11.7.08

Apple launches iPhone 3G today amidst much fanfare !!!

image The much awaited new version of Apple's iPhone 3G has been launched today in selected countries amidst much fanfare. This launch has created such a rage that people in Japan and US were queuing in front of the mobile stores for the last 2-3 days, day and night, to be the first owners of this much loved/ hyped gadget. The first owners were seen jumping with joy as if they have conquered the world. Cell phone stores are limiting the sales as one phone to one person, to control demand.

Apple has launched the first version of this phone last year to a market targeting the loyal ipod customers, as an extended iPod with additinal features of a mobile phone.

Apple iPhone 2.0 is the upgraded version of the software and IPhone ver 1.0 users can upgrade it to version 2.0 by downloading the software and installing it in the old phone.

The new Features are given below

  • App Store support (so one can install third-party applications and games)image
  • 3G speed - Faster Downloading of mails and of browsing Internet thru 3G cellular networks. 3G supports simultaneous voice and data. One can talk on the phone while surfing the web, checking email, or using Maps
  • GPS- find location, get directions, and see traffic — all from phone
  • The ability to search through contacts, and more.
  • Good interoperability with Microsoft's most popular mail server system, MS exchange server.

iPhone cost is around $220 for the 8 GB and $320 for 16GB models. Indians will have to wit till August or September for an Official launch here. The lower end model expected to be priced around Rs.15000/-. Vodafone will be the service provider in India for iPhone first followed by Bharati Airtel. Both these service providers started bookings in their respective web sites. 3G spectrum over GSM networks in India is still not finalized also!!.

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Anyway the hype and passion which is shown on Apple's this coveted product is unprecedented and strange. This shows the new generation's mad infatuation with fancy gadgets like this!!!

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people in Q in front of a mobile store in Japan

4 comments:

Vany said...

http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?newsid=22005

Police step in as London Apple Store closes early
UK Apple Store closes in disarray, as iPhone 3G order system crumbles

Garbed in blue T-shirts the Apple crew blamed the closure on UK iPhone carrier O2’s faulty registration system, as entry to store browsers was forbidden and no more customers were allowed to join the queue to purchase the new iPhone 3G.


At 3pm, customers at the world's largest Apple Store were told that it would take at least three hours to buy an iPhone, and anyway the store was closed for new business as the company couldn’t be sure that it would be able to serve the numbers already snaked round the store.

“The O2 system just keeps turning on and off,” explained one Apple Store staffer.

He said that Apple - unlike its retail partners O2 and Carphone Warehouse – did have stocks of the sought-after white iPhone 3G, but that customers should wait a few days for the O2 system to be repaired.

Vany said...

http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?newsid=22007

O2 on iPhone: Huge demand, no 16GB, yes there's problems
40 iPhones sold an hour in some O2 stores, no 16GB models left at all

The result leaves iPhone owners frustrated, and means their devices will do nothing at all, bar making emergency calls.

This is how the system works (as explained by O2).

1. You sign up to an O2 contract in store. The device remains bricked.

2. You plug the device into iTunes and it unbricks the device

3. Your SIM card activates on the network. For new customers only there may be a delay in this happening as we process the orders which means they can use the iPhone but not phone features until SIM is active. Upgrading customers just put their old SIM in and they're away.

O2's spokesman urged patience: "Demand is really high," he said. "In some of our stores we have been selling 40 iPhones an hour - the same level of sales those stores usually do in a day."

Speaking to Forbes, a spokesman for AT&T has described a global problem with Apple's iTunes servers. It appears that with iPhone shoppers in 22 countries now trying to activate their device, Apple's iTunes servers just can't keep up.

Despite the many problems that have plagued the launch, O2 has seen signal success, at least in terms of sales. "Half our stores are out of iPhones," the spokesman said, "and we're completely sold out of the 16GB models".

New stock will be made available through O2 next week, availability will be revealed on the O2 website.

On the chaotic scenes and in-store problems that defined the first few hours of iPhone sales this morning, he said: "From our point of view - things were slow when we opened this morning, but we have been processing people, we've been selling a lot," he said.

"All we can say to customers is keep trying," he said.

Unknown said...

I donno about the problems explained. I got the iphone from one of the (aT&T : preferred carrier for iphone in US) stores near my home. since I decided to buy one, I didn't leave any chance. I went to store a day before and enquired about the demand and as per information Ii was in the queue by 4.AM. I was the first one in queue and by 8 pm I got one when the store opened. I got it activated from store itself and 3 hours after it was working full fledged.

Feedback :

pros : it is very user friendly and it takes not more than a hour to learn the basic functionality. it is easy to follow. the screen is big enough than any other phone and moreover it is very good entertainment unit, songs, movies, youtube, browser etc etc. Also best compact and catchy design.

cons: it is ipod with a phone and not phone with ipod. so it does not have all the advanced features of a smart phone.

I am using for last 4 days days and have to play around more.

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