Comments on: iPhone 3G: What We Didn’t Get (Wait-a-Thon)

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:22:16 +0000

I wanted to comment and thank the author, good stuff

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:21:23 +0000

I’m not sure it didn’t get wireless-n. I could have swore they said it did. If it didn’t, then how am I suppose to use my network a 5MHz? Bologna. I’ll have to lower my basestation settings. Pooey!

By: The iPhone 3G Giveaway Continues, As Does the Wait-a-Thon | The iPhone Blog

The iPhone 3G Giveaway Continues, As Does the Wait-a-Thon | The iPhone Blog — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:29:54 +0000

[...] post (like, you know, this one). Details and rules here. Congrats to our latest winners, Tom, Mark, and Rafael. Your Gift Cards forthcoming just as soon as we convince Apple we’re not [...]

By: Mavoz

Mavoz — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:24:13 +0000

The iPhone may well be my next phone…but am still waiting for it to catch up with my Treo 680 in terms of Bible version availability and cut and paste! (on many other fronts of course the iPhone looks great…but is it as functional as the Treo? Jury is still out for me!)

By: iPhone 2.0 Rumor: MMS Cometh? | The iPhone Blog

iPhone 2.0 Rumor: MMS Cometh? | The iPhone Blog — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:55:28 +0000

[...] from — established cross-platform file transfer standards — has been one of the top most griped about features “missing” from the original iPhone 1.x [...]

By: iPhone 2.0: Apple disappoints yet again | Techans

iPhone 2.0: Apple disappoints yet again | Techans — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 08:33:31 +0000

[...] has once again omitted features from the new iPhone which are since long standard features of other mobile handsets. Still missing [...]

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:33:52 +0000

The lack of clear GPS software offerings is still a dealbreaker for me. I'm a sales executive whose territory spans the entirety of North America - built-in GPS is a lifesaver for me. If the iPhone doesn't do it, I'll get a Bold.

I really do want an iPhone (hooray Exchange support!), and I'd like to get one on release day, but if I can't do turn-by-turn directions ON RELEASE DAY, I won't be buying an iPhone.

I've had TomTom for my Treo 700w for nearly 3 years - I paid $200 for the feature, and I've never had to pay another cent to maintain it; if the iPhone doesn't recieve some sort of non-subscription GPS turn-by-turn software, I'm done.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:07:05 +0000

Josh

The App Store is coming with Firmware 2.0. Most document editing stuff is from the 3rd party, the App Store brings 3rd party support to the iPhone. Who's to say that there won't be a 3rd party document editing/creating solution?

Copy and paste can still come as software too.

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:25:18 +0000

Good: 802.1x, multi-language input

Bad: No copy and paste, no document editing, no stereo bluetooth. Especially the first two—those are definitely needed to really make the jump from time-waster to "productivity-booster." ("Productivity-booster" in quotes because I know that even if those things were added, I'd still use the damn thing to waste time).

By: Mandy

Mandy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:27:43 +0000

I’m really dissapointed in Apple. I won’t be buying a new iPhone until they come out with something better than this. Time for them to think about the consumer.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:58:32 +0000

Seems to me Apple really missed the boat with this new phone. Apple didn’t include A2DP because they can’t get around the stupid security files they have placed on the music files they sell. Also, the only reason the phone is cheaper is because Apple allowed for AT&T to restructure the way they charge you for service. Nothing different in they price, just how you are charged. Outside of the 3G, this new phone is just a marketing campaign to help out the sales since they have tapered off.

By: jesper

jesper — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:55:41 +0000

Well, Yes Apple will be dominating the market, but a thing Apple are not good at is there consumers. lets just talk a bit about the old iPhone. thousands of costumers has been asking for copy / paste or cut / paste, but nothing happens. Even the new iPhone will not be able to do this. Why ? I personally have no idea, why they do not make this. It is a vital tool for any that has to communicate with a lot of people, and not share all the info. I have had the iPhone from when it came out and I’m still using it, many would say, ” if you are not happy with it, get another phone “, but it is not that simple. Cause the phone is good and I love the mail ( it just doesn’t support spam, so all your spam will go to your inbox, if the server you use is not a special kind ) and web browser. those things are great. Why did the the iPhone not go well in europe. Well Europe is light years in front of USA, so it is easy to please US. To sell in Europe and Asia you need to have a “super phone” and to be honest the old iPhone was nothing close to that. The new iPhone, will still have a hard time cause the technology is still old. 3G has been around in Asia and Europe for at-least 7 years. Europe was doing video calls on cell phones 6 years ago. Why do we not get that. why is there still no video camera function ? Apple is great at hyping products and to make them work so well, you just need to have MOBILE ME. Apple is perhaps just for me a bit to “smart”. So conclusion on my long comment is that I do think Apple will sell a lot, but I hope that Apple will start getting up to the beat of the consumers and LISTEN to them, cause they don’t

By: traken

traken — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:46:01 +0000

If they do come out with a “power user” version, I wonder how that would affect the price on this version. Maybe push it down a little bit more? Might be interesting to watch.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:10:53 +0000

Got to say that not having a 32Gig phone was the deal breaker for me. They addressed the price for entry users, but forgot about the power user who would pay more.

