iPhone 3G Review
There are simple reasons why the new iPhone 3G is better than the last. — Apple has eliminated so many annoying little hang ups that you might run into when using the old one. The GPS pinpoints to meters instead of blocks. The 3G connection slashes web loading times by minutes to seconds.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s July 11 launch follows the June announcement of a $199 iPhone 3G, while AT&T Mobility had already framed the handset as a 3G-network turning point. The review’s emphasis on faster browsing and more precise location fixes makes the network and GPS upgrades the practical case for moving from the earlier iPhone.
The launch also coincides with Apple’s App Store opening for iPhone and iPod touch users, broadening the device proposition beyond the handset itself.
First-order effects
- Existing iPhone owners gain a concrete upgrade rationale in faster web access and GPS accuracy, while new buyers receive the lower-priced 3G model announced in June.
- AT&T’s iPhone service is more central to the experience: the review ties much of the perceived improvement to 3G data performance.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s App Store gives developers a newly available route to reach iPhone and iPod touch users, making software availability part of the handset’s competitive appeal.
- O2, Apple’s confirmed exclusive iPhone service provider in the UK, has an incentive to sell the same faster-data proposition through its own iPhone offering.
Third-order effects
- The iPhone’s value proposition is shifting from a standalone touchscreen device toward a combined hardware, mobile-network, location and application platform.
- If faster data and downloadable applications become purchase drivers, handset competition will increasingly turn on carrier partnerships and software ecosystems rather than hardware design alone.
The trend: The iPhone 3G illustrates smartphones becoming networked software platforms, where faster mobile data and app distribution reinforce each other.