iPhone shortage hints at imminent refresh

apple will definitely, definitely not simply skip 3G and @ tedious:
announce 4G in spring 2009. at CTIA this week, alcatel and lucent are only just showing off the LTE prototype, which AT&T's 4G network will be based on. so dream all you want, but apple's not going to make a phone for a network that doesn't exist. besides, AT&T's 3G network barely exists today-- have you seen the coverage map? we'll be flying to work in jetpacks and answering our phones with Borg implants before AT&T finally covers the US with 4G.

PS there will not be a 48GB touch. the next step will be 80.

They need to release the 3G before Uncle Sam starts sending out those rebate checks.

aah,

No, not a new Boot Loader... please...

We`re getting more than a iPhone and Touch update. Nanos are getting updated too. We just got a refurb price drops across the board. We`re only getting a .5 update for now.

Why is it that people predict a larger ipod touch (in GiB) than the iPhone? Isn't it potato/potato, and it would be better to keep them at the same level?

I predict a 32GB iPhone and 48GB Touch will show up in June (ahead of the September/October iPod refresh).

I also predict there will be No 3G iPhone. The 2G will be the only thing available in 2008, with a 4G model previewing @ Macworld in January 2009.

Steve Jobs will once again call 3G a battery hog and declare it unfit for the iPhone.

Or, considering that the last iPhone refresh to 16GB occurred just a hair under two months ago, this could simply be indicative of strong demand. Apple doesn't refresh products six times a year.

AT&T and Apple may be flushing out their refurbs, but 8GB and 16GB models are both well stocked in AT&T stores. Refurb flushes happen pretty regularly when they start piling up. If anything, a big refurb push is probably an indication that lots of people have been returning iPhones.

I'm thinking that with Apple looking at pushing the whole mobile computing concept with iphones and ipods that Apple might want to get rid of the current 8GB iphones as quick as possible before the official 3rd party apps begin showing up not to mention getting the 16GB iphones down in price. I'm guessing 16GB is going to be the minimum demanded by consumers who want room for audio/video and still be able to install software.

Like some others I'm sure there'll be a 2.5G line and a 3G line of iphones.

Who cares? Unless 2nd Gen is going to allow me to do something I can't do now I have no interest.

I doubt a 3G iPhone (in the current form factor) is going to be announced so soon. A better explanation for the delay: Apple is changing internal circuitry/ components to thwart the unlockers. It’s become so trivial now, you’ve gotta think that any carrier that Apple approaches for exclusive contracts is pointing to these hackers and asking what benefit they will accrue when unlocking & using on a different network is so easy. I predict a new firmware for the baseband that stops the unlocking cold & gives Apple the upper hand in their negotiations.