The new iPhone: Some pluses, some questions
Jun 16
Well, we got some of our wishes, at least. The new iPhone 3G, announced today at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, will indeed use a connection to a high-speed 3G network, one of the attributes on our top 5 wish list for the new phone, posted a few days ago. Apple chairman Steve Jobs even claimed performance would be faster than other 3G smartphones. The new phone boasts slighter thinner edges than the original, but retains a close family resemblance. (Click on the image at right for a closer look at the iPhone 3G.)
The new phone, which goes on sale on July 11 at $200 (for an 8-GB version) and $300 (for a 16-GB version) will also boast true, satellite-based GPS, another of our wish-list items, rather than the earth-based location technology of the current iPhone. (Click on image at left for a closer look at the original iPhone.)
On the other hand, the new phone will not add stereo Bluetooth capability, a feature we sought that would allow it to be used with pricey Bluetooth stereo headsets. But Apple has at least banished the old iPhone’s much-derided recessed headphone jack, which demanded use of a third-party adapter to be used with any but the headphones supplied with the phone.
Less clear is whether the remaining two items on our list will be addressed. That is whether iPhone 3G will have voice command, a feature that’s all-but-standard even on less pricey phones, or a last-number one-button redial. Neither feature was mentioned at the presentation or included in the online list of specifications for the device.
It’s also unclear whether the phone will offer the option to operate solely on the slower AT&T EDGE (2G) network used by the current iPhone. The specifications for the iPhone 3G list talk-time figures for both 3G and 2G operation. That unusual differentiation seems to raise the possibility of being able to select 2G operation to conserve battery life, instead of the phone automatically selecting 3G operation where it’s available, as is customary.
The new phone will add some other welcome features as a result of an upgrade to the iPhone’s operating system. The upgrade will also be available free to owners of the original iPhone, and for $10 to owners of the iPod Touch, the iPhone-like music player. The enhancements from the new iPhone 2.0 operating system include:
- Support for Microsoft Office. For the first time, iPhone users will be able to open and edit documents in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and more.
- Better e-mail management. This includes the ability to move, delete, or reorganize a large group of e-mails.
As usual with such announcements, much remains unclear or up in the air. Among the points we’ll be watching: What, if anything, Apple or AT&T, the exclusive iPhone carrier, may do to accommodate those who want a new iPhone and are in the middle of the mandatory two-year service commitment for an old iPhone.
—Mike Gikas