Oooooooooooooooooh, I reckon we have a major war shaping up here. You may well have read (since it’s all over the internet) that the 3G iPhone was finally announced yesterday, ending months of speculation about what it will be like and so on.
And here it is, in all its glory (source: Engadget Mobile)
So, what’s it like, is it any good, and do you want one? Well, there’s an easy way to describe what it’s like. It’s an iPhone. But with a 3G antenna in it, and a GPS unit, and a higher capacity battery. Other than that, it’s the same iPhone we all know and love (or loathe, depending on your viewpoint). So, it’s got the same zippy, zingy interface, the same massive screen, the same OSX operating system (with Safari web browser) and the same camera (which isn’t necessarily a good thing, as it was never that good a camera on the original).
Basically, Apple fans will love it, non-Apple fans will probably not, just as they didn’t like the first one. However, there’s one big clincher that might change a few minds:
The new price.
O2 are saying on their site that you’ll be able to get the 3G iPhone (the 8Gb model) FREE on a £45 per month (or above) tariff. Compare that with the price of the original, at about £300, and it seems Apple have learned some lessons about pricing!
So that’s the objective view, time for my opinion… and just as with the first iPhone, I wouldn’t have one of these if you paid me. If the iPhone is your idea of a great phone, then good on ya, and I say you should get one ASAP. Mobile phones are always going to be deeply personal devices, so if you want an iPhone, you get one. I wouldn’t touch it, myself, but I can understand why others want it.
But, anyway, back to my original statement; we’re seeing a major war brewing up, I reckon, because let’s face it, none of the other big names in mobile phones are going to sit back and let Apple steal their market. And now, there’s a better chance they’ll be able to do that, because cheaper price equals more sales, and the 3G iPhone has taken the brand from the exclusive sector to the top-end of the mainstream.
And that’s where it’s going to find its big battles, because that’s where mobile phones like the HTC Diamond live, not to mention the upcoming Samsung i900, and a new mystery phone from Sony Ericsson (that no-one knows anything about, but it was leaked in a product video, and it looked awesome, and the head of product development for SE said it would be out soon) as well as their X1 Xperia. But right now, its big rival is that HTC Diamond, the phone that Jillian fell in love with while I was on holiday. And it is going to be one hell of a fight, because the HTC Diamond’s truly, truly stunning, and easily outclasses the 3G iPhone technically. Whether it’ll have the legs to take on Apple’s phenomenal brand power is something else entirely, but as it is, I know which one I’d have…
As a bonus, to anyone who’s not seen it yet, here’s the advert for the new 3G iPhone. I’ll concede it’s vastly cooler than the ads for the first one. Oh, and bonus rock points if you spot who’s doing the voiceover:
Do you think the 3G iPhone will be the single best mobile phone ever? Or do you think it’s ludicrously underpowered, and is sold purely on the hype? Either way, leave us a comment and have your say!
June 10th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
3G iPhone for the win, and its free for me on my current contract.
Plus App Store will be launched along side it so should be some cool new app’s, shame that the camera didnt get an upgrade tho :o(
June 11th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I somehow KNEW you’d pop up to say hello on a post about the iPhone, Chew!
I’ll concede the 3G version’s a much more compelling phone than the first’n, but I needs a QWERTY keyboard on my phone, so that rules it out for me. Like I say, it’s down to what you prefer, it’d be a boring old world if we all liked the same thing* (platitude, platitude, etc, etc)
*Unless everyone liked the same things as me, in which case it’d be a brilliant world. Odd, but brilliant, anyway.