iPhone 3.0 Announced At WWDC

As expected, Apple rolled out several announcements regarding the iPhone. The 3.0 changes include the release of a new operating system and an entirely new phone. The new 3GS (s=speed) has many new features including voice dialing and the ability to capture and edit video directly on the phone. Apple also announced that they will keep the 3G in the iPhone line-up and reduce it to a $99 price point, a move designed to help Apple continue to capture market share in the rabidly competitive wireless space. Those that thought the upcoming Palm Pre could be the first real contender to the dominance enjoyed by Apple in the smart phone space might want to reconsider that position. The 16 gig version of 3GS will be $199 and a 32 gb version for $299. Both will come in black or white.

The new OS release will be available for free for all versions of the iPhone and iPod touch users will be charged $9.99 for the upgrade.

Here are just a few of the notable changes:
-The software development kit released for the new software will include access to over 1,000 API’s. The demos shown by some of the developers today showed how the API’s allow them to access key features in the phone to create rich applications. 3rd party hardware will be easier to code as well. One of the cool things shown was a diabetes testing kit.

-Cut & Paste (FINALLY)

-Tethering (using the phone connection to operate a PC’s connection, typically done with laptops where a wi-fi connection is not available.). There is a bit of problem thought, AT&T is woefully behind the curve on being able to provide the service.

-Find My iPhone. If you’re a mobile me client you can easily locate where you left your phone on a global map. If you’re a secret agent you can lock or remotely wipe the data from the phone. After all, you wouldn’t want to ruin a world important mission (or allow your significant other to see how many others are significant in your contacts list)

-MMS visual text messages

-HTML 5 support in the mobile version of Safari. When everyone finally supports HTML 5 the ability to include video content on the web will get a heck of a lot easier. I’m glad to see that things are finally starting happen on the long awaited day when everyone supports a standard that should have been implemented a long time ago in my opinion, but I digress. (Safari will be released in version 4 for the desktop as well. Apple is touting some major league speed improvements there as well.)

There a many more changes to the new phone including improved GPS and much more. More was announced regarding the new OSX operating system (Snow Leopard) and reduced prices on a number of items including significant price drops on lap tops. The conference lasts all week, so we should see some more interesting things from vendors and Apple as the days go by.