As predicted, Apple introduces their latest iPhone 3GS in WWDC. The ‘S’ stands for speed, which they claim can deliver faster performance more than two times compared to the previous iPhone 3G. The other updates include better 3.0 megapixel camera with autofocus, more storage, longer-lasting battery, copy paste support, MMS, video recording, digital compass, landscape keyboard, and voice control. That said, I can’t help but feeling a kind of dejavu when Apple launched the 3G last time. The improvement is very incremental, as always with other Apple’s products. If you want to compare it to other smartphones, honestly it just doesn’t cut it. However, Apple’s strength now comes from its huge applications choices, with gaming applications leading the way of transforming the iPhone as a portable gaming platform. At this moment, the competitors such as Nokia and BlackBerry, and even Windows Mobile, still have a lot of catching up to do to compete with the iTunes Application Store.
The greatest news about the 3Gs is the price. In the US, Apple reduced the price of 3G to US$99 with AT&T’s 2-year-plan, while the new 16GB’s 3GS is sold at US$199 with the similar 2-year-plan. There is no information regarding the unlocked version yet. However, we suspect it will be at the same price range with the 3G.
Back in Indonesia, Telkomsel, the mobile operator who is also the authorized distributor of iPhone 3G, hasn’t set any date regarding the 3GS. The reason? Well, in my opinion, they’re screwed, because they’ve only been selling the 3G for less than six months and now Apple has come up with the new, better, faster version that is offered at the same price point. The Rp 1 million (around US$100) price cut seems not enough to sweeten the deal, especially since they sell it around US$900 for the 8GB version of the 3G.
Specifications at a glance:
UMTS/HSDPA (850,1900,2100MHz)
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
16GB or32GB flash drive
3MP Camera with Autofocus, video recording up to 30fps per second
Video playback: Up to 10 hours
Built-in Digital Compass
Cut, Copy & Paste Documents
MMS
Audio Playback: Up to 30 hours