“[The iPhone 3G] weighs only 110 to 120 grams versus its first generation cousin’s 158 grams. Much of the weight reduction is said to have come from a material swap that will see handset adopt a plastic casing instead of aluminum-magnesium one. In addition to weight advantage, the latest version is also more energy efficient and externally smarter. LCD screen on the phone measures 2.8 inches diagonally, a downsize from first generation`s 3.5 inches.”
And a 2.8″ screen? I know I was asking for something higher density than the current 160dpi — more along the lines of the Nano’s 202dpi — but I was hoping for more pixels, not just tighter. C’mon Apple, give me 720p already!
Besides, trying to type on a vertical soft keyboard that skinny? (And don’t even joke about virtual SureType! Yikes!!)
Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai) — the maker of the 1st gen iPhone — is ramping up 3G iPhone assembly by “the end of May” to ship 3 million units in June. It’s expected to produce some 24-25 million units before the product reaches end of life.
June is rapidly becoming the bell of the release-prediction ball, especially with an almost certain Steve Jobs Keynote smack in the beginning of the month. If Jobs storms the stage at WWDC, 3G iPhone in hand, will 3 million units be enough to satisfy the rabid demand of early adopters, especially in Europe? And with Jobs having said he’d sell 10 million iPhone’s from launch in June 2007 to end of 2008, is 25 million pie-in-the-sky dreaming for 2009, or the sign of massive international rollout to come?
So we’ve got it on authority that the second-gen iPhone is already well into testing, and numerous units are floating around in super secret pockets. A trusted source got a chance to check one out.
According to Engadget’s source, the iPhone 3G is roughly the same size and shape, has GPS for realz, the glossy black backing we see in the pic, chromed up volume buttons, no removable battery (’natch), flush(!) headphone jack, same screens size and resolution (what? where’s my Nano-res 200dpi 640×480?!)
July is rumored, but who outside the jobspod knows for sure?
Quick check of the scorecard, should this be true:
Europe
North Am.
South Am
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Antarctica
2.5G
5
1
0
0
0
0
0
3G
1?
0
0
0
0
0
0
Says Ars:
The report indicates that Belgian carriers Proximus, Mobistar and BASE are putting together special iPhone data packages which should include compatibility with the Visual Voicemail feature as well as unlimited data transfer. It’s also noted that an exclusive deal like the one Apple has with AT&T in the US would violate trade laws in Belgium.
Engadget, via typically credible Italian newspaper La Repubblica, reports that a 3G iPhone will be coming soon to Telecom Italia, and what’s more: without carrier or contract lock-in.
Ch-ch-ch-che?
First, a quick look at our scoreboard, if this be true:
[A] formal agreement on the matter was signed last week when Franco Bernabè, chief executive officer of TIM’s parent company Telecom Italia, met with Steve Jobs at Apple’s Cupertino-based headquarters. Under the terms of the deal, TIM will reportedly receive a several month exclusive on sales of a 3G iPhone through its retail shops [...] Apple is also reported to have agreed to terms by which the new iPhone will be sold at a higher price than in other European countries, but without a carrier lock and two-year service agreement.
Apple Insider further notes that, given the high percentage of pay-as-you-go plans in Italy, this unprecedented arrangement would give both the carrier and customers multo-flexibility in selling units and either using them on TIM, or with other providers, with plans or with pre-purchased bundles/minutes.
No comment, of course, from either Cupertino or Roma, but we’ve repeatedly repeated Apple COO Tim Cook’s comments on being open to other business models, and this particular one is very intriguing to say the least.
How does the idea of a contract-free 3G iPhone coming soon (albeit to Italy) grab you?
Apple Insider (via Digitimes, via Economic Daily News) brings word that United Microelectronics Corporation has nailed the contract to produce the Infineon powered 3G basebands for the next generation iPhone:
The newspaper maintains that UMC will use a 65 nanometer plant to produce the chip, which (though mistakenly written as PMB878) is known to be the PMB8878 — an integrated circuit which provides cellular data on HSDPA networks up to 7.2Mbps and is the source of the hidden SGOLD3 reference in the latest beta of Apple’s iPhone 2.0 firmware.
Infineon’s EDGE (2.5G) chip powering the current generation iPhone, along with the aforementioned SGOLD3 string, starts to give this rumor a little weight. What do you think?
Following on a veritable flood of previous “OMG 3G!!11″ news and rumors, it nowlooksconfirmed that O2 in the UK has knocked 100 quid off the price of an 8G current generation (2.5G) iPhone 8GB.
The discount is being referred to as a special promotion that will run through June 1, but following the T-Mobile discount promotion, and the apparent urgency for 3G in data-spoiled Europe, the rumor mill is running full bore again.
Tgdaily is the one making waves today, claiming that we’ll see next-gen 8GB and 16GB iPhones debut at WWDC this June for $399 and $499, and that the iPod touch will always offer twice the storage at any given price point. The new units are said to feature revised casings that eliminate the current model’s “plasticky” feel…
TG Daily’s industry sources allegedly told them, but could not confirm, a 32GB model at $599 as well. Envious of all the Mac Book Air attention, iPhone 3G has also apparently crash-dieted to become 2.5mm thinner. Lastly, those hoping for a removable battery will apparently be disappointed as 3G will remain an inney, not an outey.
That the iPhone has one NAND slot to the iPod Touches 2 slots makes the latter bit pretty much a given (gotta but the cell radio somewhere!), and I don’t believe the iPod line has ever had user-switchable batteries, so likewise. Thinner is wicked obvious, though with increased battery demands may not make sense. Price points for the iPod line have also been semi-predictable, with the iPhone pretty much fitting in ever since the initial price-drop.
As to the date?
I’m still on the WWDC bandwagon for the announcement of 3G, with shipping to follow some time later (6 weeks earliest, Thanksgiving latest). Guess we’ll all have to wait and see, and if you haven’t already, head on over to our 3G Pool and pick your date!
CTIA threw us off a week, which was a shame because there wasn’t any iPhone news there at all. There is plenty of other news though: Flash, 3G, and the Pwnage of the iPhone’s Firmware. Listen in!
Engadget (via jailbreaking maestros, ZiPhone) is reporting that the newly released iPhone SDK Beta 3 has some code inside that refers to “SGOLD3″, which they are guessing may be the upcoming successor to Infineon’s S-GOLD-2 chip inside the current iPhone. What will S-GOLD-3 offer?
7.2Mbps HSDPA chip with all the video acceleration and media playback features iPhone users have come to expect. Advantages over its predecessor include higher resolution camera support (5 megapixels instead of 2), a 2x speed MMC / SD interface and DVB-H module support
Deep digging Apple code has provided clues to everything from iTunes Movie Rentals to new Apple product models in the past, so could ZiPhone be on to something here? Or is everyone just completely 3G crazy these days? What do you think?
