July 2 - 8:05pm EDT
Apple is expected to have a large boost to its revenue due to how profit from the iPhone 3G will flow, with some analysts predicting it would sell through between 35 and 40 million units by the end 2010, representing up to $4 billion for the company. CNN Money writes that while customers will pay around $200 less than the previous generation device, Apple still stands to make an extra $100 off each unit, due to larger subsidies with wireless carriers.
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July 2 - 1:00am EDT
T-Mobile clarified its 3G iPhone offerings for the Netherlands, which were previously hinted at on the company's website, offering unlimited data plans starting at €30 (~$50). The plans start at a basic 150 minute/SMS plan, with the next at 300 and 500 minutes/SMS messages, and offer varying discounts on the actual device itself. From lowest tier to highest, the 8GB and 16GB iPhones are priced at €80 (~$130)/€160 (~$250), €1 (~$2)/€80 (~$130), and €1 (~$2)/€20 (~$30), offered under a two-year contract.
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June 30 - 9:00pm EDT
In response to exorbitant pricing for the iPhone 3G data and voice plans suggested by Canadian wireless provider Rogers Communications, RuinediPhone.com (site down as of 9PM EST) has commenced operations with changing the telco's less-than-ethical pricing practices. Since launching at the end of last week, RuinediPhone.com has so far obtained just over 22,000 commented signatures asking Rogers to impose fair plans and pricing in line with what is seen with the US and other international countries.
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June 30 - 5:10pm EDT
Hutchison Telecom and T-Mobile on Monday announced pricing and plan information for the 3G iPhone for Hong Kong and The Netherlands, respectively, while Debitel unveiled plans for German distribution of the device. According to iLounge, Hutchison will offer the device at a price dependant on the plan chosen, of which there are four. The 8GB model will range from free to HK$2938 (~$380), while the 16GB will sell for HK$138 (~$20) to HK$3738 (~$480).
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June 28 - 3:30pm EDT
NetCom, the iPhone 3G carrier in Norway has published its iPhone 3G plans, confirming that the 3G version will lack MMS, just as the original version did. The news, first reported by Italian website setteB.IT (English translation here), means that MMS (Multi-media Messaging Service), which provides media rich text messaging, including video, audio and rich text, will be unavailable on the new iPhone 3G. MMS is considered the evolutionary step from SMS, which is limited to simple text.MMS has been available on AT&T and Verizon's networks for half a decade or more, and many thought that the iPhone 3G would add the service.
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June 27 - 12:30am EDT
Apple has unveiled the eighth incarnation of the iPhone SDK beta, but for the first time, requires users to install the pre-release version of iTunes 7.7. An insider tells MacNN that the new beta is compatible with the finalized iPhone 2.0 OS, and is App Store upload-capable – a feature most likely present in the new version of iTunes. The 3G iPhone, v2.0 OS, and App Store are set to land in July, with the apps themselves theoretically ranging from free to just shy of $1000.
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June 26 - 12:50pm EDT
PDO has announced three new products for Apple's upcoming iPhone 3G, the TopSkin for iPhone 3G, the Flipp Leather Case for iPhone 3G and Screen Protector sets for iPhone 3G. All will ship in early July. The TopSkin for iPhone 3G is a play-through design that covers the power, volume, and home buttons, with cut-outs that allow access to the phone’s camera, vibrate switch, speakers, and microphone. It includes a slim-profile belt clip and full frontal screen protector and 3G will sell for $20, available in black, blue, pink, and white.
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June 25 - 4:25pm EDT
Dow Jones reports that Telefonica SA has received 300,000 pre- registrations in the United Kingdom and Spain to buy the iPhone 3G. A company spokesperson said that individuals have been reserving units of the device on the Telefonica Web site. Telefonica will begin selling the 3G iPhone July 11 in Spain, the Czech Republic and twelve Latin American countries. Apple's own retail stores in the UK may not be able to sell the iPhone 3G on July 11th, an industry publication reports. The issue stems from Apple's new activation policy, which forces customers to subscribe to a given carrier in-store, rather than at home through iTunes.
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June 19 - 11:00pm EDT
Fabrix on Thursday unveiled a new collection of sleeves for the iPhone 3G, available in seven different designs. The sleeves are currently offered in the company's Red Damask, Grey Suit, and Chalkboard patterns, as well as the red, pink, green, and blue from the Gingham series. Each sleeve has a quilted inner padding to ensure that the iPhone does not get harmed. The sleeves start at $22, and fit both the 3G iPhone, and the former 2.5G model.
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June 19 - 2:45pm EDT
AT&T reportedly paying a $325 for each iPhone 3G, an unprecedented dollar amount that would put the device well above competing smartphones and mobile devices in terms of carrier-supplied financial assistance. Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner told Barron's that typical smartphone gets a subsidy of about $200, but the iPhone will command a dramatically higher subsidy because of "AT&T's faith in the iPhone's ability to attract new subs and increase ARPU." The report also claims that AT&T is paying Apple an extra $100 for subscribers signed up in Apple stores, for a total commission of $425.
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June 19 - 2:30pm EDT
iPhone enterprise developer Webstate has announced iSharephone, a native application for Apple's iPhone 3G that allows the user to access the Microsoft Office SharePoint portal. Sharepoint is Microsoft Office 2007's server program that allows content management, publishing and collaboration. It also allows people, data and document searches and data analysis. iSharephone, as yet unpriced, will allow users of Sharepoint to access the information from the field.
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June 16 - 1:55pm EDT
The iPhone 3G carries a lower price, but it also costs about half as much to make, according to a report in the EETimes. The report says tests by teardown specialist Portelligent put the bill of materials for the new model as low as $100. That should help offset the 3G’s lower $199 price point. Portelligent estimates that based on materials alone, Apple’s gross profit on the iPhone 3G totals about $99, compared to $229 for the previous version. Apparently, Apple is counting on sales volume to make up the difference and Apple may also be receiving a payut for each carrier activation, although the revenue sharing plan with carriers, as with the original device, is no ...
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June 13 - 5:05am EDT
In April, specifications were allegedly leaked from Hon Hai/Foxconn offering users a glimpse of the then-unreleased 3G iPhone, showing a third sensor, which has now been confirmed. iLounge writes that the 3G iPhone features an ambient light sensor, as with the previous model, but also two proximity sensors, which sources indicate is to improve face-detection functionality. The original device reportedly had issues dimming the screen when a phone call was answered using the handset.
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June 12 - 9:35pm EDT
Following closely on yesterday's 3G iPhone C.E.O. Sleeve announcement, Marware on Thursday unveiled three newly updated cases for the device: the Sport Grip, the C.E.O. Premium, and the Sportsuit Convertible. The Sport Grip offers 3G iPhone owners a slip-free silicone shell that covers the entire body of the phone, while leaving access to the camera, display, dock connector, headphone jack, speaker, and microphone. Sport Grip for the 3G iPhone sells for $20, and is available in both black and white silicone rubber.
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June 11 - 1:40pm EDT
Despite a series of conflicting news releases, Vodafone has confirmed that there will not be a pay-as-you-go version of the iPhone 3G available in New Zealand. NZMac.com first spotted the confusion in statements from Vodafone and Apple New Zealand which announced both contract and prepaid versions of the iPhone in various press releases. Vodafone cleared things up this morning, saying only the contract versions will be available in New Zealand and Portugal beginning in July 11.
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