The wait is over. Apple has unveiled the 3G iPhone, or, to give its official name, the iPhone 3G, at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, The device features built-in GPS for expanded location-based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software, which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs third-party applications built with the recently-released iPhone SDK.
In the US the iPhone 3G will sell for $199 (100) for the 8GB model, and $299 (150) for the 16GB model. The device will be available in more than 70 countries later this year, with the first 22 countries getting their hands on the handset on 11 July. These are the UK, US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the UK, iPhone 3G, like the original iPhone, will be available through O2 and Carphone Warehouse. Pricing details for countries outside the US have not yet been released.
Launching the phone, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said:
Just one year after launching the iPhone, were launching the new iPhone 3G that is twice as fast at half the price. iPhone 3G supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync right out of the box, runs the incredible third party apps created with the iPhone SDK, and will be available in more than 70 countries around the world this year.
iPhone 3G boasts quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA for voice and data connectivity around the world. It also supports wi-fi, 3G and EDGE networks and automatically switches between them to ensure the fastest possible download speeds.
It also includes the new iPhone 2.0 software with both the iPhone SDK and enterprise features such as support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide over-the-air push email, contact and calendar syncing, as well as remote wipe and Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to corporate networks.
Also included is Apples App Store, providing iPhone users with native applications in a variety of categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The App Store on iPhone works over cellular networks and wi-fi. The App Store will be available in 62 countries at launch.
Additional features include the ability to do real-time mapping and track your progress with GPS technology; mass move and delete multiple email messages; search for contacts; access a new scientific calculator; turn on parental control restrictions for specified content; and save images directly from a web page or email them to your iPhone and easily transfer them back to your photo library on your Macb or PC.
Apple says the iPhone 3G delivers 10 hours of talk time on 2G networks and five hours using 3G, with five to six hours of web browsing, up to seven hours of video playback and up to 24 hours of audio playback.
iPhone 3G also incorporates MobileMe, a new Internet service that pushes email, contacts, and calendars from an online cloud to native applications on iPhone, iPod touch, Macs and PCs. With MobileMe email, messages are pushed instantly to iPhone, removing the need to manually check email and wait for downloads, and push keeps contacts and calendars continuously up-to-date so changes made on one device are automatically updated on other devices.
Reaction to the launch has been generally, though not universally positive. Popular gadget news and reviews website Tech Digest notes that the maximum storage capacity is, as for the original iPhone, 16GB. It notes too, that since Apple has made no mention of the camera, it seems safe to assume this is the same 2-megapixel model as on the original. Finally, it laments the lack of MMS capabilities. For many, however, these shortcomings will be more than trumped by the step up to 3G.