3G iPhone rumor roundup: Spring break edition
April 30, 2008: 8:31 AM ET
Catching up on the latest Apple (AAPL) iPhone news after spring break isn't easy. The rumors are coming so fast they've started to crash into each other. Here's a summary:
- Price: Two versions, $399 (8GB) and $499 (16GB), but AT&T (T) will knock $200 off the price in return for a 2-year contract (Fortune's Scott Moritz); Apple will charge $599 for unlocked (NYTimes's Saul Hansell); AT&T will raise the price of its unlimited data plan from $20 to $45, to match what it charges customers using the RIM (RIMM) BlackBerry. (Hansell)
- Form: About the same shape and size, but "somewhat fatter" (Engadget's Ryan Block); 2.5 mm "thinner" (TGDaily's Richard Felton); 38 to 48 grams lighter (CENS's Ken Liu);
- Screen: Same size and resolution (Block); screen shrunk from 3.5 inch to 2.8 inch diagonally (Liu)
- Case: Less "plasticky" (Felton); more plastic, replacing aluminum-magnesium casing (Liu)
- Manufacturer: Hon Hai has orders to make 300,000 3G iPhones initially and 3 million in June (Liu) for a total of 24-25 million in its life cycle (Digitimes' Steve Shen). CENS's Ken Liu goes on to claim that the giant Taiwanese manufacturer took the job away from Foxconn, apparently unaware that Foxconn and Hon Hai are the same company. (link)
