Disqus
If like me (and the rest of the IntoMobile team) you were all over the iPhone 3GS launch, then you’ll know that there was some mixed reaction about whether Apple did enough with the 3GS to warrant releasing a new device…. well I’d argue yes they did.
Look at it like this – a car manufacturer releases a new model, and realises it’s successful – they then look at possible variants of the model, thinking perhaps something smaller (Nano….) and perhaps something a little more performance-based – like maybe a ‘Sport’ version. Quite often then, you’ll find the ‘Sport’ version of a car with an ‘S’ suffix – et voila – in a similar fashion, Apple do to their 3G model what their counterparts in the car industry do. Check out Audi for example – they even have a specific model (trim) line called ‘S-Line’ – which have uprated performance and internals – just like the 3GS does over the 3G model!
Really the only downsides that I can see for the ‘S’ model are that it comes in at a price premium – but even that is the same for ‘Sports’ models in the car industry. However the upsides are many – new features, new hardware, better performance – and for an incremental upgrade, I’d say it did the job well.
I suppose the only question is now, given that you bought the latest model, what is going to be released next? Will it be something that takes a ‘generation-leap’ and trumps the current model? Well, probably yes. Will it be substantially more expensive if it has uprated hardware? Bet on it. But again when you consider the R&D costs invested in a new hardware platform is it unreasonable? Only your wallet/credit card can answer that one!
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
-
phastone
-
Iphone Hater
-
Chase McCaw (MetromediaSquare)
-
nancy melendez
-
mk1311
-
Jason
