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Murtazin: 'Nokia Lumia 910 will arrive in May, pack 12MP camera'
Ah, Eldar Murtazin. Sometimes he's (sort of) right, sometimes he's wrong. But he managed to predict the Nokia-WinPho love-in ahead of any official announcement and that still counts for something, right? His latest missive concerns the news of the Lumia 900's likely summer-time flight across the Atlantic. While it's not going to tout the LTE radios of the American edition, Eldar's more concerned about a phone that no-one's yet heard of. Yes, the Lumia 910, which according to the thorn in Nokia's side, will land in the old country sometime in May -- ahead of the posited June launch for the Lumia 900 in the UK. Murtazin is keeping any other details close to his chest for now, aside from the tantalizing mention of a whopping 12 megapixel camera. We know that Nokia knows exactly how to craft a good cameraphone, but we're keeping this rumor firmly in the maybe-could-be-possibly camp, right next to the salt mines.
Blizzard job listing mentions 'product placement' within its next MMO
When details of Blizzard's upcoming casual MMO, code-named Titan, are incredibly scarce due to the developer's ironclad secrecy, it falls to enterprising fans to ferret out any scraps of information that may exist. One such player on the NeoGAF forums was combing through a Blizzard job posting for a Franchise Development Producer and noted an interesting line that indicated the studio could be mulling over the idea of in-game ads for its next MMO. The line in question specifies that one of the duties of the position is to "work with major consumer brands to facilitate product placement and licensing within the world of Blizzard Entertainment's next-gen MMO that enhances the gameplay experience." Whether this is a sign that we'll be seeing billboards for Skittles while we raid or that players will be able to get endorsements and decorate their outfits a la NASCAR cars is anyone's guess. It's important to note that the rest of this position entails a number of efforts to promote Blizzard's "next-gen MMO" outside of the tight-knit gaming sphere, including comics, action figures, and short movies.
Leaked Sony image: Is this the ST25i Kumquat?
What's this? If this is true, it looks like one of the jilted partners in the Sony Ericsson split is doing all it can to ruin the nice surprises planned for next month's MWC. An image has appeared at Xperia Blog that purports to be of the ST25i Kumquat, which, if you've been paying attention is the cheapest of the three phones due in April listed on the leaked roadmap from a few days ago. The design language matches the Nozomi and the Xperia S we played with at CES, but the on-screen icons are clearly bigger: pointing us in the direction of this having a cheaper display (with a worse resolution) than its brothers. Don't let that Sony Ericsson logo fool you either, the company's producing versions that bear both branding, at least for this set of releases. We're off to grab a microscope and see if we can't glean any more facts from the snap.[Thanks, Joseph]
LG X3 supposedly leaks, to challenge HTC Edge as first quad-core phone?
Your next tablet is going to rock a quad-core chip, so why not stuff that same silicon into your next phone too? Per PocketNow, that's apparently what LG has up its sleeve with the forthcoming X3. Evidently, the four-core Tegra 3 device will also tote a 1280 x 720 4.7-inch display, 16GB of storage, Ice Cream Sandwich and NFC all in a svelte 9mm package. The whispers didn't stop there, of course, indicating it'll also wield 21Mbps HSPA support coupled with 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. So will the X3 be the world's first quad-core phone, much in the vein of LG's G2X that preceded it? Or will it be beaten to the punch by HTC and Samsung? Here's to hoping we'll find out at MWC.
