Many electronics consumers dread the day that their shiny new toy becomes obsolete. It is a crappy feeling to know the gadget you paid top dollar for because of its ahead-of-the-pack features now is playing second chair to somebody else's newer gadget, purchased for probably the same price.
For Apple fanboys in particular, we usually know exactly when that is going to happen thanks to the hype surrounding events such as this year's Worldwide Developers Conference. Everyone knew based on Apple's release patterns that this year's conference would bring with it a new and improved iPhone.
And so it came: The iPhone 3GS, the newer, faster incarnation of the iPhone 3G equipped with a faster CPU, more RAM, higher network speeds, higher megapixel count and autofocus lens, better battery and a compass.
Boy, was I relieved. I thought for a minute that they were going to really update the phone. Few of you might have noticed my omission of Voice Control and Video Recording. I'll get to that in a second. It is a given that over time, it gets easier and easier to squeeze better technology into smaller packages, or in this case, an identical package, so I wasn't surprised at all that this phone is 50% faster than mine, or had more memory. The camera update would be nice for the very few macro pictures I take, but if I really need to take a nice picture, I'll use my Nikon D300. Other than that, I keep my LCD backlight at minimum to preserve battery, and carry a spare charger with me everywhere, so again, I can live without it.
Oh, and as for the compass...
Now, Video Recording and Voice Control, that is just a matter of software.
Video Recording is already available if you're willing to Jailbreak your phone, which is easier than ever to do. Apple's Iron-Fist Quality Control will prevent an any official video recording capabilities to come to the measly 400MHz-equipped iPhones, reserving it only for the robust 600-MHz phones. Look, we all know the older phones can't support 30fps 720p recording, but they can certainly support 15fps QVGA, so why not market the new one as iPhone HD, and officially endorse crappier video recording on the older phones?
Voice Control absence from the older phones is Apple being greedy, and I am sure Voice Control will find its way to the iPhone and iPhone 3G either through Apple loosening its grip, or more likely, a Jailbreak app.
And then there's iPhone OS 3.0, bringing with it some amazing new features that should have been standard since the original iPhone's release in 2007. As the software is identical across all iPhones, I am satisfied to stand behind my last-generation dinosaur of technology. After all, I was worried about a drastic update, like the rumored front-camera video call iPhone, which would take advantage of the LTE or WiMax network speeds, or one with and improved A/D audio processing chip, allowing me to record professional-quality sound right onto my phone. Thank goodness none of this happened.
Of course, it's obvious the 3Gs was made for Original iPhone owners whose contracts were due for renewal and Apple wanted to give them something more than the same phone everybody else has already had for a year. As a 3G owner, I am very happy to keep my phone for another year, at which point my AT&T contract will be due for renewal, and I can buy the top-of-the-line 2010 iPhone at the subsidized price of $300, a price I am more than willing to pay every two years to have the best phone out there.
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