[Closed] New iPhone 3G[S]- yay or nay?

Pricing now up on o2 site.

PAYG:
iPhone 3G 8GB - £342.50
iPhone 3G S 16GB - £440.40
iPhone 3G S 32GB - £538.30

Nuts. Would really like one to replace my 1G iPhone, don't think i can justify almost £500 on a phone.

32GB storage gets it a yay for me - now does what I want it to do in terms of storage. Will wait and see how expensive it will be on contract before deciding though.

Pay monthly (18 month contract)

16GB - £35/£35 per month - £190 for the phone!!!!!!!!!!!!
32GB - £35/£35 per month - £275

f*** me...

P.S Why is the 8GB version still £97 when it is $99 in US??

The 8Gb on the US site is $99

Well, that decision has to be made based on whether or not the new features are worth the extra cost. Double the storage, double the RAM, much faster processor, better camera with video, much better battery life, proper digital compass using magnetometer...
And that's just what I remember from watching the live keynote speech on Macrumors.com earlier on. Personally, with what it does, I think it'll be worth every penny. As it happens, the iPhone I'm writing this on has developed a hardware problem stopping me syncing and charging from my Mac, so a replacement is in order under warranty. He he.

Just found the stuff on 02.co.uk (which seems to be running quite slowly at the moment)

Not so bad at £175 on a 2 year contract, though still a lot of beans.

Just got an android phone (HTC Sapphire), and it does everything the iPhone does, but is open so you'll get loads more apps. It's the only touchscreen phone I've used that didn't make me really angry too (although I've only used the 1st gen iPhone, not the newer one).

well yes its supposed to be 2x faster and what not, but from using my girlfriends iPhone 3G not a single time I thought "damn, I wish the window opened faster". The games did not run with a choppy framerate either.

Playing games on a PC and requiring more RAM/faster CPU is fair enough, but its a bloody phone!

I have always been a big admirer of mac stuff, but this ridiculous.

Can i have at go on your phone leon. I'm weighing up the new iphone, n97 and whatever else the competition is.

ust got an android phone (HTC Sapphire), and it does everything the iPhone does

Will it play protected .aac files?

Is the music player as easy to use as an iPod one?

Will it plug straight into the iPod lead on the car stereo and my sound dock thing that just has an iPod connector?

(serious questions BTW, not trolling - I am quite far down the iPod accessories line here)

Clubber - YGM

I was expecting/ hoping it would look a little different - the changes are all good but haven't convinced me to get one

just need to wait for the Palm, Nokia N97, etc. to be priced up on contract before I make a decision

The way it works in the real world, is that when a model is replaced, a new one is introduced at the same price(well, its free on most networks), and the old one is sold off cheaper.

Now the old one is the same price, and the new one is 2x more expensive

Nice little comparison chart from Engadget.
[img] [/img]
I would spring for the 3GS if I was buying new, but the 3G is still a perfectly capable phone IMO.

I will be looking for a new phone in July so it's absolutely a "yea" for me. My present 3G is fantastic, so this will be even fantasticker !! 🙂

If you are going for a new pay monthly contract for 24 months it doesn't seem too bad as you are looking at twice the capacity (plus other changes) for about £10-£20 more for the initial cost. Plus if you only want 16gig you get all the other new features for less than the old 16gig one. I have been holding off getting one but will now.

Lee Anderson has one for sale at the moment on the classified section. im tempted...

Just like most mac stuff it's overpriced for what it really is. How can they justify charging that much for a bloody phone??
I don't care if it can wipe my @rse (iWipe anyone?), at that price it's definitely a nay.

I have the 3G 16gb one and it is awesome i cant wait for the update, come my new contract time (less than 12 months) i will get the 3GS for sure, i am very impressed with the changes and improvments thay have made 🙂

Just like most mac stuff it's overpriced for what it really is. How can they justify charging that much for a bloody phone??

Because it is FAR more than a phone. I hardly ever use mine as a phone when compared to the time I spend surfing, playing games, watching podcasts or listening to tunes.

Really, I'm no Apple fanboi, but it really is a very nice device.

Just like most mac stuff it's overpriced for what it really is. How can they justify charging that much for a bloody phone??

It's really not just a phone though is it. I don't own one, but mates do, and they are pretty amazing. Granted they are not cheap but it is basically a PC with communication features.

