Apple Makes iPhone What it Should Have Been All Along

Kevin Maney tweaks: The world is very excited about the new iPhone 3G that Steve Jobs unveiled today. It has all the features the original iPhone really should've had. That starts with the 3G capability. The iPhone until now has been literally crippled by having to work on AT&T's EDGE network. That is by far the most common complaint I've heard from iPhone users. 3G should give the iPhone at least respectable speed on the Net.

The new iPhone will also have GPS capabilities, better battery life, and software that will allow it to get corporate e-mail -- in short, features that any advanced smart phone these days must have. The iPhone will also be priced at $199, which puts it in mass-market range -- again, something Apple needed to do to keep up with competitors. The latest Palm Centro, with a contract from Sprint, can be had for $99. No, the Centro doesn't come close to iPhone's capabilities or design, but it's a viable option for someone who doesn't want to spend Apple prices.

In short, the iPhone 3G is more of a welcome update than an ooh and ahh-inducing thunderbolt. For Apple's competitors, though, this is bad news, because the iPhone is now everything it needs to be to steal huge chunks of market share.