Also, what is with the July 11th date. Apple has to know that the only way to make money is to sell sell sell.... not wait wait wait.

I feel that in September another phone will be released with more memory and a few extras. I'm not going to buy the phone until then.

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:05:45 +0000

"A2DP Bluetooth – Yikes. The world is going wireless and Apple is left behind. The iPhone is the best music player on the market, you would think they would have included support." This was perfectly stated!

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:08:53 +0000

I am sorry that seeing things for what they are represents a foolish love of Apple and Steve Jobs to you. You should work on that.

For the record, you are not tied to the phone for 2 years, just the contract. If you buy this one and a new one comes out in 6 months, you have every right to go buy it and use it. Yes, yes, you do. No, don't argue. You can do it.

By incremental increase, I mean large redesigns and new hardware editions on a bi-annual basis, not every couple of months. The every couple of month improvements are software and come to EVERYONE.

I don't work for Apple, and I didn't berate anyone. I am just tired of whiny complaints about the most asinine and trivial things. Don't like my views? Don't read them.

By the way, did I mention that you aren't locked to the device for 2 years? Just the contract...

By: whydidnt

whydidnt — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:06:29 +0000

Tom, Please go back to your cube that sits outside Steve's office. We get the point. You love the new iPhone, it's awesome and fits with Apple's past and present strategy. Just because this is how Apple choses to deliver a product doesn't mean that the rest of us have to just accept that as the best. We still have the right to ask for more, and yes, even complain if we see missed opportunities.

For the record, I'm one of THOSE that didn't buy the 1st Gen because of missing features, in particular 3G access. I'm also not going to buy this one, so I guess Steve's strategy back-fired. Still too many holes in the platform in my opinion. Now if this had been released in a 32GB model and included A2DP support, and a better camera I probably would have bought now. However, ATT is going to lock us into this purchase for 2 full years. If I buy now and the phone I want is released in 6 mos. I'm screwed. It seems Apple's strategy of incremental upgrades doesn't necessarily fit with ATT's plan to handcuff us to our devices for 2 years so they can make back their subsidy. Because of this, I'm out. Once again, Apple has missed an opportunity to sell me a phone. Who knows maybe by version 3, in another 12-18 months things will change. Of course by then WM7 will be out and hopefully one of the brain-dead partners of MS will step to the plate with a more compelling solution that doesn't lock me to a platform and carrier forever.

Finally, is there some strange reason, other than your employment at Apple, that you feel compelled to berate people that have a different opinion than you?

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:36:37 +0000

One LAST thing. I can't believe how upset many of you get over not having video recording. Ignoring that it could come before July 11th, just like last year's YouTube surprise, it will shoot piss poor resolution video. What is the draw of shooting half-VGA or lower quality video? What can you do with it? Load it on YouTube so nobody watches it because it is stupid and nobody else cares about your dog, or cat, or attempts at being funny?

Move it to your computer so you can watch it in tiny format, lest you destroy any viewable quality it had? Keep it on the phone forever so only you, and those close to you, can watch it?

I just don't understand the draw of this. I would rather take 100 still frames with my 2.0 megapixel iPhone camera of my 8 month old son than I would 25 seconds of craptastic half-VGA video....

Speaking of video. Even some phones that have this, still can't use. Remember the HTC Kaiser I mentioned above? Yeah, go try and shoot any sort of motion video with its camera and see how great it is to have....

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:28:32 +0000

Why can't you people realize this wasn't not supposed to be the second coming of Christ? It was never supposed to be a complete overhaul. This was not the iPhone that was supposed to make all original purchasers upgrade.

This was an UPDATE, not a complete REDESIGN.

Do any of you even know Apple's history with how they work? The 16 gig iPhone wasn't their typical second coming of slight improvement. The 16 gig iPhone was just a bone being thrown out to keep 2 models on the market.

THIS is the slight upgrade release. THIS is the one to attract the NEW customers that didn't buy the first one.

The 3rd generation will be the serious improvement. Just like always.

One last thing. Apple is not a company that likes to release all upgrades at once. I have said it once already in this comment section, but I am saying it again. Apple likes slow, methodical releases to keep people's interest. Even if they have video recording, MMS, cut and paste, and a couple other things ready to go, they aren't going to give it to you at the same time as the 3G/GPS and Firmware 2.0 improvements.

No, they wait. They will release it in firmware 2.1, or 2.2 to make the device fresh again. To renew your love for it. To KEEP you STICKING AROUND while you wait for the next batch of improvements.

The iPhone has so many strengths and you all ignore them because of no MMS. The iPhone is the most powerful development platform in mobile device in history, and you overlook it because of no document editing. The iPhone now has an App Store to bring 3rd party apps, and you ignore the fact that Docs to Go could very likely show up, adding document editing. Some of you still complain about the lack of an IM client when it is obvious there will be numerous in September.

