What do you mean?

 

Last year they were having trouble the day of the release of the iphone 3g, with the new activation process inside the store.. Peoples accounts from diff phones especially if there was a previous discount on your att plan (a credit was considered a discount) and had to be lifted from your account which took over a day to complete... 75% of the people had this issue, it was a nightmare.

 

With the highly anticipated software update for the iPhone coming out this summer, I would be surprised if they launched a new model anytime soon.

 

The software updates coincide with a new model release. It is pretty set in stone they are announcing a new one at WWDC on June 8th.

 

I see....so that was a retailer/carrier issue.

I think it's fairly well understood that the new 3.0 O/S will be launched soon, that's a given. It would be fair to speculate about new hardware too......

 

Shows what I know.

 

Looks like it's upgrade time; I'm still twiddling on a 2G!

 

Bingo! There's an awful lot of good stuff out there from Samsung, LG, HTZ(correct initials?), Blackberry and others. I use both the Windows and Mac platform and I find that the iPhone seems to be the best gadget that synchronizes with both. If I didn't need windows for certain apps I'd go strictly Mac because I like the OS better and it's still a more secure platform, though the honeymoon of virus-free Mac ownership is coming to an end.

I was trying to hold out for the new iPhone, but circumstances as they were dictated that I get my iPhone a few weeks ago. From what I've heard, the new iPhone will have a 3.2mp camera, faster processer and 32GB. I've heard that the 16GB models will run the new software and will not be rendered obsolete. The way I see it, waiting a few weeks or months for the kinks to be worked out of the new model are worth the few extra bucks if I decide to upgrade before I'm eligible for a discount. AT&T's exclusive contract for the iPhone expires I believe in mid 2010 and AT&T is trying to extend this contract.

Sprint's 4G expansion is exciting if their poor customer service doesn't kill the company first.

 

Yup, that's how it tends to work- Rather than building an updated version of the device OS they build it on the new prototype device... Then they make it backwards compatible with previous generations. This prevents having redundant software development for upcoming devices and "current" (outdated) generation devices.

Imagine the inconsistencies in operating procedure if there was overlapping software development for different generations of any hand held device...

 

Latest rumors from Gizmodo:







"The new iPhone

The biggest announcement and biggest question mark is the new version of the iPhone. A new model is coming for sure, but we don't know what will be in it.

Most probably, the new Apple cell will keep its current design. Since Steve Jobs came to Apple, dramatic industrial design changes have only happened across various generations of gut changes. Historically, the iMac, the Powerbook/Macbook, or the Mac Pro went through several iterations before experiencing a complete redesign. It's too early for the iPhone to change its face dramatically, specially when the current form factor works so well. And, after all, there are only a few ways to do a touch-screen phone. The iPhone 3G's design is simple, elegant, and works extremely well, so there is no reason to see a big re-design now.

Some people are talking about multiple color versions. With the iPod mini, nano, and shuffle, color became a way to convert the low-end hardware into fashion accessories. The iMac also went through that phase, which was later abandoned. The iPod, however, always stayed either white or black, becoming an icon on its own right. The iPhone is also a higher-end icon. Down the line—maybe in a different incarnation, as the iPhone OS product family expands—color will appear. But for now, looking at Apple's past history, logic dictates that the iPhone won't see the variety of colors that the iPod nano has now.

Other rumors point at something called "the unibody iPhone", which is a retarded notion at best. The iPhone is already "unibody." It may not be carved out of a single piece of aluminum, but there's no need for that. It is a single surface—which is made of plastic to make reception better—and a glass top. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

What we know today:

• Like I said above, we knew that the new iPhone was coming already, but Walter Mossberg—who is well known for having a very tight relation with Apple—strongly suggested that the new hardware is a sure shot next week. He did it in his Palm Pre review, potentially offsetting the Pre's current advantages with unrevealed incoming features in the iPhone.

• The Financial Times, BGR, and Engadget also say their sources claim that $99 iPhones are on the pipeline.

• There may be sightly different components in the design, as shown in the pages of a Chinese original components wholesaler.

• The new iPhone may also experience a change of materials, going from shiny to matte.

Internal changes

Whatever minimal design changes come to the iPhone will be dictated by the new hardware. One of these changes will be an improved camera. I have no doubt that the iPhone will get this much needed upgrade. Just looking at the price range and features of other competing smartphones, a better camera is not only a technical- and economically-feasible option for Apple, it is a must have. They are seriously lagging behind in the photography and video departments, which will be perceived by consumers as a major flaw.

Not only that, but Apple betting heavily on geotagging in their iLife'09 software suite begs for a quality upgrade in their one and only image-acquiring device. In Apple's closed ecosystem, the iPhone seems like a potential candidate to be the perfect machine to shoot and record your life on the go. Expect a better sensor, better lens, and autofocus.

Another must-happen-or-else feature is video recording. This has been pointed out not only by rumors, but also by hints left in the Software Development Kit. More importantly, however, is that video recording is present every single cellphone out there. Apple can't afford not having video recording in the iPhone for an entire year. Not when an army of Android phones with this capability is going to be launching in 2009 and 2010.

Speed and memory will be the other two pilars for the new next-generation iPhone. Both are logical, specially the increase in storage capacity and RAM for applications. As the iPhone OS market booms, bigger, more powerful applications and games will come in. Increased RAM will be a must for these apps. The increase in storage—specially as video recording becomes an official feature and the megapixel count increases for photography—is also a given.

A faster processor will also happen. Speed is often cited as the most important of iPhone's problems. Not because the current competition is faster—which it isn't—but because people want to access their applications instantly, not to talk about typing without any bloody delays when background tasks kick in. Faster chips—both the CPU and the multimedia processor—will make the next-generation iPhone fly. Not only that: They will be needed to guarantee more powerful applications, needed to support Apple's push on the gaming front and the new video capabilities.

Don't expect any magic hardware features, however—like OLED screen or backlit Apple logos—which just seem the type of thing that random people pull out of nowhere—and with "nowhere" I really mean "their asses."

What we know today:

• We can say—with 99% certainty—that the new iPhone will have a magnetometer and camera autofocus, according to the screenshots that show these components in action. These new features can only be enabled in the iPhone OS 3.0 software by using the actual hardware—the current iPhone camera can't do autofocus and it doesn't have a magnetometer. The images—which confirm previous sightings—also confirm that the new iPhone will also have video recording.

• There have been some speculation about a front-facing videochat camera, but given AT&T current bandwidth problems, I doubt it, but I hope that this one is true. Maybe the 20Mbps AT&T 3G network will finally materialize for this."