After reading some of the negative comments about the new iPhone 3G, I’m stunned.

People are whining about it not having:
- 64GB of memory
- a new 8 megapixel camera with a flash
- video chat
- high definition video recording (no I’m not kidding)
- an 800x480 pixel screen
- COMPLETE subsidies from AT&T (aka free phone)
- immediate availability
- user replaceable battery
- talking GPS directions

It also doesn’t have a flashlight or a blender but I’m not going to whine about it.

I just find it hard to believe that people are complaining about the addition of 3G and GPS to a great phone and at a much lower price. Amazing.

-Dan

I agree, most of those complaints are silly. But I must say I have been disappointed to not see even an option for a higher-capacity version in the last couple revisions. I’m going to be getting an iPhone before the end of this year and I’d really like to be able to completely replace my existing 30GB iPod without taking a hit on storage. Oh well, I’ll still be getting one either way.

I’d agree that those comments are rediculous. Many people would have liked a camera update, and I can appreciate that one (not an 8MP update though) . I can also appreciate that people would like to do video. Most of the rest is simply nuts.

As you say, this is a great update to an already amazing phone. While it’s still not all there, it’s obvious what Apple were concentrating on: push data, SDK, internationalisation, hardware abilities to use the new software functionality and cutting cost barriers. If the original iPhone had been 3G then I don’t think we would have seen a hardware update at all, simply the software as the speed to use it would already have been there.

Not wishing to sound like the conspiracy nut but…

Apple has a tendency to design products with an exploitable upgrade path in mind. Many of the million+ buyers of the iPhone 3G were first-gen iPhone owners who just had to have a 3G version. The same goes for iPods. How many iPods are in your household? How many of those did you really need to upgrade to?

You guys know I’m an Apple fan. My first appearance in this forum wasn’t intended to sound trollish.

However, Apple could well have put a better camera in there. I can’t see any technical reason why not. There are plenty of other phones on the market with more complete feature sets in a smaller shell. Apple could have included MMS. Apple could have included cut and paste.

Instead, Apple chose not to. Because that way, in a year from now, the iPhone 3G Pro can have these features and Apple can be assured that a significant number of people will upgrade to the Pro because they’ve been craving them.

It’s a cynical view, but I’m sticking to it.

Do I love my iPhone? Yes. And I’m spoiled for choice. In the last couple of weeks   I’ve had many of the leading handsets to use on trial and each one of them looks and feels like a piece of crap next to Apple’s little mobile slice of techno heaven. I wouldn’t trade it for any other device. It has literally changed my life.

Yet despite my cynical view of Apple’s deliberately iterative product development cycle, I agree with PD. It’s difficult to understand the gripes.

Gripesters should simply practise their rights as consumers to choose a different product when one product doesn’t meet their needs or expectations. It’s called choice.

Many of those features are just natural progressions for the iPhone… Apple will get their, in time and when they can do it right…  I think the price point for the iPhone is also a huge consideration.

If there’s one thing I find lacking it’s Steve Jobs claim ‘to have the iPhone on sale worldwide for $299!’

Over here the iPhone 16GB costs just under $1000!!! The most expensive iPhone in the world!

Wrote a story about it at: http://www.hypedworld.com/tag/apple called:
“Smurfs, French Fries and the most expensive iPhone in the World”

If you’re interested have a read, feedback welcome!! 

In Oz, the 8GB was on offer for AUD$189 and the 16GB for $309 - on selected plans with Vodafone.

Sweet. Sorry about the pricing in Belgium or Brazil.

Of course, we have the world’s dodgiest 3G network to balance the equation.

Hah! We can beat you at rugby, our iPhone plans are twice as expensive and we’ve got a worse network than you too! We win! Huzzah!

Ah yes, but we produced Rolf Harris. So there.

(Please don’t tell me RH was a Kiwi, too?)