Okay, so the release of the iPhone SDK hasn't tempted you; the ability to install third-party software without invalidating your warranty wasn't enough; perhaps this could be the news that tempts you to buy an iPhone: there's a 3G model on the way.
At least, that's the rumour going around courtesy of Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney, who claims that Apple has already placed an order for ten million iPhones equipped with 3G connectivity, something that was strangely missing in the original build.
Dulaney is adamant that his sources are good, and claims that the release of the 3G iPhone has been bumped up the calendar due to the slow take-up of the EDGE-equipped model in Europe. That, at least, is plausible – we know that the iPhone has been met with resounding apathy here in the UK, and at least part of the reason for that (aside from its wallet-shredding cost) is lack of support for high-speed data transfer, something we've come to expect from a smartphone which will spend a lot of its time connected to the Internet.
Whether that's enough to make Apple admit defeat and introduce a new model so soon after the launch of the original remains to be seen. If it's true, then it's clear that early adopters will be getting it in the shorts.
The information given by Dulaney matches up with rumours from November 2007 in which Spanish mobile network Telefonica claimed they would be releasing a 3G iPhone to their customers some time in May.
I guess it all boils down to one question: would Apple really treat early adopters – by definition their biggest proponents – so shabbily as to introduce a new iPhone model which many would say is what the iPhone should have been from day one so soon after the European launch?
I guess we'll know more some time in May.
Do you think Apple is doing the right thing releasing a 3G iPhone, and will it convince you that it's a must-have gadget; or do you think that Apple owes all the first-generation iPhone owners some common courtesy? Share your opinion over in the forums.
At least, that's the rumour going around courtesy of Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney, who claims that Apple has already placed an order for ten million iPhones equipped with 3G connectivity, something that was strangely missing in the original build.
Dulaney is adamant that his sources are good, and claims that the release of the 3G iPhone has been bumped up the calendar due to the slow take-up of the EDGE-equipped model in Europe. That, at least, is plausible – we know that the iPhone has been met with resounding apathy here in the UK, and at least part of the reason for that (aside from its wallet-shredding cost) is lack of support for high-speed data transfer, something we've come to expect from a smartphone which will spend a lot of its time connected to the Internet.
Whether that's enough to make Apple admit defeat and introduce a new model so soon after the launch of the original remains to be seen. If it's true, then it's clear that early adopters will be getting it in the shorts.
The information given by Dulaney matches up with rumours from November 2007 in which Spanish mobile network Telefonica claimed they would be releasing a 3G iPhone to their customers some time in May.
I guess it all boils down to one question: would Apple really treat early adopters – by definition their biggest proponents – so shabbily as to introduce a new iPhone model which many would say is what the iPhone should have been from day one so soon after the European launch?
I guess we'll know more some time in May.
Do you think Apple is doing the right thing releasing a 3G iPhone, and will it convince you that it's a must-have gadget; or do you think that Apple owes all the first-generation iPhone owners some common courtesy? Share your opinion over in the forums.
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