2nd Generation of iPhone Confirmed

[beachtrader]

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http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/29/1425227&from=rss

From the original article:

Reports suggest Quanta has received an order for 5 million iPhones which are to be shipped in September, and if the report in Digitimes is correct, which reports that the ‘new’ iPhone will “be similar in function to those from Foxconn but with a different outer design to fit different markets”.

Presumably this could entail a 3G or even 3.5G HSDPA iPhone for European markets due to get the iPhone by the end of the year, or even the addition of more memory – imagine a 16Gb or even 32Gb iPhone, unlikely though those will be this year mainly due to the high cost of 16 or 32Gb of flash memory.

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/12499/1103

 

[beachtrader]

Another source on the subject discussing it:

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9723253-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5

 

[whmurray]

??

http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/29/1425227&from=rss

From the original article:

Reports suggest Quanta has received an order for 5 million iPhones which are to be shipped in September, and if the report in Digitimes is correct, which reports that the ?new? iPhone will ?be similar in function to those from Foxconn but with a different outer design to fit different markets?.

Presumably this could entail a 3G or even 3.5G HSDPA iPhone for European markets due to get the iPhone by the end of the year, or even the addition of more memory ? imagine a 16Gb or even 32Gb iPhone, unlikely though those will be this year mainly due to the high cost of 16 or 32Gb of flash memory.

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/12499/1103

Well, one might call this "confirmation" but seems more like speculation and rumor than corroboration to me.

One might be justifiably upset if one bought a 2G iPhone in June on a two year plan, only to have Apple announce a 3G one in September.

 

[Iceman6]

3G would be a different INNER design.

 

[Dim-Ize]

After today's Foleo introduction - I want a 2nd Gen iPhone. I hope that this fall brings about that launch.

 

[vinman]

Well, this would potentially explain Jobs' willingness to sign a long exclusivity contract with Cingular - give them the 1st gen, low spec version, while a few months later offering a higher spec version to the rest of the market (or at least a few more carriers).

How p'd off would Cingular be if they exploited a loophole like that!? For that matter, how p'd off would 1st gen buyers be if they did that (like me!)? Maybe I SHOULD go ahead and get that 8525 now and wait until later in the year to go iPhone...

Wow, the more I think about it, the more "genius" that sort of strategy could be. Let Cingular be the guinea pig and build the market hype (provided it's really a good device), and then open up to a bigger market with an even better version!!! He won't win any friends at Cingular, but it could work from a marketing viewpoint.

 

[Dim-Ize]

I think Apple should put a 3G radio in the iPhone with Cingular.

Cingullar should be able to tell by IMEI# and limit bandwidth to iPhone users to the rated / stated speed.

Then in 3 months, have a $50.00 upgrade fee to coincide with competitive launches and give more bandwidth to existing users. It could be a firmware update or IMEI system update.

I don't see this happening - but it would be a great strategy to keep costs lower up front and get another bump along the way.

Otherwise - your idea of the 8525 makes a whole lot of "cents" to me.

 

[whmurray]

Well, this would potentially explain Jobs' willingness to sign a long exclusivity contract with Cingular - give them the 1st gen, low spec version, while a few months later offering a higher spec version to the rest of the market (or at least a few more carriers).

How p'd off would Cingular be if they exploited a loophole like that!? For that matter, how p'd off would 1st gen buyers be if they did that (like me!)? Maybe I SHOULD go ahead and get that 8525 now and wait until later in the year to go iPhone...

Wow, the more I think about it, the more "genius" that sort of strategy could be. Let Cingular be the guinea pig and build the market hype (provided it's really a good device), and then open up to a bigger market with an even better version!!! He won't win any friends at Cingular, but it could work from a marketing viewpoint.

Consistent with Apple's strategy of not maintaining backward compatibility even at the expense of stranding users.

 

[whmurray]

I think Apple should put a 3G radio in the iPhone with Cingular.

Cingullar should be able to tell by IMEI# and limit bandwidth to iPhone users to the rated / stated speed.

Then in 3 months, have a $50.00 upgrade fee to coincide with competitive launches and give more bandwidth to existing users. It could be a firmware update or IMEI system update.

I don't see this happening - but it would be a great strategy to keep costs lower up front and get another bump along the way.

Otherwise - your idea of the 8525 makes a whole lot of "cents" to me.

Cingular already restricts all phones to 2.5G just by not providing 3G coverage in most markets. A 3G radio makes no sense without 3G coverage. Offering a 3G phone would simply call attention to the lack of coverage.

However, Cingular will have to provide 3G coverage in most major markets before the contract period on the iPhone is over or their competition, mostly Sprint, will have driven them from the marketplace. They do not need us to tell them that. They only have to watch the Sprint ads on TV.

I do not intend to be locked into a 2G phone for two years. As I have had to do with Treos, I will simply have to wait until the iPhone is available from alternate sources (like a dissatisfied customer selling on eBay.)

 

[vinman]

Cingular already restricts all phones to 2.5G just by not providing 3G coverage in most markets. A 3G radio makes no sense without 3G coverage. Offering a 3G phone would simply call attention to the lack of coverage.

However, Cingular will have to provide 3G coverage in most major markets before the contract period on the iPhone is over or their competition, mostly Sprint, will have driven them from the marketplace. They do not need us to tell them that. They only have to watch the Sprint ads on TV.

I do not intend to be locked into a 2G phone for two years. As I have had to do with Treos, I will simply have to wait until the iPhone is available from alternate sources (like a dissatisfied customer selling on eBay.)

