iPhone 2 - January 2008

Well, because of the way things work in the industry you know there will be a second generation device, you know it will have hardware and software differences, the only question is when. I'm of the opinion that you'll still have the lock-in to consider no matter which gen device you get.

I had intended to wait 'till the next gen system came out before getting one but my wife bought one for me as a present with the understanding that I'll still get the next one (or the one after that) and give her the one I presently enjoy carrying around. You'll have to consider what you'll do with the "older" system if you get one, but I'd guess you should be able to recoup half your purchase price, at least.

And as for the 3G - I use my phone from my home wi-fi as well as the edge network and for the stuff like Google maps and mail there's not all that much of a difference. Oh, when you go to satellite view and such, but the basic functionality experience doesn't seem affected by the slower EDGE connection. It comes up in a blink of the eye with the faster connection and two blinks with the slower.

Haha, can't beat hand-me-downs

I do the same thing with my GF. I upgrade and she gets mine.

I expect iphone2 to be announced in Jan. Jobs said at the UK launch thagt he wouldnt have 3g chipsets for 18 months so i guess if Apple follow the same plan as releasing the iphone like they did for the 1st one (usa then uk 6 months later) then it would be 18 months come xmas 2008.

Well, he can't really announce an upgrade and expect to keep selling the existing model. I'd guess that an additional model could be added to the product line and sell for more cash.

It will be just a storage bump. 16GB, that is all. Just my opinion. I don't expect iPhone 2 to be here until August '08 myself.

What I wonder about is how the service contract stuff works if I upgrade my iPhone, say a year after I bought the first one. Would the two year commitment be treated as consecutive or concurrent?

In other words, given that having purchased my first iPhone in July 2007 commits me to AT&T until July 2009, if I buy a hypothetical iPhone in July 2008, does AT&T demand lock-in until July 2010, or tack the entire two years on the the end of the previous commitment, expecting me to agree to a contract that ends in July 2011?

I agree. It'll be a simple capacity increase to fall in line with the new iPods. Possibly even surprise everyone with a 24GB or 32GB version.

Especially the early adopters!

A wild guess: our AT&T contract is for two years... it says nothing about the device. You commit to X minutes, then add $20 for unlimited data. Number portability when you replace your phone.

BUT... if you give your current iphone to girl friend / wife -- they have to have a contract with AT&T. You could probably add them to your contract but that might extend your contract another two years...

Who Cares!!! You can not unlock the phone and move to another carrier. The AT&T/Apple deal is for xxx years (I assume five) so Verizon will continue to pedal its narly phones while AT&T has the exclusive.

Too Zune?

I would guess a storage bump, plus some software/app upgrades.

Plus, I would think, a few more hardware improvements to justify a higher price bracket (faster processor?), since Apple will be likely to backport software enhancements to the previous generation, given the emphasis they have put on SW upgradability as a selling point.

If it does come in Jan, there is no way it will have a 3G radio, since bringing out such a model a few months after Apple has started selling their 2.5G phone in Europe would make the price drop insanity look like a polite exchange of ideas.

Well, when they turn it over to the FCC it's gonna leak wht the thing looks like. At least if the announce it they get the publicity. Besides, people will still walk into stores and make an impulse purchase, or their phones will die and they'll need new ones. Not everybody surfs appleinsider, so there will still be a bunch of people ignorant of the new model's approach.

But I think they have entered a product space that changes faster than that of either the computer or digital music player ... so they are going to need to introduce newer models and more features faster then on the iPod or PC lines. This is probably compounded by the fact they are less established than some of the other players as well.

As for the exclusivity, doesn't AT&T have the rights to the existing model only? Whose to say other carries aren't going to want in on this action if there's another?

A mobile version of iWork, iChat, and a Finder app would be really nice.

Steve

My guess is a new iPhone every 6 to 8 months---

I'm holding out for the second gen iPhone. My biggest wish is GPS...especially w/the mapping built-in.

Try navison it doesn't use gps it uses the cell towers and local wifi hotspots to plot your position.

Only works with hacked iPhones for now.

navison.net

That would be the smart move in the mobile phone market, yes, but Apple is new to the mobile phone market and may try and stick with once a year updates like the iPod line.

Apple is, however, in the interesting position where any iPhone model can enter at $499-599 price range and they can keep selling the current model at $399 as software will be the same on boththe new iPhone offering only hardware improvements such as 3G or GPS (which make Google Maps even better, but that's a small difference).

Next round? Revision B drops to $399 (or $349) and Revision C enters at $449-549.

