iPhone 3g Rundown

Ars Technica has a nice rundown of the new iPhone 3g compared to the old. For those interested here is the link:

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/iphone3g-review.ars

Day 0.5

After half a day or so with my new iPhone I think it is safe to say that I really like it. Having been without my old phone for the past 2 weeks it was nice to have a working phone that I didn't buy for $9.95 at a drugstore (it served its purpose). It seems like they have vastly improved on lots of the already cool features of the phone, as well as having done some user research and targeted the things that bothered people about iPhone 1.0. I like all the main stuff that you may or may not have heard on the news like:

• GPS: Seriously when you are outside it is pretty accurate. It could tell which side of the street I was on LOL.
• App Store: This is just a great feature, and one they probably should have released a while ago. I think this will almost defenitely keep me from Jailbreaking my phone this time.
• 3G Network: I seem to get pretty good coverage around my house and Seattle in general, which is something I was concerned about. The network is fast. And 3G sounds cooler then EDGE :D
  There are more from the list of "standards" that people always say. But there are also small things like the new plastic back rather then metal. I know what you are thinking "What plastic > metal?!?!?" I was sceptical too, but the plastic back sticks in your hand much better, and when you are using apps like this. in which you basically pretend your phone is a light saber and wing it around to create the cool sound effects, you want your phone to not go anyplace. We learned from the Wii that people swinging things will break expensive electronics... imagine winging your iPhone into your TV :( sad times. I'm sure I will come up with more stuff I really like, this is just the beginning. P.S. I'm still not thrilled about the way that launch day went... reports from Bellevue put people STILL in line at the Bellevue apple store well into the night.

I get no satisfaction!

So due to the fact that my old iphone touchscreen cracked a few weeks ago, I decided I should get a 3g iphone on the day it comes out (July 11, 2008... or today). It was supposed to go down like this. You go to the store, buy your phone, they activate it in the store, and you walk out amazed at how easy and smooth the machines aptitude for having you open your wallet and taking your money.

Oh if only it were that easy.

Wait in line for 2.5 hours (glad I didn't arrive after 6:30... the people shortly behind me were not garunteed the phone they wanted.

They can't activate in the store... not a huge deal, you will just have to activate at home. But you can't walk out of the store and marvel at the greatness of the 3g technology :(.

Get it home... plug it in and away you go... er no wait... somethings wrong :(. It won't activate.... seems funky. Freak out for a minute, then start checking message boards and see that it is a common problem.

So it appears that apple underestimated the demand that all these iphone activations had on its network... right?

Simple bullshit. Apple is a company who VERY tightly controls when and how many items are sold. They knew EXACTLY (to the precise number) of iPhones that would be activated today. They knew EXACTLY how the load was going to be... that there were going to be hundreds of thousands of activations from 8-9am as each timezone reached the coveted 3g moment.

They dropped the ball.... I feel lied to.