The camera sucks... It is a 2 megapixel shooter, just like that oh so powerful BlackBerry Bold so many of you keep thinking about getting instead. While you are over there though, enjoy the antiquated OS that is rapidly approaching Palm like levels of staleness. Flash? You think that LED flash "thing" on the Bold, or the Curve is a real flash? You can't be serious, or you have never actually used it. You know, there are still phones coming out with 1.3 megapixel cameras. Yeah, would you prefer that?

No zoom? Big freaking deal. Digital zoom is the ugliest thing ever anyway. It is the quickest way to watch your photos go from nice to just plain awful. Back to the BlackBerry Bold and the Curve... If you zoom on either, since they both have the same camera, it destroys the picture. I know because I own a Curve, and I have to either get close enough in person, or pass on the picture. The zoom is awful. Yet you people complain about not having this?

The HTC Kaiser/8925/Tilt has a 3.0 megapixel camera with no flash. It is so slow that it is absolutely useless for all but still shots. Why do most of us use our cell camera? Yeah, a quick pic of the cat, the kid, the dog, something funny on the street, etc. We generally aren't doing masterpiece quality still imaging. The iPhone camera runs circles around this other camera simply because it is faster. Higher megapixel isn't automatically better if the software sucks. Yeah, the iPhone camera software isn't perfect, but it could be so much worse.

Waaaa, waaaa, the $30 data plan. Again, big deal. At&t charges $30 a month for data for EVERY OTHER SMARTPHONE AND PDA THEY HAVE in their lineup, whether you live in a 3G area or not. 3G At&t Tilt and you live in an EDGE only area? You still have to get the same, 3G capable PDA data plan for $30 a month. EDGE BlackBerry, you still have to pay $30 a month for the BlackBerry data plan (which may very well jump to $40 when the Bold is released due to the nature of it and the Bold being 3G. Yeah, but the Bold is a better choice, right?) The point is, there is no reason for the 3G iPhone not to be moved out of the MEdiaNet data pricing and into the 3G PDA/Smartphone data pricing. It is a 3G capable PDA after all.... Guess what though, you still have the option of KEEPING YOUR ORIGINAL IPHONE AND STILL PAYING $20!

Cry more, all of you. Continue to overlook the good for the small list of bad. Continue to only be willing to settle for the perfect device that will NEVER come, especially from string along Apple.

I can't believe how many of you missed the concept of this launch. I can't believe how many of you don't realize this was to attract the people that passed on iPhone 1.0 while at the same time getting some people to upgrade. If Steve Jobs released a 2.0 iPhone that absolutely obliterated the 1.0 model in 1 years time, he would have a riot of 1.0 owners beating down his door. If he did it in 2 years time, it would be more reasonable for the upgraders. Apparently the mass majority of you are too stupid to comprehend this though.

Please, flame me and continue acting like whiny children when Mommy said no, you can't have that toy...

By: thekevinmonster

thekevinmonster — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:47:13 +0000

@galley: ‘cut and paste’ is just slang I guess. Maybe it comes from the days when you would cut and paste things to photocopy/lithograph them? You couldn’t really ‘copy’ the way you can copy text, so you cut and pasted. now you can copy and paste, but people just say cut and paste. What people really want is copy and paste

By: kevin

kevin — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:45:39 +0000

The more I think about the iPhone, the less attractive it is becoming. Aside from the cheap price, AT&T did raise their price plan, so in the end, nothing has really changed. The GPS feature is great, but it doesn’t do turn by turn (well maybe it does, I don’t know). As for 3G, I rarely use the internet, and the wait time on the EDGE email download is not bad, it doesnt bother me. Essentially this is a refresh not a new product.

By: thekevinmonster

thekevinmonster — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:45:10 +0000

for all the copy and paste people (I'm one of them).... how would you implement it? (keep in mind that the iphone has no 'menu' system like Symbian/WM/Palm or context menus like WM)

I know there's some weird multitap 'proof of concept' (more like 'I have a video editor') floating on the internet, but really.. how would you do it? How would you select the text, and allow the user to move the text caret around, and allow the user to bring up a menu to choose to copy the text?

Would you fly out a menu? Would that menu work in every single text box in every single third party application? Would you use a gesture? How would you control how many characters selected if you just flicked quickly to indicate 'I wanna select this!'?

By: mrlang

mrlang — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:55:47 +0000

The cut and paste thing is killing me. Come on folks… that’s SO basic!! It’s obvious Apple is TRYING to keep that stuff out of the app. Someone please explain to me WHY!

By: Galley

Galley — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:17:10 +0000

Where’s the love for a “Copy” function? It’s always cut and paste, cut and paste. I had a tracking number in an e-mail from Apple that I wanted to look up, but Mail thought it was a phone number since it had 10 digits.

By: Alejandro

Alejandro — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:15:04 +0000

The only thing that I didn’t like was they didn’t roll out the App Store right there

By: NPR_aficionado

NPR_aficionado — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:40:43 +0000

I think Apple missed a big WOW improvement to make it worth while to pay up more money per month for the plan. I realize that the price point on the actual phone is much lower, but for people like me who keep phones for a good bit of time, the more expensive plan will add up to way more than I am saving on the pone. Without that WOW upgrade I will probably be looking to stay with Sprint on their much cheaper plans and upgrade to a Treo 800 or the like. WM has many third party apps available already, you don’t need to sit around and wonder what will come out and what will not.

