3G iPhone on its way, AT&T says

AT&T has leaked plans for a 3G iPhone, according to reports. Such a faster iPhone, compared to the EDGE model out now, would be an expected and highly anticipated move from Apple and its U.S. partner AT&T.  In fact, it had been thought a 3G iPhone would be out by Christmas. 

And while the move will be welcomed by many, it’s also bound to anger a lot of iPhone users. The fact that the iPhone is EDGE-only ranked first in an EDN’s Brian’s Brain’s list of weaknesses with the handset (see: The Apple iPhone: 10 significant shortcomings). And for good reason: Here’s a phone built on the idea that it’s all about connections – phone, Internet, iTunes – and then its presented on a slow data transfer rate.

Should such a move occur in 2008, as the reports say, watch for lines of very ticked off users outside Apple stores, users that will make those that formed after Apple dropped its 4-GByte model and 8-GByte model price look like happy customers.

There’s something to be said about Apple’s business model here. Bite the hand that feeds you comes to mind. But business is business and Apple has said it wants to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of next year. Having already sold some 1.5 million, 3G may let Apple hit its goal.

AT&T did not say how much a 3G iPhone would cost or when in 2008 it could be expected. Nor has there been any comment on how Apple will get around the power drain 3G chips ensure compared to EDGE.

–Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News