Its a conservative shuffle forward rather than a step or jump. I think its a really disappointing upgrade. Cant really see the advantage. Fingers crossed there will be a lot of cheap 3Gs up for grabs on the web or from 02. Other than the camera I didn't see people moaning too much about the hardware and the OS3.0 will solve most of the software/firmware complaints. Very disappointed there's no OLED screen when every one else's high phone seems to be sporting one.
Where's the Nano or the tablet? I was considering an IPhone, I think I'll keep an open mind to others now.
Poor show Cupertino.

At last! My e61 has been trying my patience for a while now with it's "Full battery, no wait, a single phone call and it has turned itself off". Ok, it's just the battery and I do like the keyboard, and the fact that I have TomTom on it, and it does mail really well too... But! It doesn't have a camera and the music player is rubbish. It also has no inbuilt GPS, so I have to keep carrying round the dongle if I want to go somewhere using satnav.

At least this way I can give my iPod to the missus and just carry _one_ device. And such a nice device. Sleek, smooth, shiny. I will never be unable to find a pub in London again. It truly is the gentleman's beer finder.

As you might have guessed, I'll be buying one. In black. It means going to O2, but Vodafone suck in our road anyway, so sod them.

"water & oil-resistant finish"

hmmmm.....is this finally up to the job of MTB GPS?

Looks like O2 plan to charge us extra for the Internet Tethering feature:
http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/internet.html

So even though the Pay Monthly contract already has unlimited internet usage on it, it looks like you need to pay again if it happens to be a laptop using that "unlimited usage". Gits.

It will be interesting to see how they plan to enforce this. I think the iPhone must be telling them it is tethered during the call set up.

That needs fixing then... Maybe the people that brought us Jailbreak will have something to do about it.

I wonder if you can still get free WiFi 'tethering' if you dont buy the O2 bolt-on? Common sense would suggest so but reading there description of it its a but unclear.

That needs fixing then... Maybe the people that brought us Jailbreak will have something to do about it.

Dont they have somthing that allows that already?

It will be interesting to see how they plan to enforce this. I think the iPhone must be telling them it is tethered during the call set up.

They probably just look at how much data you're using. If you're using tons of data, then they'd look at what you're doing on it, and see if it looks likely to be from a phone or not. It'd be easy enough to tell surely, things like web browser user agent strings would give it away (or maybe there is something in the routing information that does).

Joe

They probably just look at how much data you're using

I do most of my surfing on my phone these days.

web browser user agent strings would give it away

Well they are easy to change 🙂

iPhone's have a great UI, good game support, great web browser.

They are way too expensive however!! Locked to O2 if you want to do things by the book for the next couple of years at least.

When the battery gives out on your expensive investment, then what do you do?

A Nokia 5800 is a better phone because it's costs far less, takes Micro SD cards, has an FM radio, has a replaceable battery, is available for any network, has a higher res. screen, can forward texts, can cut and paste, works with BBC iplayer, streams live bbc tv, works with youtube, works with Nokia's free Sportstracker and other GPS apps such as Viewranger. Takes any 3.5mm headphone/earphone and has fantastic audio. The only limitation i can see is the limited number of IP radio stations in the realplayer format. The web browser is adequate, but not outstanding.

Nokia are a the biggest manufacturer of mobile phones, they dominate the market because they make solid, reliable products that work. The 5800 is their first touchscreen handset. A total winner!

Or be a fashion victim, have your wallet emptied and buy the limited iPhone!

Is the price drop for the 3G 8G going to be rolled out to the UK also?

Is the price drop for the 3G 8G going to be rolled out to the UK also?

not according to the 02 website...

A Nokia 5800 is a better phone

i disagree - the iphone has MUCH better build quality, and feels a much higher quality unit. The touchscreen and useability of the iphone is also in a completely different league to the 5800, which i found to be too clunky (virtually having to physically press down the screen to press buttons...). screen resolution isn't really an issue (and i prefer the less-widescreeness of the iphone compared to the narrow one on the 5800)...

horses for courses, but i defo recommend trying a few out in a couple of shops before committing to anything!!!!!

Its a conservative shuffle forward rather than a step or jump. I think its a really disappointing upgrade. Cant really see the advantage.

