The new iPhone 3G debuts this Friday and the anticipation is building for the latest device from Apple. It is expected that long lines will form outside the Apple stores for the new iPhone 3G just as they did at the introduction of its predecessor the original iPhone.
The original Apple iPhone was a love it or hate it device - and incredibly slick and stylish handset, but one with a number of serious flaws. The replacement iPhone has been rumoured for months and finally we can see what Apple have kept very secret - the new Apple iPhone 3G. Billed as “Twice as fast. Half the price”, the iPhone certainly addresses two of the key concerns of the original - that it was expensive and slow.
iPhone 3G Benefits
iPhone 3G will retain the look and feel of the original model but will sport a much more attractive price tag of $199, half of what the original iPhone cost. This iPhone 3G uses a new cellular technology that is extremely fast over the cell network called 3G. It also has a new operating system that will allow for wireless synchronization with your email and calendars.
Apple has improved the audio on the new iPhone and the speaker is much louder for both music and for the speakerphone. But the camera on the iPhone 3G is still not impressive, with just a resolution of 2 mega pixels and it still can’t record video. For U.S. users the power adapter is now tiny and there is no longer a dock for charging, just a cable.
Apple is introducing a consumer service called Mobile Me for the new IPhone 3G and for upgraded older models. MobileMe offers functionality such as synchronized push email, calendars, photo and contact management.
There are other improvements on the new iPhone 3G such as the ability to delete multiple emails at once, set parental controls, search contacts, save photos in emails and open Microsoft PowerPoint files sent as attachments.
iPhone 3G Hidden Costs
The new iPhone 3G has two hidden costs that have surfaced in testing of the phone. The first cost being that the iPhone’s 3G battery drains much faster than the battery did on the original iPhone. Because of the demands of the 3G network, the new iPhone 3G requires a lot more power for the same functions. This problem becomes quite significant because the new iPhone 3G has a sealed battery that can’t be replaced with a spare, it has to be charged.
While the Apple iPhone 3G is certainly a much better device than the original iPhone, a lot of flaws still exist. Many of Apple’s competitors will be breathing a sigh of relief that the iPhone 3G is certainly not as good as it should be. Still, we think that it will sell well and even the hardest of cynics were impressed by the original iPhone when they get their hands on one.
Source: AssociatedContent and MobileGazette