Netflix close to signing deals with Sony, Disney, Paramount and ITV, to debut in the UK soon? (update: pricing pegged at £5.99/month, website live)
Those with a PS3 in the United Kingdom might have gotten a sneak peek at a placeholder, but according to The Guardian, apparently its proper "early 2012" launch isn't far off. Purportedly the video streaming service is close to signing rights to content from Sony, Disney and Paramount, which'll join existing agreements with Lionsgate, Miramax and MGM. But it isn't just studios, as Channel 4 and ITV are supposedly close to joining the UK bash as-well. If everything goes to plan, most of the British Isles will be treated to an ad campaign that'll reveal all next week. Game on, Lovefilm. Update: Well, it looks like we don't have to wait until next week for all of those details after all. Some Google ads have now started appearing in searches for Netflix that peg the price at £5.99 per month (or about $9), and also confirm that the service is headed to the Wii and Xbox 360 in addition to the PS3. Unfortunately, that netflix.com/UK page isn't functional just yet. Update 2: Looks like the UK website is live for many, confirming the Google ad pricing. Check it out after the break. [Thanks, Chris, James]
The Firing Line: The pleasures and pitfalls of PlanetSide 2
My time in PlanetSide was a blur. It's also a ways back in the rear view mirror, and I've played so many MMOs in the interim that I can't even remember exactly when it was. The game originally shipped in May of 2003, and I was entrenched in Star Wars Galaxies from its June 2003 launch going forward. That would put my six week (de)tour with the Terran Republic somewhere circa 2004, maybe? I forget. The point I'm getting around to, though, is that regardless of hazy dates, PlanetSide stands out as one of those seminal MMO experiences that showcased the possibility inherent in this particular genre. The upcoming reboot, then, should be pretty spectacular and deserving of some fanboi adulation, right? Well, yes and no.
SWTOR UK sales take a dive
Just when you thought we couldn't have any more Star Wars: The Old Republic articles (because three out of 15 per day is a lot, amirite?), here's one more for your reading pleasure. MMOCrunch has sussed out what appears to be a decent-sized drop in TOR's UK sales numbers. According to Chart-Track, BioWare's new MMO fell from the number 10 spot to number 38 in its second week on the market. MMOCrunch speculates that the drop-off in post-holiday shopping is the primary culprit, and we've also yet to see a true advertising blitz like we've seen for games like RIFT and World of Warcraft. What do you think, Massively folk? Is trouble brewing in a galaxy far, far away, or is it far too early to tell?
Hyperspace Beacon: Sensing the future
I like making predictions. When it comes to Star Wars: The Old Republic, I've been spot on about several things, but I've missed the boat on some too. "Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side," Yoda warned the young Jedi Knight in Revenge of the Sith. It's a good thing I don't have anything to lose by guessing what I think will happen in the future for this game. In 2011, we saw TOR launch with astronomical numbers, and all you have to do is look at our front page to realize how much people have been talking about this game. Hopefully, the future of the game is just as bright. Thankfully, developers at BioWare have been very talkative about what's coming in the future. Let's combine what players have said with the plans developers have spoken about to predict the future of the game. After the break, I'll mix the news with my Force powers to see in the the future... the future... the future... echo... echo...
Eldar Murtazin gives RIM six months to win back customers, says Nokia is selling its soul to Microsoft
Murtazin is a guy well known for scoring handsets way ahead of even their debut showing. He also has an uncanny knack of knowing exactly what mobile companies are plotting -- sometimes. He's a guy worth listening to, especially for his often outspoken views on company failings. In his latest (lengthy) editorial, Eldar Murtazin takes umbrage with two companies that have weathered a tricky 2011; RIM and Nokia. He reckons that the BlackBerry makers have around six to eight months to convince people and the markets that there's still a future -- a worrying deadline given that we're not expecting to see its OS successor until the second half of 2012. Regardless of when these long-awaited QNX handsets do appear, Murtazin maintains that even if they arrived with the kind of OS that dreams are made of, they are unlikely to recover the ground lost in recent years -- especially on corporate handsets. However, he saves most of his ire for the Nokia-Microsoft partnership, claiming that Nokia executives have lost their ability to sensibly judge the state of the mobile world. With apparently the "most valued" engineers and developers leaving the good ship Nokia, the shuttering of Nokia's own Ovi sync services are apparently talismanic of a shift closer to Microsoft. Murtazin thinks that Nokia CEO Elop has only two aims while at the helm; to ruin the company's chances of recovering in the mobile market and increasing Microsoft's own share and influence in the same sphere. He also reckons a Microsoft buyout of Nokia is still plausible, and while we're sure you've been reading Eldar's missives with a hefty side of salt, it would make for an even more interesting 2012.