The advantage over the ordinary 3G? They are listed above. If they don't excite you, maybe it is just that the 3G itself is such an excellent piece of kit!

It's still got a screen that will smash when you drop it, resulting in having to cough up another £450 for a new one because they can't be repaired.

i disagree - the iphone has MUCH better build quality, and feels a much higher quality unit. The touchscreen and useability of the iphone is also in a completely different league to the 5800, which i found to be too clunky (virtually having to physically press down the screen to press buttons...). screen resolution isn't really an issue (and i prefer the less-widescreeness of the iphone compared to the narrow one on the 5800)...

Yes, iPhone is a better tactile experience, but there is nothing wrong with the build quality of the 5800. It is up to Nokia's usual high quality. The touch screen works really well and the widescreen format suits video material especially well.

If you consider that it's half the price of an iPhone, it's a no brainer. Yesterday a friend called me to ask what I thought about the Nokia. He has an iPhone which is nearing the end of it's 18 month contract. He is looking to switch handsets because he doesn't want to spend £35 a month on airtime. He's now going for an 18 month contract with a free Nokia 5800 and will pay £15 a month. So he'll have a brand new handset and will save £180 over the the iPhone upgrade. A no brainer IMHO.

Go ahead, get your new iPhone! The power of marketing!

Well, my brother-in-law has a Nokia 5800, and he is pretty green with envy looking at my sister's iPhone. If you are happy with the limitations of the Nokia, lucky you - you can spend the extra money on beer, but other people put a different value on the usability, huge range of apps, integration with computer etc.

Okay...

The big question now is.. Does o2 network support 7.2mbps 3G?

Apart from being UP TO 2x faster processing (we all know what UP TO really means), this really is the only worthwhile update. iPhone 3G could always record video, as people who have jailbreaked phones had an app for the for ages.

When the battery gives out on your expensive investment, then what do you do?

[url= http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/apple-iphone-replacement-battery-kit-p14707.htm ]Buy a replacement battery[/url] or [url= http://www.apple.com/uk/support/iphone/service/battery/ ]pay through the nose to get Apple to do it[/url]

takes Micro SD cards

iPhone is now available up to 32GB. What do we need SD cards for?

has an FM radio

I just use streaming internet radio.

is available for any network

Unlocked iPhones are/were available from Amazon.

, has a higher res. screen,

Okay - though I find the iPhone screen adequate.

can forward texts, can cut and paste,

Both handled in the free upgrade to OS3 released next week.

works with BBC iplayer, streams live bbc tv, works with youtube,

Yup - same with iPhone I think.

works with Nokia's free Sportstracker and other GPS apps such as Viewranger.

iPhone has just a few more apps available than that! (50,000 at last count).

Takes any 3.5mm headphone/earphone and has fantastic audio.

Yup.

The web browser is adequate, but not outstanding.

As I said, I do almost all my evening browsing via my phone. The web browser is excellent and is only set to get better with the new update.

A Nokia 5800 is a better phone because it's costs far less, takes Micro SD cards, has an FM radio, has a replaceable battery, is available for any network, has a higher res. screen, can forward texts, can cut and paste, works with BBC iplayer, streams live bbc tv, works with youtube, works with Nokia's free Sportstracker and other GPS apps such as Viewranger. Takes any 3.5mm headphone/earphone and has fantastic audio. The only limitation i can see is the limited number of IP radio stations in the realplayer format. The web browser is adequate, but not outstanding.

iPhone...
at 16 or 32 gig doesn't really need a card slot does it
no radio except over wifi
don't care about networks - o2 works fine
replaceable battery has no value for me
iphone screen, very good
cut, past etc in a week
works VERY WELL with youtube and iPlayer
tomtom proper gps soon
3.5mm obvious (although not on g1 phone!)
fantastic browser!
and..
50,000 applications that you can get/buy from the handset including stuff to track your ride.

new camera with touch focas looks really nice, video with editing, uploading to youtube etc.
i think it's way ahead of it's competition. honestly, people comparing megapixels and screen sizes are really missing the point - the whole thing works so easily, you use it all the time... for so many things!

get what you pay for i think, not marketing and fashion as it's popular to say these days

well to be honest upgrading from 3G to 3GS is really keeping up with the fashion, as it offers no significant upgrades.

