New iPhone back in black?
The back of the iPhone might be turning black with the arrival of the 3G model.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
Apple might have decided to make a few cosmetic changes to the next-generation iPhone.
As Lawrence Peter might say, it's deja vu all over again as we await the arrival of the 3G iPhone. Engadget has the latest, claiming they've been in touch with a tester who says Apple plans to ditch the aluminum exterior in favor of a "glossy black" plastic-like material and, more significantly, add a GPS chip.
I'm not sure what to make of the decision to drop the metal look until I can see the actual product, mock-up images notwithstanding. But the addition of a GPS chip would be a solid move, and probably unlock some interesting applications that could take advantage of GPS and the accelerometer inside the iPhone.
Two other minor changes, according to Engadget, will be that the new iPhone's headphone jack will be flush with the exterior, and not recessed like the original unit. And the new model will apparently be slightly thicker, although no metric was provided to shed light on exactly what "slightly" means.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
The way laptops replaced desktops in becoming main stream pc's, iphone has the potential to replace laptops in my opinion...
No use for 3G besides video conferencing? I don't know about you,
but I would think that 3G speeds with a fully functioning web
browser might be a rather nice perk compared to the snail paced
EDGE that is being used currently.
a front side camera is a real possibility... all other 3g phones have the front camera.
EDGE is not that slow, you ninnies... but 3g will obviously be at least slightly faster. add GPS, and i'm in.
Cnet which headlined that Apple were cutting flash orders. n fact
Apple increased their flash order (to the tune of 1,4 billion dollars)
but as the supplier thought that Apple would spend 1.6 billion the
Cnet reporter described this as Apple cutting its flash memory
order. In an economic downturn all demand is weakened but there
is no way Apple is going back to hard dirves for iPhones and iPods.
What is and will likely remain no more than a novelty is video calls. I find them annoying at best. No more fibs about where you are, no more picking up a call before having a shower, while lying on the couch in underwear, etc. Also, and more importantly, because the phone has to be used held away from the ear in speaker phone mode it makes it difficult to hear the caller whenever outdoors in the city or in any other noisy place.
Add to that the extra expense and reduced battery life of a video call and most people won't use it after the first couple of experimental video calls when the phone is new.
3G is great for data on phones and mobile broadband on a laptop - I couldn't live without it, but not for video calls.
a hard drive with moving parts for the iphone. The ipods hard
drives are way to large (especially if they are going to add
additional components, such as GPS, and 3G
antenna/components). That would also explain the potential
thickness difference which is predicted, however, I've also heard
other rumors that the new version will be thinner. We'll have to
wait and see what apple has up their sleeve. There are also about
a million reason why 3G is useful, other than just for video
conferencing, although it would be nice if they added that
function.
So yes, 3G is a big deal. EDGE just can't cut it. At 3G speeds, there is not much need for WiFi HotSpots.
EDGE is a joke in comparison. Well, maybe not, as I can't imagine anything less funny than having to revert to EDGE for normal mobile internet usage.
- by cnetPeter October 19, 2008 11:55 PM PDT
- Plastic case or aluminum case? That is a question. But I think the key point is functionality rather than material or design. For plastic cases, you could visit here http://www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/Plastic_Case.html . Love 3G iPhones, and enjoy my life.
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