> Looks like the slow 3G network died a terrible death today. Jobs said
> it's a "power hog", so basically that's the end of the 3G approach for
> all cellphone companies worldwide going forward.
>
> Just like I thought, WiFi is going to rule the airwaves, not 3G.
>
> That is...
>
> Unless 3.5G / 4G, gets MUCH better about power consumption or Jobs will
> simply put them ALL out of business. Take your pick!
>
> Cell companies are very inefficient, they've never had the competitive
> envirnoment that the computer industry has known, so Jobs and Co will
> steamroll them unless they get their act together soon.
>
> Companies that don't hold iPhone contracts are basically dead in the
> water at this point, especially now that 3G has been rendered obsolete.
> Cellphone companies are going to have to scramble to catch up with what
> Apple is delivering today. Everything is going EVDO or WiFi, so it was
> good that the US never got stuck with old fashioned 3G like Europe did.
>
> The iPhone gets around 6 hours of talk time, 10-40 hours of normal use.
> 200 hours of standby. 3G would cut that in half. No thanks!
>
> ----
>
> Apple chief executive Steve Jobs slammed 3G phones for having limited
> battery life as he launched the iPhone in the UK through an exclusive
> deal with network operator O2.
>
> O2 is thought to have signed an unprecedented agreement passing around
> 10pc of all revenues from the iPhone to Apple, whose tough commercial
> terms some other mobile networks baulked at.
>
> One of those was Vodafone, whose chief executive Arun Sarin has pointed
> out that the first version of the iPhone will not run on 3G mobile
> networks, thus offering only the slower web browsing speeds of 2.5G
> unless customers are in a wi-fi hotspot.
>
> Mr Jobs, however, said Apple had decided against incorporating 3G for
> now because it drained battery life. "The 3G chipsets work well apart
> from power. They're real power hogs. Most phones now have battery lives
> of two to three hours," he added.
>
> "Our phone has eight hours of talktime life. That's really important
> when you start to use the internet and want to use the phone to listen
> to music. We've got to see the battery lives for 3G get back up into the
> five-plus hour range. Hopefully we'll see that late next year."
>
> Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight said: ''Jobs knows people
> are going to buy iPhone whether it's got 3G or not, it's a lifestyle
> device and a fashion item.
>
> "If you put 3G into it, it could cost $20 to $40 extra for Apple to make
> each one just to placate network operators who have invested billions in
> networks. Doing it this way also allows Jobs to stand up in a year's
> time and say 'now the time is right for the 3G iPhone'."
>
> Apple is expected to award a German iPhone distribution deal to Deutsche
> Telekom's T-Mobile and a French deal to France Telecom's Orange later
> this week.
>
> Asked to respond to talk that he had angered European mobile networks by
> playing them off against each other before picking partners Mr Jobs
> said: "It's kind of like getting married. We dated a few people but
> didn't get married to them. I guess there are a few upset girlfriends
> out there."
>
> http://snipurl.com/1qvfh