On moderating expectations for Apple's 2012
Just after the year-end retrospectives clear newsrooms, speculators begin pounding away at the forecasts for the coming year. Every year we see wide-eyed imaginings about what Apple "could" do in the coming year, and every year someone comes out with a list that sounds just as outlandish as the "too cheap to meter" claims about nuclear power from the 1950s. Time Techland's Tim Bajarin looks at "five industries Apple can disrupt in the near future," and the piece is typical of the overly-optimistic expectations people always seem to sprout this time of year. I'll skip over the first section related to TVs, because it's the only halfway-plausible section of the piece, and dive right into the "meal in a pill" musings that follow. "Imagine if Apple began working with the auto companies directly and, in extreme circumstances, was perhaps able to get a 7-inch iPad into these cars," Bajarin muses, managing in one sentence to combine speculation about an industry Apple's shown no interest in entering with speculation about a product Apple's shown no interest in building. He imagines iOS device integration with car systems that would allow for Siri-activated access to things like navigation, media, text messages -- basically all the things Siri already does, but tied into the car's display. The question for this auto integration scheme -- and a question I'll ask twice more later on -- is why Apple should bother. "People don't replace their TVs all that often" has been a major strike against speculation that Apple will produce its own TV set, and that counterargument rings even truer for cars. Apple could theoretically produce a head unit or other bit of hardware with auto integration that could be deployed across multiple auto makes and models, but the question remains: how would Apple benefit from this? Where's the money in it? The first followup question one must always ask after "Wouldn't it be cool if," is, "How much money could Apple actually make doing this?" If the answer to that second question is, "Hmm, probably not all that much, now that I think about it," then you can safely discount the possibility of Apple entering that industry. That goes double for the next industry in Time's list: wristwatches. "If Apple used the Nano to mirror some of the functionality of my iPhone in a watch format, the company could potentially redefine the role of the watch," Bajarin says. The problem is, the wristwatch's role has already been re-defined for the majority of consumers: it's been put on the same pile as the typewriter, slide rule, and floppy disk. Even people I know who are wristwatch enthusiasts have admitted that if you have any kind of cell phone you don't really need a watch. "I don't need to pull my watch out of my pocket to tell the time," you might say in defense of the wristwatch; "I don't need a bulky bit of rubber and metal attached to my wrist to tell the time," is my response. Bajarin correctly points out that some nano users have been using the latest iPod nano as a watch, but most of the reviews I've seen of the so-called "iWatch" point out that while it's technically possible to do this, it doesn't work all that well -- not even as well as a conventional watch. As for the idea of putting Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or some other connectivity between a wrist-worn nano and an iPhone, this is once again an idea that sounds good on paper but very likely sounds terrible in Apple's accounting ledgers. iPod sales have been declining for years, and the iPod touch already makes up the majority of the iPod's increasingly slim share of Apple's profits. While it certainly sounds cool, iPod-iPhone connectivity is a very niche-sounding feature in an already niche product like the iPod nano. Apple's trend over the past few years has been to shy away from heavily promoting its outlier products like the shuffle, nano, and Classic while devoting much more focus to its wide-appeal, general-purpose products like the iPhone and iPad. That's with good reason: general-purpose products have greater appeal to a greater number of consumers, and therefore Apple can make more money selling them. The intersection between "wristwatch wearer" and "iPhone owner" and "iPod nano fan" and "gee wouldn't it be great if all these things talked to each other" speculator has to be very small -- and too small for Apple to want to bother with addressing that market. Another market Apple's shown no interest in is home appliances, but that doesn't stop visions of iFridges dancing through people's heads. "If Apple applied their iOS software to appliances and married it to iCloud, they could turn pretty much any screen integrated into things like refrigerators, ovens or even cabinets into application-specific smart screens," Bajarin writes. This is another case of something that sounds cool at first, like something right out of a sci-fi movie or one of those concept videos of the "near future" that outfits like Microsoft like to crank out every decade or so. It's easy to picture a scenario where you walk into your house, say "Lights," and a Siri-powered "home assistant" turns them on for you. Or better yet, iOS-powered appliances in your home converse with the ones in your car, monitoring your location as you drive home from work, and when you're five minutes away they turn on the lights, set the A/C to 72 degrees, start the coffee pot, fire up the TV, fetch your pipe and slippers, and so forth. That's the house of the future that we've been promised for at least sixty years, and I can already hear the jaunty piano soundtrack in the accompanying