[Ben]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/apple/news/2008/03/26/Gartner-Apple-Ordered-10-Million-3G-iPhones/p1


Thought it had been quiet on the iPhone rumour front?

Well, we're back up and running now with news that respected analyst firm Gartner believes Apple has just placed an order for 10m 3G capable iPhones with OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays.

The speculation tittle tattle news was broken specifically by Ken Dulaney, a senior analyst at the firm, in a conversation with the iPod Observer and he believes the relatively disappointing sales of the original EDGE-equipped handset in Europe (where 3G is more prevalent) has lit a fuse under Apple.

Interestingly, Dulaney claims the introduction of an OLED display (a new rumour on us) would facilitate the swap to 3G since the technology has substantially less power draw than traditional screens and also requires less space. This would address both Apple's initial concerns about 3G: that it would substantially drain battery life and bulk up the handset.

So where do we stand on this? Well, OLED aside, it seems painfully logical. The hot month for an announcement is June since it marks the formal launch of the App Store and the handset's one year retail anniversary. Of course 1 + 1 doesn't always equal 2 in IT land so, as ever, consume your pinches of NaCl, but keep fingers surreptitiously crossed.
I'm very much looking forward to owning a 3G iPhone. :D Not that I want one on OPoo :( Still, perhaps they'll be in a much stronger 3G position by the time the 3G iPhone rolls out.

[gorilla]

This has got me thinking. Does anyone remember the original ipod? Now look at them, they have a whole family of ipods! Apple are bound to release different versions of the iphone in the future, what say they start with the current version, add a 3g version and possibly a mini? They could then have an iphone to suit all price ranges like they do with the ipod.

[Ben]

For the time being, at least, I see the iPhone remaining as part of the iPod product lineup itself - Shuffle, Nano, Classic, Touch, iPhone.

I hope you're right, though. Within another generation they can probably have the software spot on, provided the third party apps don't reveal massive weaknesses in the OS, so putting it onto a number of different form factors would be a good next step.

[Hands0n]

IF that figure of 10M is right it will mean that Apple will go on a pretty strong global offensive. There's not much point in flogging 3G in the USA as it stands - so the push has to be to Europe and the Far East, perhaps Japan in particular.

I'll buy a 3G iPhone when it comes out, so long as I can swap it into place with my incumbent 2G iPhone. At present O2 will allow you to replace a in-flight contracted iPhone with another and with no penalty or extension of your contract. Just swap the SIM and run the new iPhone with the old SIM through the registration process on iTunes. Job done.