Apple introduces the new iPhone 3G S, in stores June 19th
All right boys and girls… It’s time for the big show. For months now, it has been glaringly obvious that Apple would introduce its third-generation handset at WWDC today and sure enough — it’s here. Apple addicts around the world are rejoicing and Apple haters around the world are refining their arguments as to why the iPhone is a non-factor. Love it or hate it, hit the jump to find out how the new iPhone 3G S shapes up.
What we all knew/was rumored:
- Size — The new iPhone 3G S comes with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, a 100% bump from the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G offerings.
- Guts — Many will tell you that the most significant improvements are found within the new iPhone’s guts. We knew A2DP support was coming, a nice addition of course, but Apple also confirmed today that the new iPhone sports a faster processor and a 7.2Mbps HSDPA-compatible radio. Huzzah.
- Camera — The old 2 megapixel sensor has been bumped up to 3.2 megapixels and there’s still no flash. Apple also added auto-focus and geotagging support.
- Video — This little guy is all about video — 30fps video recording, video editing, video sharing… Yay.
- Compass — Know where north is. Yay.
- Battery life — The new kit features 5 hours of 3G talk time and up to 24 hours of music playback — according to Apple at least.
- OS — Tethering is now covered, though we still don’t know how AT&T will handle it, and the Find My iPhone feature we scooped is a done deal (available to MobileMe subscribers only). Oh and turn-by-turn nav is game on… TomTom was on hand at the keynote to demonstrate its iPhone app/accessory combo. 3.0 will be available beginning June 17th — free for iPhone owners, $9.95 for iPod Touch owners.
- Price — As expected, the new iPhone 3G S will ring up at $199 for the 16GB version and $299 for the 32GB version. The current 8GB iPhone 3G will hang around and drop to $99 starting today.
What we didn’t know:
- The 3G S looks exactly like the 3G — no matte rubbery finish, no matching bezel.
- Voice Control is now built in, hi 2002, so you can dial by voice, control iPod playback by voice and so on. We have to admit though, saying “play more songs like this” to initiate the Genius feature is cool.
- Integrated hardware encryption.
- The iPhone 3G S goes on sale June 19th in the US.
In the end, the jump from second to third generation is very reminiscent of the jump from first to second generation; this is more of an upgrade announcement (as we expected) as opposed to a new product launch. The man of the hour is still OS 3.0 if you ask us, and most of its features are backwards compatible. Those of you in love with your current iPhone but looking for a little more oomph will certainly be pleased while those of you holding out for things like a physical keypad, modern camera with flash, etc will have to continue to look elsewhere for another year. Sound off in the comments section and let us know if there will be a new iPhone 3G S in your future.
wow this phone rocks…..can someone show me how the phone multitasks?
oh wait, i’m thinking about the Pre.
Here come the ibashers. You guys should stay in a single file line given that microlimp keeps you thinking within small parameters. Yes the phone is only a mild refresh of the 3G and no it isn’t the email device the blackberry is. It is a better entertainment style phone than most save for the Nokia N Series, but unless you are willing to pay $700 for the N97 this is the best option.
But go ahead and flame, just tell me which division of microsoft do you bashers work for or are you IT, defending all your wasted training in an inferior system than OS X. Sucks to be so bitter huh? Is it the fact that less and less cell phone makers want to produce a WinMo OS phone or is it the constant run ins with the blue screen of death that has your panties in a bunch? Either way the iphone, as perfect as it is, still beats WinMo, still beats palm and their rip off WebOS and for non-office essentials, still beats Dingleberry. So suck it haters!
What a lame, sad update. That 3GS name isn’t much to write home about either. Where’s .11n? BETTER Battery life? I mean most people griping about batt life are miffed at 3g life. I could care less about wifi batt life, thats’ why I buy a 3G phone is because of the speed without having to find wifi. Horrible.
Im defitnetly gonna get this new Iphone and give my 3G away to my Best friend!!
idiot – how is a faster CPU, more ram, more flash ram, a better camera, a digital compass AND a new os the same as the iPhone 3g
dumb ass!
