On the keynote stage at Apple's 2008 Worldwide Developer Conference, Steve Jobs looked like a man who could use a Gatesian escape from the glass house to a quieter life spent in pursuit of passions that a CEO hasn't time to explore. The difference between Steve and Bill is that Steve's passion is already in his grasp. iPhone can be seen as a culmination point for much of what Steve has set his mind, hand, and brain trust to in the past decade.
It is important to strike a distinction between iPhone 3G, the $199 handset ($299 with a memory upgrade from 8GB to 16GB) that will ship on July 11, and iPhone 2.0. The latter, while less celebrated, is the more significant development. iPhone 2.0 is the firmware, operating system, drivers, and applications that run iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch.
[ InfoWorld's Chief Technologist Tom Yager offers up regular insights on Apple-related topics. Subscribe to the Enterprise Mac newsletter to get the latest information on iPhones, Mac computers, and industry news. ]
All users of these devices will be able to download iPhone 2.0, and once installed, the new software will bring all devices into functional parity, except for the 3G high-speed data and GPS autolocation enabled by hardware unique to the iPhone 3G.
Moreover, iPhone 3G will function as the original iPhone does in areas that high speed data services can't reach, which is most of the world.
What's new in the iPhone hardware
Apple has given the device a bit of needed attention. The device has undergone a very slight exterior redesign. The back of the handset is now either black or white (I'm not sure of the material) rather than the bare brushed aluminum that takes scratches so easily. I don't know if the new case relaxes the rigid design that makes the current iPhone so fragile.
The iPhone's bizarre recessed headphone jack is one of those green-lighted ideas that looked better on paper. Thankfully, it's been scrapped, decimating the market for $15 iPhone headphone cables.
Apple claims that with a single charge, the iPhone 3G will give users 300 hours in standby, 10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours talk time on a 3G network, 5 hours of browsing, 7 hours of video playback, or 24 hours of audio playback.
"Or" is an operative word; Apple's hydrogen cell is still in development. Not having cracked the case of a new iPhone, I can only guess how Apple achieved this. Perhaps consolidation of iPhone's freed-up room in the device for a larger battery.
Continue reading Tom Yager's in-depth analysis on his Enterprise Mac blog.
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