But only for existing customers!

Earlier this week an avalanche of pre-orders crashed the O2 website - now that’s demand! But they’re back. There’s one small problem - you can only order an iPhone 3G if you’re currently contracted to O2. Disappointing I know, but demand has outstripped supply (I got my order in this morning!)

Limtied numbers of iPhone stock have caused O2 to state that its stores only hold a “few dozen” devices - which are probably sold out now.

If you go to O2’s website and click order now, you’ll notice that all devices are sold out.

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Fruitylicious applications!

Apple has released an update for iTunes in preparation for the launch of the iPhone 3G (for the hermits of the world; it’s tomorrow).

The download gives users the software required for activating the iPhone 3G and also allows access to the applications store - for US customers. UK iPhone owners will have to wait a few hours longer for the download.

The Apps Store includes a feast of goodies for iPhone owners including games such as Monkey Ball and Bomberman, social networking tools, MySpace Mobile and Facebook (why, oh why!). Apps are also available for eBay and Yellow Pages.

I suppose the first I should do is actually go and order my iPhone 3G before I get too excited!

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Well, not right now but…

…as of today you can preorder your iPhone 3G from O2. The offer allows existing O2 subscribers to break the upgrade cycle . Many existing O2 users have been swamping the site applying for the upgrade. In fact, traffic was so heavy that the site crashed!

This announcemnt means iPhone users will get their upgraded handset on Friday 11 July. Ok, I know some of you are saying ‘it’s just another iPhone’ but you have to admit that the addition of 3G and GPS makes it pretty bloody attractive.

The O2 offer is available until 11 October this year - if you miss out now, don’t worry. I’m sure O2 have plenty of stock.

I’ve just had a look at O2’s site and there’s a message stating that the iPhone 3G is out of stock, come  back on 11th July - bugger!

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It’s here.

I’m sure that just like me you’ve been waiting for Apple to lift the lid on the latest version  of the iPhone. Well, your days of waiting are over. Steve Jobs made the announcement on Monday morning in San Francisco.

The handset will simply be known as ‘iPhone 3G’ - nice and easy, eh? But there’s more. The handset will feature a new look and lower price tag.

The 3G connection should be about 2.8 times faster than the Edge wireless connection found on the original iPhone. In addition, Apple has suggested that the iPhone 3G will run faster than other 3G handsets, stating that it outperforms competitors such as the Nokia N95 and Treo 750 by around 36 per cent.

Do you want more? In that case you’ll be pleased to that the iPhone 3G supports GPS hardware.

Other features include:

• curved all-plastic backing
• flush headphone jack (beats the old recessed jack which limited accessory options)
• colours come in white and black.
• claims of 10 hours talk time on 2G and six hours of web browsing

Apple will be paving the way for the iPhone 3G launch with a series of price drops -  16GB iPhone 3G to down to $299 and the 8MB iPhone dropping to $199. We’ll let you know the UK prices when we get them.

The iPhone will be released initially the new iPhone will be released in 12 countries, including UK, Hong Kong and India on 11th July. Apple plans to extend the iPhone’s reach to some 70 countries.

There’ll be a full review once we get our hands on the iPhone 3G

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I think it’ll have a tin opener on the side!

Well, maybe not. But you never know. But it’s no wilder than some of the speculation on the iPhone 3G. Following Steve Jobs keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. iPhone rumour jockeys have been throwing around ideas such as:

• front-facing camera for video calls
• changes in form factor
• GPS capability.

Reports are circulating on the internet that Apple is filing a patent for under screen solar cells. Looks the Apple really is Green!

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…to Italy.

You all knew it was coming even though Apple weren’t prepared to stump up a release date. Now it’s been confirmed. From next month Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) will be selling the 3G version of the iPhone - I wonder if this was a genuine slip or if Apple allowed word to get out? To be fair, it really do sales any harm.

I would expect a number of other operators to make similar announcements soon .

Here’s an amusing summary of how the secret slipped out.

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Going for the enterprise jugular.

There’s no disputing the rise of the iPhone. But how do businesses go about intergrating these cool toys? They could employ developers to write custom applications to support the specific corporate needs. Or they could just go to iRise and buy a template. The California based company has been selling a prototyping platform for other phones for some time now. It would appear that predicted sales figures of 10 million units in 2008 has made iRise sit up and listen.

Cutting the lawn with nail scissors.

Until recently, if a developer wanted to build an application for the iPhone they  had to make the code work on Safari - the iPhone uses this browser as does OS X. Apple decided to up the stakes by releasing an SDK for the iPhone allowing developers to write code that ran directly on the phone. The main problem here is that once an application is written is could cost a serious amount of money to make changes. iRise makes life simpler.

The software suite is used to create prototypes of applications. The key point here is that no code involved. It’s simply a prototype that looks and works like the end product. This gives the decision makers in the business to really see what they’re going to get. Changes, if necessary, can be made to the prototype at minimal cost. Once signed off the application can be built using the SDK. Everyone’s happy. I wonder how long it will take for Apple to buy iRise!

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Told you so!

Apples updated iMac has just been launched. The all-in-one machine sports:

• Updated processor - Intel Core2 Duo - 2.4GHz to 2.8GHz
• 1066MHz system bus and 6MB of level 2 cache
• More standard memory - 2Gb for all but the cheapest iMacs
• Faster graphics card - ATI Radeon 2400 XT in the 20″ model and a Radeon 2600 Pro in the 24″ version (with an option to add the Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS in this model).

The new offerings have undergone a redesign. The iMac now features a a slimmer profile and brushed aluminium casing - now all the Macs in your house will look the same.

So, good news all round. Apple’s sales of Mac have been flying high recently. I fully expect the new iMac to follow suit.

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Don’t expect too much.

Geeksugar has let slip that Apple is planning to release a new version of the iMac next week, allegedly. The info would appear to have come from an inside source. That said, Geeksugar has been let down in the past. Information is fairly thin on the ground but it would appear that the iMac has received a number of upgrades rather a complete makeover. Expect to see speed improvements and the addition of greater disk capacity but no price change.

Can’t be bad, if it’s true.

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ARM is NOT dead.

The x86 instruction set is the only way forward. Just look at Intel. All others are doomed. The next iPhone will be Atom powered. Well, that may not be the case. Steve Jobs decided to buy PA Semi.

Who?

I know many of you haven’t heard of them so let’s have a look at who they are and what they do:

• California based semi-conductor manufacturer
• Lead designer worked on Alpha and StrongARM chips
• The company now makes low power PowerPC compatible chips
• Last major announcement: release of a dual-core, 25W, 2 Ghz processor with lots of IO
• Quad-core chip due for release this year

I know these chips won’t fit in an iPhone. Does PA Semi have anything up their sleeve? Nobody knows. But here’s the important part; it doesn’t matter! Apple can now build their own CPUs. Now that is a significant factor. The next generation iPhones could be driven by processors that Apple builds. No more trying to influence the likes of Intel who, typically, cater for a mass market rather than a specific vendor. The industry just got a whole lot more interesting.

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