Premium Members William Demeritt Posted June 8, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Today kicked off Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference, and the keynote address was held at 10AM PST this morning. A common place for unveiling new products or trends in Apple's lineup, today mostly confirmed rumors of upcoming products with no real surprises. The big thrillers were: iPhone 3G-S Features not included with the upcoming 3.0 firmware and exclusive to the iPhone 3G-S include: HSDPA (data at 7.2Mbps, twice the speed of current 3G service), video camera, focus-capable built-in 3MP camera, video editing capability, voice command throughout the phone ("play songs by The Beatles" or "call Mom")... and the potentially useful digital compass (I'll hold out for the digital astrolabe). Apple indicates the 3G-S will show base performance increases twice that of the 3G, notably in app launching, message launching and Safari browsing. Also, battery life is said to be improved. Also, Apple will maintain the iPhone 3G 8GB model for $99 (new contracts price). The 16GB 3G-S is available in black and white at $199, and an all new 32GB 3G-S is available in black and white for $299. Important to note: the HSDPA feature is included in the iPhone 3G-S, but it's rumored AT&T will not support wide HSDPA rollout in North America until end of 2009. 13" Aluminum Macbook is now the 13" Macbook Pro Price starts at $1199, base starts with 2.26Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 160GB HD and 2GB RAM. Comes with integrated NVidia GeForce 9400M graphics chip (separating itself from the other Macbook Pros, as they come with the GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT chips). Most noticeably, the 13" Aluminum Macbook will now feature the non-removable battery featured in the 17" MBP, bringing the battery life to 7 hours (under optimal conditions). This drops the price from $1249 to $1199 on a 13" Mac Laptop, and now features a built-in SD card reader (as will the 15" Macbook Pro, but not the 17"). Also note: other Mac notebooks have dropped in price. The base of the 15" Macbook Pro is now $1699, and the Macbook Air now starts at $1499. Something tells me the Macbook Pro 13" will sell quite well this summer. Great price, great computer gets better, etc. iPhone/iPod Touch 3.0 available June 17th We have an official street date of the 3.0 firmware. The wide variety of upgrades are available in the link above. Important to note: AT&T has announced that while the 3.0 firmware will debut June 17th, MMS functionality will not arrive until "late summer". When the firmware goes live for the rest of the world, everyone else will get it. Also, all other carriers are publicly supporting the tethering capability, but AT&T seems somewhat silent about it for now. Interesting new feature I don't think anyone previously mentioned is the "MobileMe Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe". If you lose your phone, you can log into your MobileMe account and see on a Google Map the current location of your iPhone 3G/3G-S. If your iPhone 3G/3G-S is stolen, you can give a command via MobileMe to remotely wipe the device (you can restore it from a backup previously made during a sync if you recover it). Theft and loss of iPhones seem to have finally caught the attention of Apple, and this sounds like a great, secure new feature. Snow Leopard debuts in September, 2009 Snow Leopard has a release month, but not a release date. Internal tweakings will help boost the speed of the OS, but also decrease the overall footprint of OS X by over 6GB. Important note: Snow Leopard is ONLY available to Intel-based Macs. Sounds like Apple is finally forcing anyone keen on continuing with Apple into an Intel-based Mac so they can kill off Rosetta and Universal Binary support. $29 for existing Leopard users to upgrade. Safari 4 officially released Now available today, the final release of Safari 4 for Mac and Windows. So, fellow gearheads and tech geeks... what thrills you? Any new temptation crop up in this keynote address? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Vanderspek Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 iPhone 3G-SFeatures not included with the upcoming 3.0 firmware and exclusive to the iPhone 3G-S include: HSDPA (data at 7.2Mbps, twice the speed of current 3G service), video camera, focus-capable built-in 3MP camera, video editing capability, voice command throughout the phone ("play songs by The Beatles" or "call Mom")... and the potentially useful digital compass (I'll hold out for the digital astrolabe). Apple indicates the 3G-S will show base performance increases twice that of the 3G, notably in app launching, message launching and Safari browsing. Also, battery life is said to be improved. Glad I held off on the first gen 3g, although I was reallllllly hoping for that matte finish that was floating around in rumors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Lawrence Karman Posted June 9, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Thanks for the report William. Now if only Apple would open this phone up to Verizon I could dump AT&T! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members William Demeritt Posted June 9, 2009 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Thanks for the report William. Now if only Apple would open this phone up to Verizon I could dump AT&T! Well, as of the latest round of rumors, AT&T's exclusivity contract with Apple expires in 2010. Furthermore, many people are already complaining about the hefty upgrade prices for AT&T customers on existing contracts. If I had to guess, I would say that come next summer, we'll see just who will make the iPhone available on their network. People starting out with AT&T to get the 3G-S will be bound to AT&T for 2 years, and as an iPhone 3G owner, I gotta say that the 3G-S doesn't make a very strong argument to upgrade prematurely. HSDPA 7.2Mbps data speed = AT&T won't have this available most places until late 2009 anyway. Voice command = there's an app for voice dialing already. Otherwise, it's a luxury I can afford to ignore. Digital compass = if I was in a serious need for a compass, I'd probably own several analog compasses. 