Renewed EDGE for iPhone, says analyst

Stephen Withers
Friday, 06 June 2008 11:59

Your IT - Mobility

The 'old' iPhone is still unavailable from the online Apple Store. But just because everybody's expecting a 3G model to be announced next week, that doesn't mean EDGE is dead and buried as far as the iPhone is concerned.

At least that's what American Technology Research's Shaw Wu is saying, based on information from Apple's supply chain.

He's tipping the appearance of 3G and 2.5G versions, with the former at prices similar to the old models and the latter coming in $US50 to $US100 below that.

This makes some sense given that 2.5G is still the go in some parts of the world.

Pricing could be complicated by the possibility of carrier subsidies - some rumour sites have been predicting AT&T will offer the new iPhone for $US200.

Perhaps the two models will have a common form factor, or maybe they'll be different sizes - which could explain the latest kerfuffle about the new iPhone's dimensions.

Wu is also having an even-money bet on the introduction of a handheld touchscreen device that's bigger than an iPod touch but smaller than a subnotebook.

I can see various ways that such a device might be useful in the home.

Please turn to page 2 for my list, and the chance to add your own suggestions.