2x faster processor has not been tested yet, and the 3G is already very fast. 7.2mbps 3G is also questionable, as only AT&T in America has PLANS to do it (by that time a new iphone will be out).

get what you pay for i think, not marketing and fashion as it's popular to say these days

There's no way the iphone's retail price is purely about it's cost price, everyone pays for marketing etc but I bet moreso for apple products. It's overpriced but people buy it as nothing else truly competes.

iPhone is like XTR, if you can't afford and/or justify one or the replacement parts, then go somewhere else and whine about your shitty make-do version, and leave the rest of us to enjoy our purchases.

The main three points that counted against the iPhone when I looked into getting one were price (not much change there), the camera (apparently improved) and iTunes.

I ended up with a Nokia 5800 - it certainly doesn't feel as nice as an iPhone, the tactile screen isn't quite as good, the plastic body feels cheaper than the metal iPhone, but it has all the applications I need, synchs perfectly with Outlook, a reasonable camera, WIFI, etc. And no iTunes. If the iPhone were cheaper I'd consider it, but at that price it never really competes.

Reading the specs the new iPhone seems to use the same remote control earphones as the Shuffle, that would be a bit of a pain, too - assuming that's the case?

How long until this model gets replaced?

I've heard from someone who works for Vodafone that they're getting the iphone when the new model is launched. If this isn't that new model, how far off is another one?

allyharp - Release cycle is one year. Carriers use 'when the next model comes out' as a method of making customers stay with them in the hope they can save the hassle of switching to O2.

The screen (multi touch-capacitive) and the UI (including the apps) are what makes the Iphone great, mostly the apps IMHO.
Apple are playing catch up with this phone, and still not caught up.
The hard work, and what people love about apple was done developing the original UI/OS, Apple's forte. Even this has only been massaged to include the things that were missing the first time round. All the advancements that everyone is excited about are included in every other high end phone already.
I think the Apple UI is the best out there, frankly i'm dissapointed no-one has come close to it yet. However at the same time it is the lowest specified phone out there with even budget phone offering better

However at the same time it is the lowest specified phone out there with even budget phone offering better

Hyperbole much?

A budget phone:
[img] [/img]

Nokia 1661: £14.50 PAYG
Features: FM Radio, 8MB storage, polyphonic ring tones, TFT display and a vibrating alert.

mogrim: I don't particularly like iTunes either, but I can't imagine why the need to install it would put you off buying an iPhone??

Last time I looked Nokia PC Suite was a complete shambles - has it improved any?

Thats bargin basement, not budget. 😉

can anyone explain to me why the iTunes hatred. ?

I'll hopefully be getting one, but does anyone know if iPhone 3G owners who bought one shortly after they came out last novemeber ish will have to pay a cancellation fee?

P.S. I'm also selling an unlocked 1st Gen iPhone if anyone's looking 😉

I'd like one "thing" to replace my phone "thing" and music/video "thing". Can i use itunes with a Nokia?

TBH for a bog standard music player (and for users without a degree in Geek) itunes is just about perfect TBH, all the family use it, and I don't want to change a platform that works for another, just to use a Nokia phone...

If you go on nokia web site their is a small program that you download that enables you to use itunes with nokia phones. It's simple to use well must be if I can do it.

I'll hopefully be getting one, but does anyone know if iPhone 3G owners who bought one shortly after they came out last novemeber ish will have to pay a cancellation fee?

According to [url= http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/06/09/iphone_3gs_o2/ ]The Register[/url]:

O2 has since told Register Hardware that existing customers on monthly contracts will be able to upgrade to the iPhone 3G S by “buying out” of their contracts. The cost of this is calculated on a case-by-case basis, but you’ll then have to pick from the standard list of monthly 3G S contract options (shown above) before the operator will ship you the device.

Kewwlll luv the new features!!
Black will looks soooo coool next to my new handbag, when I'm in Costa!!!! When can I buy an iMagination? My boyf says I NEEEEED one & he knows his gadgets!!

Sorry ooOOoo, iMagination is only available to people who can assess a product for themselves rather than just dismissing it because it happens to be popular and hyped.

Last time I looked Nokia PC Suite was a complete shambles - has it improved any?

