Modest changes in iPhone launch

Published on Friday 19 June 2009 21:51

PHONE shops are braced for a rush of customers this weekend, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to snap up the latest version of Apple's hugely popular iPhone.

The coveted iPhone 3GS went on sale in the UK yesterday and attracted long queues at Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse stores before even doors opened.

Queues were smaller than those that swamped previous iPhone launches. Analysts say this was owing to the more modest technological changes in this model.

The latest iPhone looks identical to the previous model, it has an array of improved features. These include a three-megapixel camera and more memory.

The iPhone software has been overhauled, allowing users to cut, copy and paste text.

The camera, with an auto-focus facility, is regarded by some customers as the best addition. But many rivals already sell eight-megapixel cameraphones and the iPhone has no flash.

There is also a voice control feature, which allows users to speak a command such as "play Kylie". Users can also make calls simply by saying a name, with accents not appearing to cause a problem.

James Blackman of What Mobile magazine, said: "The new iPhone 3GS will shift like hot cakes. All the improvements, except for a few hardware tweaks, are available to existing iPhone users through the iPhone OS 3.0 software patch – for free as a download from iTunes."

SIZING UP THE CHALLENGERS

&#149 Nokia N97 – Big advantage over the iPhone is a fold-out keyboard. The screen is sharp and bright, and easy to customise with updates from services such as Facebook. However, the software looks a bit dated, particularly music applications.

&#149 HTC Touch Pro2 – With its fold-out keyboard running Microsoft's mobile phone software, this is ideal for the business market. Most functions are controlled by finger. The keyboard is fast and accurate for e-mails. Ideal for those who don't want a BlackBerry.

&#149 Vodafone Magic – No keyboard, but Google's Android software is easy to use. Fast and responsive, with an onscreen keyboard.