iPhone 2.0 - 3G Settings!

We all know it's coming. Steve Jobs said so. AT&T said so. Everyone and their blog has posted so. But it's still super sweet to see Apple code confirming it!

Apple Insider (via Chronic Productions) brings word that deep delving the latest iPhone SDK firmware has yet again revealed buried treasure. This time, Beta 5 gives up the strings for 3G:

Most notable is a setting that will allow users of the second-generation iPhone -- expected for an unveiling sometime in the coming weeks -- to disable 3G access in favor of prolonging the handset's battery life. "Using 3G loads data faster, but decreases battery life," reads a caption beneath the setting toggle.

The ability to toggle 3G data on and off -- in other words, manually handle the transition -- is an interesting decision for Apple, and one they're squarely labeling the blame for on battery life.

Is this a way to cover still poorer-than-needed power efficiency on the 3G chipset? Something that may annoy users? A beta feature for people testing the mythical 3G right now inside Apple? Something that might not survive to the release version?

My guess is yes to all the above. What do you think?

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.