By: Ad

Ad — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:32:51 +0000

I don’t have an iPhone, but I’m surprised they haven’t added a feature to rotate the keyboard into landscape mode to get much larger keys.

By: Sean310

Sean310 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:21:02 +0000

i am completely speechless.

By: Franz

Franz — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:09:48 +0000

I think my original concerns about missing features may be unwarranted: 1. No cut and paste – I bet they will add this in a future software update. They really need to. 2. No video recording – In retrospect I don’t even really use the camera on my phone. I have a real camera for that. I don’t think the iPhone will ever replace an 8MP camera with 10X optical zoom. 3. No document editing – That will probably come when cut and past does. 4. No 32GB storage capacity – I bet we see that as an update around MacWorld or maybe even Christmas to keep the sales numbers rolling in. 5. No voice dialing – This one, I still think it is necessary and ideally Apple would have it built in for optimal performance. If not, I’m sure a third party will do it soon. 6. No A2DP – After further research, I have concerns about the audio quality of A2DP. Kleer seems to be a superior technology, but there are not any affordable headsets for it yet. I don’t use MP3s, ALAC only with good headphones. I’ll stay wired for now. I’m excited to hear there is a dramatic improvement in audio quality. 7. The $10 increase in the data plan on AT&T – Considering most of us replace our phone every two years, the $200 discount up front makes this basically a wash.

The biggest remaining problem I see is AT&T’s network. Their 3G is still slower than EVDO and the availability is very limited to urban areas.

I’d really like to see more about the MobileMe and VPN. What I’d really like is “Back to my Mac” or even “Go to my PC”. I like the file access through the cloud server, but if I forgot to put my file in the right folder for the cloud syncing, I screwed. Without this, I’ll still need to jailbreak to use ssh/sftp.

I totally agree there needs to be a LED that will notify you of a voicemail, email or text. At the very least there should be a flag on the start screen before having to unlock every time.

I still want wireless N rather than just B/G. The speed increase would make this more of an ultra portable laptop replacement for everyday use.

By: Tay

Tay — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:05:59 +0000

yeah im upset that they didnt add MMS or atleast something that redirects your messages so that you can see and send them just to the persons #. Copy & Paste is another thing to that they really should have add…oh and a better Camera would have been so nice cause the pic quality is so poor if you dont have good light. All in all they really didnt do anything that is really worth the hype! Will upgrage to the 16gb though lol

By: thomas SSSSS

thomas SSSSS — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:27:34 +0000

i wasn’t really expecting an over haul in design because apple has stuck with the click-wheel on the ipods until the ipod touch. i think the 8 things apple should have added are: 1) video calling 2)customizable alarms including voice record 3)a rectangle home button so the screen could be bigger 4)zoom camera function 5)the same funny photo booth software used on macs 6)a themer and a customizable backround 7)ability to comment on youtube 8)video recording apple is an amazing company, the next iphone should be even better!!!

By: morituri

morituri — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:27:17 +0000

I agree on the cut & paste, but the biggest one would be the lack of a removable battery. I’m guessing some of the current external battery packs for the iPhone would not work due to the change in form factor.

By: Robin

Robin — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:43:00 +0000

I was really excited about the new iPhone up to now. After reading about AT&T changing their plans and not seeing much difference between the old and new phones and especially the issues that I have read from users from the old one not being addressed (at least at first glance) I think I will wait and see what the specs are at release and compare then.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:49:47 +0000

I have lost all faith in intelligent society…

By: Franz

Franz — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:26:36 +0000

I think a few concerns I had originally really aren’t well justified. 1. No cut and paste – I bet it’s coming with a software update – It is needed. 2. No video recording – I’d probably not use it anyways – I barely use a camera phone. I have a real camera for that. 3. No document editing – I bet that will come in time with cut and paste. It should. 4. 32GB storage capacity – I’d bet on a MacWorld or even Christmas timed update to 16GB and 32GB. 5. No native voice dial – I’d bet this comes later as well. It really should be there to be competitive. I’m sure a third party will do it, but I’d like Apple to do it for quality of experience. 6. No A2DP – After reading up on A2DP, I’m not sure if I want to lose the audio quality. From what I understand their headsets and accessories for A2DP are not audiophile quality. Kleer looks to be a superior technology, but there are no affordable headsets available yet. I’ll stay wired for now. 7. The $10 data plan increase – Since most of us replace our phones every two years, with the $200 discount, it basically is a very modest increase.

I suspect the biggest disappointment will still be AT&T’s network since their 3G is not as fast as EVDO and is only available in major urban areas.