3MP camera = small, compact and cheap digital cameras are in abundance starting at 3-4 times that image size. Video camera = is this a real deal breaker for your cell phone? For some people, I think yes. So, they haven't created a very compelling reason to buy the 3G-S aside from the "whiz-BANG oh wow Apple has a new phone!" factor. Since it's a GSM phone, they could easily port it to T-Mobile, Alltel or what have you. Apple will need to create a CDMA version of the iPhone for it to be eligible on Sprint or Verizon (and those networks will also have to ease up their policies on approved software running on phones active on their cellular network). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Vanderspek Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I should have mentioned, Canada has only 1 3G network... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alfeo Dixon SOC Posted June 9, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Thanks for the report William. Now if only Apple would open this phone up to Verizon I could dump AT&T! Lawrence, You can dump AT&T now! I've been on T-Mobile with a hack since iPhone 1st Gen. It's so easy to do it now, in fact, about as easy as updating your preston. Alfeo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Matt Petrosky Posted June 9, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I've been on T-Mobile with a hack since iPhone 1st Gen... Do you get the "visual voicemail" feature on T-Mobile or do you have to call your number to retrieve messages? Also does mobileME work with T-Mobile (I suspect this is irrelevant)? -Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Vanderspek Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 So Apple is playing dirty, software implementable from OS 3.0 like the voice activation and video recording won't be enabled on the 3G version, only the 3GS, at least right now, wouldn't be surprised to see that change. Although if your jailbroken its moot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members William Demeritt Posted June 10, 2009 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 So Apple is playing dirty, software implementable from OS 3.0 like the voice activation and video recording won't be enabled on the 3G version, only the 3GS, at least right now, wouldn't be surprised to see that change. Although if your jailbroken its moot. Not sure if it's any dirtier than releasing a 3G capable GPS enabled cellular phone a year after the first phone is released? Apple's never made any secret of the fact that they often release new products that completely depose their previous product that you may have bought 1 month prior to it's launch. Voice activation throughout is a nice feature, but compared to the 3G, seems like a huge luxury item. Video recording... well, like you said, those of us who've jailbroken have enjoyed Cycorder for months now. We'll see if pressure does anything for enabling the video camera and video editing app on the iPhone 3G in future 3.0 updates. However, in my opinion, the 3G-S update is a lot of sizzle, very little steak. A tweak here, a bump there, but I personally don't consider any of the 3G-S exclusive upgrades to be dealbreakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted June 10, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 So Apple is playing dirty, software implementable from OS 3.0 like the voice activation and video recording won't be enabled on the 3G version, only the 3GS, at least right now, wouldn't be surprised to see that change. Although if your jailbroken its moot. No they are not playing Dirty. Technology moves forward, don't like it, don't buy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Vanderspek Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Dirty because they could do half the updates via software, doesn't effect me because I held off, sucks for some people tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted June 11, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Dirty because they could do half the updates via software, doesn't effect me because I held off, sucks for some people tho. Not true at all. Voice recognition requires the faster processor and is a rom based feature, not software. The magnetometer needed for turn by turn nav is only in the new iPhone, and the video also needs the faster processor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Alec Jarnagin SOC Posted June 11, 2009 Moderators Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Guys, Our phones have become computers and that needs to be the new model of thinking. Just like your computer, there will be a newer, faster, cheaper model out within months after buying. Shrug it off and know your computer/phone/TV/whatever still does what it did when you bought it. Then decide/budget for a new one every so many months/years. I have the 3G, but at this point I figure, I'll buy a new one every two years which seems on target to be every other generation (I don't care about the video camera and I don't drive enough to need voice dialing). Plus, in the case of the phone, if the rumors are true that the iPhone will open up to other carriers next year, then I suspect a large price war for plans at that time (which coincides with my contract expiring). I'll add that I've been a PDA user for years as they are invaluable (if you actually use them) for us freelancers. The iPhone has made my life so much easier that it is worth every cent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Charles Papert Posted June 11, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Alec, your comment about having a PDA for years made me think for a moment about my first one, a membrane-panel unit that I think Casio made, around '91. It was really just an electronic rolodex, maybe it had a simple calendar function and calculator but I thought it was super-cool. I remember showing it to Teddy and he dismissed it with a wave of the hand; it wasn't sophisticated enough for him (anyone remember the Psion units from around that time? I always found them intimidating). I wonder how he would have felt about the iPhone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members David Allen Grove Posted June 13, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 I wonder how he would have felt about the iPhone! So cool and unbelievable that it could have only come from Alien technology recovered from the Roswell crash? Weather Balloon? Riiiiiight. I'm just sayin'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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