Looks like Apple wasn’t quite done unveiling new iPhone 3GS commercials, as a a third one began airing last night focused on video recording, editing, and sharing.

Like the previous two, which highlighted copy and paste and Voice Control, Apple’s keeping them all about the new features — and the ease of use of the new features.

So that means compass and landscape keyboard are next, right?

[Apple.com]

Two new iPhone 3GS commercials are now being aired by Apple, the first one focusing on cut, copy, and paste and the second on Voice Control.

While it’s interesting that the original iPhone 2G commercials were targeted at “the internet in your pocket” and the iPhone 3G commercials at “there’s an app for that”, new features aside, we’re not sure what overarching theme Apple’s going for this time — if any.

Some internet coverage has been less than kind about the new direction, however, welcoming Apple to cut, copy, and paste about a decade too late. That’s a little “inside baseball”, however. While many tech-savvy users — and bloggers — upgraded to the iPhone from Treos, BlackBerrys, or other smartphones, arguably most of the iPhone’s growth has come from consumer adaption — people who upgraded from Motorola RAZRs.

For them, and many of the close to 20 million iPhone users (2G, 3G, and 3GS alike) now able to run iPhone 3.0, copy, cut, and paste will be a decidedly new experience and one whose ease-of-use they’ll likely enjoy.

[Via Apple.com]

Firemint has put up the above video tech demo of their Real Racing game running optimized for an iPhone 3GS and…. wow.

“Since the game uses a high fidelity physics engine, adding cars is a good test for pushing the hardware. We started our tech demo with 8 cars on the track, then 10, 12, 16 and 20, and the 3GS still didn’t break a sweat,” wrote Firemint’s Alexandra Peters. “We finally stopped when we got to 40 cars on the track at the same time, still with no perceptible drop in frame rate. We think the results are mind blowing.”

No plans to release an iPhone 3GS version yet but again, that’s a switch that some developer will no doubt throw at some point.

[Via Macworld via Firemint]

After braving 4 hours in line on Friday morning, I was able to walk away with a 32GB iPhone 3GS in white. So what do I think?  There are more than a few things that impress me about the iPhone 3GS. These observations are from using the device, not from mere published technical specifications. Let’s start to tackle them one at a time shall we?

Headphones:

Voice Control

Screen

Speed

The Web is noticeably faster too. When you zoom in, it takes all but half a second to focus. Flicking around the screen is much snappier as well.

Moving apps around, appear to me anyway, to move at a silky smooth 60FPS. Hey, that is what it looks like; animated and really pretty

Camera

Battery

Overall I am very impressed. There are other additions as well (the Compass comes to mind) but the items I have listed have made the most impact for me. What about you?

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Join Dieter, Chad, Leanna, Matt and Rene for iPhone 3.0, iPhone 3G S, and all the latest news! Listen in!

Background Reading

• Show notes coming soon!

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

iPhone 3GS review: it’s the same as last year. There. Done.

What? That’s what everyone’s saying, isn’t it? With the iPhone 3GS, Apple didn’t give the fashionistas their glowing status fix, didn’t once again jump high enough over the bar they themselves set way back in ought seven… The iPhone 3GS is evolutionary, not revolutionary, right?

Maybe there’s a point to the technorati’s collective malaise of mobile-dernity. We’ve already done our iPhone 3.0 Software Walkthrough, so now it’s time for TiPb to weigh in the hardware, and on whether or not it deserves the 2,1 designation Apple is seemingly so keen to slap on it.

iPhone 3GS complete review, after the break!

Outs and Ins. Or, Don’t Judge an iPhone by its Casing

The original iPhone 2G (1,1) established the iconic “black slab” look that still dominates a large portion of the smartphone landscape. iPhone 3G (1,2) replaced the composite metal and plastic backing with a full, un-blendable plastic that curved more to make it feel like less.

The iPhone 3GS (2,2) is almost identical in form factor — screen, bezel, and casing — to last year’s model. The lettering on the back is as shiny as the Apple brand this time, and according to the tech specs, the new model ever so slightly outweighs the old, but not in any way that really matters.

This is nothing new with Apple, of course. Typically a year of revolutionary design, like the aluminum iMac or G5 tower, are followed by a few years of internal evolution. A few missteps like the “fatty” nano aside, the iPod has followed a similar path.

This may be tragic for those who view handsets and fashion items and want everyone to see they have the latest and greatest, it comes as a blessing to accessory owners and accessory makers alike. Why so? Because unlike the shift from iPhone 2G, this time the accessories you bought last year for the iPhone 3G will, in all likelihood, work again this year for the iPhone 3GS.

Everyone saves money, and the economy thanks us.

• TiPb Video: White 32GB IPhone 3GS Unboxing and Quick Look

Oleophobia

Remember when I said “almost identical”. Here’s the biggest reason for that caveat: the new iPhone’s screen is “oleophobic”. This means that, while it doesn’t keep your iPhone from getting smudged, its coating repels oils making it much easier to wipe clean. Much.

After waiting in line at the Apple Store on launch day, eager to get my greasy, Tim Horton’s breakfast-biscuit’ed hands on one, I liberally transferred as much smearing as possible to the screen and then went to wipe and — presto! — a very impressive amount of clarity was restored.

While not a feature anyone was really expecting, and certainly not the most glamorous bullet point of the bunch, it’s none-the-less my dark horse pick for feature many people will grow to really appreciate. (Especially the more grease handed ones).

New Guts are Glorious

In stark contrast to the lack of visible changes for the iPhone 3GS, Apple has given it the internals the equivalent of complete makeover. The “S”, as we were told, stands for “speed”.

First and foremost the iPhone 3GS not only boasts a faster processor (now clocked at 600mhz rather than the previous 412), but a new processor architecture from ARM called the Cortex A8. I forget who said it, but the analogy of going from a 486 to a Pentium isn’t far off.

Further upping the ante is the new Power VR SGX GPU with support for OpenGL ES 2.0. Sticking with our previous metaphor, Apple just put a better graphics card in your PC — Crysis will look slicker. Hopefully OpenCL (where GPUs can function as CPUs) will one day mean everything will look — and work — slicker as well.

Topping it off is a reported doubling of the RAM from the previous generations’ skimpy 128MB to beefy 256MB. This explains itself. Take your PC from 1GB to 2GB and see what happens.

Oh, and the the upper level storage now available? 32GB.

Even the cell networking got a boost, going from 3G to 3.5G/HSPA 7.2. Most users, unfortunately, don’t have those networks in place yet — or won’t see any huge real-world difference even if they do.

Losing out on this year’s game of speed-bump musical chairs, however, is the Wi-Fi radio, which stays at the old 802.11g/b protocol rather than the current, much faster and farther reaching, 208.11n. While justifying the investment Apple made in dual-band routers back in March of this year, it does sort of stick out.

Overall, however — and despite the allure of video (which we’ll get to in a bit) — this is the key upgrade offered by the iPhone 3GS. It’s fast…

Screaming Fast

So what if it’s got better hardware inside. What does that mean to me? In two words: less waiting. Less waiting for apps to launch, web pages to render or re-render, lists to populate or scroll, less lag, less lock-up, less of a dozen little things that take a dozen seconds and add up to a noticeably better, smoother, and more stable experience throughout the day.

Apple, for their part, claims on average the iPhone 3GS performs twice as fast the iPhone 3G. That may not sound like much, but imagine your car suddenly accelerated from 0-60 twice as fast. Imagine your laptop suddenly doubled its productive speed. It’s not something you think you need, but if you ever go back to the slower model, it’s something you immediately miss.

Speed matters.

• TiPb Video: iPhone 3GS vs. iPhone 3G Browser Speed Smackdown
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3GS vs. iPhone 3G App Launch Battle Royal!

Video Kills, Still Camera Now a Star

Not only does the iPhone 3GS answer the long-standing complaint about the camera on the iPhone 2G and iPhone 3G by raising the megapixel count to 3 (better, if only just), but it adds auto-focus, macro mode, and VGA-quality video recording to the mix.