I don't really see 3G driving the market to the degree that Sprint can chase them away. Users of data technology are not yet near the majority. Most folks are just happy to have a consistent signal everywhere they frequent. It's getting there, but data is still not king.

That said, I do wish Cingular would step up and finish the stupid rollout - or at least provide us with some realistic info regarding when areas should expect service. I have coverage 60 miles to the ne and 90 miles to the south. I am in the most populous region of South Carolina, and still can't even get vague info regarding when we should have service - could be 4th quarter, could be next year. Ridiculous.

 

[nyc_rock]

Considering that one of the biggest suspected shortcomings of the Iphone is its lack of 3G, why in the world would anybody by the 1st gen when the second is coming right behind it?

 

[dwman]

why in the world would anybody by the 1st gen when the second is coming right behind it?

Because most people don't know a 2G iphone is potentially on it's way in a few months. They'll run out and buy the first iteration on 6/29.

 

[taroliw]

Actually, a more likely reason behind them dragging their feet on 3G now is the cost to implement and lack of return. I know an insider at one of the carriers and apparently they've not been wow'ed by the lack of reception of customers to higher-profit high-speed services. It's probably a combination of people who don't want to watch streaming video on tiny screens and lack of interesting content. Frankly, I think 3G was a hammer in search of a nail. And I say that as a person who does do primarily (95%+) data with his Treo and has experienced 3G speeds on friends' devices.

 

[vinman]

I really don't think 3G is ahead of it's time - it's just poorly marketed and overpriced. The issue here is that, while we here on the smartphone websites know how great it is to use data on our devices, most people have no clue. Even the average business user with a Treo still mainly talks, checks email, and sends the occasional text. When I sit at Starbucks and surf the web on my phone, the people who notice (you know, the nosy ones) look at me like I'm an alien or from the future. THIS is why 3G hasn't "wowed" the suits at the carriers. People aren't fully aware of what is really available to them. The carriers are trying to market the lowest common denomenator (music and video services) at high data prices, when they should be selling the whole internet! The cost is still going to be a barrier to a lot, if not the majority, but I'd be a lot more willing to shell out $40 plus every month for the internet than for the ability to download a movie to my phone.

Now there's this whole Qualcomm fiasco with the 3G chips. I still wonder if that's somewhere behind the slow Cingular rollout and the iPhone's lack of implementation. It's starting to look more like a cautionary move than a blunder to me...

 

[whmurray]

Considering that one of the biggest suspected shortcomings of the Iphone is its lack of 3G, why in the world would anybody by the 1st gen when the second is coming right behind it?

It is a show-stopper for me. I do not plan to lock myself into a two-year contract on a 2G phone.

On the other hand, I have read the speculation on which this thread is based and do not believe in a 3G iPhone, "right behind" the 1st generation, or ever. Apple has been very forthcoming on the iPhone; if there were a 3G plan, I think that they would say so.

What am I missing?

 

[whmurray]

I really don't think 3G is ahead of it's time - it's just poorly marketed and overpriced. The issue here is that, while we here on the smartphone websites know how great it is to use data on our devices, most people have no clue. Even the average business user with a Treo still mainly talks, checks email, and sends the occasional text. When I sit at Starbucks and surf the web on my phone, the people who notice (you know, the nosy ones) look at me like I'm an alien or from the future. THIS is why 3G hasn't "wowed" the suits at the carriers. People aren't fully aware of what is really available to them. The carriers are trying to market the lowest common denomenator (music and video services) at high data prices, when they should be selling the whole internet! The cost is still going to be a barrier to a lot, if not the majority, but I'd be a lot more willing to shell out $40 plus every month for the internet than for the ability to download a movie to my phone.

Now there's this whole Qualcomm fiasco with the 3G chips. I still wonder if that's somewhere behind the slow Cingular rollout and the iPhone's lack of implementation. It's starting to look more like a cautionary move than a blunder to me...

Whatever. In any case, Sprint and Verizon both have 3G Treos. [I have a Sprint card for my PC and can ensure you that the coverage and the performance are excellent.] True, many Treo users moved to WM to get 3G, but some of them seem to have bitten the bullet.

The ironic thing is that AT&T was ahead on 3G until they were taken over by Cingular.

 

[surur]

Apple has been very forthcoming on the iPhone; if there were a 3G plan, I think that they would say so.

You must be joking. Apple very forthcoming? They have been secretive as hell, and with good reason, as the Iphone is just a house of PR cards waiting to fall down.

I already did my No IM, No GPS, No MMS thread, but how about the No Flash, No Java and No native 3rd party apps thread?

The Iphone is a weak feature phone at best, and with its current feature set does not deserve being mentioned in a smartphone forum. Do you see anyone discussing the Sidekick here?

Surur

 

[tirk]

You must be joking. Apple very forthcoming? They have been secretive as hell, and with good reason, as the Iphone is just a house of PR cards waiting to fall down.

I already did my No IM, No GPS, No MMS thread, but how about the No Flash, No Java and No native 3rd party apps thread?

You forgot the most important missing feature... Nowhere do Apple say it will be "instant-on". :evil:

 

[surur]

You forgot the most important missing feature... Nowhere do Apple say it will be "instant-on". :evil:

Surur

 

[whmurray]

You forgot the most important missing feature... Nowhere do Apple say it will be "instant-on". :evil:

"Drag your finger across the screen to Unlock." Looks pretty fast in the demos.