

LOL, i'm from singapore.
BLAHHHH, I wanted to upgrade tonight.. but.
Damnit.
Ah anw, i love to hit F5 too :D

[rhcpsfan @ Jun 17th 2009 12:00PM]

F5 on my mac turns on the voice over feature for blind people. After I hit it, it screamed "STOP HITTING F5". I nearly fell out of my seat!!!

[nidx @ Jun 17th 2009 5:35AM]

I am pretty sure any geek worth their salt has been running one of the GM (gold master) builds from WWDC a few days ago - it's the exact same code that is releasing today

[Cris T @ Jun 17th 2009 5:47AM]

+1
Thats me!! =)

[cpljwlusmc @ Jun 17th 2009 6:05AM]

Are you 100% sure about that? I could see Apple making some last minute changes or fixes to the GM build and releasing that.

[Tes @ Jun 17th 2009 6:17AM]

Tried applying it to my iPod Touch 2G but kept getting an error. Followed all the instructions, put it in DFU mode...nothing.

[Bootes @ Jun 17th 2009 11:16AM]

I'm not because I wasn't willing to give up Intelliscreen.

[Michael @ Jun 17th 2009 12:13PM]

Another benefit from running the 3.0 GM...Tethering on AT&T works. I might not upgrade to the official release.

[mathewbutler @ Jun 17th 2009 5:34AM]

why apple dont just give a time for the different countries is stupid......

[enz1ey @ Jun 17th 2009 8:05AM]

For why need them to be so specific for?

[zephxiii @ Jun 17th 2009 10:52AM]

So that not everyone on the planet slams the servers the minute it becomes available, that's why.

[Mike @ Jun 17th 2009 5:37AM]

Still says 17th for the Uk...

Twitter said 6pm UK time we'd get it..

[Andy TGD @ Jun 17th 2009 8:38AM]

Yeah, same time as WWDC started. Makes perfect sense to me, it was the same time I was guessing it would be.

[M @ Jun 17th 2009 5:38AM]

the update will be released Jun 17th 1pm EST, 10am PST given that the local operator in HK has announced via network-wide sms that the update will be available Jun 18, 1am HK time (GMT+8)

now someone please announce when the jailbreak version will be available.

[weirdfishes @ Jun 17th 2009 5:37AM]

That WAS the case around 1:30AM PST, but that was when Apple changed the address. The real address has been put back in place. http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/softwareupdate.html - NOT----->>> http://www.apple.com/sg/iphone/softwareupdate/

[weirdfishes @ Jun 17th 2009 5:40AM]

They added /sg/ to both addresses

[Ethan @ Jun 17th 2009 7:38AM]

That's the Singapore address.

[Engadgeter @ Jun 17th 2009 5:38AM]

A bigger question for some of us is when will the Pwnage tool come out for 3.0. I'm over a the Dev-Team blog hitting F5, F5,F5...

[Aaron @ Jun 17th 2009 5:38AM]

Slow news day?

[bladkingz15 @ Jun 17th 2009 11:10AM]

Ok we still dong have the update available. isn't it time?

[Varche @ Jun 17th 2009 5:41AM]

Anyone tried this yet?

[TheMathMan @ Jun 17th 2009 5:41AM]

O2 UK sent a text yesterday stating it would be available Wednesday evening in the UK...

[cpljwlusmc @ Jun 17th 2009 5:41AM]

How'd you know that's what I was doing?