Photo Realism

Aside from the 3 megapixels being the barest boost possible, auto-focus and macro are very welcome features. The star of the show, however, is once again Apple’s ability to make them really easy to use. Since this is a hardware, not software review, I really shouldn’t mention the “tap to focus”, no matter how user-empowering it is. Nor the auto-white balancing and all the other software-side mojo Apple has going on here. That they blend hardware capabilities with software features so seamlessly will make it hard to keep this review on the straight and narrow. Fair warning on that.

All in all, the quality of the pictures the iPhone 3GS can take are much improved, as is the range of conditions under which hey can be taken in. It’s not a DSLR, not even a high-end consumer camera killer by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s already killed the need for a separate point and shoot for many (based on Flickr usage stats alone) and this new, improved version just means those pointedly shot pictures are going to look a whole lot better from now on.

Here’s a few samples, including the Apple Store in Montreal and one from Jeremy of downtown Chicago.

Video on the Go

Video being VGA-quality is a bit of a downer, especially considering the chipset seems capable of 720p, and the bar has pretty much been set there by the likes of the Flip Mino HD. Also, like many low-end point and shoots, you can’t change focus once you start recording. Those limitations not withstanding, iPhone 3GS is about to do for video what it’s previous generations did for stills.

The single most compelling thing about the new video functionality is that it will always be there with you. RED ONE may shoot heaven the way the angels see it, but you’re not lugging that beastie around with you all day, every day.

I mentioned above how the iPhone is the most popular camera on Flickr. I’m betting iPhone 3GS will become one of the most popular cameras on YouTube as well. Again, not to stray too far into software, but the ability to shoot video with a device you have with you all the time, easily trim it, and send it straight to YouTube (or MobileMe) is a killer app.

Unfortunately, we’re more likely to see 11 billion more “cat falling off piano” videos than UFO footage, Big-foot proof, or an LED flash being developer for the fourth generation iPhone…

• TiPb iPhone 3GS Low Light Video Recording Test
• TiPb iPhone 3GS Video Recording – Walking Test at Apple Store Montreal
• TiPb iPhone 3GS Video Recording – Driving Test

Its Master’s Voice Control

Is Voice Control really a hardware feature? Apple didn’t deign to render it unto the iPhone 3G, so it could well require the horsepower and the same differences in the 3.5mm headphone jack that prevented the remote control from working in older iPhones and iPods. Either way, Voice Control is clearly one of the differentiators being offered on the iPhone 3GS, so we’ll take a quick look.

Now, Voice Control is certainly nothing revolutionary. Feature phones have been doing it for a decade. The iPhone 3GS version looks great, of course, and sports a heroic number of language options. That Voice Control itself is not voice controllable — I can’t put on my Scotty accent and simply say “Computer!” — is disappointing if understandable, but not even a Google Voice Search-style accelerometer and proximity sensor triggered activation scheme?

Holding down the home button and waiting for the tone, it’s hard to argue with those who call it gimmicky at this point, but it’s equally hard not to be tantalized by the possible future it suggests. If “call” and “play” are options today, why not “email Dieter”, “browse tipb.com”, “take photo”, “launch application Twitter”, “take voice memo” or any of a dozen other commands tomorrow?

Also, Voice Control can be launched from within other apps. You can be browsing, playing a game, working on a note, and launch Voice Control, tell it to “play music” and continue working without having to exit your current app, go to Phone or iPod, and come back.

It’s still not background multitasking, but it’s interesting.

• TiPb Video: iPhone 3GS Multilingual Voice Control Challenge

Accessibility

Connected to Voice Control and worth noting both as a software feature and exclusive to iPhone 3GS are accessibility options including VoiceOver, Zoom, White on Black, Mono Audio, and Speak Auto-text. We’ll look at these more in a future post.

All-in Compass

Adding to the iPhone 3GS’ location-based services is a digital compass that promises to help us more quickly discover not only where we are, but which way we’re going. There’s an app for that, of course — a stand alone wooden-and-brass chromed single-tasker that’s fairly meh-worthy. Integration into the Maps app shows more promise, a second tap of the “find my location” button now giving projection of your direction.

It does open up future possibilities for Google street-view to leverage the compass, the way it has on Android since launch. Other applications as well, including the oft talked about “augmented reality” views where data is superimposed on top of live images (rates on hotel rooms, movie times on theaters, etc.) I’m not sold on the relative advantages of that paradigm yet, but I’d happily take being proven wrong.

Conclusion

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Apple had me at speed. The minute I saw the performance potential of the new hardware, I had to have it. Video is nice and I’ll likely use it a lot, but just cutting that much overhead off my day to day usage is priceless.

But I’m not a typical iPhone user, I’m an enthusiast and you may be as well, in which case — speed and video! If your usage falls more towards the casual, if you just want a phone and an iPod and some nifty apps, then is the iPhone 3GS for you?

If you don’t have an iPhone yet, now is a great time to get in. Subsidized prices for the iPhone 3GS are low ($199/$299 in the US on a 2 year AT&T contract), and you won’t find a more user friendly and integrated (iTunes ecosystem) device in the mobile computing space.

If you currently have an iPhone 2G and you qualify for subsidy pricing, it’s also a no-brainer. Unless you don’t have 3G coverage in your area, don’t care about GPS or low-res pictures, and want to ride the original until it breaks down, the iPhone 3GS should be on your shopping list.

If you have an iPhone 3G… well, here’s where it gets tricky, especially if you have to pay your carrier a hefty upgrade fee. How much, if at all, does lag bother you? How badly do you want to take better quality pictures and video? If speed and the new camera are worth more to you than the upgrade price (and check with your carrier to see what exactly that will be), then go get it. If not, then the iPhone 3.0 software will give you very nice upgrade all on its own anyway.

And as to the big question posed in the beginning — is the iPhone 3GS worthy of the 2,1 designation? Is it a big enough leap forward?

More of a step then a jump, but a good one and in the right direction. 2,1 is in keeping with how Apple classifies new processors in its Mac line, and it’s fair enough here as well.

As much as I would have loved a 480×800 OLED display, a 5 megapixel camera, 802.11n, and — yes — a glowing Apple logo, iPhone 3GS delivered where it mattered most and did it without completely shattering the huge advantage of platform compatibility.

Apple PR has announced that:

it has sold over one million iPhone™ 3GS models through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release.

That’s a good number of units for the device equivalent of another sequel release, isn’t it? It’s also enough to get Steve Jobs back up in the quoting chair:

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

Nice to see that, and congrats to Apple on some impressive numbers.

[Thanks iDavey for the tip!]

Apple’s Knowledge Base once again steps up in the handy-dandy reference chart department with a feature check-list showing highlighting some major features supported by all iPhone models, by the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S, and by the new iPhone 3G S alone.

There are some caveats, however:

1. Peer-to-peer connectivity requires compatible applications, which can be downloaded from the App Store when available.
2. The original iPhone does not support using Bluetooth for peer-to-peer connectivity. It can use Wi-Fi and cellular data networks for peer-to-peer connectivity.
3. MMS is not available in all areas; fees may apply. See your carrier for availability.
4. Internet tethering is not currently offered in the United States and some other countries. See your carrier for availability.

[via Daring Fireball]

A couple of our readers have written in over the weekend concerned that they still can’t activate their iPhone 3G S on AT&T’s network. Greg let us know that he was originally assured his Apple Store-purchased iPhone 3G S would be activated within 48 hrs (?!) but now it looks like that’s been pushed back another 48 hrs — or 4 days total.

He forwarded us an email he claims to have received from Apple offering a $30 iTunes credit by way of apology.

Isolated incident or is anyone else experiencing the same problem?

Full text after the break!

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for your recent Apple Store order. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in your iPhone activation.

We are still resolving the issue that was encountered while activating your iPhone with AT&T. Unfortunately, due to system issues and continued high activation volumes, this could take us up to an additional 48 hours to complete.

On Monday, you’ll receive an email from Apple with an iTunes Store credit in the amount of $30. We hope you will enjoy this gift and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this delay has caused.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Team

Took this last night on the boat. Not bad, I was impressed.

Taken any great shots or video of your own with the iPhone 3G S? Head on over to the forums and show us what you got.