concept video. What's not so easy to picture is Apple willingly involving itself with any of that. Unless it plans on branching out into building its own refrigerators, dishwashers, HVAC units and toasters, Apple's iOS definitely isn't going to show up in home appliances. You're not going to see Frigidaire running a licensed build of iOS 6 on a touchscreen refrigerator door, nor is a Kenmore dishwasher going to have iOS powering a multitouch interface where you pick your rinse cycle then knock out a quick game of Jetpack Joyride. You know why not? Because Apple's never going to license iOS to other manufacturers, period. "Never say never," the saying goes, but I'm saying it anyway. Just like with cars and watches, you have to follow the money trail to divine the level of interest Apple might have in the home appliance industry. And just like with cars and watches, I just don't see toaster ovens or thermostats as a lucrative market for Apple. Though it's nice to play around with these Jetsons-like images of a fully Apple-powered home, the reality of Apple's 2012 is going to be far more "boring" than the iCar, the iWatch, and the iHouse. Here's what you can really expect from Apple in the year to come, roughly in the order you can expect to see them: A faster iPad, possibly with a double-resolution display Faster versions of its current Macs, and maybe a 15" MacBook Air A faster iPhone iOS 6, with evolutionary improvements to iOS 5 An A5 or A6-powered high definition version of the current Apple TV -- or, far less likely, an actual Apple TV set Iterative improvements to Siri, iCloud, and iTunes services throughout the year Yawn, right? Where's the disruptive product, the wave of the future, the thing that makes us feel like Star Trek's universe has come 300 years early? If it exists at all, it's probably deep within Apple's labs, in prototype form, and a hell of a lot more exciting than anything on Bajarin's list -- or mine.
Hyperspace Beacon: Force reflection
"Always in motion is the future," Yoda reflected to Luke Skywalker in the greatest of all Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back. Even for a Jedi master, the future is unpredictable and always fluid. Likewise, I made predictions about Star Wars: The Old Republic that were completely off base and some that were spot on. Of course, the ones I got wrong were part of the BioWare plot to subvert everything I do. That's right, I'm looking at you, Georg Zoeller. This week, I'm going to borrow a phrase from the SWTOR-RP website: Force Reflection. Every weekday, these roleplayers pose a question about SWTOR, Star Wars, or some sort of roleplay trope to get you to think about how you play you character. However, I'm going to use the phrase to think back on the predictions I made in this column, specifically the first article of this year. Which ideas did I get correct? Which ideas did I get totally wrong? I can't be one hundred percent correct all the time. I have to leave room for some errors or else I'd lose my secret job as a psychic-hotline operator. Jump past the break to judge for yourself.
Analyst claims SWTOR could already have 1.5 million players
It's not exactly a secret that big things are expected of BioWare's recent entry to the MMO market, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz speculates that the game could have up to 1.5 million players already, even though the game doesn't officially launch for another day. This conclusion comes about based on the fact that EA had 140 servers running by last Saturday. If that's the population right now, we can assuredly expect that the game's official launch will see big numbers indeed. We'll just have to wait one more day to find out.
The Daily Grind: Will SWTOR succeed in Asia?
Gamers (and game executives) are fond of comparing Star Wars: The Old Republic to World of Warcraft. Forums are rife both with discussions on how TOR will (or will not) dethrone the reigning MMO subscription champ and with arguments regarding similar game mechanics. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is a prediction on whether or not SWTOR will succeed in the Asian market. We know, for example, that a huge portion of WoW's 12 million users came from the Far East, and sales suggest that Eastern gaming audiences are very different from their Western counterparts (see the ongoing popularity and profitability of games like Aion and Lineage II, which draw contemptuous sneers from American audiences -- if they notice them at all). When you compare BioWare's focus on narrative with Blizzard's focus on progression, it's very possible to see TOR falling short of WoW's Asian success. What do you think, Massively readers? Will TOR conquer the Asian MMO market? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Fable developer Lionhead seeking experienced MMO programmer
Is the world of Albion coming to an MMO near you? That's up for speculation thanks to a job advertisement on Microsoft's career board. The software giant, which owns Fable developer Lionhead Studios, is seeking a programmer "who enjoys playing MMO games and has significant experience with the workings of a massive online multiplayer environment." Further requirements include "a minimum of one shipped MMO as a network programmer." Lionhead shipped Fable III in October of 2010, and the company is rumored to be developing a "controller-based" Fable IV in 2013, according to Eurogamer. When contacted by Eurogamer, Lionhead had this to say in an official statement: "Thanks for checking in with us! We're happy to tell you all about what we're working on. Just apply, get hired, and we promise to spill our guts!"
