Apple's new 3G iPhone is selling like hot cakes!

The process all started July 10 when you could obtain iPhone Software v2.0 early. I did and I must admit I spent a fair amount of time trying out some of the new features like the Apple iPhone Application Store. However it appears that when everyone started to update their phones firmware from 1.x to 2.x Apples servers were overloaded (iPocalypse) because unlike updates in the past this update requires you to reactivate your iPhone. Even InformationWeek called the new software upgrade really sweet!

I have to say one of my favorite new Applications in the America online instant messenger (a.k.a AIM chat). Because I must admit I am not a fan of SMS texting at all.

Apple fans have been flocking to Apple stores all over the world snapping up the new 3G iPhones. The New York Apple store had over 150 people lined up this morning as early as 5:00 AM.  Buyers have been storming stores in Asia and queues forming in European cities. In New Zealand people queued in freezing temperatures for around 60 hours to be the world's first to buy the iPhone at a minute past midnight on Friday. "Guards in kevlar vests and helmets brandished shotguns and stood guard over 500 devices on sale in Hong Kong, a city that has seen its share of unruly crowds at major product launches." "Softbank Corp, which sells the iPhone in Japan, said over 1,500 people lined up outside its flagship Tokyo store. " 

There is good news from the business front as well because O2 said there's been a lot of interest in the iPhone now that it supports Microsoft Exchange. Yet there are always the iPhone haters and Windows fan boys with us who would complain about any success that Apple might have. The hackers have been rather busy so there are already reports that the iPhone OS 2.0 has been unlocked!

.Mac has also transitioned to MobileMe but not without serious downtime and many users were fuming mad at having the service unusable for over 12 hours.

Updated: Apple Sells One Million iPhone 3Gs in First Weekend" ["'iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend,' said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. 'It took 74 days to sell the first one million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world.'"

WWDC 2008 news

A new 3G iPhone will be released shortly and you can  view todays keynote details here. The iPhone 3G (8/16 GB) will be available on July 11th in 22 countries. Other then 3G the iPhone will also feature Exchange and GPS. According to Apple, maximum price around the world is $199 USD plus the cost of your data plan per month. 

The iPhone 3G will first be released in the 22 largest markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US. The remaining 48 countries listed after the break will get theirs "later this year." In total so far the iPhone country count stands at 74.

Even though Russia and (all of) China are not on the list then if you check the iPhone tech specs you will see that their languages are now listed as supported. Apple is also replacing .Mac with MoblieMe. Apple also announced Snow Leopard (are they running low on cats yet?) at the WWDC keynote (podcast) and this release of 10.6 will offer Exchange support and will focus on improving performance. How will they do this? Well 10.6 will be 64bit for INTEL processors and they will make all of OS X multi processor aware to take full advantage of all cores. Not only will Grand Central boost speed but they will also introduce OpenCL and this will tap hidden additional resources. Yes while Microsoft is letting you upgrade from Vista to XP, Apple is really pulling out all the stops to make OS X powerhouse. While it did not make a big splash Apple is also showing off Snow Leopard Server at WWDC.

Unlocked iPhones a problem for Apple?

How many times in the past few days have you heard that unlocked iPhones are a problem for Apple it's all doom and it's the end of the world? Well time for a reality check folks here are the facts:

1. Apple is not selling iPhones at a discount so they are making a profit on the iPhone (no matter how small).
   
2. Don't underestimate the halo effect! Once you have an iPhone or any other Apple product your more likely to buy another Apple product.
   
3. Apple could never guarantee that all iPhone purchases would not unlock their phone. Get over the revenue sharing it's a nice extra but it can never be a guarantee in the real world.
   
4. Happy users most iPhone owners LOVE their iPhone! Not many other phones can boast about their happy users.
   
5. Where are all those missing iPhones many are without a doubt in Hong Kong while other have met other fates.

Good news from the other side of the pond as well as O2 is said to be increasing their users iPhone data plans. Now if only AT&T would do the same in the USA!

There have been a number of rumors that soon you may be able to order your cup of joe (coffee) from Starbucks directly from your iPhone or iPod Touch. You can even checkout some of the QuickOrder artwork.

Check out a Russian woman attempting to use and iPhone.

Interesting news from Europe & USA

There have been a flurry of articles on the net this weekend and I am sure more will follow this week talking about the iPhone (part touch iPod and phone) that will start selling in the UK this Friday. The iPhone is going to do wonders for Apples bottom line and so far the iPhone has been a total success even though it's not selling overseas yet un-lockers have been shipping them to needy buyers. But that's not all Macintosh sales have seen a strong increase and that's good news all around. Those of us in the USA who travel can now enjoy the new AT&T international plan with rates starting as low as $25! 

What about those rude cell phone users doesn't it make you crazy the way they yell into their phone and then give you the evil eye for daring to look their way? Some people it seems lack the common sense to step out side or if that's not possible talk in a whisper. After all do we really need to know what outfit your wearing in the morning or what an idiot your boyfriend is? Well now there is a solution, however lets just say it's not legal but oh does it sound fun! 

Not only those who are developers might find the article "Why Cocoa Bloat is Nonsense" an interesting read. 

I am sure you have all had a chance to hear about how Leopard is a security risk because they have an open firewall. Well that's in part true ipfw only has one rule that allows all incoming traffic but then it routes that traffic to a new custom Apple firewall. So its a bit of a mystery as to why Apple went the custom route for their firewall but I am sure they will be forthcoming with details soon.

Asus is shipping the Eee PC starting at $399. This PC is running a custom Linux install that is said to be very simple for new computer users to learn. However the Eee PC seems to suffer from a lack a space to store your documents or even install new programs. The Eee PC is very small and light but still even if Im a new user I want room to grow. This weekend I know I saw an ad in the local news paper saying they were selling an Acer laptop with Windows Vista for $399 so I am not sure what the advantage of buying an Eee PC would be? I hear if you buy the Eee PC in bulk then the price drops to $199. I think Id save my money for a MacBook.