I agree there needs to be a flashing LED or at lease a flag on the start screen before unlocking when a voicemail, email, calendar alarm, etc. is waiting for you. LED would be preferable. The biggest thing I still want to see is “Back to my Mac” or “Go to my PC” for the iPhone. I thought it was odd this was not discussed in the context of the “MobileMe” update. The VPN client will be interesting to see in action.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:36:04 +0000

Since I sold my iPhone on Saturday, I was really hoping for a great reason to upgrade, and the sooner the better. I would have loved to see all of those improvements listed in this article, but none? It seems like this is iPhone 1.5 rather than 2.0. I guess I’ll buy one, especially since I keep reaching for the Internet in my pocket, but only find some cheap phone that I could unlock and use until the new iPhone comes out.

By: neolite

neolite — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:58:39 +0000

I'm not sure why people want cut/paste so badly, it's not really that useful in my opinion. The image saving is good however, I have wanted that feature before while browsing and emailing.

The release date is the real bummer, I was hoping to get a new phone before my vacation time.

By: David

David — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:58:15 +0000

No voice dial is a disappointment to me. I use it all the time on my BB.

By: FJR

FJR — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:42:41 +0000

Like another poster said, the thing people are missing here is that the new phone isn't SUPPOSED to be that big of a change. The original iPhone was marketed as a device where 90% of the upgrading would be downloadable. Apple just wasn't out to totally change the game again in less than a year. This was not a redesign, it was essentially a data speed upgrade, with a couple other small changes (more storage space and GPS).

This isn't designed to get 1.0ers to upgrade (but I'm sure they'll be happy if you do), its designed to get people to convert to iPhone from other devices.

I'm not going to be upgrading, unless my girlfriend wants to buy me an extravagant christmas present. I don't really do much that needs 3G. GPS is cool and all, but cellphone tower triangulation has been good enough for anything I've ever tried to do with it.

To me, the big deal is the 2.0 software upgrade and the app store. I think we're all seriously underplaying how big the app store is going to be. Sure we now have jailbroken programs, but once we see the stuff coming out of the appstore, the iPhone really will become like a completely different device.

For a slight criticism, I seriously believe that the 2.0 software could roll out today, but apple wants to magnify the BOOM moment of July 11th as much as possible. If all the 1.0ers had the 2.0 software now, I think fewer would upgrade, as they grew content with 2.0 without 3G and the 3G iPhone would look less impressive compared to the current gen iPhone. However, by releasing them all at once, it makes iPhone 3G look like more of a game change than it is.

The game will be changing on July 11th, but it will be 2.0 and the app store that changes it, not 3G and GPS. That is when the iPhone truly becomes a pocket mac and not just a cool phone with internet access.

By: Ant

Ant — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:25:19 +0000

The data plan price is not that bad in my eyes. I currently pay $40 for data + 1500 sms on my blackberry curve. with the iphones $30 data plan and $15 add on for 1500 sms, thats $45. so im only paying $5 more than i am now. I just wish they included mms and cut and paste.

By: carsly

carsly — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:05:07 +0000

I think many of you are missing the point - they engineered the product to a price point rather than vice versa. If anyone has followed the one laptop per child saga (OLPC), negroponte's premise was to engineer a device and then keep the stats / specs relatively constant for a few years and the price of the package will invariably drop over time as the components get cheaper. Apple did this +1, they actually added new hardware in the form of 3G and GPS but little else to keep the price point as low as possible.

Mind you, even when Jobs announced the first iphone his idea was that the iphone would be a mobile computing platform that would be largely software upgradeable. The unsaid piece is that users then do not need to upgrade the hardware annually (much like your PC).

To borrow a turn of phrase from the auto industry, I'd call the iphone 3G a mid-year model refresh so expect the next iphone (3.0?) to be a truly innovative device that goes along the specs of the patents we've seen. We may not see that phone for another year and a half or so however - MacWorld Jan 2010 keynote for June 2010 launch? Probably.

By: Arktex

Arktex — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:57:36 +0000

I had expected more new updates with the new model but was going to upgrade from my current iphone anyway until I heard that AT&T was going to charge more…..that is a deal killer for me, I’ll just wait and see what happens with new models later. Anyone heard if your already on a iphone media plan if you can stay at the old price with new 3g iphone?

By: Jason Martin

Jason Martin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:53:30 +0000

I actually posted on my blog about my reactions to the new iPhone, including the 5 items that I wanted in the new iPhone that did not show up, not including the painfully late release date.

No cut and paste
No video recording
No document editing
No 32GB storage capacity
No voice dialing

All of the other criticisms I've read or heard mentioned are irrelevant to me. Needless to say, I plan to be in line at my local Apple store to buy one on July 11, if I haven't driven myself insane by then.

For the full post, go to http://snurl.com/2evmv

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:53:18 +0000

am I tripping or is this iphone not really much of an upgrade at all minus the 3G. Seems like Apple was definitely NOT listening to the users…

By: jp

jp — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:44:56 +0000

I was reay to get in line for the 3g. Now I am giong to stick with my 8310 curve. The camera just killed the deal. I also wanted a few more buttons to make calls eaiser. I lost my iphone in December and got the curve. Much better phone and pda. The only thing that the Iphone has on it is its web browsing.

