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  • 3G iPhone. Here it is.

    Firstly – here’s the iPhone software version 2.0 for those who want it:

    (link removed – software is now available directly through iTunes).

    iPhone tear down.

    The guys from iFixit are here in New Zealand to tear it down.  The results will be posted as they do.

    Vodafone New Zealand’s iPhone site can be found here:

    iphone.vodafone.co.nz

    Apple Releases iTunes 7.7

    Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home — a free download from the App Store.

    Currently not showing up in Software Update or on apple.com’s download page, so grab it here.

    From the ‘will it blend’ camp.

    Looks to be a great idea for the iPhone.

    Upset by the 3G iPhone price?

    If you really don’t like the pricing of the iPhone in New Zealand, complain to Vodafone by all means – but if you really want some impact, let Apple know how you feel.

  • 3G iPhone Update

    Rogers Wireless

    There have been a number of reports that Apple has punished Canadian cellular provider Rogers Wireless in response to what most see as very poor value plans.  According to a number of sources, the Apple Stores in Canada will not be selling the iPhone, and most of the stock destined for Canada has been diverted to European countries instead. In what many see as swift turnaround, Rogers have announced a 6GB data plan for $30 a month.

    stuff.co.nz 3G iPhone review

    Fairfax’s online news site, Stuff, have reviewed the iPhone, and given the device 4.5 stars out of 5.  The review states the 3G iPhone is ‘the best way to surf the web on a mobile.’

    Further reviews are out from Walt Mossberg | The Wall Street Journal, Edward Baig | USA Today, and David Pogue | The New York Times.

    (more…)

  • 3G iPhone – what does it cost Vodafone? (and others)

    iPhone 3G

    In the wake of the huge furore regarding Vodafone New Zealand’s iPhone pricing, let’s look at what sort of price Vodafone would be purchasing the devices from Apple for.

    The Original iPhone

    iSuppli garnered a lot of press with their estimate for Manufacturing and BOM (Bill Of Materials) for the original 8GB iPhone at $264.85.  This figure was arrived at before the devices were available, and turned out to be accurate, with a tear down of an actual unit coming up with a figure of $265.83.   This figure subsequently dropped to ~$220 with decreases in component prices over the life of the first generation iPhone, and Apple are more than likely to have garnered advantage from these due to the buying power the firm holds.

    The 3G iPhone

    The 3G iPhone has been widely reported to cost Apple significantly less, due to several reasons.  The first is the drop in component prices brought about by lessons learnt from the first generation phone, and due to the price drops that progressively occur with almost all technology.  The second is reasons of scale – Apple have been widely estimated to sell 16-22 million iPhones in 2009, and possibly as high as 45 million units according to Wall Street analysts PiperJaffray.

    So what does a 3G iPhone cost?

    (more…)

  • Vodafone’s iPhone rate plans – Why???

     

    iPhone
    So what has Vodafone got in store for us?

    Pricing
    iPhone Plans iPhone 250 iPhone 500 iPhone 1GB
    Cost per Month $80 $130 $250
    Included Minutes 120 250 600
    Included TXT 600 600 600
    Included Data 250MB 500MB 1GB
    With plan iPhone 250 iPhone 500 iPhone 1GB
    8GB iPhone $549 $449 $199
    16GB iPhone $699 $599 $349
    • Prepay: $979
    • Outright:  8GB – $979  16GB – $1129

    The general public will be privy to Vodafone’s pricing of the ‘special’ rate plans for the iPhone as at 10am this morning, and I’d hazard to guess that their response will be as yours is now.  So what went wrong? (more…)

  • My Addiction

    Harlequin
         A short post about where I’ve been lately…

    In case anyone is wondering what I’m doing when I’m not flicking bits (and bytes) back and forth chances are the answer is sailing.

    I started sailing in December 2006, as a guest on board ‘Fast Company’ – the craft of the indomitable Tony Smith. Thrown in at the deep end (ooh that was bad) I never had to sit on the rail and earn my spot manning the bow on my 2nd ever outing (during a Wednesday night series race – spinnakers and all!), and surviving. (more…)

  • Apple iPhone coming to New Zealand! (and 9 other countries)

    iPhone

    New Zealand, Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, South Africa and Turkey are the lucky recipients. While this won’t mean too much for those who couldn’t wait and already have a grey market iPhone, for the rest of us it means we get to use the device on a New Zealand network officially.

    What are the benefits of using an iPhone on an officially approved network? (more…)

  • Broadband Providers – how did you choose yours?

    speed - slingshot speed - worldnet speed - Xtra

    Something that has been of interest lately is ISPs, and how the average person chooses their broadband provider.

    The many people I know of who have broadband are broadly split in to two categories. Those who are technically minded, and those who are not.  I know quite a few of the former, due to the fields I work in and my interests, and as with all of us, also quite a few of the latter, being friends, family, etc with less technical knowledge. I have carried out some ad hoc research with a number of people, and the findings are revealing. (more…)

  • Slingshot give away 1TB of data

    [frame_center]https://mothership.co.nz/ms/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/sslogo.gif[/frame_center]

    A better place indeed! How would you like 1 Terabyte of data to use on your broadband connection? Rumours have been circulating recently that NZ based (and owned) ISP Slingshot are looking to introduce a referral reward programme that offers users some sort of reward, based upon how many people they refer who sign up. Now, it appears that this is to become reality. (more…)

  • R.I.P. RIAA et al?

    There’s a thread (currently) on the front page of slashdot entitled Why The RIAA Really Hates Downloads, which touches upon a subject I’ve talked about before. This subject is the recording industry, and their inability or unwillingness to embrace change, evolve, and ultimately survive. (more…)

  • Reflecting upon the new mothership design

    After having the new design up for a while, some of the more practical considerations of designing a site have come to the fore. When the new design was originally slated, the content of mothership was reasonably static, with only the forums and blog experiencing frequent change. However, due to encouragement from different quarters we recently decided to add more content to mothership, and this has brought some potential problems with it.

    (more…)