It’s been a busy week here at TiPb, what with iPhone 3.0 launching last Wednesday and Apple barely giving us time to catch out breath before iPhone 3G S dropped on Friday. As always, we tried to bring you as much info as fast as we could, so in case you missed anything in the mad rush to the third iPhone generation, here’s a roundup:

• TiPB Standing in Line for the iPhone 3G S
• TiPb Video: White 32GB IPhone 3G S Unboxing and Quick Look
• iPhone 3G S – Disassembled
• iPhone 3.0 on iPhone 3G S: Battery Percentage Meter Found!
• iPhone 3G S (Finally!) Supports Full Apple Headset Remote Features
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3G S vs. iPhone 3G App Launch Battle Royal!
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3G S vs. iPhone 3G Browser Speed Smackdown
• iPhone 3G S vs. Palm Pre Web Render Benchmarks
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3G S vs Palm Pre: Browser Speed Test
• TiPb Video: iPhone 3G S Multilingual Voice Control Challenge
• Apple Store iPhone 3G S Display Video
• How To: Share iPhone 3G S Video via Mobile Me
• Upgrading to iPhone 3G S? What Are You Doing With Your Old iPhone?

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: iPhone 3G S

The iPhone 3GS is my pick for the week! Though the outside may seem old, it is “all new” on the inside! Look for my post about what I specifically like about this model of iPhone, till then! [$199/$299 on subsidy - Apple link]

[Easy out! - Ed]

Chris’ Pick: iPhone 3G S

Is there anyone who wouldn’t pick the iPhone 3GS as the pick of the pick?

[Apparently not! - Ed]

James’ Pick: Mophie Juice Pack

As with most of us TiPBers, I use my iPhone for everything, which causes the battery to drain by noon. Enter the Juice Pack. I am able to recharge the battery in the go so I can still check the latest news from TiPB. A must for the heavy iPhone users out there!

[Let me guess, for the iPhone 3G S?! TiPb's iPhone Store actually carries Mophie products for ALL generations of iPhones. b'okay? - Ed]

Leanna’s Pick: The Sims 3

The Sims 3 on iPhone 3GS – I have always been a fan of The Sims and was disappointed when it didn’t meet my expectations on iPhone 3G because of lag and crashes. On iPhone 3GS, however, The Sims 3 is a great game and I have yet to experience any performance issues. I now control my sim (named affectionately after my dear husband) with smooth scrolling, quick load times, and zero lag thanks to iPhone 3GS! [$9.99 - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick: TxtDrop

TxtDrop is a web-app that allows you to send text messages to anyone’s cell phone (it also supports international users; however, it is not an iPhone web-app). I was initially concerned about privacy, but after reading their Private Policy (and viewing other trust-website-lookups), it look safe. If you are worried about getting spammed you can add your phone number to their block call list. I thought this was a nice as I have never found a “truly” free text messaging as some of the apps that do this still cost to purchase them [Free- Web link]

Rene’s Pick: BeeJiveIM 3.0

I was worried when I tried some beta Push Notification apps. The alerts themselves were great, but the apps took a long time to load, login to their own servers, and fetch the original data. BeeJiveIM 3.0 helped assuage those worries. It’s quick — on the iPhone 3G thank you very much! — and when you add BeeJiveIM’s already great functionality with iPhone 3.0 push convenience… swoon

Apple, what’s taking so long to approve this?!

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

Throwing any last remnants of fragile self-consciousness to the four winds, I break out my subpar French and very rusty Italian and Mandarin Chinese (Aiya!) and see if, even under the onslaught of terrible accents, Apple’s new iPhone 3G S Voice Control can still do as it’s told.

Note: the accent appears to be key. If you say a command in French, you can’t pronounce the following name English-style and expect good results (though Chinese seemed much more English name tolerant). However, I tried some (poorly rendered) regional accents at the very end and that didn’t seem to be a problem.

If you’re multilingual, or have a colorful twang to your speech, give it a try and let us know how Voice Control works for you!

iPhone 3G S comes with typical shiny white Apple headset buds, but for the first time these earbuds sport the new “remote”, which includes volume controls and more.

Apple previously introduced iin-ear headsets with remote and mic for the second generation iPod touch (and aluminum MacBooks) in September 2008, but clearly labeled them as not-compatible with the iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G because the “remote” part was useless.

What a different a generation makes.

Now the full control scheme introduced with the 4th gen iPod shuffle is available to iPhone 3G S owners with one notable difference — holding down the center button activates Voice Control.

(Thanks Bruce for the tip!)

We’re going to kick off the Palm Pre vs. iPhone 3G S excitement with a simple browser smackdown.  The short version: the iPhone 3G S is faster in our video above, but the Pre is close and actually is edging out the iPhone after the just-applied 1.03 webOS update.  The part you actually should pay attention to is "time to content," i.e. how long it takes to load up the stuff you actually want to read as opposed to the javascripty-bits. Bottom line: speed-wise there’s a hair’s-breadth between the two browsers, it’s so close that you really ought not be making your purchase decision based on it — or bragging about it either way.

Feature-wise, we give the edge to the iPhone 3G S — they are on version 3.0 while the Pre is just getting started at 1.02 / 1.03.  The ability to pop up a link in a new browser window is quite nice — not to mention Autofill.  I myself prefer the Pre’s Card metaphor to the in-app tabs of Safari, but that ‘s a matter of taste.

Stay tuned for more as we pit these devices against each other!

[cross-posted at PreCentral.net]

Update: As noted in the comments and in a raft of emails, you can open links in a new card on the Pre with Opt + Space + Tap.  It works, but Palm, really, Opt + Tap isn’t really doing anything here.  Just saying. Thanks everybody!

The case of the missing battery percentage meter has been solved! Developers found it in the iPhone 3.0 beta, but when iPhone 3.0 release hit, it was nowhere to be found… until now!

Looks like it’s appearing exclusively on the new iPhone 3G S. Why, we have no idea — and can’t fathom a reason for, but check out Jeremy’s screenshot above. There it be!

TiPb’s giving away a 32GB iPhone 3G S (technically Apple gift certificate for $399). You had three chances to enter: on Twitter, by watching iPhone Live! and on our forums. And you entered in droves!

Best. Community. Ever.

Unfortunately, there can be only one winner, and for this contest, this time, the winner is…

Ahambone!

Congratulations! Enjoy, and when you get your iPhone 3G S, send us a picture!

This is the second iPhone we’ve given out this year (along with tons of other stuff — so if you didn’t win, don’t fret, it could be your turn next time!)

OH… BUT WE’RE NOT DONE YET!

The response on Twitter was so fantastic we’re giving away a special runner-up prize, courtesy of the TiPb iPhone Store, just for the sheer fantasticalness of all our followers and friends:

• Motorola S9-HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

Make sure you’re following us and check your DM’s soon!

Okay, enough with the unboxings. Fair point. But we iPhone people only get one device a year, so this is our Super Bowl and dagnabit we plan to enjoy it!

Today iPhone 3G S was finally released and the madness is simply beginning. So what a better way to learn more about your new device by visiting TiPb’s very own forums? The past two weeks our forums have exploded, and we thank you for that!

So one of the new features Apple added to the iPhone is some nice updates to the camera. If you want to see the quality of pictures this new device takes or want to show off some pictures you have taken stop by the thread! Post photos taken with your iPhone 3G S here!

Next up we have a thread that Duvi beat me to the punch to, if you got your hands on a 3G S what are your initial thoughts regarding your purchase? Are you happy? Not happy? All I can say is Palm Pre what? This thing screams…

Last for today, Shawnluke wants to know, is anyone having issues with the iPhone OS 3.0 software? This is a great thread to share any bugs you may have found while using the latest software.

To be able to post in our forums be sure to register first, and welcome to our growing community!

*** If for some reason you need any help with your new device be sure to stop in the iPhone Help forum.

I’m going to go play with new my device now, see you on the forums!

