So there I was, awake at an ungodly hour of 2am, waiting for the keynote at Apple’s WWDC 2008, keenly awaiting for the confirmation of a very solid rumour that Apple is going to announce the iPhone 3G. Lo and behold, Steve Jobs announced it to loud fanfare and applause from the audience.
The iPhone 3G sports the same features as the original iPhone. New additions are obviously the 3G radio and a GPS module. Firmware also includes ActiveSync to allow for push-PIM with Microsoft Exchange, and Cisco’s VPN client for VPN support. Battery life has been bumped, which means better longevity.
The phone will launch on 11 July in 22 countries, including Australia and Hong Kong. Singapore is on the list of the 70 countries that will eventually get it. Local operator SingTel has announced that it will arrive within this year, but there is no word on the exact timeframe.
Best announcement was the price. It is now USD199 for 8GB and USD299 for 16GB. And Jobs has said that the prices worldwide won’t rise above those levels. From my point of view, the Windows Mobile market may get a trashing come the launch of the iPhone 3G. We shall see.
Can’t wait to get my hands on one of these babies… Cheers… :Þ
EDIT on 12 June 2008: SingTel has just started taking reservations for the iPhone 3G. Visit them at http://home.singtel.com/iphone.