I live in the UK and plan on getting the iPhone at launch. I fully expect a new iPhone in Jan and I plan to pass on my first to someone greatful when the new one comes out. We know for a fact that Apple are already working on their 3rd generation iPhone (Steve Jobs told us that ages ago a D Conference). There's always something new just around the corner and there's only so long you can hold on.

I have been holding on for a MacPro for over a year now! First off I was waiting for Leopard, then I thought I'd still wait for Leopard when it was put back, now I'm waiting for Penryn! I could have had a years use out of it by now!

Considering they had planned on rollout out updates over the next "24 months" after the US release date i think a new iphone every 6 months is highly unlikley as they wouldnt even be able to milk it that much if they are releasing a new one so often.

The whole reason of updating the current software every 3 to 6 months is so they can prolong the interest in it given that Nokia will be announcing their ones soon.

Its possible that a new iphone will be annoucned in Jan but dont expet it to be out before Q4 08.

Although Apple is planning on releasing the iPhone to other countries, I feel that it is necessary to point out that the US is Apple's strongest market by far. They will cater to this growing segment at the expense of other countries. I strongly believe this. Although the release of a new generation of iPhone would step on the toes of foreign countries, Apple desires to be a leader in innovation. 16GB phones are right around the corner, and Steve Jobs has expressed his feelings that the lack of 3G on the iPhone is a major issue.

Another thing that we can't forget is that Apple already stepped on a lot of toes by slashing the price of the iPhone 9 weeks after its release. The census was that everyone wanted the 8GB model and not many people were buying the 4GB. Because of this I believe that Apple is anxious to get a 16GB model out there as this is a popular issue among people who have not yet bought the iPhone.

I have been scouring the internet over to find any bit of information on an iPhone 2.0. Although a major update may not be in store, I feel fairly convinced that Apple will announce a 16GB model in Jan. Its also important to note that the iPhone is a convergence device and it lacks that capability with such a small capacity.

My opinion? 16GB phone by March with 3G capabilities ... GPS can wait. Announcement coming in Jan and the MacWorld Expo. Call it wishful thinking but in my mind, Apple is just too aggressive to sit back while everyone catches up.

In a conversation with someone from ATT stationed in Boise Id--she mentioned that ATT recently initiated 3G in Boise---

There is no question that 3G is coming but the question is when it will be available on the iPhone/

I think the biggest change for the next iPhone will be HSDPA high-speed data download support, which will make the phone especially useful in Europe, where HSDPA is widely available.

16GB would be a no brainer, GPS as well but Apple might just offer the iphone in various colors.

While everyone is arguing about iPhone 2, why do people think that the coming models have to build directly on the current platform? If Apple wants to become a full line supplier of Cell hardware they will need to introduce several models in rather quick succession.

They will need one very low costs device likely based on the form actor of the old Nano iPod. This would be a device that provides for iPod functionality and basic cell operation only. It would support little if any of iPhones current software suite.

They will need to refresh the current model. Here this could be as simple as expanding Flash to a more reasonable value. Say 16 or 32 GB. The goal here would be to keep the sell price stable.

Next they will need an enhanced capability model. The so called 3G device. If Apple was smart they would try to distinguish this unit in other ways. One very good possibility would be a larger screen. The larger form factor would allow for 64 GB of Flash given technology coming on line in early 2008. It might even allow for a removable storage card, GPS, a host USB port and a host of other technologies.

That is two new devices and a revised original iPhone. In effect a smaller and physically larger model. There should be significant demand for both. Personally I'd find the larger model very attractive mainly due the need for a larger screen and to have something that fits the hand well. Think big hands and head. The larger screen really should be 16:9 so that common movies can play on the device without distortion. The larger screen isn't just for movies though, it would dramatically enhance the machines PDA capability and still keep the iPhone Max pocketable. Sometimes the current iPhone leaves you with the feeling that you are a giant playing with a gnomes toy.

Dave

I agree with ya there. Question though. How would an "iPhone nano" if you will, dial? Will you select numbers via scroll wheel? Do you think it will have a scroll wheel? ... honestly I think Apple is too "forward focused" to regress to anything that isn't touch screen for a phone. I would also be curious to see what their strategy is in the cell phone department. For PC's they're really only interested in selling higher end products... but with the iPod, I was surprised, to say the least to see something like the iPod Shuffle come out of Cupertino.

"There's some stuff in our industry that we wouldn't be proud to ship... We just can't ship junk... So there's a threshold we can't cross because of who we are..." -S. Jobs


Also, I would absolutely love to see a 32GB iPhone, but I don't think they're near production yet. Do you know what Samsung's offerings are in this catergory?