I’m at the Apple Flagship Store, waiting in line for the latest, greatest iPhone 3G S. 10 or so people right now, but apparently some tour buses are on the way. We’ll update this thread with more from TiPb and our readers, so if you’re in line, head over to the TiPb iPhone Forums and post your pics, stories, and videos. Dieter will move some of the funnest over here.

Good luck to all!

[pic thanks to @Forian}

[The updates continue after the break!]

Our good pal Matthew Miller of Nokia Experts fame lined up in Seattle at 2:30am local.

Meanwhile, many folks in Europe already have the 3G S in hand, per pguich in our iPhone Forums:

Switzerland started selling iphones about an hour ago. I was there 5 minutes before opening, and there were about 3 people waiting (I think 2 weren’t even there for the iphone). Doesn’t look like the mad rush from last year is going to happen.

Chad Garrett boldly waited until 6:00 am to line up at Kenwood Towne Center in Cincinnati, OH and it doesn’t look like he’ll miss out on his iPhone 3G S because of his tardiness.

Forum member nyknicks4412 is genuinely excited about his iPhone 3G S video taken in the parking lot above.

Leanne Lofte isn’t so sure that she needed to show up at 5:30am in Monterey, CA, what with only nine people in line.

Matthew Miller sends word that rain has finally come to Seattle… just in time to fall on iPhone Line sitters. Fortunately, there are umbrellas to be had.

Rene’s all set! No activation yet, though — has to go home and do it through iTunes, he says.

Upgrading to an iPhone 3G S in Canada? We feel for you, and we fear we’re going to continue to feel for you for a healthy portion of the day. Last year there were activation backlogs and hang-ups all over, but it was especially egregious in Canada, where people were waiting for half the day for Rogers’ system to get up and happy and talking with Apple’s system.

Our esteemed editor Rene Ritchie just called in from his Apple Store to say that their system isn’t showing the 3G S on the Rogers system and it’s unclear how exactly it’s going to be resolved. Last year we heard 6-hour-wait horror stories. This year we’re crossing our fingers that resolution will come more quickly.

On the bright side, we haven’t heard a whiff of a problem anywhere else. From Switzerland to Cincinnati people who didn’t pre-order are finding lines short enough to guarantee everybody will get their phone and activations almost as quick as the iPhone 3G S itself.

Update: Rene is currently channeling the fury of his fellow Rogers-snafu-victims on his twitter feed.

King Kong-sized iPhone at the Apple Flagship Store in Montreal highlights the new iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3.0 software features.

Well that didn’t take long. RapidRepair.com just let us know they’ve already gotten their iPhone 3G S and rendered it directly down to its component parts.

Let the analysis begin!

IKEA and Spike Jonze remind us above that you can’t really hurt your old iPhone’s feelings by upgrading to the latest, greatest iPhone 3G S, but that doesn’t mean you have to dump the poor obsoleted fella either.

So what are your plans for your last-year’s iPhone 3G or original iPhone 2G? Selling them on eBay? Unlocking them to use as travel devices? Keeping them as backup? Turning them into a dedicated couch-bound iTunes/Apple TV remote? Gifting them to a needy family member or friend? Saving them up to build the world’s tallest iPhone tower? Sending them to Cellphones for Soldiers? What?

Let us know in the comments!

TiPb just received word from Rogers and, well, it’s typically long and complicated so we’ll just give them the floor:

We’ve just announced the details of special Hardware Upgrade savings for our existing iPhone customers and wanted to let you know.

There has been a lot of excitement around the new iPhone 3G S and we wanted to recognize the early adopters who helped make the iPhone the hottest-selling handset in Canadian wireless history. We will be discounting the price of the iPhone 3G S by between $250 and $500 to provide savings to many of our iPhone customers.

What this means is that eligible iPhone owners can acquire the iPhone 16GB 3G S for as low as $199 or the 32GB for as low as $299 until July 31, 2009.

For Fido customers, we’re offering the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion. This enables iPhone customers to redeem FidoDollars towards a new iPhone 3G S with an additional $100 top-up from Fido.

For customers who don’t qualify for these extra savings, we are pleased to offer Rogers Wireless customers the iPhone at our cost on rogers.com. This cost – $580 for the iPhone 3G, $680 for the iPhone 3G S 16GB and $780 for the iPhone 3G S 32GB – represents the price we pay for the device plus a nominal fee for the SIM card. Customers can access these devices at retail locations for just $19 more for the three devices.

We’re also happy to announce that Rogers and Fido are extending the 6GB/$30 data promotion until July 31. This offer is valid for customers on a new or existing iPhone plan or customers buying an Android-powered HTC Magic or HTC Dream.

Details after the break!

Five ways to save

1) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone 3G between July 11 and Sept. 30, 2008, and with an average monthly spend of at least $100, Rogers will provide $500 off the cost of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

• 16GB 3GS $199
• 32GB 3GS $299

2) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone between July 11 and Dec. 31, 2008, but aren’t eligible for the above offer, Rogers will provide $250 dollars off the purchase of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

• 16GB 3GS $449
• 32GB 3GS $549

3) All Rogers Wireless customers can upgrade to the iPhone 3GS at our cost at Rogers.com, or for a suggested retail price of just $19 more than our cost through our retail channels.

• 8GB 3G $580/$599
• 16GB 3GS $680/$699
• 32GB 3GS $780/$799

4) Fido customers can take advantage of the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion:

• Use FidoDollars towards the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S
• Fido will top up the FidoDollars amount by $100
• This promotion does not include an extension or renewal of their service agreement.

5) New and existing iPhone customers can take advantage of a limited-time promotion of 6GB of data for $30, now extended until July 31. Other Rogers and Fido data plans will remain the same, including the only national standalone data plan at $25 per month for 500 MB. We know that this is the right plan for most Canadians – 93 per cent of current iPhone customers on a data plan use less than 500 MB of data per month.

So, has this changed anyone’s mind about upgrading on Rogers or Fido?

AT&T (via MacRumors) has posted a video of iPhone 3G S getting dressed up for its big debut tomorrow morning. If you ordered from them Empire, one of those just might be yours!

TiPb will be in line tomorrow. If you see any of us, say hello! And make sure you join us here on the blog and in the forums so we can all share pictures and updates on what’s come to be the yearly Super Bowl of gadget releases.

Is it tomorrow yet?

Very brand-conscious start time aside, looks like UK customers on O2 now know what time the queue ends and the buying begins…

UPDATE: Sounds like the second poster, below, might be there just in case a store sells out and wants to inform customers. Thanks to everyone in the comments for logic-ing this out!

Due to high demand we have run out of the iPhone 3G S

The good news is there are more coming soon

Ask a member of staff for details

Posterized version after the break!

We’ve mentioned this before, but as anyone who’s read our comments or seen the Twitter’splosion over it already knows, those folks who pre-ordered the iPhone 3G S from Apple have been tortured for the last few days with ever changing — and even disappearing — delivery dates. (Right Jeremy?)

From June 22nd to in-transit to June 17 to June 19 to June 18 to held-by-shipper to who-the-$%^-knows anymore, uber-iPhone lovers have been hitting refresh and yanking hair out almost every minute on the minute.

As of now, any UPS drivers out there are making deliveries of anything other than an iPhone 3G S today, make sure you walk up to the door slowly, yelling “no iPhone!” loudly, lest you suffer the weeping wrath of frustpointment you get for handing over nothing more than a rutabaga twirler.

But, if anyone out there actually does get their shiny new iPhone 3G delivered today, drop a comment to let us know, then go post some pics for us in the forums.

Well, it looks like UPS did indeed deliver a few iPhone 3G S a tad early. Heh. And here’s what some of the top guns in tech thought of Apple’s newest handset.

Overall, most felt it was evolution rather than revolution, a solid update if not one re-forged in the unicorn tears of it’s ancestors. Is the best getting better enough? TiPb will tell you our thoughts after we stand in line tomorrow and grab ours. If you’re waiting as well, check out the reviews and let us know what you think:

• Chicago Sun Times: Review: iPhone 3G S is a slick upgrade for a slick device
• CNET: Apple iPhone 3G S – 32GB – black (AT&T)
• Engadget: iPhone 3GS Review
• Gizmodo: iPhone 3GS Review
• New York Times: Apple Fills in Some Gaps With Latest iPhone
• USA Today: Upgrade makes great iPhone even better
• Wall Street Journal: New iPhone Is Better Model–Or Just Get OS 3.0

Tuesday was all about the Twitter. Wednesday we took it iPhone Live! Well today, we bring it back home.

