If you haven’t bought an iPhone yet, do yourself a favor and wait a little longer.
The signs are all there. While Apple’s secretiveness is legendary, it can’t keep its partners from discussing their own plans. In a move that must have rankled Jobs, AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson let it slip in November that AT&T and Apple would offer a version of the iPhone this year that works with AT&T’s third-generation wireless network.That will be a big improvement. The EDGE network used by today’s iPhones allows users to download data at average speeds of between 75 and 150 kilobits per second, according to AT&T. By contrast, those on AT&T’s new HSDPA network can get data at more than a million bits per second–roughly 10 times as fast as today’s EDGE networks. While a high-speed wireless connection is a nice plus for users of typical mobile phones, it promises to do wonders for widescreen iPhones, which combine the ability to play movies and surf the Web with features found on more traditional mobile phones, like the ability to send text messages.
AT&T is building out its high-speed wireless network as quickly as it can, announcing Wednesday that it will expand its 3G wireless broadband service to more than 80 additional cities by the end of the year for a total of roughly 350 markets. Meanwhile, iPhone chip supplier Broadcom last year began cranking out samples of a power-sipping, 3G-friendly chip, the BCM21551, that could give the iPhone access to AT&T’s new network without drying the gadget’s battery too quickly.
Finally, there are even a few smoke signals coming from Apple itself. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company quietly upgraded the storage on its highest-end iPhone to 16 GB for an extra $100 this week. That extra memory would give the phone the ability to handle fatter video downloads. And even Steve Jobs has shown his frustration with the slow pace at which some Web sites show up on the iPhone.
And, as anyone who has ever worked at Apple can tell you, when Jobs gets frustrated, things get changed.
iPhone is available in an 8GB model for $399 and a new 16GB model for $499.