Apple's New 3G iPhone - Shoulda's and Coulda's

It's been almost a year now since the original iPhone hit the market with all the hype and fame that only Steve Jobs could generate. No doubt, this has been a paramount success for Apple as it has generate record sales and a cult following not seen since the first Razr model hit the market. So what is new in the updated model. Has Apple addressed all the short comings and made this into the perfect phone?

First, we look at the memory capacity. With now old-fashion 5th generation ipods rotting in most desk drawers topping 80GB hard drive capacities, the newest iPhone disappoints with a measly 8GB and 16GB models. Avid music and video fans will fill up there new gadgets before they even inflict the first smudge of the screen on their cheeks. Rumors are circling of a 32GB model in the works but for now, fans will have to live with either 8 or 16GBs.

Next the physical attributes. The 3G model is slightly thinner on the edges but at closer inspection it is actually a tad thicker in the center of the phone (0.48 inches vs 0.46 inches). This is hardly noticed by users as the new version is actually lighter as well than the old version by a tenth of an ounce. Owners upgrading from the first generation iPhone will be pleased with the elimination of the irritating recessed 3.5mm headphone jack.

Many had hoped the new iPhone would sport a better camera on the front in order to use it for video conferencing but this also fell on the list of ignored requests by Job's faithful.

On to the goodies!
3G means blazing fast internet and data access across three 3G bands (850, 1900, 2100) and both UMTS and HSDPA networks. This means that international travelers should be able to enjoy their uber trendy-ness in more than just the US of A. During Steve Jobs' keynote demo, he accessed a picture intensive website on this new model and the old model and showed drooling customers an improvement of 38 seconds in loading this page. Impressive no doubt, but real street use of this new technology will tell if this level of improvement is typical for most sites and applications.

Now we'll never stop and ask for directions!
One of the most welcome additions in technology was the inclusion of GPS technology in this model. With just about every new smart phone hitting the market sporting this feature in one fashion or another, this was almost a given. It uses Assisted GPS technology using the 3G network to help out the satellites. It promises many third party applications that will make the already cool, cooler.

Finally, Apple addressed battery life concerns by promising improvements to the note of 5 hours of 3G talk time, 10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours of 3G Internet time, 6 hours of Wi-Fi Internet time, 7 hours of video playback, 24 hours of audio playback, and 12.5 days standby time.

What is our thoughts overall?
The new price is certainly welcomed although we sense that most agree with us in that we would have rather seen more areas improved and more features added for the same prices as the last versions. We still feel Apple is leaving smart phone customers on the table by excluded important yet every-so-common features like multimedia messaging, voice dialing and video recording. Many were also hoping for a landscape keyboard, the capability to cut and paste, Flash support for the Safari Web browser, expanded memory, and additional Bluetooth profiles.

I think all in all, Apple will win over the tentative buyers with the decreased price and increased overall performance. The hard core iPhone and Apple junkies although will be disappointed as we were. A marketing mind will think this was a good move. The insider, I suspect will not agree. After all, aren't the Apple tech junkies what made Apples success so great with this and other technologies? We'll see...