For your last chance to enter TiPb’s 32GB iPhone 3G S give away, just go over to the TiPb iPhone Forums and tell us the #1 reason you want to upgrade (if you already have an iPhone), or why you want to make this your first iPhone (if you’re currently rocking some other RAZRPreBerryDroidMobile97 device). Nothing fancy, just the deal-maker.

• One forum post per person
• The rest of the contest details

• Our podcast feed
• Download Directly
• Subscribe via iTunes

Last week’s show — better late than never… right?

Join Chad and Rene for the post-WWDC show. New iPhone 3.0 GM features, MobileMe updates, and… introducing the iPhone 3G S! Listen in!

Background Reading

• TiPb WWDC 2009 Live Meta Blog
• Apple Posts WWDC 2009 Keynote Live Stream
• Apple Announces iPhone 3G S – Ships June 19
• Apple Posts iPhone 3G S Guided Tour
• iPhone 3.0 Release Date: June 17
• 2008 iPhone 3G Now Priced to Move! $99 Starting Today!
• iPhone 3G S — What We Didn’t Get
• AT&T — MMS Later. Tethering… Um… Er… Bai!
• AT&T Responds: iPhone 3.0 MMS and Tethering
• Rogers/Fido to Sell iPhone 3G S in Canada, $199/$299 on June 19
• iPhone 3G S — Apple Delivers Mobile Video to the Masses
• Apple Demonstrates Voice Control for iPhone 3G S
• iPhone 3G S – 2x Faster, but Still no 802.11n
• MobileMe Update Coming June 17: Find my iPhone, Remote Wipe, iDisk Mobile, File Sharing, Public Folders
• Apple Releases iPhone 3.0 Gold Master to Developers

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

Fair warning, this post is only for the serious gadget-loving Euro-Apple-fanbois….

Looks like the US isn’t the only country where iPhone 3G S is already burning lens flares into people’s cameras. Here are some early arrival shots from our 007-type friends across the pond. Europeans, the iPhones 3G S have landed! The carriers have them, and soon… so shall you!

More shots after the break!

Up until now, the only places to get iPhone 3G in Canada were Rogers and their subsidiary Fido. Apple Retail Stores didn’t carry them.

Friday, with the introduction of the iPhone 3G S, that changes. Per Apple mailing:

Available at the Apple Retail Store June 19th. Stores open at 8:00am.

Which may be up to 2 hours earlier than your local Rogers/Fido store to boot. You can also book a personal shopping appointment to help you get in and out faster if you so choose. (Though we can’t imagine spaces will last long).

So, Canadians, who’s going to Rogers/Fido, and who’s going to Apple Retail?

iFun.de (via MacRumors) has posted up the above video of what’s purported to be some of the first iPhone 3G S direct-to-YouTube uploads. How does it look to you?

Years past it was lining up outside Apple Stores days in advance, this year it’s staring feverishly at LCDs, hitting little buttons like mice at a combo food dispenser/electro-shocker, and hoping beyond hope that iPhone 3.0 is finally ready to download and the UPS dude is a couple days early at the door.

Relax. Breathe.

No one really expected iPhone 3.0 to hit at 12:01am Cupertino Prime Time, and no one truly believed Brown would roll up with an iPhone 3G S at the exact same moment — and a couple days early. Hope perhaps, dream indeed, but Steve P. Jobs like his events both maddeningly unpredictable and elaborately choreographed.

Doing some elaborate time zone gymnastics, Engadget figures 1pm EDT/10am PDT is the magic moment for iPhone 3.0. Hey, it’s the typical start time for an Apple Keynote/Special Event, so why not?

Meanwhile, huge hulking piles of email and tweets tell us all those with early UPS delivery dates are seeing those dates disappear and change faster and more frequently than glowing Apple logo rumors, with the latest being: it looks like UPS is holding packages until their originally announced release date of Friday, June 19.

So, get comfy people, keep your virtual sleeping bags tucked and your coffee, cyber or otherwise, warm. It might just be a long day ahead — or few days ahead for hardware — for all of us.

In Brazilian Portuguese, but if you’re dying to see Apple’s latest universe denter in action before Friday, hit the play button and enjoy.

(Thanks to antonioj for the tip!)

And you? You’ve also just gotten three chances to win it over the next three days!

Tuesday’s Chance to Win a 32GB iPhone 3G S

For today’s entry, head on over to Twitter and help us let everyone know about the contest. Simply include @theiphoneblog and in your tweet (that’s how we’ll track you), and ask your friends and followers to pass along the good news, and you’ll get one entry in the contest. Here’re some examples:

• Want to win a 32GB iPhone 3G S from @theiphoneblog? Re-tweet this and check out http://bit.ly/G16Qt
• Zoinks! RT Now! @theiphoneblog is totally giving away a 32GB iPhone 3G S! http://bit.ly/G16Qt

You get the idea. No get thee to tweeting!

Give-away details after the break…

Them Details

• Grand prize is one (1) $399 US Apple Store gift certificate.
• Only one entry per twitter user (no spamming please)
• Only three entries total per person (one for each chance, one new chance each day)
• Contest starts now and ends Thursday, June 18 at 11:59pm
• Not open to Smartphone Experts employees or contractors

TiPb is constantly receiving the big question regarding AT&T and MMS – will there be an extra charge for it? The answer is a simple no. The better question would be – when will we actually see it?

Later this summer, as part of the 3.0 software, AT&T will make multimedia messaging (MMS) available at no extra cost to customers with a text messaging bundle.

Now “later this summer” can literally mean June 19th for all we know. TiPb thinks AT&T faithful will see MMS sooner than you may think.

More AT&T related questions can be answered via this AT&T FAQ.

I woke up this morning to an email from Apple — my iPhone 3G S has shipped! A quick look at the tracking information via the UPS website shows that it has been shipped from Shenzhen China to arrive at my home by the 19th at the latest.

Something important to remember, if you did order from Apple and will not be home at the time of the delivery – you must fill out a form via Apple’s web site for them to leave it at your door if that’s what you prefer. If not, you will be waiting until Monday and that would make for a long weekend.

So far we have had no confirmation regarding phones shipping from AT&T. Any AT&T customers receive a shipping notification yet?

No, downloading and installing it on your iPhone 2G won’t magically give it a better camera, video recording, or unicorn tear-powered 2x speed. (It will most likely give you heartache — never mix and match firmware!) but MacRumors forum has already found iPhone OS 3.0 for iPhone hardware 2,1 lingering about Apple.com.

(We’re betting it’s waiting in line for the hardware — curse those pre-order limits!)

Again, we don’t recommend doing anything with it — if you’re getting an iPhone 3G S it’ll come pre-installed. We simply present it as another check box on the road to release, like Find My iPhone going live, and Push Notifications hitting the App Store.

Fun week ahead, no doubt!

Once again it seems AT&T’s lock down of the iPhone will be paying off in droves. It’s only been a few days yet AT&T has managed to sell each and every single iPhone 3G S that it had stored away for pre-orders. Any unlucky customer who places an order with AT&T after today will sadly have to wait an extra one to two weeks to get their hands on their new iPhone 3G S.

Now keep in mind, if did get your pre-order in on time with AT&T, you will still have to show up at 7:00 am on June 19th to claim your prize. After the pre-orders have been picked up, the remaining stock will go to all of the walk-in customers. Regarding Apple and their supply, there has been no word yet so you can try your luck ordering straight from Apple.

