iPhone 3G and MobileMe…..Oh My!

1341 days ago in Articles, Contributors, iPhone by Spencer Scott | 5 Comments

Today was the day that many people have been talking about, and that was the keynote at this years WorldWide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Speculation has been growing for months about a new version of the iPhone, and just in the last couple of weeks there has been many rumors about .Mac being updated and rebranded. Well it seems both of those were confirmed today in the keynote by Steve Jobs.

First up is the .Mac rebranding, which is now called MobileMe. Aside from the name change this seems to be a significant update to the service. One of the biggest surprises for me was the fact that this service will now sync with Windows, including Outlook. I still need to catch up with all the features, but basically it’s a huge way to sync all your mail, contacts, calendars, and more between your Mac, iPhone, and even the PC. A guided tour is available which gives a great overview of what’s new. It will be available in July and I for one can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Next we have the highly anticipated iPhone 3G announcement. Aside from 3G, the new iPhone also gets GPS support, Exchange support, and more languages. Physically, the iPhone sports a slightly smaller case, and the back of the iPhone has been replaced with a smooth black plastic case. Current iPhone users will also benefit from the 2.0 software update which will be arriving next month. This will add several new applications and functionality to the iPhone, and will introduce the App Store where more applications and games can be downloaded.

The iPhone 3G will be available on July 11th at a new lower price of $199 for the 8GB model, and $299 for the 16GB. This is something else I can’t wait to try. I think $199 is a very attractive price for it, and there’s a good chance I will make the upgrade. So all in all I thought the announcements today were quite significant. It will be interesting to see the response to this over the next few days.

smorgasbord

It's been a painful year for me. I intentionally held-off purchasing an iPhone until it reached European standards of capability. It's now there and I can snap one up for £100. I know some people will be annoyed at shelling-out for the old one but everyone knows new technology depreciates fast: HD DVD anyone? 1 year is enough maturity to feel confident at buying.

Ok, so it lacks video calling and a camera upgrade to 5 MBP but neither are show-stoppers for me.
http://www.brandsbyovo.com Kyle Hildebrant

Video calling may very well be in the next release for the iPhone. If you check the USPTO Apple has filed for a Patent that details video conferencing for the iPhone–or at least a device that looks very similar.
fluffypig

The new iPhone is fantastic and i can't wait to get my hand on it. I actually am almost more excited about MobileMe though, it's everything .mac should have been but failed.
http://www.theislanddog.com Spencer Scott

Yes, I'm quite impressed with how it looks so far. My only concern is the lack of information about sharing with others, such as my calendar data.
Evan

Now if someone could find a way to get the iPhone to work on the Verizon Wireless network I'd be set – silly early termination fee.