The wait is over. The iPhone 3G goes on sale today, and no doubt hordes of Apple fans will be queing outside Carphone Warehouse and outlets of O2 mobile - the only supplier - to get their hands on the hugely hyped handset.
Here at Times Money we were pretty scathing of the original iPhone (take a look at 50 reasons not to buy an iPhone), but Apple claims that its new version is a huge improvement. It is being billed as twice as fast and half as expensive as its debut model.
Given that Apple kept the phone under wraps ahead of the launch it's difficult to know whether the new phone is all its cracked up to be. If the hype is true it will certainly be a huge improvement on the original model. But there are downsides. Maybe not 50 this time around, but here are 25 things to consider before parting with your cash.
1. It's less expensive than its predecessor but still not cheap. The 8GB version is free to O2 customers who spend £45 a month or more on a new 18-month contract. The handset, available from 02, Carphone Warehouse and Apple outlets will cost £99 on a new £30 monthly tariff and the existing £35 per month tariff.
2. For the more powerful 16GB version it will cost £159 on the £30 and £35 tariffs, £59 on the £45 tariff and will only be free on the £75 tariff. So the cheapest deal over 18 months - the 8GB version on the £30 tariff - costs £599. For that you get "unlimited" internet surfing but a measly 75 free calls a month and 125 texts. You can compare it with existing deals here.
3. It will not be available on Pay & Go till later this year. This has angered some O2 customers. Moreover, it is in super-short supply even on contract, with only a few dozen initially supplied to each O2 store.
4. The touch screen isn't great if you're an obsessive texter. This was a problem with the first iPhone, although this guy seems to have cracked it.
5. Like the Model T-Ford the 8GB model is available in any colour - as long as its black.
6. Go for the more expensive 16GB version and you can get it in white too. Rumours had been that Apple was going to be a little more adventurous.
7. Its camera is rubbish. At just two megapixels with no flash it's worse than many standard phones leaving even fans feeling short changed. Phones such as the Nokia N95 boast five megapixels.
8. You can’t use it to take videos, leading some critics to the conclusion that it’s not sexy enough.
9. Like its predecessor the 3G handset is large and bulky. Not something you can just stick in your pocket and forget about. True, the new phone is thinner at the edges and weighs slightly less than the debut model, but otherwise the measurements are the same. It’s even been nicknamed the monolith.
10. To enable Apple to cut costs something had to go. The original iPhone had a hard-wearing silver aluminum back; the new one a less durable black plastic skin. So will it be able to cope with a beating like this?
11. The absence of a metal back means that it is unlikely to blend as prettily as its predecessor.
12. It’s going to be popular with terrorists if Apple's official ad is anything to go by.
13. Battery life is poor - just five to six hours of 3G calls or web browsing. One reviewer found that the indicator fell below 20 per cent by early to mid-afternoon on some trial days.
14. The battery is sealed into the handset, which must be sent off for replacement when it starts to wear out. This is a hassle and means that you can't carry around a spare for use on the move.
15. It inspires people with anger issues to post pointless and mistitled videos at Youtube.
16. If you are an Apple fan, you already own the old iPhone. Much of the new handset's improved functionality is already available in the free 2.0 software update.
17. If you are not an Apple fan, you may be an Apple "hater". In that case, you wouldn't want one.
18. If you live away from the big cities, you may well not have 3G coverage (check here). That would make the whole 3G phone thing pointless...
19. It has no instant messaging function - forcing users to SMS. But it doesn't have multimedia messaging (MMS), which means that users must send and receive photos by email.
20. The web browser has limited Adobe Flash support, so cannot display videos from many sites.
21. Incredibly for a "smart" phone, it has no copy and paste ability. Duh.
22. Who needs a phone with GPS? Anyway, it can't find a decent pizza when you need one.
23. The iPhone is sometimes termed the "Jesusphone". Tasteless.
24. Bluetooth enables headset voice calls on the new handset. A less-limited Bluetooth profile could have enabled wireless music streaming and file sharing, too.
25. Its unveiling by Steve Jobs, of Apple, was predictably and unbearably smug.
(http://timesbusiness.typepad.com/money_weblog/2008/07/reasons-to-avoi.html)
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