Rumor mill: next gen Xboxes + Kinect 2 to read lips, track fingers, make unicorns real
Pinches of salt at the ready, folks. According to the latest speculation, Microsoft's sequel to the Xbox 360 will actually be two models, a pared down set-top box for casual gamers and a heftier model for the hardcore. Either way, Xbox 720 / Xbox Loop's getting paired up with a revised version of the magnificent Kinect hardware. The digital grapevine's saying that Kinect 2 will be able to read your lips, track your fingers and sense the tone of your voice to determine if you've come over all angry. It can't do that currently thanks to its USB cable, which can only transmit 16MB/s of data -- limiting the camera's resolution to 320 x 240 at 30fps. We don't know what protocol the new sensor bar will use, but we do know that either USB 3.0 (which can transmit 400 MB/s) or Intel's Thunderbolt (700MB/s) would remove such limitations. In related news, 2012's Kinect for Windows is getting a shorter USB cable for better data integrity and a refocused image sensor that will switch to "near mode" to see objects 50cm away -- which means a whole bunch of classic Kinects and Nyko Zooms are gonna wind up as a filling for a New Mexico landfill.
Fans unearth new Forsaken World patch details
If you're a Forsaken World fan, you might be interested to know that Perfect World Entertainment has announced plans for the game's next content update. According to MMO Crunch, it's unclear whether the Storms of War patch is a full-blown expansion or a smaller-scale update. Either way, there's new stuff coming. Some enterprising Forsaken World forum-dwellers have pieced together what they believe to be a feature list for the new content drop, but since Perfect World's Asian-market releases are normally months ahead of the American and European clients, none of the info has been confirmed. Highlights of the feature list include memory fruit XP buffs, town teleport abilities, tweaks to dungeon difficulty and arena PvP systems, and a lot more.
Motorola's Xoom 2 tablets pair up for a portrait, both at around 9mm thick
There's nothing like a family portrait, and the Xoom 2 brothers have paired up for this year's Christmas card shot -- or at least for an anonymous tipster's latest leak. These pictured tablets give us a better look at the rear-facing buttons we heard about last week, which appear to be a power button and a volume rocker. The smaller sibling sports the same "Fleming" moniker we saw in yesterday's images, the same 8.2-inch screen size as previously reported, and appears to be about as thick as a 9.3mm iPhone 4. Combining with This is My Next's intel, it appears that both tablets are of very similar thickness. Around back? A few stickers, again spelling out the smaller tablet's codename and outing LTE compatibility. Interestingly, our tipster tells us that both slates share the Fleming codename, along with Android 3.2 goodness and five-megapixel HD cameras on the rear, though both prototypes are also "buggy as all hell, with frequent reboots and crashes." This could mean that we're still some time away from seeing the original Xoom's successors, so for now, check out our gallery below to get an eyeful for yourself. Update: Our tipster has confirmed LTE for both devices. [Thanks, Anonymous] %Gallery-134813%
Motorola Xoom 2 evidence mounts -- new photos, rumored specs and a Media Edition?
Talk of a younger, slimmer Motorola Xoom just keeps on coming. A helpful tipster is adding fuel to the rumors of a Xoom 2 with these shots of a similar, but not exactly identical Motorola tablet. When compared to the images we saw yesterday, this unnamed Android 3.2 slate looks a tad less polished in the rear and seems to favor a portrait format, with the camera resting up top. What's more, our source says the slab appears to be smaller than what we've already seen, which could line up with a report from This Is My Next, pegging a Xoom 2 Media Edition. That device is rumored to have an 8.2-inch HD IPS display and weigh .95 pounds. It is apparently being billed as an "e-reader replacement," and comes with an onboard IR remote and subwoofer. In further Xoom 2 news, TIMN is saying the classic version will measure 9mm thick, pack a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and enable 1080p video recording. If all of that isn't enough to satisfy your Motorola-tablet craving, we've got a gallery of photos below.%Gallery-134781% [Thanks, Anon]
Is this the Motorola Xoom 2?
