[ggibson913]

@luomat, the non-inclusion of the 200 text messages per month is not really confirmed yet. The only thing that At&T has confrimed is that the data plan will go from $20 to $30 per month. Other than that it is al rumors and speculation. My guess is that AT&T is taking a wait and see atititude before announcing the new plans to feel out how much they are going to be able to get away with. You can bet they have someone scanning all of these blogs for information.

Even if it is $15 more per month, it is still cheaper than comparable smartphone plans from Verizon. I would be interested in knowingif those who get older iPhones are going to be subject to the new prices though.

[SheLivesRed]

"OK, so far what I see here as the majority is that most who actually
posted a comment are NOT going to purchase an iPhone3G when it arrives
in July. It makes me laugh to read these comment sections, because
they NEVER represent the actual real world consensus. Most of the
time, only the persons that have a "beef" against a product are going
to actually post something anyway. So, when a good product or service
is being evaluated, it most always is made out to be "bad" or "evil".
Anyway, with that said...
While the REST OF THE WORLD begins to LEGALLY purchase 3G iPhones, we
have the rest of you HILLBILLIES here in the great USofA stuck on the
old one. Come on!"

Boy, aren't you Mr. Diplomacy. Thank goodness you bothere to READ some of the reasons people are giving for hanging on to their old one. If we can't use the 3G, or are unwilling or unable to pay the higher fees, how does that make us hillbillies. Great assesment. And while your spending an extra few hundred dollars to enjoy the nes iPhone, we'll continue to try to cope with the increased cost of living, while still enjoying our almost identical old iPhone. Thanks very much.

[mattocmw]

I'm keeping my 16Gig 1st generation. I know I'm in the minority, but for me the ONLY thing they could have announced that would have made me upgrade would have been speaker independent voice activated dialing. It's the one thing that makes me think, every single day, of getting a traditional phone again and using my iPhone just for data. I live in great 3G coverage, but have WiFi everywhere I need it, so no big deal. Plus, it says T-Mobile up there in the left hand corner.....and that's a whole different can of worms. Been there, done that.

[distortedloop]

"While the REST OF THE WORLD begins to LEGALLY purchase 3G iPhones, we have the rest of you HILLBILLIES here in the great USofA stuck on the old one. Come on!"

A bit full of yourself, aren't you? Pretty arrogant to assume that yours is the opinion shared by the majority.

Anyways, it's pretty clear to me that Apple was not targeting current iPhone users with this newer release; they are targeting all those who don't have one: the "gotta have 3g" and "gotta have exchange" and "gotta have gps" types.

For current iPhone users, those missing features were not deal breakers, so while Apple may expect a percentage of "I'll blow my wad on the latest greatest product" folks to drink the kool aid on this one, they're not worried about the rest of us.

I'd say you fall into that group, and good for you. I was in that group for the last 30 years, and still tempted to stay with it, but for me, iPhone 1.1.4 (jailbroken and 3rd party apped) meets all of my needs, so the need to rush out and get the newest just doesn't exist. I may change my mind to do it as the day approaches, but I am not going to name call or belittle those who see no economic or functional benefit to getting the newer model.

[jimusair1]

I don't think I will upgrade yet. My 2G works fine for most things. With the new 2.0 software upgrade coming, I will be able to have all I want. Other than being 3G, there are not any significant changes that make me want to change yet. At some point I may and pass my 2G to my wife and thats OK. The other thing is, I don't believe that AT&T's 3G network will live up to there map. That is always suspect.

One other thing. The new geotagging for photos is cool, but I haven't taken many photos with my iPhone that are worthy enough to post anywhere. Every photo I have taken needs some adjustment in iPhoto first before posting. I like my iPhone better than any mobile device I have had and It will evolve even better in time.

[kwill]

People who purchased iPhone 1.0, 1.1 (price drop), or 1.2 (16GB), did not have the price subsidized by AT&T. If the 2-year service contract extends beyond about August 2009, upgrading now for arguably minimal feature improvements will disqualify users for iPhone upgrades on the horizon -- like larger capacity.
People who own a 4GB iPhone are due for an upgrade since they will want additional room for new applications. 8GB owners are in the middle; depending upon available capacity, they might want to upgrade. Current 16GB iPhone users will likely hold out for a 32GB model and more wisely for the next iPhone revision a year or so from now.