Yes the new Iphone could have very possibly been a lot better, but then Apple would need to go through the trouble of thinking of something else to upgrade for next June. This is a perfect move by Apple to suck in as many people as possible through the hype, and then next year, create another minor improvement with another giant hype.
I don’t see any reason why Apple has to change this strategy with the amount of loyal and many often blinded followers they have. Why release another revolutionary product to satisfy those few demanding customers, when you have a flock of sheep ready to buy whatever you make? Apple fans can deny it all they want, but the majority of Apple users (casual ones) flock to their products simply because of the name, more than the actual specs/features of the device. That’s a testament to Apple’s reputation, marketing and ability to create a buzz, but I think more people are becoming more informed now, and Apple is gonna have to step up even more before people become less amazed with their products.
For all the iBashers out there, time to put your money where your mouth is: Name the phone(s) that you honestly think are better than the iPhone.
- It has to do at least everything the iPhone does
- Is has to be available on a US carrier
I am not saying there are a ton of phones better than the iphone, but not being able to multitask is a major downfall. I current run msn messenger, always have bb messenger going and surf the web at the same time. There is no way I can do that with an iphone. I have no idea why not since it is now 2x as fast. I would think the processor is fully capable of doing it. That lack of functionality rules it out for me. If it was there, I would probably get one over the BB. As far as flash, not many support it yet so that doesn’t bother me since I can’t get it with my BB either.
@Dave:
I think this is where some of the confusion comes in to play about ‘multasking’.
With 3.0, you get notifications of messages, even if you’re in another application, same as you would in a multitasking environment. In this case however, it’s the notification service running in the background at all times, not the entire app.
Plus, this notification service is there for *all* applications to use – vs. the std. multitasking environment like you scenario you mentioned, where both msn messenger & bb messenger have to be active, using up CPU & battery.
Same end result, just uses less CPU & less battery.
@DRay
I think both background notifications and running multiple apps at once have their own advatanges and disadvantages.
Being able to keep more than 1 app open at once is all about efficiency, having the option to pop back and forth between doing one thing and another and then quickly adding something else. Sometimes multiple apps need to be used to complete some task, so being able to keep em open is a bonus. The flexibility may not always be taken advantage of, but at least there is that option.
If you don’t need that, background notifications will do, saving you cpu usage and batts. Background notifications are probably better for IM programs specifically too.
However I believe the reduced battery life while running multiple apps is only an issue if you don’t know how to manage your open apps properly (not closing the ones you don’t need at the time)
having not used an iphone very much i am wondering…if you cannot multitask on the phone, what is the point of having copy and paste? you cant have an email or message open when browsing, what are you going to copy to or from………
@Dray,
The fact the iPhone is a branded device available from at&t is its biggest disadvantage! All GSM devices work on at&t! The N82, N95, N97, E90, E71, E75, and for the poor, the 5800 Xpress Music, are all much better than the iPhone. There is nothing it does they can’t, yet plenty they can do the iPhone can’t, like play web videos in browser without an app, not just YouTube, either, view map data without a network connection like a real navigator, play music REALLY loud, and multitask seemlessly. Exactly what so great can the iPhone do that these devices can’t?
and multitasking is multitasking. Running multiple apps at once. I have 14 running on my N95 8gb right now, including 2 browser windows, one with this, on with a YouTube video of a presentation I’m listening to. A phonecall won’t affect me, since this is the very intention of real smartphones. Until Apple can do all that cute stuff at once like my Nokia, they’re playing catch up.
@christexaport:
Are the Nokia devices you mentioned sold & serviced by a US carrier?
Do they support multi-touch?
Does the web browser support full HTML? HTML5?
What’s the cost of the Nokia devices vs. the $99 / $199 / $299 iPhone?
Is anyone else not impressed with the new one like me…???
Give me flash, physical slideout keyboard, change the housing to something that doesn’t slip out of your hand easily (I like the rubberized idea) then maybe we’ll talk.
