2G iPhone Rumors Swirl as European-launch Beckons
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Rumors that Apple is preparing a second-generation iPhone continue to circulate.
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Love it or hate it, the frenzy around Apple's iPhone is forcing consumers to think about what they want from a mobile device.
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Two new iPhones, including a 3G version, could be part of Apple's plans for next year along with a puzzling rumor about Apple TV, according to the financial giant.
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Backers say new mobile music services will be big in Europe, but admit U.S. could be a problem.
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Apple Inc is calling a London news  conference next Tuesday as speculation mounts that the consumer  electronics guru will unveil long-awaited plans to bring its  iconic iPhone cell phones to Europe.
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Anonymous sources say iPhone is hitting the UK in September, despite the fact that O2-Apple deal has not been confirmed.
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Deutsche Telekom is negotiating with Apple to sell the iPhone in Germany, and expects an announcement soon.
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(InfoWorld) - The first generation iPhone is barely on the streets, but some users and analysts are already talking about when a second-generation model will be launched to take advantage of faster 3G wireless network speeds for speedierÂ  Internet browsing. The first version of iPhone supports AT&T's EDGE -- Enhanced Data Rates for GSMÂ  Evolution -- network, a 2.5G network advertised as providing download speeds ofÂ  70Kbps to 135Kbps AT&T and Apple chose that network because it isÂ  the largest network, reaching 270 million people,Â company officials said last week. However, several analysts and reviewers believe that the next-generation iPhone, which could ship early next year in the U.S., will be provisioned toÂ  handle a faster 3G network, such as AT&T's High Speed Downlink Packet AccessÂ  (HSDPA), to support download speeds of 400Kbps to 700Kbps. However,Â  AT&T and Apple would not comment Thursday on their plans or a timetable forÂ  iPhone 2.0 or AT&T's HSDPA. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel stressed that "HSDPA is available in 160 metro areasÂ  and AT&T will continue to build it out through the rest of the year, soÂ  obviously we're continuing to build 3G. " But Siegel also repeated comments made last week that iPhone users will acceptÂ  the slower EDGE speeds, especially since the iPhone can access faster WiFiÂ  networks when a hot spot is available at home or a coffee shop. "We haven't hadÂ  many complaints about EDGE," he said. "What really matters for a real humanÂ  being using the iPhone who doesn't know anything about EDGE is that this isÂ  going to be a great experience in totality, whether searching for a stock quoteÂ  or a map or many other things. We think overwhelmingly that people will beÂ  thrilled using this device. The experience they have on EDGE will be a reallyÂ  good one." Siegel's comments, however, don't match user consternation about EDGE speedsÂ  registered atÂ theÂ MacRumors forums, or concerns raised by some reviewers, including one who said itÂ  took two minutes to download the Yahoo Web site home page. The discussion thread at MacRumors asked people to post their EDGE speeds overÂ  iPhone using a network measuring tool. Some reported speeds were higher thanÂ  those advertised by AT&T, but most were slower, with 64Kbps on July 3 inÂ  San Diego and 71Kbps in Los Angeles that same day. "Boooooo!" is the onlyÂ  comment from the San Diego user identified as FreeState. GnarleyMarley87 inÂ  Atlanta reported 126Kbps in Atlanta on EDGE, but 1,245 Kbps over WiFiÂ  at home. Other uses weighing in on Macrumors about the differences between 3GÂ  and EDGE and why Apple is waiting indicate that iPhone users are aware thatÂ  AT&T's 3G network is not widely available in the U.S. Users also noted thatÂ  3G-capable phones consistently run down batteries faster than those on slowerÂ  networks. One analyst, Ken Dulaney at Gartner, recently confirmed that aÂ  3G phone can use up a battery at a rate 30 percent faster than a 2.5G phone. Apple officials would not comment on a timetable for the next iPhone release,Â  or even whether it will support 3G. Two analysts tended to support the decision to release the first iPhone overÂ  EDGE in order to get the broadest network reach over higher bandwidth. "EDGE isÂ  not a show-stopper for iPhone, and I think the next version will likely haveÂ  3G," said Michael King, an analyst at Gartner Inc. King said some industry experts believe Apple can have a second generation device ready by October, but that Apple won't unveil them so closely behind theÂ  first version's June 29 release. King believes AT&T's HSDPA network will beÂ  more widely available for U.S. users in late 2008. "It's a pretty usableÂ  network now," he said. With a second generation iPhone, Apple is also likely to support QuickTime, giving access to streaming video that will also use more bandwidth that willÂ  tend to require a 3G network, King said. Shiv Bakhshi, an analyst at IDC, said that Apple was "wise to have chosen unibiquitous network reach over bandwidth ... a culture of mobile data consumption in the U.S. is only beginning to set in. By the time it takes hold,Â  Apple will be out with 3G iPhones and AT&T will likely roll a 3G HSDPA networkÂ  across its national footprint." Asked when both will happen, Bakhshi said "in under a year." But Bakhshi said that it is not clear how much current iPhone users will be downloading from the Web. Songs and video can be imported from a PC, so EDGEÂ  speeds might not be an impediment for the average user. "Every network falls short as your expectations rise higher," he said."SomeÂ  people will always be high-end users and will find EDGE really frustrating, butÂ  for the average Joe Blow like you and me, it will suffice." Bakhshi said that data usage may not be the biggest driver of iPhone sales."The single biggest driver of iPhone may not be data usage," he said. "Instead,Â  it might be just its ability to invoke envy in your friends." Â
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With Apple holding a press event in London next Tuesday, expectations are running high that the iPhone will make its long-awaited European debut. But if the iPhone is unveiled next week, will it be in its current form or as a 3G handset? The answer to that question could go a long way toward determining whether the mobile device enjoys as much initial success overseas as it has in the U.S.
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The promise of mobile TV combined wtih a lack of available wireless spectrum has European cellular operators and handset vendors scrambling for an answer.
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Over-hyped and over here Mobile network O2 is close to getting the exclusive right to sell Apple's ludicrously-hyped iPhone in the UK.â¦
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InfoWorld - A company that unlocks cell phones in Europe said it is close to having an application that will allow customers to unlock their Apple iPhones so they can use SIM cards from carriers other than AT&amp;T to activate the phones.
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The long-rumored arrival of a  hybrid mobile phone and iPod music player from Apple Computer  Inc.  has morphed from a question of "If" to "When"  among fans and analysts.
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Apple has summoned media in the United Kingdom for a press event the company will hold on September 18. Although it is highly expect that Apple will make an iPhone announcement, the company is declining to elaborate on the invitation that says, &#8220;Mum is no longer the word.&#8221;
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EU deal for low frequency 3G delayed European mobile operators will have to wait a while before they can deploy 3G technology into 900 and 1800 MHz, thanks to a power struggle between the EU Commission and its Parliament.â¦
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Apple will not have as easy a time launching the iPhone in Europe as it did in the U.S., analyst says.
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Slow transfers while using AT&T's EDGE network for Web browsing with the iPhone have prompted interest in when Version 2 will emerge and whether a faster 3G network will be ready to accommodate it.