So to all of you who took the pre-order plunge, which route did you travel? AT&T or Apple?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this tip in! Via BGR]

Last Monday, during the WWDC 2009 Keynote, Apple introduced the iPhone 3G S, the “S” referring to the speed (we’re hoping for screaming fast). If the amount of news it’s generated is any indication, we’re all going to have a hard time keeping up. In an effort to help out, here are some highlight of TiPb’s iPhone 3G S coverage:

iPhone 3G S Features

• Apple Announces iPhone 3G S – Ships June 19
• iPhone 3G S — Apple Delivers Mobile Video to the Masses
• Apple Demonstrates Voice Control for iPhone 3G S
• iPhone 3G S — What We Didn’t Get

Should You Upgrade to iPhone 3G S?

• Jeremy’s take: TiPb vs. TiPb: Why I AM SO Upgrading to iPhone 3GS
• Chad’s take: TiPb vs. TiPb: Why I AM NOT Upgrading to iPhone 3G S
• Rene’s take: The Need for iPhone 3G S Speed. Or, What Did You Want, a Built-In Espresso Maker?!

Speeds and Feeds

• Inside the New iPhone 3G S Processors: More than Just Mhz
• iPhone 3G S Speeds and Feeds Revealed: 256MB RAM, 600Mhz CPU
• iPhone 3G S Uses PowerVR SGX to Become One with Speed Force

Platform

• iPhone 3G S Developers Already Splitting the Platform?

Carrier Plans and Info

• AT&T Posts iPhone 3G S Info Video
• Would You Sign a 3-Year AT&T Contract to Get iPhone 3G S at $199/$299 Subsidy Pricing?
• Rogers/Fido to Sell iPhone 3G S in Canada, $199/$299 on June 19
• Rogers Canada Brings Back $30/6GB Data Plans for iPhone 3G S
• O2 Releases iPhone 3G S Pricing for UK, Yeah
• Best Buy to Offer iPhone 3G S Insurance

Anandtech gives their usual in-depth look at the processors inside Apple’s new iPhone 3G S. First the CPU, the new ARM Cortex A8 and the short of it is — if the iPhone 2G and 3G were old 486 PCs, the iPhone 3G S would be a Pentium:

As for the GPU, the PowerVR SGX — even if it’s clocked down to half-speed, it’s rendering geometry 3.5x faster with a fill rate 25% higher as well:

Their take away? Well, they say the iPhone 3G S packs a similar hardware punch to the new Palm Pre, but while webOS uses some of that power for 3rd party multitasking, Apple’s “highly optimized software stack” will bring the speed.

And that only scratches the surface. For the gritty details, check out the full article.

[Thanks to Damon for the tip!]

So we all know that AT&T, for whatever reason, does not offer insurance for any iPhone. It seems as if Best Buy is now stepping up to the plate to offer it’s customers some iPhone 3G S insurance, Geek Squads Black Tie Protection.

This is great news for some of you but keep in mind it comes at a pretty hefty price. Normal cell phone insurance via Best Buy will cost you anywhere from $7 to $10 a month. Not the case with iPhone 3G S, Best Buy has raised this fee to a cool $15 a month. This premium fee is most likely due to the full retail price of the 3G S being so high at $599 and $699.

Good news is that this insurance will cover all sorts of damage – liquid damage, cracked screens, cracked casing, etc… All you have to do is bring your damaged iPhone into any Best Buy, they will fix it or replace your device on the spot.

So at $15/month is this something you’d be willing to pay for some peace of mind?

[Via Apple Insider]

UPDATE: Looks like and the original post is MIA, so we’re keeping the ship steady, banking left, and redirecting unboxing lovers to iTalkiPhone for the rest of the gallery. (Thanks Taylor!)

ORIGINAL: Looks like someone’s scored the first pictures of an iPhone 3G S, unboxed and in the wild. Pretty much what everyone expected — looks just like the iPhone 3G but has some nifty new software like the Compass App (complete with re-calibration instructions), voice control, etc. but still drool-worthy none the less.

A few more pics after the break, but check out their full gallery for all gadget pr0n goodness!

Jeremy and Chad both gave excellent, compelling reasons for why they ARE SO or ARE NOT upgrading to the iPhone 3G S. For certain, intelligent people will have different yet equally valid reasons for choosing to upgrade, or not to upgrade. For myself?

Apple had me at speed.

As anyone who ever managed to snag NetShare before it was yanked off the App Store, or anyone who has ever spun up PDANet, for anyone who has tethered under the iPhone 3.0 beta knows — 3G networks are a lot faster than the iPhone 3G lets on.

See, internet connection speed is only one factor. CPUs (and/or GPUs — where’s my OpenCL ES?) need to render HTML, CSS, and — the killer — JavaScript. Doing that takes a lot of crunch power, and that’s the bottleneck on the current iPhone 3G.

The new iPhone 3G S, however, has 150% of the CPU power and 200% of the RAM.

Remember a few years back when you bought a new laptop or desktop and it had a better CPU and twice as much RAM, remember how that new experience just flew. And remember going back and trying to use your old computer again, and how it just felt so slow?

Yeah, that feeling, that’s what I’m talking about.

Not only will web pages render faster at current 3G speeds, iPhone 3G S will use 3.5G/3.75G 7.2Mbps HSPA to really give them a turbo boost in areas where it’s available (hurry up, AT&T!)

And all of that is in addition to the faster task/app switching, load speeds, OpenGL ES 2.0, and other, tangible, perceptive speed boosts that Apple averages out to being TWICE as fast on the iPhone 3G.

Imagine if your new car suddenly went twice as fast.

For some people it won’t be worth it. For some the iPhone 3G wasn’t worth upgrading from the 2G either. It depends on what you value. On a tiny screen, seconds matter to me. Waiting for a page to render or apps to switch is dead time, and I’m trying to fill the interstitial moments, not just fracture them into smaller bits.

I know expectations were impossibly high for the third generation iPhone’s debut at WWDC 2009. Sites like TiPb and the rumors we all love so much didn’t help. But complaining about the iPhone 3G S not being improved enough — what did you want, a built-in espresso maker?

Apple puts new CPUs, GPUs, and RAM into their iMacs, MacBook Pros, Mac Pros, etc. all the time. Much more often than case changes (hello G5 = Mac Pro!). Fashion is nice when we get it, features perfect when they make sense (I expect that Mobile iChat one year!) but it’s power that will still drive mobile adaption. Performance size matters.

So I’ll be lining up on Friday for a new 32GB iPhone 3G S. (No pre-orders on my carrier). And when I start using it, when web pages just pop up, when apps launch in a heartbeat, when I hit HSPA 7.2, when I load up my first OpenGL ES 7.2 game…

Well, let’s just say I won’t be able to go back.

No sooner did we ask (twice) whether the iPhone 3G S will speed up the splitting of the iPhone OS platform than Mobility Today finds the little pop-up alert, above, just chock-a-block full of confirmation.

Not the most elegant or user friendly of solutions, so perhaps this ultimately lies more with how developers handle different hardware options than the existence of the options themselves?

Could a video/camera button not disappear for a current iPod touch, default to launching only the camera for iPhone 2G and iPhone 3G, or launch the camera with a video switch (like Apple’s built in Camera app will have) for iPhone 3G S?

T-Mobile Netherlands (via Wired) has let slip the formerly elusive specs for the iPhone 3G S:

• 256MB of RAM
• 600Mhz CPU

Anandtech (via Macrumors) gives further info:

Although unannounced, the iPhone 3GS uses (again) a Samsung SoC but this time instead of the ARM11 + MBX-Lite combo it’s got a Cortex A8 and PowerVR SGX; just like the [Palm] Pre.

So add that to the fast PowerVR SGX graphics core, and — to quote Steve Jobs — it’s a screamer!

Update: Apple Insider has a great run down of the technology inside the chipsets.

No such thing as a free lunch. You don’t get something for nothing. Yesterday we linked to Gizmodo’s response to iPhone 3G owners “whining” about not getting a second bite at the cheap subsidy pricing for the iPhone 3G S.

Bottom line, you got your discount last year in exchange for a 2 year contract. That contract isn’t done in full yet, so you don’t get a discount in full yet.

But that got me thinking. I asked this on Twitter and am getting mixed reaction, so I’ll ask it here:

What if AT&T offered you full, subsidized pricing anyway ($199/$299) in exchange for another 2 year contract? No, not 2 more years starting now — that still costs them a year — but an additional 2 years after the current contract expires, for 3 years total from iPhone 3G S release.