P.S. A compass? Seriously… Nice job apple, that’s probably the best update out there…
@bb4life:
You hit on a great point that I think most people missed in the whole ‘non-multitasking’ debate: Most iPhone apps ’save state’.
For example: you’re in Safari, you have 6 browser windows open at once, then you need to check your mail. You hit home, then mail. Mail opens right where you left it that last time you used it.
With 3.0 you copy the link, text, whatever, out of mail, hit home, go back to Safari – which opens on the same page you left it, and paste the text.
I think most posters here think you have to entirely close the application b/f you can open another, then when you want to go back to the 1st app, you have to start from the beginning, but that’s not how the iPhone works.
@David
Get over the compass, it’s main use is for GPS apps, they didn’t add a compass just to have a nifty compass.
Apple will never ship a slide out keyboard. If you want one, get another phone.
I’ve never had an iPhone slip out of my hand any easier than a BB or WinMO.
I agree with you on the flash – don’t understand that one.
@ DRay,
Unbeknownst to you, while not in their stores, TMobileUSA offers a subsidy on most Nokia Nseries and Eseries devices via their Premium Collection, available at Best Buy. And being sold and serviced by a carrier is unnecessary, a hindrance to a free and open device, and not seen as an advantage to anyone other than uninitiated Americans. Europe, Africa, and Asia wouldn’t put up with the mess we do in the US, which is why everyone else has great choices of devices and we’re the only fools that consider an iPhone “advanced”.
As for multitouch, its a gimmick. It gives no extra function and actually requires 2 hands, which is a no-no for Symbian, designed for one handed usage. I prefer non touchscreen devices anyway, but lacking multitouch isn’t a loss. Most Symbian devices have dedicated zoom buttons on the right side. Besides zoom, what good is multitouch?
And the browser is miles better than the iPhone! It supports full HTML WITH FLASH! I can watch videos on MySpace, upload images right into the browser, and even use free third party browsers if I like. And if I want more speed, I can use Opera Mini or just turn of scripts and Flash, but what page works good without it?
Now all the aforementioned devices are between $550 and $750. The carrier subsidy is their choice. In Europe, they are free to $100 on contract. Deal with actual costs! I can buy any high end Nseries for $500 to $700 with a $20 a month data plan or none at all for a cost of $980 to $1180 for 2 years without a contract, or a $200 iPhone with a required $35 a month data plan for a cost of $1040 plus termination fees. This is comparable, but device performance is not.
I challenge anyone willing to do a YouTube challenge to email me at christexaport@sbcglobal.net between my old N95 from 2007 and any iPhone. Get the latest firmware, a little tech savvy, and stop spewing rumors and vitriole. The iPhone can’t scratch the surface of the S60 ecosystem, apps or native.
and a compass is a good upgrade. It allows azimuth detection, which can be used to guage speed, and if Apple doesn’t hate, good golf caddy apps will emerge, as well as rangefinders for the camera, ability to get precise location and directional info for exif data for our cameras, even though Apple’s sucks.
@christexaport:
I know it’s the cellular industry is completely different outside of North America. But seeing how both of us live here, it’s the best point of reference. I’m not knocking the Nokia phones, I’m simply saying that since their high end phones are not subsidized, most American consumers won’t buy them.
Apple tried going down the unsubsidized route with iPhone v1, and most of the buying public freaked at the price. The followed the subsidized model starting w/ v2 – and look at what’s happened to sales.
T-Mobile’s really not a player in this discussion considering it’s lack of nationwide coverage.
And hey, if multi-touch is just a ‘useless gimmick’ why the hell is every cell phone mfg on the planet trying to copy it?
Funny how iPhone fans defend the device. Its not so much the device thats a disappointment, is the hyped ‘upgrade’ and the fact that this is probably going to be the best iPhone for the coming year. Its no difference from a ‘regular’ iPhone 3G. Most people wont need 16 gb for their music, let alone 32 gb, the battery is the same, a compass on top of a GPS enabled map is a device for navigational-wise retarded people and for the processor speed….well, i dont know about the iPhone 3G, but its usually people which are the slowest link in the process, not the phone.