Nope, and if you use a Mac, you get the wonderful, Nokia Multimedia Transfer - a complete bag of shee-ite. I got myself the N95 8GB a while back and it's just a big fiddly piece of crap. Back in the day, I was jealous of my Nokia owning mates because they seemed to have the intuitive use thing far better than Ericsson etc. They're just so obsessed with bringing out fifteen models a year that they won't just concentrate on getting a few different models working really well.

I've had it up to here with the phone I have. It's just shit, shit, shit.

[stomps off to see how he can justify having an iPhone]is there a way I can get an iPhone and put my vodafone contract down to the smallest possible monthly tariff and get a PUK code at the same time to keep my number?[/stomps off to see how he can justify having an iPhone]

I'm sure on a Mac iTunes works wonderfully, but on a PC it's a clunky POS with a non-intuitive my-way-or-the-highway UI.

The Nokia PC suite works fine for what I need - which is basically synching Outlook. The music app is similar to iTunes, ie crap. I usually just copy the files over using explorer. Every now and then I use the other bits, application installation, use the phone as a modem etc., but not often enough to form an opinion.

The main sticking point about the iPhone is still price, though - if they were cheaper I'd probably have put up with iTunes. I'd have to change operators, too, or play around jailbreaking the thing.

Edit: forgot - Nokia doesn't make me install Quicktime, nor ask me if I want to install Safari. It doesn't start up at runtime unless I tell it to.

PUK

PAC

regardless of how much money they're making, I can't see Apple ever dropping their prices
I'm waiting to see how much the N97 is going to be, and possibly the Palm Pre
but if either of them are too expensive = much more than £100 on a £30/m 2yr plan then I'll probably give up

no-one seems to ever mention 3 - shouldn't they be coming to the fore now everything's gone 3G?

I usually just copy the files over using explorer

Seems a shame to forego all the functionality of playlists, smart filtering etc, just because you don't want to install a couple of pieces of software.

[i]I'm sure on a Mac iTunes works wonderfully, but on a PC it's a clunky POS with a non-intuitive my-way-or-the-highway UI. [/i]

Really? my 8 year old works it just fine (on a PC as well), which bits are you having difficulty with?

Yesterday a friend called me to ask what I thought about the Nokia. He has an iPhone which is nearing the end of it's 18 month contract. He is looking to switch handsets because he doesn't want to spend £35 a month on airtime. He's now going for an 18 month contract with a free Nokia 5800 and will pay £15 a month. So he'll have a brand new handset and will save £180 over the the iPhone upgrade. A no brainer IMHO.

Your mate should do what i've done and move to O2 simplicity tariffs. It's a rolling 30 day sim only contract. 1200 texts, 600 minutes and unlimited web/wifi bolt on for £20p/m. that way he can keep his superior handset and save £15p/m. I doubt he's getting that for £15p/m aswell as a new handset.

i-phone, costs apple £4 to make it.

S.

Solo: that seems highly unlikely to me. Evidence?

[url= http://www.isuppli.com/newsdetail.aspx?id=12966 ]isuppli.com[/url] estimate that the basic manufacturing costs of the 3GS are $173 and that's just manufacturing. There will be development costs, distribution, marketting and patents on top of that.

Even if it were true - so what? The cost of an iPhone is a lot more than the cost to manufacture it. The designers didn't work for free, just to mention the most obvious additional cost.

Muggomagic, does that work then? girl in 02 shop told me I couldn't do that as they would know and barr the phone. The only way you were allowed use one was under contract from 02 or PAYG.

Just can't see what problem people have with iTunes, honestly I can't. How much easier does an application have to be? You shove a cd in the slot, iTunes opens, you click import cd, job done. How stupid do you have to be not to be able to cope with that? Once you've set the bit-rate for 320kb in prefs there's nothing else to do. Then all you need do is drag the tracks you want onto the phone. If you want to get all whizzy there's smart playlists, but I don't bother. The sound quality is superb through quality phones, so please, somebody explain just what the problem is. And don't fall back on the sneering at Apple 'cos their stuff's just for the image consious, the image consious buy Prada phones.

I've had issues with iTunes when transferring files from one computer to another and it manages to lose them
they also don't make it easy to upload tunes from your iPod to a computer, say if you lose them
otherwise it's ok

Ipods are great but itunes is the devil's work, particularly on a PC.