Here’s the math: 2 year current contract – 1 year completed = 1 year + 2 years new contract = 3 years total.

Sound crazy? Rogers in Canada has all iPhone 3G owners on 3 year contracts already. 3 years are normal in some parts of the world.

However, the idea clearly doesn’t scale, does it? If AT&T offers an iPhone 3G S+ with iPhone 4.0 next year, the same math and model would mean you’d have to sign for a 4 year contract to get subsidy pricing (original 2 years – 1 year + 2 years – 1 year + 2 years = 4 years total).

Sure, it looks nice and linear — matching OS version numbers even — but not it’s not realistic long-term. Who’s going to offer or sign a 6 year contract for iPhone X running 6.0?

Still, for just this year, would you fully re-up it to get the iPhone 3G S at full discount pricing?

The smoke has begun to clear now that the WWDC 2009 keynote is over and we finally know all of the details regarding the iPhone 3GS. So – surprise – this From the Forums is all about WWDC and the new iPhone 3G S.

I’ll admit, as soon as Apple gave me the ability to pre-order the new iPhone 3G S, I broke down and ordered right away. Exactly how many of you out there has pre-ordered the latest iPhone goodness to come out of Cupertino?

This next thread was started by dramos9696, and he wants to know what are the major differences between the iPhone 3G and the 3G S. A lot of people like to claim there are no major differences but if you know me at all, you know I will fight tooth and nail to prove you wrong. But take a look at that thread and add anything you see fit.

Frozen001 started this thread, AT&T Strikes Again. Now we here at TiPb don’t understand why AT&T is lagging behind with MMS and tethering but as far as upgrades are concerned it’s pretty simple – if you don’t have a upgrade available to you, you pay the normal price. That’s just the way it is. No one is forcing you to make the purchase. What are you thoughts?

Our final thread was created by Scott R and it is about the iPhone 3G S’s camera. Does it seem too good to be true Scott wonders? TiPb thinks if it performs as well as it looked during the keynote, color us impressed.

There you have it folks, some of the hottest topics on TiPb forums! To get in on the action be sure to register first.

See you on the forums!

Apple has begun their direct email campaign for the iPhone 3G S saying:

Phone 3G S features a remarkable new video camera and hands-free Voice Control. It’s a revolutionary phone, a great widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device in one. And it opens up a whole new world of applications. All that and more makes it the best iPhone yet.

It’s that second to last sentence that drew our attention. New world of applications? What does that mean for the old world? More after the break…

Up until now, pretty much every application released for the iPhone worked on all models of the iPhone, 2G and 3G. Sure, 3G had GPS where 2G did not, but thanks to CoreLocation, apps could fall back on cell tower triangulation or Wi-Fi router mapping to get by.

Things are a bit trickier when we include iPod touch, as both generations also lack GPS (but have Wi-Fi router mapping at least) and a built in microphone (though a headset mic will get you by), the first gen lacks Bluetooth (3.0 will unlock the previously hidden Bluetooth in the second gen), and the second gen adds Nike+.

iPhone 3G S also adds Nike+, to the aforementioned video recording and voice control, along with faster processors, accessibility options like VoiceOver, faster processors, and the digital compass.

Video will still downgrade to still camera, voice control to physical screen taps, and the digital compass to accelerometer and CoreLocation voodoo, and the faster processor to, well, slower processing. But the question becomes, when will the differences be enough?

So far we haven’t seen developers or users have to worry too much about app compatibility between devices, but at some point that will change more significantly. For example, if some developers — especially game developers — start targeting the faster processors to get better quality games, will that encourage users to upgrade to the latest hardware or just p!$$ them off?

It’ll happen eventually. One year Apple will release a future iPhone that’s so different from the original iPhone 2G that — like with the Mac today — we’ll see “only compatible with…” start to appear even on iPhone OS firmware. Heck, Apple already says iPhone 2G and iPhone 3G hardware are different enough that they’re not devoting resources to putting MMS or A2DP Stereo Bluetooth on the original iPhone.

Is iPhone 3G S one more step down the platform splitting path?

With AT&T US and Rogers Canada having already weighed in, TUAW now brings word on what the chaps across the pond can expect for the iPhone 3G S, and it’s, well… a lot of numbers, innit?

Check out their full post for all the details on Monthly and Pay & Go Plans, but highlights include:

32GB iPhone 3G S will range between £274.23 (~$444US) and £96.89 (~$158US) for an 18-month contract and £175.19 (~$283) and £0 for a 24-month contract. Contract prices range between £29.38 (~$48US) and £73.41 (~$120US) for 18-month terms and £34.26 (~$55US) and £73.41 (~$120US) for 24-month terms. All plans include unlimited UK data and WiFi.

So, who’s for a bit of a line up on Regent Street June 19 then?

(And yeah, old school LoTR graphic still alive!)

Apple Insider reveals that:

Sources have now reported that Apple has detailed that Imagination’s PowerVR SGX is indeed the graphics processor used in the iPhone 3G S, and that it is “designed for OpenGL ES 2.0.” The new 2.0 specification of OpenGL for Embedded Systems eliminates most of the fixed-function rendering pipeline for a programmable approach to 3D rendering using shader programs.

So while we’re not yet getting that PA Semi + multicore ARM/PowerVT + OpenCL + Papermaker + ATI gurus system on a chip we’ve been fantasizing about this year… we’re still getting a clear focus on speed from Apple. And that’s a Good Thing.

Oh, and yeah, that’s totally the Kingdom Come Flash trouncing his golden age and silver age counterparts in the graphic above. /geek.

AT&T and other carriers subsidize the upfront cost of the iPhone and other smartphones and make up the difference via guaranteed long term contracts/commitments. That’s their business model, but it means they can’t and won’t give repeated subsidies until you’ve finished the associated contract terms. With many iPhone 3G owners — still under contract — eyeing the iPhone 3G S, and the non-subsidized price it brings with it, a fair amount of anger has been plasma-cannoned in AT&T’s monstrous direction.

Gizmodo‘s Jesus Diaz, however, gives a nasty spoonful of reality medicine to those of us who bought heavily subsidized iPhones last year, and are upset we can’t get the same subsidy again this year:

The fact is that the $199/$299 price tag for the iPhone is the result of AT&T’s—or any other carrier, since the situation is the same all around the world—subsidy. Without subsidy—and tying you to a new two year contract—the iPhone is not different from something like the Nokia N97, which is $700 unlocked. Or the contract-free, unsubsidized iPhone 3G itself: The iPhone 3G costs $770 and $877 unlocked for the 8 and 16GB versions.

He goes on to kick the telcos heartily in their nether-regions as well, pointing out their exorbitant monthly charges, but takes issue with the sense of “entitlement” in modern consumer culture.

If you don’t like it? His advice is to not buy the new iPhone 3G S and wait until next year when you can get a subsidy.

(I’m locked into a 3 year contract which currently has an early termination fee of ~$500, so I feel that pain…)

And in the mean time?

do the rest of the world a favor and stop whining about what you are entitled to. We don’t live in your pretty me me me ME world.

NB: Delayed MMS deployment and lack of anything approaching information on tethering, however — totally AT&T hate worthy…

[Via Daring Fireball]

Looks like Rogers will be bringing back the $30/6GB data plans just in time for the iPhone 3G S launch!

Last year, to help defuse some of the negative publicity surrounding Canadian data rates in face of the iPhone 3G launch, Rogers extended a hand to data hungry users in the form of this plan — for a limited time only.

Recently Rogers brought the plan back for their Android handset as well, but it’s great to see it specified for our new iPhone.

Pricing is also given above for current, 2008 iPhone 3G hardware. We thought $99 would be the cheap rate, but it looks like either it’s not going down that far, or the system just hasn’t been updated yet.

Hopefully we’ll get more as the June 19 launch day approaches.

