Filed under: iPhone
Rumors: Euro-iPhone to be 3G?
Last week, Apple announced that Europe would see the iPhone in Q4 2007. Today, Gregory Ng of iPhone Matters writes that there is mounting evidence for a 3G European version of the iPhone. Pointing to an iPhone FAQ post, he suggests that a non-3G release would hinder the international success of the iPhone; 3G is far more widespread in Europe than here. Ng believes that we may see two versions of the iPhone debut in Europe: both a GSM/EDGE version and a 3G version.
So what do you European TUAW readers think? Could a 2.5G iPhone succeed? Does the iPhone need to be 3G?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
geezer said 5:05PM on 4-30-2007
The question should be: "Do we really need an iPhone?" - I'd rather have seen an Mac Pro feat. a Cell CPU ;)
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peter said 5:10PM on 4-30-2007
Yeah.. it has to be at least 3 g.. in Denmark .. we can get super high internet speed via a company called 3. up to 3 mbps. via the phone.
I want the Iphone.. but if it aint 3G... its a no go.
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Jason said 5:14PM on 4-30-2007
Anyone have any idea why Apple didn't include 802.11n ???
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Richard Bright said 5:19PM on 4-30-2007
3G is a must here in Australia. Not because of the content and features that are available but simply because no carrier offers affordable GPRS data! 3G data isn't cheap, but it is cheaper than any GPRS plans. Hopefully Apple will be able to use their clout to force whichever carrier that picks up the iPhone to create an affordable unlimited data plan. The only such plan I know of is tied to purchase of a hiptop through Telstra. If ordinary people (non-business plan users) can't afford to purchase enough data the iPhone will be no more than a very pretty cellphone.
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ThomasB said 4:25AM on 5-01-2007
Dead in the water without 3G here in Scandinavia at least. Even my parents won´t wait longer than necessaryost end a Multimedia Message or E-mail pictures from their phones. Nokia and Sony Ericsson looks like crap though.
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pierot said 5:28PM on 4-30-2007
3G is the way to go here in Belgium. Most of the carriers have an extended network of 3G facilities and 3G services are wide spread among youngsters and businesspeople.
More important would be any push e-mail technology that would play along with the iPhone and 3G: that would give a lot of users no reasons anymore to stay with their chunky pda/smartphone.
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The Jerk said 5:28PM on 4-30-2007
The iPhone is supposed to push technology forward. GSM/EDGE is a step back for most of the world (at least the corners I've been). I hope Apple releases a 3G iPhone in the US in the near future. They developed new technologies for the phone and so many rely on fast internet access. I'm not saying anything new, I know. But I still can't believe Apple would cripple their device like this. I say: it definitely requires 3G to be successful in Europe. Why, in the capitalistic nation of the US, do we have so little choice when it comes to telecommunications? I was looking to Apple to help change this.
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Eric Chiu said 5:30PM on 4-30-2007
3 (Three) is a Hongkong based company YAY!
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Enda Crowley said 5:32PM on 4-30-2007
I think that by now its a given that the EU iPhone is going to be superior to the US iPhone (3G or maybe unlocked -- carrier issues in EU?) I just hope its with network other than Vodafone!
They're more evil than NBC's lawyers and Verizon's CDMA put together!!! :P
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Gwydion said 5:36PM on 4-30-2007
Here in Spain 3G is also the way to go
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Gary Midgley said 5:39PM on 4-30-2007
Here in the UK, the market is pretty much both and both, but Vodafone / O2 / Orange / Three / T Mobile all offer 3G services and they are pushing them more and more, so I reckon, if there is no 3G im affraid not many UK people will take it up. And most probably for Ireland, the top 3 providers, Vodafone / O2 and Three are all busy providing 3G so they will try and push 3G services, and what with Apples European HQ in cork, I would expect 3G in the UK and Ireland at least!
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sonic_extreme said 8:53AM on 5-01-2007
Yeah, here in Portugal, I guess iPhone sales would be hindered without UMTS/3G. As mentioned before, here we also have much cheaper data rates through 3G than anything else, albeit, I'd get the iPhone if it's 2G anyway =D
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Stephen said 5:51PM on 4-30-2007
I'm in the UK and desperate for an iPhone, but I'll wait if the first version isn't 3G. The networks here are all 3G with near total coverage (in built up areas at least) so there's no technical or affordability reason for it not to be 3G.
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KK said 5:52PM on 4-30-2007
Speaking for Italy, which is by the way one of the leading markets in Europe for the mobile business, with more than 50 millions SIMs sold and active (yes, you read it right, about 1 SIM per person). A 2.5G iPhone would be swept away by competitors here, mainly Nokia and SonyEricsson. I suggest that Apple's marketing take this into account, and that they spend the right amount of their time investigating the "environment" they will fall into and its peculiarities. For example, a tiny 15% of the customers have subscriptions here, and the vast majority owns pre-paid SIMs.
A last word: voices here are that Vodafone will be the chosen carrier.
K
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Gwydion said 5:58PM on 4-30-2007
#13 Actually, Italy, Sweden, UK, Luxembourg and Spain have all more active SIMs than inhabitants. Here in Spain we have almost 47 million lines
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andrew harrison said 6:05PM on 4-30-2007
they have to release a 3G in Australia, otherwise it's a complete waste of time.
If they have to tie to one carrier, I can see them going with Telstra, which is good because I already use Telstra through my business so it's cheap, but bad because a LOT of people I know prefer the 3 service.
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matthew Martinez said 6:08PM on 4-30-2007
Berlin here... REPRESENTIN' WAAAAAAHT!
OK, got that out of my system... yeah, 3G will def. be the most important feature for a Euro iPhone... everybody here uses 3G. EVEN ME! Wow... to think we're gonna get a better Apple product than is available stateside... SUCK ON THAT, TEXAS!
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Ondra Soukup said 6:14PM on 4-30-2007
of course we need 3G. HSDPA better !
really, phone without data is just a phone, nothing else and iPhone should get the best. maps, internets browsing, mailing photos...yes, it does need 3G :)
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kpf said 6:16PM on 4-30-2007
3G is an essential must for a new phone on the European market! No one I know would buy an iPhone without 3G facilities.
As a matter of fact, I'm not so sure it will be a success without HSDPA, as right now many business users are going for 7.2 Mb/s networks.
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Dom Barnes said 7:09PM on 4-30-2007
It would definately have to be 3G in the UK. GPRS is still around, but you need the speed. And an unlimited (in anyway) data plan, like T-Mobile Web & Walk.
I actually blogged a bit about this the other day
http://domster83.wordpress.com/2007/04/23/my-thoughts-on-the-iphone/
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