Reviews trickle in for 3G iPhone
Posted
Jul 09 2008, 12:11 PM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Apple chose a few prominent reviewers for a sneak preview of its new 3G iPhone, which goes on sale Friday morning in the U.S. and 20 or so other countries. And while the reviewers had much to praise, they perhaps weren't as worshipful as Apple might have liked. Apple shares are up slightly in morning trading to $179.82. Here's a sampling of what the critics have to say:
Uber-reviewer Walt Mossberg praised the phone's fast Web surfing speeds but was unhappy that the battery drained so quickly. It helps to turn down the screen brightness or turn off the 3G connection when not in use, he said. He also pointed out that AT&T's increased monthly service fees make up for the phone's price cut.
"If you’ve been waiting to buy an iPhone until it dropped in price, or ran on faster cell networks, you might want to take the plunge, if you can live with the higher service costs and the weaker battery life. The same goes for those with existing iPhones who love the device but crave faster cellular data speeds. But if you already own an iPhone, and can usually use Wi-Fi for data, you probably should hold off and get the free software upgrade before deciding whether it’s worth getting the new hardware."
The New York Times' David Pogue pointed out a major drawback: AT&T doesn't have much 3G network coverage. Ten states have no coverage at all, and 16 states only have three cities or fewer. Click here to see the coverage in your area (zoom in and click "Show 3G Coverage").
"The iPhone 3G is a nice upgrade. It more than keeps pace with advancing technology, and new buyers will generally be delighted. But it’s not so much better that it turns all those original iPhones into has-beens. Indeed, the really big deal is the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store, neither of which requires buying a new iPhone.
USA Today's Edward Baig was by far the most positive of the reviewers. Still, he couldn't access the 3G network in parts of his New Jersey neighborhood. When he did get on 3G, he found that the phone loaded Web sites in 10 to 30 seconds.
"iPhone 3G: The Sequel, is worth the wait. It's cheaper, faster and a lot friendlier for business. Apple's blockbuster smartphone already had nifty features such as visual voicemail, a splendid built-in video iPod and the best mobile Web browser I've ever used. With GPS newly added to the mix, this handheld marvel has no equal among consumer-oriented smartphones."