By: Bad Ash

Bad Ash — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:03:23 +0000

All of what we didn’t get is pretty obvious at this point… but what we did get was the shaft from Apple and At&t…

By: Victor

Victor — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:44:18 +0000

My goodness. Still stuck in the 2.0 megapixel range? I would have expected Apple to upgrade to at least 3.2 megapixel by now!

By: Dwight

Dwight — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:37:48 +0000

I agree with Tom above 100%…and I use a iphone and Blackberry.

By: Badmofo

Badmofo — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:37:02 +0000

They should have kept v1.0 iPhones around as a $99 (or less, like free upgrade) option too.

By: tschertz01

tschertz01 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:03:12 +0000

I'm with tj in thinking the iPhone 3G just went from a "must have" to a "I can wait". Was there any mention of the rumored saving of images from Safari? Can we attach more than 1 photo to any email? Why isn't MMS available? Dying technology or not I found it very useful for communicating with other cell phone users that don't have or don't know how to use email on their phones.

With the exception of 3G and GPS the phone is pretty much unchanged. Since I will get most of the features I want with the firmware 2.0 it just doesn't seem that urgent to upgrade anymore, plus I'll save $10 a month. I guess I'll live with EDGE a little longer.

By: Dyvim

Dyvim — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:00:59 +0000

@Jon, I have a digital camera already. A couple in fact. That’s not the point. There are times when you only have your cell phone with you and not a digicam and it would be nice if it could take better quality photos. Not necessarily more MP but better quality with less graininess and blur. What’s the point of having this fancy MobileMe service to upload photos from your iPhone on the go, if all the photos it takes are crap? It’s not a deal-killer of course, but it would have been a nice touch.

By: Quillson

Quillson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:49:50 +0000

How about search capability, a la Spotlight on the Mac? If I know I have a meeting scheduled with John Smith for some date in the future, I'd like to type in his name and get all instances where it appears (calendar, contacts, etc.) Really liked that on my Treo. (And it's already in iCal on my Mac.)

And while we're on that subject, it would be nice to have a Treo-like smart search in Contacts: First name or last name, even initials, brings up the relevant list. I know they announced some better functionality in Contacts, but we'll see.

Count me in on the Cut-and-Paste bandwagon.

Here's one more: Real ability to customize destination for double-clicking the Home button. Right now, there are only 3 hard-coded choices: Home, Phone Favorites, or iPod. ("Home" isn't even a legitimate choice, since that's where you go with a single click.) I'd like to pick from all of the apps on the device.

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:34:11 +0000

I'm surprised that so many people are pissed that there isn't a better camera for the phone. Do people actually use this feature a lot? If so, and you are using a camera so much, why not just buy a camera? As soon as I started taking a lot more pictures I bit the bullet and just bought an awesome 8 megapixel canon with 4x zoom. I also use the same camera for video recording. It does a great job; much better than what a phone is capable of given the size of the iphone. Personally, if it would make the phone smaller, I'd rather have the camera taken out entirely.

I'm pretty happy about the new iphone features. It's basically a computer in your pocket which is what I really want.

By: tj

tj — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:28:01 +0000

My first instinct was "MUST HAVE!"

Now, after clearer thinking and the increased data plan and the in-store activation, et al ... I'm going to wait a while (if I upgrade at all).

By: Erik616

Erik616 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:09:27 +0000

No office software (iWork mobile). You have to have a data connection in order to have access to editable spreadsheets.

Without productivity software, the iPhone remains a cute multimedia phone, but hardly a "Smartphone".

By: thekevinmonster

thekevinmonster — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:06:46 +0000

oh, one more thing I'm boo on: no more SMS bundled into the 30 dollar a month plan for the 3G iphone. You have to pay separately (I think it's 5 a month) for the same amount of SMS.

Maybe that's an AT&T thing though.

By: elguapo16

elguapo16 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:57:54 +0000

Im all for this version of the iphone – its a real nice upgrade compared to the first and frankly, youre not going to please every single person no matter what – but i really think the absolute necessity to sign a 2yr contract with AT&T is going to be a deal-breaker for alot of people…me included Unless there comes a way to bypass the contract, i dont think AT&T is going to get as many defectors as they think…

By: Gort

Gort — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:29:20 +0000

Cut/Paste is as basic as an On-Off switch and helps reduce keystrokes.

By: JR

JR — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:08:59 +0000

I’m just sitting here with my jaw open. How can they talk about all the syncing through “the air” and not offer stereo Bluetooth on an iPod? I really wanted A2DP Bluetooth for both stereo headphones but also connecting a bluetooth keyboard. The tech specs say Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. Can you connect a keyboard? Is there a third-party hardward add-on that provides stereo Bluetooth? Can A2DP Bluetooth be added in a software update? The big secrets are out now I think we’re at the point where Apple owes us an explanation for some of these basics.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:01:59 +0000

Apple has never, ever been a company to release every requested feature all in one shot.

I don't think it would actually matter even if they included everything, as there would still be things that people complain about. If there was MMS, you would be made that it could only send certain size pictures. If the camera was increased in megapixel count, you would be mad about no flash. If cut and paste was there, you would be made that it wasn't easier to use. This list could go on for days.