I honestly cant find a reason why an iPhone 3G owner should be tempted to upgrade to a 3Gs.
@Wout:
Those 50,000+ apps are why people want a faster processor.
And, hate to break it to you, there’s a couple million people out there who will probably buy the 32GB version for movies, videos, music, etc.
The battery’s not the same, it’s improved – do you read the specs or do you just spout nonsense?
I keep reading posts about how this phone won’t make 3G owners upgrade… this update isn’t really aimed at someone who bought their phone last year & is still under contract. It’s aimed at 1st gen owners, and new customers.
So I just tried the Pre at Best Buy. I am really impressed. What a nice phone. I will give it a few months to see what happens, but I think I might pick one of those up. If you haven’t played with one, go check it out. If RIM has created that phone I would have been thrilled! — but they dont.
I’m a big apple fan, I love my macbook, but I’m not going to “flock” to the next apple product just b/c. I don’t have an iphone, thought about it (but ATT sux azz), and instead I’m waiting for the tuh tuh tuh TOUR, b/c I buy products that give me a lot of upside, not just for a manufacturer’s name. That’s why I bought a macbook. That’s why I’ll buy RIM. Saying all casual apple fans are flocks of sheep is generalizing waaaaay too much. The fanboys are sheep
@ DRay,
The iPhone has ALWAYS been heavily subsidized and always exclusively on at&t since day one. They weren’t ever unsubsidized, or it would’ve never sold! Generation 1 iPhones were $785!! Get your facts together.
Now we both may be in the Americas, but I am a phone reviewer, and I look at telecom globally. The US market is a walled garden because stupid consumers let it. Now that Nokia has devices stateside, there’s no reason a devices review has to be slanted in another’s favor. I judge devices on technical merit alone first, then actual cost, not subsidized.
By the way, if at&t or TMobileUSA did subsidize the N97 at $500 like the iPhone for a cost of $199 on a two year contract, which would you choose? Don’t embarrass yourself with the obvious answer. Unless you’ve used an Nseries device beyond a one week trial or in store demo, and had the constant firmware updates with great function upgrades, which you obviously haven’t, you’ll be swept into the same pen with the rest of the sheep.
The only people that love the iPhone are those less savvy, “I can’t figure out how to switch apps” types because of its no frills, simpleton interface. The Symbian ecosystem is a tool, not just a toy, made for the user that expects a $400+ device to set the standard for a high end device, which the iPhone does not.
And don’t look at the world through iPhone colored glasses. 16gb is paltry for a music collection, especially if your device is downloading from a P2P network or a torrent downloader all day like mine. 16gb is alot to buy from iTunes, but I bet your entire music collection is bigger. With FM transmitters and A2DP bluetooth along with bluetooth car stereos, its almost necessary to have copious storage. Why Apple left off a card slot is a ridiculous tragedy!
The good part of the iPhone you discount. The compass will keep the maps oriented in the direction headed, like Tom Tom, Garmin, and the N97 do. Its not stupid, but just what all the other high end smartphones are doing. How do you think the G1’s Streetview knows which way its pointed?
And TMobileUSA has great coverage, which is growing daily. The G1 sold well in the US with a neophyte’s 3G network, which is now pretty ubiquitous. The N97 would do well to sell as much. Ask Nokia how much they’d like doing numbers like Samsung and HTC do in America with their TMobile sales.
50k apps?? Do you know how many Symbian has? The top ones? Of course not. And a faster processor to run one app at a time?! Ha ha ha… Its just a marketing slant. Spin. Besides the slight proc bump and the compass, its an iPhone 3G. Oh yeah, with a camera not even on spec with Nokia Nseries phones from almost 5 years ago. I bet my 2005 2 megapixel N90 WITH FLASH takes better video and photos.
Apple is a scam IMO. Smoke and mirrors. Take it from a device tester that can get any device I want, foreign or domestic. At $700, your device should be the best available, and the iPhone has too many “can’t do’s”. Sorry. Multitasking is big, and imaging, messaging, higher resolution screens, and tactile feedback are big for devices this expensive.