Who's looking sleek in angled corners? Why, it's the Motorola Xoom 2 -- at least it might be, according to Droid-Life and the folks that leaked it the above image. The outfit's informant tells them that the pictured device is flaunting micro-USB and HDMI ports, a SIM card slot and a few large, flush buttons on its back. Is it the real deal? Well, we can't say it looks much like Verizon's door-destroying tablet, or even the shy slate that we spied on Motorola Mobility's leaked website redesign -- but we wouldn't put too much stock into ambiguous renders and inconclusive advertisements anyway. There's one more image after the break for those of you that are into rear-facing cameras and "confidential" engravings.
What would a 4S mean to you?
I love my 3GS. I still use it on a daily basis as one of my primary dev units. It has a lovely PayGo SIM in it, with inexpensive data. It's an absolutely brilliant device and my love for my iPhone 4 does not diminish the 3GS's utility. I never bothered to purchase an iPhone 3G. Although I used several on contracts, it never passed the barrier of "worth buying." From several years distance, I'm even more sure that I made the right choice. (And yes, I know there are many of you out there who adore your 3G units. I'm not trying to take away from that.) The iPhone 3G was basically a first generation phone with upgrade 3G/GPS capabilities and a slightly modified case. But the iPhone 3GS? It was a completely different beast under the hood. The 3G vs the 3GS The model numbers tell it all. The first generation iPhone was the iPhone 1,1. The 3G was the iPhone 1,2. With the same processor, the same memory, etc, not much had changed -- especially if the 3G service in your area was spotty. With good 3G coverage, the usability took a huge jump forward, but for much of Denver at the time that simply wasn't a factor. Fast forward to the iPhone 3GS (aka the iPhone 2,1). Belying its visual and tactile similarity to the 3G, it was a completely different animal. With a massively improved chip, better RAM, a usable autofocus camera, improved battery life and stand-out features like Voice Control, it truly distinguished itself. The name might have been similar, the case might have been similar, but the phone was not. iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 That's why I don't care if the new phone in October will be an iPhone 4S versus an iPhone 5. Yes, I expect the form factor to mirror the iPhone 4 (which, frankly, is a great phone). The early release of cases supports that form likelihood. But I'm thinking that there's a lot Apple can get done with extra chip power and possibly more RAM, along with the same brilliant Retina display. The camera may get a boost, and I would be delighted if the capacities each got a power-up -- although I'm always thinking capacities will go up and they never really do as much as I think they will. I'm also thinking that we're going to see extra hardware features like battery bumps, additional sensors, and more. It's fruitless to speculate, however, as to what Apple will surprise you with. As for an iPhone 5, what would make me sad would be if I signed up for a 4S contract and the iPhone 5 debuted fewer than six months later. Of course, Apple could possibly introduce both at once, but I'm wondering why all the buzz, and all the early retail leaks seem to have missed the 5 unit (which we've had hints about in terms of parts and production, but little solid in the way of facts). The winning iPhone 4S scenario I'd be particularly happy if iPhone 4S sold with two key elements: multi-carrier support built-in, and sold contract-free. Admittedly, my world view is heavily influenced by the fact that I often need at least one of each unit on-hand for writing and development. At the same time, I think I could still recommend both the 3GS and the 4 as solid purchase options for anyone jumping onto the iPhone bandwagon. I'd probably recommend against going into a contract with the 3GS. I'd also recommend springing for a newer 4S over a 4 unless there were some brilliant financing at work, but a 4 remains a really great model. What tantalizes is that we have had enough rumors of a 5 with a redesigned case to be at least somewhat credible. However, the evidence for the 4S is building to inevitable with multiple sources chiming in over the last few weeks. Jump now or wait? So the question people coming to me with is this: Should I jump on the 4S or hold out for the 5? My answer is this: If you still haven't bought iPhone or are upgrading for the iPhone 3GS or earlier, grab the 4S. I bet it's going to be spectacular. For iPhone 4 owners, whose contracts are due to run out in February or later (or so my latest query tells me from AT&T), and who don't need the latest/greatest right away -- you probably can afford to wait. If you really want to wait. Of course, come October everything may change. If Apple announces must-have features that mirror the 3GS-from-3G or 4-from-3GS transition brilliance, just drop everything. Pay the fines, buy the goodies. Because Apple has delivered brilliant in the past. There's no reason to think it won't do so again.
