Fans who've been eagerly awaiting Apple's 3G iPhone can soon rest at ease as Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, has today announced that the highly anticipated handset will be launching in 22 countries on July 11th.
Everyone else, meanwhile, can rest at ease knowing they won't have to read newly circulated iPhone rumours each and every hour.
The new iPhone, dubbed the iPhone 3G, finally brings 3G networking support to Apple's mobile handset. In addition, prospective buyers can look forward to built-in A-GPS and a lower price tag. The iPhone 3G will launch in 8GiB and 16GiB models, priced at $199 and $299 respectively.
To put that price into perspective, the original iPhone went on sale on July 29th 2007 with a jaw-dropping pricetag of $699.
Though UK pricing for the iPhone 3G is yet to be announced, Jobs states that customers around the globe wouldn't pay more than the equivalent of $199. That'll put the 8GiB model at around £100 from UK exclusive operator, O2.
To coincide with the launch, Apple will also make available v2.0 of the iPhone software in early July. To the joy of business users, the new release will provide support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and will run third-party applications created with the iPhone SDK.
"Just one year after launching the iPhone, we’re 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," said Jobs.
Other announcements include an App Store, available directly from the iPhone 3G handset. It'll provide users with the option to purchase various additional applications - a selection of which will be available for free on launch day.
As expected, Apple has also discontinued its .Mac portal and replaced it with a new-and-improved Internet service titled MobileMe. The service provides push email, contacts and calendars from an online cloud to applications on the iPhone, iPod touch, Macs and PCs. The site will utilise Ajax technology to provide a desktop-like interface.
Though Apple's iPhone 3G upgrades are welcomed, various questions remain unanswered. There has, so far, been no mention of an upgrade to the iPhone's lacklustre 2 megapixel camera, and there's still no front-facing camera for video calling. MMS users will also be unhappy to hear that Jobs made no mention of MMS support in the near future.
The 3G iPhone is certainly a step in the right direction, but the key point, of course, is the lower price. If O2 can now provide appealing iPhone contracts, this could be the beginning of widespread adoption.
Official press release: Apple Introduces the New iPhone 3G
Useful links
Official iPhone website
Official MobileMe website