AT&T (via Macrumors) has posted the above video in hopes of clarifying how customers, new and existing, can get a brand new iPhone 3G S come next Friday:

On launch day (June 19th), two lines will form at 7 a.m. local time at the AT&T retail stores. Customers who had pre-ordered from retail stores will be able to pick up their iPhone 3GSs at that time, while customers who wish to purchase that day will have to wait until the store opens at normal business hours.

Pricing is still $199/$299 for 16GB/32GB on new activations with full subsidies. Customers already under contract, having already received subsidies last time around, can expect to pay up to $599/$699 (though some discounts might bring that down a tad).

So, does the video help answer your questions, if not allay your frustrations?

It’s been a busy day here on TiPb, so just in case you missed anything, here’s a roundup of all our WWDC 2009 news and coverage.

• TiPb WWDC 2009 Live Meta Blog
• Apple Posts WWDC 2009 Keynote Live Stream
• Apple Announces iPhone 3G S – Ships June 19
• Apple Posts iPhone 3G S Guided Tour
• iPhone 3.0 Release Date: June 17
• 2008 iPhone 3G Now Priced to Move! $99 Starting Today!
• iPhone 3G S — What We Didn’t Get
• AT&T — MMS Later. Tethering… Um… Er… Bai!
• AT&T Responds: iPhone 3.0 MMS and Tethering
• Rogers/Fido to Sell iPhone 3G S in Canada, $199/$299 on June 19
• iPhone 3G S — Apple Delivers Mobile Video to the Masses
• Apple Demonstrates Voice Control for iPhone 3G S
• iPhone 3G S – 2x Faster, but Still no 802.11n
• MobileMe Update Coming June 17: Find my iPhone, Remote Wipe, iDisk Mobile, File Sharing, Public Folders
• Apple Releases iPhone 3.0 Gold Master to Developers + WARNING!

Yeah, we’re the entitled generation. We want everything, we want it now, and free isn’t good enough — you better pay us to like it!

Well, most of us aren’t that bad, but our expectations have no doubt been set high, almost impossibly high.

So, while Apple is touting their faster, video shooting, voice controlling, compass spinning new iPhone 3G S, we just want to remind them of just what we didn’t get… after the break!

• No new casing. No colors. No matte finish. No black bezel. No aluminum unibody. Nothing. The iPhone 3G S is stuck inside the same shell as last year’s model. Doesn’t Apple know that smartphones are fashion accessories now? How will other people know that we have better, newer versions than they do if the casing doesn’t show it off?

• No HD. No OLED. No Hi-Res 480×800 display. No 16×9 display. No HD-Radio. No HD out via AV cables. Nadda. When even Windows Mobile and the Zune have better screen specs than what Apple produces, well… it’s like looking up at the end of the movie and seeing the monkey on top of the horse.

• No Mobile iChat Video. So what if AT&T’s network would come crashing down around our ankles the first time Kevin Rose jumped on it, Mobile iChat with a front-facing camera for video is something we wanted. International readers, we’re sorry AT&T is holding you back. We realize the Asian iPhone likely already materializes holograms….

• No CDMA. No Verizon. No China Mobile. No EDVO Rev whatever. The iPhone 3G S stays locked to GSM.

• No 802.11n. We got faster CPU, faster GPU, faster web rendering, faster HSPA cell data, faster everything — except Wi-Fi. Sigh.

• No FM Transmitter. Um. Okay. We don’t really care about this, but if you do, we’ll share your rage and incredulity.

• No MobileMe 2.0. We got Find my iPhone. Remote Wipe. iDisk (iDisk?!). But we didn’t get server-side email rules, server-side calendar subscriptions, no remote back ups, no photo sync. And that stinks!

• No Multitasking Background apps Except for Apple’s built-in apps, which have always multitasks, the newer, faster, stronger iPhone 3G S doesn’t even provide for limited 3rd party apps.

• No glowing Apple logo. Come on. You know you wanted it. It would have sold more units than multi-touch. What. Were. You. Thinking.

• No Steve Jobs. No cameo. No “one more thing”. No phone call. No voice mail. No video. No poppa.

Did we miss anything? Were there any other new hardware or hardware/software features you really wanted that evil Apple still haven’t given you?

Sound off in the comments!

Okay, I take back 13% of all the bad things I’ve ever said about Rogers. The Social Media Rep for Rogers/Fido, Keith McArthur, has unleashed the following today via Twitter:

• Both Rogers Wireless and Fido will offer iPhone 3GS starting June 19. [link]
• Rogers/Fido pricing is $199 for 16GB iPhone 3GS; $299 for 32GB iPhone 3GS on a three-year voice and data plan. [link]
• 8GB version of the iPhone 3G will drop to $99 on June 19 at Rogers and Fido with a three-year voice and data plan. [link]
• Rogers is reintroducing the $30/6GB data plan for iPhones effective tomorrow, June 9. Offer available for a limited time. [link]
• Rogers/Fido are only national carriers to offer $25/500MB plan. 93% of iPhone users use less than 500MB so this is the right plan for most. [link]

UPDATE: Steve in the comments points out this gem from the same Twitter feed:

• There will be a no-contract price for customers who want to upgrade before they’re eligible for a subsidy [link]

You stand on guard for me. Well done, sirs!

Lots of smartphones have lots of features, and as Steve Jobs has said in the past — many people don’t even know about them, much less use them.

With the original iPhone, Apple popularized mobile web browsing, and the iPhone 3G too that to previously unseen levels (and AT&T has the data network woes to prove it). The App Store made getting and using mobile applications so ridiculously easy that 50,000 now fill the store and over 1 billion have been downloaded.

So now Apple is set to take on mobile video.

Like previous efforts, mobile video isn’t new. Many smartphones have been able to shoot video for many years. Likewise, the Flip Mino and similar pocket video camera have become media darlings. But as with most things Apple, the iPhone 3G S is set to make shooting, editing, and sharing videos not only more convenient, but easier and likely more popular than ever.

Think about it: the video camera will be with you everywhere you have a phone. It will be constantly connected. And it will be integrated with not only MMS and MobileMe, but with the 800lbs gorilla of video — YouTube.

Hey, dad, here’s your son making that soccer goal 5 min ago. Hey, sis, here’s Steve Jobs totally ordering a smoothy at Whole Foods! Hey, air force, here’s that flying saucer that keeps buzzing my cattle ranch!

In one of the more impressive demonstrations during the iPhone 3G S introduction, Apple showed off a new feature — Voice Control.

To activate it, you hold down the “home” button (previously reserved for “force quit”). When you hear the sound, you’re good to speak!

It can be used to make a call by saying either the name or number. Voice Control will repeat what you say for confirmation.

It can also be used to tell the iPod app to play a song, play a playlist, shuffle, activate Genius, or even tell you what song is currently playing.

Most impressive? It will be available in a ton of languages! (See full list after the break!)

• Chinese (Cantonese)
• Chinese (Mainland)
• Chinese (Taiwan)
• Czech
• Danish
• Dutch (Belgian)
• Dutch (Netherlands)
• English (Australian)
• English (UK)
• English (U.S.)
• Finnish
• French (Canada)
• French (France)
• German
• Greek
• Hungarian
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Norwegian
• Polish
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Portuguese (Portugal)
• Romanian
• Russian
• Slovak
• Spanish (Mexico)
• Spanish (Spain)
• Swedish
• Thai
• Turkish

Looks like DaringFireball.net nailed it: the S in iPhone 3G S stands for speed. Faster processors (we’re guessing both CPU and GPU in line with new ARM and PowerVR chips), new OpenGL ES 2.0 implementation (no word on OpenCL yet, which leverages GPUs and CPUs).

HSPA cell downloads are also boosted up to 7.2 Mbps, where available.

Missing in the speed-boost department, however, was any word on support for 802.11n Wi-Fi according to the Tech Specs.

Guess we’re waiting on fourth gen for that?

During the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) Keynote, Apple VP of Marketing, Phil Schiller, announced the all new, third generation, iPhone 3G S… and the S stands for Speed!

Averaging 2x faster on most tasks, it also includes many of the recently rumored features like video recording, editing, and sharing, a digital compass, astounding voice control, and more.

Keep your browsers pointed to TiPb for continuing coverage throughout the day!