3G iPhone for $199? Not really.
So, Real Steve announced the new 3G iPhones today and there’s lots to love. GPS, Mobile Me, faster speeds, etc etc. If you’ve seen the WWDC coverage you’ve seen it all. My initial impression was something along the lines of: “Omg omg omg omg omg! Want want want want want!” But now that I’ve had lunch and a few minutes to think it over, I think I’m still going to pass this time.
To buy an iPhone would require me to get a new contract with AT&T. Currently I have a contract with T-Mobile (through 2009). So, in addition to my T-Mobile monthly bill I’ll have a minimum $30/month for a data plan plus another minimum $40/month for their basic talk plan. So, $1000 more or less to own an iPhone for 2 years in addition to what I’ll be paying T-Mobile.
No thanks.
This is what’s totally wrong about mobile phone carriers in the United States. We’re forced into epochal 2 year contracts with whoever we buy from just so they’ll lop off a couple hundred dollars off the price of a new phone. Two years is a ridiculously long time in an era where even hardware tech is accelerating at a super fast rate.
I’ll stick with my iPod Touch. The Touch is what’s totally right about Apple. I have almost all of the coolest features of the iPhone with NO monthly contract.
The Touch shows us the proper path. Here’s what I want that will send me to Nerd Heaven:
- New iPod Touch with GPS built in. Already a Garmin killer.
- Also add a 2 MP camera to the iPod Touch.
- Free Public Wi-Fi everywhere! Apple can’t deliver that, but we need to keep advocating for it as much and as often as we can. I complain to management nowadays when I eat at a restaurant that doesn’t provide free Wi-Fi.
- The Killer bit of tech we need - a simple microphone for the iPod Touch. Microphone + SDK + Wi-Fi == better than iPhone. Free calls anywhere.
I think I’ll be very happy with the App Store when that’s opened. Us Touch owners had better not be excluded from much of the content there.
So, overall, today’s announcement was exciting primarily for new AT&T customers. Otherwise it was kind of a dud.