It's more expensive with the data charges... First of all, millions of At&t customers have been paying $30 a month for data for a long time, so this really isn't that big of a deal to anyone OTHER than current iPhone owners. It is more expensive in the long run, but it is far cheaper to obtain. $240 spread over 24 months is NOTHING. I would much rather spend $240 over 24 months than have to drop it at the time of purchase.

I am actually happy. Yeah, I would have liked to see everything I wanted announced yesterday, but that just isn't Apple's style, and I knew that going in. They NEED to save things for their periodic software upgrades, or else the device will get stale. This is how they roll, and if you don't like it, you really should just move on to a new device. iPhone 3G + firmware 2.0 will solve 90% of the complaints about the gen 1 iPhone, yet you people still complain.

The iPhone just doesn't have some things at this point, and if you really don't like it, I have a great idea for you. DON'T BUY IT. It's that easy everyone. If you can't see the the thing for all its strengths and instead choose to harp that it doesn't have craptastic cellphone quality video recording, MMS, or Cut/Paste, you really should just get a different phone because the entire concept of the iPhone is lost on you.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:56:34 +0000

$30 additional per month for 300-400kb/s unlimited internet on top of an existing cell phone plan is so NOT worth it! Even 768kb/s DSL plans are as low as $18 per month without any cell phone plan.

Although the $199 price tag for the iPhone 3G is sexy, the new AT&T data plan for the iPhone is, quite simply, a rip-off.

By: TMoney

TMoney — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:39:53 +0000

I would have to say I am dissapointed. Apple has become ultra-successful by being innovative and cutting edge, which is why the first-gen iPhone was revolutionary. However, Apple only added necessary features for any new smartphone and still neglected already mass-available features on any phone. Let’s call a spade a spade. Jobs wanted to market this phone at a low price to increase sales to meet his expectations of 10MM iPhones sold by 2009 to keep Apple stock price soaring. If he missed his target the investment community would reflect this in lower stock price. Its just business, and that not what I consider progressive for a company marketing itself that way.

By: Austin

Austin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:38:26 +0000

Shoot…in addition to above…something that bugs me is the lack of an LED that will notify you of a voicemail, email or text. having to unlock everytime just to check to see if you have a voicemail or text would seem to be kind of annoying after a while. first gen iphone owners want to chime in on this?

By: Austin

Austin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:36:06 +0000

I won't complain about the data plan price increase (plus exclusion of SMS) because I did that in a previous post.

I purposely did not being a 1st gen iPhone to wait for this one. 3G and GPS is enough for me to say it's worth the wait. My roommate has an iPhone, so i've used it plenty. EGDE is doable....but 2.x times faster is indeed MUCH faster.

GPS...eh...it's cool. Coupled with proper GPS software (supposedly TomTom has one almost done already) it will be really helpful.

MMS...i can live without. and at least i can see some sort of reasoning as to why it was left out (i'm sure jobs is hellbent on the fact that it is becoming irrelevant....kind of like leaving the floppy drive out of the first iMac).

But Copy-Paste?!?!? I fail to see any reason why they continue to leave this out!!!

As for the camera...i agree that the MP count doesn't matter. You shouldn't be printing pictures from a cell phone camera...ever! (i'm a bit of a photog snob...sorry) but the iPhone as is those produce very emailable and blogable pictures. i'm happy with that.

By: Kevin "IQ"

Kevin "IQ" — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:35:30 +0000

I agree 100% with the need for cut-and-paste. The lack of this feature on my current phone has driven me nuts, but I did find a web-based app. that provides a crude work-around. Come on Apple. Cut-an-paste is simple and you missed the boat.

By: Dyvim

Dyvim — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:19:48 +0000

I was hoping for something new and different. Something wow! The new price is a pretty big deal but with the 2-year contract and the higher data plan rates, it’s not any cheaper. This is just a dot upgrade: evolutionary but not revolutionary by any means. And many evolutionary features we could have expected (cut & paste, MMS, better camera, faster processor, more storage capacity) are missing. This is a great time to buy your 1st iPhone, but I don’t see anything super compelling to get me to upgrade my existing phone, given that it will be getting the new firmware next month. Even so, I may upgrade anyway just for the 3G and GPS but it’s not like a must-have deal, more like a whim.

By: patrick

patrick — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:03:29 +0000

I would have to say i was disappointed. I must admit its my own fault for allowing myself to believe that the iphoen was going to 1000x better then the original but there are somethings that just really left wayy to many people wanting more. How can they not upgrade the camera. Less expensive phones that have half the technology of iphones have the better camera. secondly i really was hoping and expecting larger storage, all this talk of the new iphone come christmas is putting a little uncertanty in my knees. I want mroe apple, im not asking for everything just the things that were reasonalbe to expect.

Whats everyones take on a new iphone by Christmas? am i going to be kicking myself for getting excited for something?

By: JohnG_NYC

JohnG_NYC — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:01:48 +0000

I'll be sticking with my current iPhone, Why?

