[markw10]

I am so excited about the iphone. I have been due for a cell phone upgrade for almost 6 months and have held off for this phone and it helps that I'm a Cingular customer already. With the next phone upgrade though I was hoping to update to the new UMTS/HSDPA high speed data.
From what I'm seeing this phone only supports up to Edge. Is that true? Are there any possibilities of this being upgraded to UMTS/HSDPA before long? How about Wimax? I heard the possibilities of newer technologies being implimented. I'd like to think there is something like a wimax card that can be added or even a firmware upgrade but I'm sure this would require new hardware. I have to admit this device is so good that in most cases I will likely buy it and if a update comes out later deal with whether to update or not. I'm a current Cingular customer though so am curious how pricing will work on this with me such as if I'll have to pay more of just extend my contract for 2 years.

[mduell]

Yep, the iPhone is EDGE/GPRS only. Schmidt mentioned that WiMax is coming, so I'd assume the next hardware revision will have WiMax.

[TAZ]

UMTS/HSDPA is not that prevelant throughout the country, just in some major metro areas as fara s I know, so to market the phone that way would have been "overkill" This way they can milk the money train a bit longer. Sell EDGE today and when the UMTS/HSDPA network upgrade nears completion you can sell another batch of phones to the gagdet junkies. For now WiFi hotspots are prevelant enough to be able to overcome the lack of 3G features on the phone. Lots of cities are setting up municipal WiFi, so that will help.

I am beginning to wondee if WiMax will leapfrog UMTS and all the 3G 2G discussions will be a moot point. Sadly this will also require a new phone as WiMax is a hardware upgrade and there is no expansion capabiilty built into the iPhone.

[torifile]

I think 3G is much more widespread than just "major metro" areas. I live in Durham NC. 3G here. Charlotte, check. Oxford, OH? Yep. I was surprised too. I think Cingular is up to at least 100 major markets. That's pretty good. I'm disappointed that there is no 3G support on this phone, particularly since in 6 months, when it's finally released, 3G will even more widespread than it is. And we'll likely have to wait another 6 months for a second revision that *might* have 3G.