Written by Philip Roy | 02 September 2008
Posted in News - International

O2 in the UK have announced a "Pay & Go" pricing plan for the iPhone 3G. "Pay & Go" is the equivalent of prepay here in New Zealand sees those who purchase an iPhone not tied to any ongoing contract. From 16 September, customers in the UK will be able to purchase at a price of £349.99 for the 8 GB version and the 16GB version for £399.99. Not only is there no ongoing cost, but the purchase also includes "unlimited browsing and Wi-Fi for the first 12 months after you activate your iPhone 3G. At the end of the 12 months you can continue to receive unlimited browsing and Wi-Fi for just £10 per month." This is in stark contrast to here in New Zealand, where Vodafone do not offer the iPhone on prepay, nor any free browsing as part of any bundle for a one-off payment.

Written by Philip Roy | 20 August 2008
Posted in News - International

One of the most talked about features *NOT* on an iPhone is the ability to copy and past between applications. Apple have long said it is on their "To Do" list but not a high priority. The issue for developers is that Apple won't allow applications to continue to function when not in use, thereby suggesting that 'cut and paste' (which gives the impression as needing to function in the 'gap' between one application ending and another starting) was in breach of application development rules. That is...until someone figured out a workaround....and now it's open source.

Written by Philip Roy | 31 July 2008
Posted in News - International

Reports are starting to circulate around the internet of cracks appearing in some user's 3G iPhones. These are most notable on the white model iPhone although there are some reports of users with black iPhones having cracks also. The cracks are not related to users dropping or misusing the phones. Instead, it appears that the snug form factor of the iPhone is contributing to the issue, with the cracks being described as 'stress fractures. TUAW comment "It's pretty clear Apple has a manufacturing defect on its hands."

Written by Philip Roy | 24 July 2008
Posted in News - International

UPDATE Apple have just released three new adverts on their website related to the iPhone 3G. The adverts entitled Everyone, Unslow and Work Friendly highlight the speed and some new features of the iPhone 3G. However there are obvious differences in the adverts for the American market and the equivalent ads that have been posted on Apple Australia (that one might assume will also be broadcast here). It is interesting to note that the voiceover in the Australian ads (of which 2 out of 3 ads seem to have been repurposed) fails to use the expression "twice as fast", whilst "half the price" has also been removed. Whilst the removal of the cost comment is logical, the rephrasing of the speed comment is slightly intriguing.

Written by Philip Roy | 12 July 2008
Posted in News - International

Apple's never released a product, service and new software to so many international markets at one time before...and they may never do again based on issues that many users had or continue to have. The iPhone sale also coincided with the release of the 2.0 version of software for the iPod Touch, an iTunes update for Mac users to version 7.7 and the launch of MobileMe....but within minutes of the start of MobileMe, it was clear there were problems. Over the past two days, the service has come and gone for many users. Others continues to have activation issues with their iPhone or cannot get to download the 2.0 software.