No real changes to hardware other than GPS and 3G.
3G is currently unavailable in my area.
The free software update to 2.0 gives me the same features (other than GPS and 3G).
I will not pay $439 ($199 + $240 in additional data charges over 2 years) just to get GPS on an 8GB iPhone 3G.

By: thekevinmonster

thekevinmonster — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:01:13 +0000

Boo on the lack of cut and paste. Boo on the data plan price increase. Boo on the subsidized crud, including the 'go to the store to activate it, no online sales' thing.

There must be some reason they aren't putting in cut and paste. It can't be 'too hard', because the whole thing is too hard. Perhaps they're saving it up for some really awesomely intuitive implementation?

(The iphone has no 'menu' system - including 'context menus' - so unlike PalmOS or Windows Mobile, cut and paste would either require adding a menu system, or coming up with a really unique way of selecting text via touch.)

I'm not upset at the lack of bluetooth a2dp. I'm just not interested in wireless headphones at this point. When they'll charge just by sitting on my desk without being plugged in, maybe.

I also don't want a 3MP camera. I want a camera with higher QUALITY. What are you going to do with all those megapixels? Look at ginormous full-screen blurry cell phone pix? Quality is what's important with digital images you aren't printing out. I'd rather have a sharp and clear 1MP image than a fuzzy and crappy 4MP 'keep up with the mp race' image.

By: Badmofo

Badmofo — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:56:51 +0000

AT&T continues to disappoint too… no upgrade promotions, no insurance (still), lame 3G coverage. Seems a shame for such a kick-ass phone, because it totally blows away every other smartphone I’ve had.

By: friend of blackmoose

friend of blackmoose — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:53:26 +0000

I have to agree with all the lamentation about lack of cut ‘n paste. This feature has been on Palm OS for… what… 12 years? It boggles the mind. The price cut is, of course, a double-edged sword. So much for me getting any kind of reasonable price on eBay for my 1.0!

By: WatersWest

WatersWest — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:49:46 +0000

What we didn’t get was the attractive data package that we had before. It really gives one pause on whether to take the leap or not. Everything else looks good to go, but it is irritating that the price basically went up, not down. Now that they gave AT&T more control, you know that AT&T will do their best to screw everyone over on plan pricing.

By: D

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:47:51 +0000

I will continued to not be impressed until they release standard features that have been on phones for the past 8 years.

Call Time: If you look at your "Recent Calls", then hit the arrow for more detail. It just gives you a time when you called that person. Was that the time the call started? Ended? How long was the call?
Sounds: You can't change the sound for New Mail, Voicemail, Calendar Alerts, Sent Mail, or even adjust the volume of the keyboard clicks.

You suck Apple!

By: blackmoose

blackmoose — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:45:01 +0000

I have to admit, I love the big stuff, but it’s the little, not so glamorous things that make me salivate. The nuts and bolts that I use everyday. So I love the integration of mobile me etc. But topping my is is the cut and paste, syncing notes and not to have to wait until friggin July 11!!!

By: Badmofo

Badmofo — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:39:27 +0000

The biggest disappointment is the delayed date for the software upgrade, especially since it was announced in March. Like others, I am satisfied with my 1st Gen iPhone and can wait until Christmas or maybe longer to see what develops.

Most of the places I frequent have free WiFi and 3G won't be available in Yuma AZ for over a year, but I would really like the GPS functionality. The maps app is incredibly useful for me. Everything else I was hoping for should be covered by the software upgrade, which I hope I don't have to wait until frakking July 11th for!

By: Moose

Moose — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:26:02 +0000

They sold 6 Million of these things without 3G. This will sell more because of A-GPS and 3G. The other requests will be noted by Jobs but he focused on the true issues as stated above and a price point of $199.

I want a battery that will last as adverstised so video would kill that.

By: burnsaa

burnsaa — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:25:59 +0000

Well I think that apple this time around was going after marketshare come next year after everyone is already bought in to the iPhone they will up the price by $100 and include more hardware features like we all wanted to see such as dual cams, better camera, better screen. They first have to bring everyone to the flock by tempting them with a low price.

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:12:33 +0000

I was pretty upset at the fact they didnt release anything yesterday. Do you think they planned on releasing the software, but freakout when a few things didnt work right? I think I am going to a que from carsly and wait to see what happens come christmas. 32GB iPhone or not, I am askign for it for Christmas.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:08:56 +0000

Obviously the price is great, but really paying the same (if not more) with AT&T jacking up the unlimited data plan $10. Pay now or later I guess. I’ve been using my Treo 750 on 3G and paying $20 for unlimited through their MediaMax plan. Never did understand the MediaMax vs Data plans… never asked since they would probably switch me to the more expensive data plan.

By: carsly

carsly — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:08:18 +0000

They should have bumped prices by $50 and added a 3-4 megapixel cam (with faster shutter, no flash needed) and more storage. All this leads me to believe is that a fall version 2.1 will appear that will bump storage to 16GB and 32GB for the holiday shopping season and to keep up the sales momentum. Brilliant ploy, but so played by apple it’s predictable.