Apple to launch 3G iPhone in May?
Although Apple and AT&T haven’t said word about the exact release date of the 3G version of the iPhone, a report made by Bank of America states that the 3G iPhone will be launched in May of this year. Scott Craig, author or the BOA report, said that the 3G-equipped iPhone will be gradually introduced in May, but Apple will boost manufacture by June.Craig had initially predicted that Apple will sell eight million iPhones by the end of 2008. He now says that production of iPhones in May will go over three million and before the year ends, production will go up to an additional eight million iPhones.
The upgrade of the iPhone to make it 3G capable spells positive results for Apple. For starters, this allows Apple to penetrate the enterprise market more completely as the iPhone now becomes a more attractive option for users that rely heavily on their smartphones for business use.
iPhone users will now be able to send and receive large files. Apple may also gain considerable lead in other markets such as Europe and the Asia Pacific as 3G is more commonly used in these regions. 3G capability affords users a much faster connection and therefore better access to websites that are media-heavy. It even enables independent software developers to produce speed-intensive applications and have users run them on the iPhone.
The second beta version of the software developer kit was released just recently by Apple and companies are now creating a variety of applications that are compatible with the iPhone. Microsoft has already partnered with Apple to enable iPhone users to receive data via Microsoft Exchange. Some analysts believe this is a smart move for Microsoft as this will expand the company’s customer base as well.
Another analyst has predicted that upgrades to the iPhone will be added this year but couldn’t mention exact dates, saying only Apple know what these schedules are. Apple has so far sold 4 million iPhone and is targeting a sale of 10 million units before the end of 2008. Analysts believe that Apple may well reach this target with the upgrades that have been done to the phone so far. In June, new firmware will be released and the iPhone developers’ conference will be held. To some observers, this is seen as the perfect timing for the release of the 3G version.