[ggibson913]

Here is a more intersting question. If AT&T nickel and dimes it's customers for the 3G plans (especially since outside a metro area you get no 3G), will that be enough to put off potential new customers. I am out of contract with VZW as of June and had planned on getting an new iPhone but find myself in the postion of reconsidering that decision because of the price plan changes. It isn't that I can't afford the 10 (or 15 if they don't include text) increase. It's more of a matter of asking myself if it is worth paying for the iPhone plan or just getting an ipod touch.
Under the old plan, it is about $14 more than what I am paying now per month for the plan I need. Now up that to $24 (or $29) and I begin to question the wisdom of the purchase.

Apple is very smart, they aren't going to lose anything because the iPhone will still be bought by AT&T for the original price. Plus, they have a world wide market. AT&T will be the big loser, imagine not being able to sell the phone that sells itself because they got too greedy. I would imagine that most iPhone users are not business users but consumer users. How much will they pay? That is the question.

[ZenJD]

Ok, while it may be interesting if someone with an iPhone will buy the new one or not, why does it seem to be to focus of every media outlet? This is stupid. Every time a new MacPro comes out the question is not will you sell your current model to buy the new one. I've heard one reporter's rant on how the 2.0 update is going to backfire for Apple selling the 3G phone and making the overall sales quota mark, (which I could care less about) because the majority of ppl will just upgrade to 2.0 and kill new sales, which is just ridiculous. Considering the unit will be sold locally to more countries, where better than 90% of the hacked units have turned up, sales should see a nice surge to the enjoyment of those who own stock. Some ppl with access to the 3G network will upgrade, and the rest will happily just get the 2.0 upgrade for free. I see it as a all around lovefest no matter who you are. (new data/SMS pricing aside)

I'm very excited about the announcement as the iPhone 3G has 3 of the 4 features I've been waiting for: Lower price, 3G, GPS, 60GB of storage. I would love to take my whole music collection with me.. but I'll live. Bonus, I will also allow me to use my phone when I travel to Europe this Fall. This will be my first new MP3 player to replace my dead 1st Gen iPod to go along with my current gen shuffle. I'm also going to be happy to leave Verizon with their crippled crap and lack of Mac OS friendly phones.

[funnyboy88]

ggibson913 said:

@luomat, the non-inclusion of the 200 text messages per month is not really confirmed yet. The only thing that At&T has confrimed is that the data plan will go from $20 to $30 per month. Other than that it is al rumors and speculation.

Umm...an AT&T executive said it in an interview. That's where the news is from. SMS is separate now. Sorry! :(

[ashishsharma23]

I am definitely going to get new 3G. It seems to be a good upgrade over 11 months and 19 days old iPhone.

I am hoping to see rumoured TomTom's GPS application on 3G.

[daniel2828_MW]

I live in Iowa, where no 3G is available. So why pay more for my plan when I won't be getting anything extra? On the other hand, the GPS feature is enticing, but I'd want to see it in action first. I also get lousy service in general from AT&T, since towers are kind of spotty (the existing "GPS" places me in the middle of the Mississippi River, about 20 miles from my home). But I've heard rumors that at least in theory, the plastic back might improve reception. So I may end up getting one, but I won't be standing in line like last time. I'll want to talk to someone who upgraded.

[srplus]

I would really like to purchase the iPhone but am still tapping my foot and waiting for some of the things to be realized that should not be missing from features that MUST be on a device of this kind...

1) cut and paste
2) provision of services from a network that actually works in my area in places besides inside the car on the interstate (like at home or out in the country).

[topcat189]

3G coverage is very good in my area. If you add in GPS, extra memory, a more ergonomic design and improved audio, it's definitely a step up (not huge) from the my current 8 gig model. I'm upgrading.

[charlich]

My closest Apple store replaced my iphone today gratis after almost a year of faithful service. I had encountered some hardware problems and the store graciously replaced it.

So I can't see myself going for a 3G soon since I have a brand new iphone. Also, I think of the 3G iphone as a cheaper iphone (with a plastic back) but not necessarily a better one. I truly am a happy first gen iphone owner!

Apple truly has set the standard for me of stellar customer service.