I ripped about 400 albums in wma format using windows media player 11 for use on our Creative Zens (a Sleek and a Nano+). Everything worked fine, all but 2 albums were correctly identified and the album art was faithful to the CD cases. Every single album stayed put as one folder.

The Zens were getting on, with one crashing alot and battery life dropping. We also had a dock running off a 3.5mm jack, so I bought an ipod Nano 16G for the wife's birthday and intend getting a classic for my birthday.

I installed itunes8 and the PC now runs like it is wading through treacle, presumably thanks to quick time and other needless gubbins. It won't do anything else while ripping as the CPU usage is at 100%. I've ripped just over 300 albums in Apple Lossless and converted them into AAC 256vbr for the Nano. Most compilation or guest artist albums have been a nightmare to tidy up. For example Tom Jones Reload isn't one album anymore but about 12, each with one or two tracks. Album art is often non-existant or wrong. Gracenote favours american sleeves too and doesn't know much about UK dance albums.

I finally cracked itunes by manually entering the lead artist in the entire highlighted selection of tracks from a CD (scattered about the playlist) or typing in various artists, then prioritising album artist. It took many many late nights to sort out. Syncing is all one way, Genius is just an excuse to advertise similar stuff to buy and the whole programme has an air of spyware about it.

One great feature is smart playlists. Our files are split by bit rate so the lossless and vbr files can be accessed and synced independently. That aside, itunes8 is the most frustrating piece of software I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. It really shouldn't need so much manual correction when a less well established programme such as WMP11 does it all automagically.

Just can't see what problem people have with iTunes, honestly I can't. How much easier does an application have to be? You shove a cd in the slot, iTunes opens, you click import cd, job done. How stupid do you have to be not to be able to cope with that?

Don't get me wrong, I know how it works - it took longer to learn than it should have, as Apple Knows What's Best and ignored all the standard Windows GUI guidelines, but I know my way round it. But like downshep's said, it's installed a whole load of services which run on startup, checks for updates without asking, installs quicktime (why???), and is generally a PITA.

When I finally got bored of my iPod crashing and the overly sensitive wheel thing I gave it to the wife and happily uninstalled the stinking POS that is iTunes.

The Nokia Music Manager is as clunky as iTunes, but it doesn't seem to slow the whole computer down the way Apple software does.

So is the new iphone worth it over the old one? Thinking of getting the older version as I need a new phone and ipod. 8g of storage is plenty as I gave my old 32g ipod to my sister as I never used all the space I think the max I ever used was about 5g, not to bothered about the camera as i've got a decent digital camera that I use and as for 2x speed it's alright the phone doing it but can the o2 network is it even going to get close in the next year or two?

Biggest issue with having an i phone is that it drags you closer to being a mac fanboy, see various posts above to illustrate this :o)

Kind of already their maxray I own a nano and new ishuffle and a macbook pro. But then again been a bit of a mac fan for the past 5 years after being with Microsoft since the old ms dos days and haven't looked back since.

The best thing I've discovered recently about my iPhone (and there are so many discoveries...) is the Remote App. Using AiportExpress(es) connected to my Hifi or powered speakers I can play any track or play list from iTunes from anywhere in my wifi range, choose which speakers around the house I want playing the music and control the volume while I'm at it.

Gadget-tastic. I love it.

Well, it's out today. Anyone got theirs yet?

I'm going to be queueing tomororow morning...

as for 2x speed it's alright the phone doing it but can the o2 network is it even going to get close

There are two speed increases here:

Firstly the new one 3GS has a faster processor and graphics chips (ARM 600MHz with PowerVR SGX graphics vs ARM 412MHz with PowerVR MBX-Lite) and more memory (256MB vs 128MB) so basically apps will start and run faster, the browser will be quicker at drawing web pages and the whole thing will be a bit more responsive.

Secondly there is the faster cellular speed. The new one supports HSDPA at 7.2 Mbps, while the old one only does 3.6 HSDPA. This is the speed boost that needs network support. O2 HSDPA coverage is still pretty patchy (round my way anyway) and I'm not sure what maximum speed it can actually handle.

You can check coverage around you using http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/

I guess it will come, but you're right, it is not an immediate reason to buy.