So WWDC started today and we have new announcements of updated computer hardware, updated computer software, and even more of the same news about the update iPhone OS, OS3. What everyone wanted to hear about was the new iPhone. What will it look like, what will it have, what will it be is what everyone was asking. Rumors have swirled around for what seems like several months now and today we got to see what it was.
Looks
For all of the mock-ups, proposed new iPhone frames, and finish rumors, the exterior looks in the most part unchanged. Is this good or bad? The iPhone 3G seemed to have a good look and feel in a person’s hand and about 5 minutes after one is purchased a case was slapped on it, so for the most part this is a good thing. Others might disagree because they favor the first generation iPhone with the brushed aluminum back and hate the fingerprint friendly plastic case of the 3G. The biggest update to the exterior might be the new “oil-resistant coating that keeps the iPhone screen clean.”
S is for speed and that’s good enough for me
The S does not stand for super as some might think. The S stands for speed and that is what Apple is trying to get across. Apple is showing off that certain things you do on the iPhone is up to 2x faster than the iPhone 3G. There are several things that go into making this happen. The first is a new processor and 3D graphics chipset. Apple has always been tight lipped about the exact specifications of the hardware, but this combined with the support of the 7.2 Mbps 3G standard should allow you to see a boost in performance.
Battery
The battery has been improved, or software written to improve the life of it. This will be good for business folks and others that currently have issues with the battery life. The one thing that stood out for me is the 3 hour jump in usage for surfing on wifi and watching a video.
Updated camera
One thing that the iPhone has been lacking and nearly every other phone had was video recording capabilities. Though this is not a deal breaker for most, it would be nice and handy to take video of family and friends at any time. Our friends in the jailbreaking community have been recording videos on their iPhones for over a year now.
Apple took things a step further and rewarded everyone’s patience. Not only does the updated 3 megapixel camera record videos, it also allows for some rough video editing by allowing you to choose the start and stop points for your video. When you are done editing it, you can post it to MobileMe, YouTube, Email it, or send it via MMS (Late summer for AT&T users).
The auto-focus based on you tapping on the object to focus on is a great idea and looks to be well executed. The white balance and macro ability round out the top improvements in the camera.
What’s missing or not right
There are many other “little” improvements that the iPhone 3G S has that we are skipping over because the bulk of what everyone wants to know about was covered above. There are a few things that are missing and/or delayed and it is odd that this would happen because it would seem like the 1 year product cycles that the iPhone has would put it behind the competition again.
- OLED screen – This would have been icing on the cake. OLED screens are becoming more popular on iPhone competitors and by not putting it in this round of updates it will be one more year before me might see it.
- MMS – Really AT&T? You need the rest of the summer for MMS capabilities to be released here in the US? Really? Is MMS something new? Isn’t it something we have been doing since 2004? Is this something that you just found out about at the same time we did? Did Steve Jobs do a “Oh, one more thing AT&T, we’re going to have MMS” trick on you?
- Internet tethering – This should not have even been released as a new feature. AT&T has not even put support behind this. If anyone knows about the NetShare app issue from around a year ago you know that either this is not a feature that is going to be released, or it is something that you will be paying more for if it comes out.
- Upgrading options – AT&T, why must we be gouged by such high pricing to upgrade and then the $18 upgrade fee is just a slap in the face.
Should you get it?
The iPhone 3G S, offers many upgrades to the iPhone line that look to be very convincing if you have the first generation iPhone and are looking to upgrade. You’ll get the better price and you will have all of the latest features to enjoy. If you have an iPhone 3G you might be a little more hesitant to upgrade for the speed and the camera because of the hefty price you will have to pay. If you love Apple. was there ever a thought in your mind that you wouldn’t get this iPhone 3GS? I didn’t think so.
