Apple introduces Faster but Cheaper 3G iPhones at WWDC
After months of waiting, as expected, Apple introduces the 3G iPhone during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference Keynote. Apple’s announcement of a next-generation 3G iPhone wasn’t such a big surprise for most people at Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference. But the low prices at which the new models will debut—$199 with 8GB of memory and $299 with 16GB is very surprising. How could a faster and newer model be cheaper than the old ones when it was introduced? How could a phone with more memory, more radios (3G/GPS technology), and better battery life go for, essentially, a third of what the original cost a year ago?
Here are the features of the new 3G iPhone:
- 3G-capable. 2.8 times faster than EDGE.
- Simultaneous voice and data conections
- Microsoft Exchange AcctiveSync
- GPS built-in
- Better battery life - 300 hours of standby, Talk-time 10 hours (as opposed to 5) on 2G networks, 5 hours of 3G talk-time (competition is 3 hour 3G talk time), 5 to 6 hours of high-speed browsing, 7 hours of video, 24 hours of audio.
- flush headphone jack
Availability and Price:
The iPhone 3G ships July 11. In addition to the U.S., the new phone will be available initially in 21 other countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. Apple expects the phone to be available in more than 70 countries later this year. The new iPhones will sell for $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. That’s a $200 discount from the previous $399 and $499 prices for the 8GB and 16GB iPhones, respectively.
