After it has just been pointed out how delayed the iPhone actually is because of its lack of 3G technology, rumors are now spreading, saying that this little deficiency will be patched up. So, if you were considering getting yourself an iPhone in the future, then you might want to hold out a bit longer since it may be that a 3G-capable "iPhone2" may already be in the works with the FCC.

As to why the iPhone didn't have 3G in the first place, a network engineer for the iPhone has been quoted for saying that this is because "less than 1% of Cingular customers have HSDPA capability" and that "he target users wouldn't know the difference anyway".

So, with an audience who normally spends only up to US$ 200 on a new cellphone, will having 3G-capability finally convince consumers to shell out US$ 499 or US$ 599 for a mobile phone? Stay tuned.

While technophiles the world over got worked up and hyperventilated at Steve Jobs' announcement of the iPhone, the Japanese simply looked up a while from their keitai, then went on with their business. And the reason for this? The fact that the iPhone has nothing new to offer to them.

While Jobs boasts of the iPhones new interface, the Japanese are finding it hard to believe that it is a "revolutionary product" that will "change everything". Apple also notes that the iPhone can be used to download music and surf the internet, as well as support one-way conferencing in the future. Over at Japan, the whole population have already been doing all this for years. On top of that, most phones can support five-way video conferencing, and their mobiles can also be used to buy train tickets, pay for taxi rides, design a webpage, update a blog, pay for puchases at the convenience store, book hotel reservations, watch a movie or the latest baseball game, use GPS, get exclusive content by scanning a barcode on the seats at the baseball stadium, and an entire plethora of other features and uses which Apple still seems to be clueless about (they should probably start off by checking out Strap-Ya, or something).

All this can again be attributed to one main attribute that Apple is missing, and that would be 3G technology. At the moment, the iPhone is still on a second-generation network.

So, when Japanese retailers were told about the amazing, new iPhone and its features, one shopkeeper merely laughed and said, "Sounds like business as usual".

Nothing's perfect at launch - not even Apple. Sure, the iPhone's great and all, but are there some things they might have overlooked that could potentially trip this baby up? Hey, didn't we do this piece already? Yeah, well, it's Ars Technica's turn, and their regular Infinite Loop feature touches on a few potential iPhone misses we've already touched on, and quite a few that we didn't.

So, for the dog that barked: no 3G, costs as much as a PS3, tied to Cingular, and limited memory. Add it all up and it's a potential turnoff for all but the hardest of the Apple die-hards. At least that's the implication: this won't be the "killer app" (as opposed to) the iPod turned out to be.

And the dog that didn't bark. "No over-the-air downloads from iTunes." That would have been a killer feature to include... well, maybe. It's a consequence of lack of 3G support, whose bandwidth would have been necessary for the high-rate transfers that downloading from iTunes will require. Or maybe Apple was looking at prior experiences with phones working with iTunes and decided that it's not worth it. "No Wi-Fi sync with iTunes." Although the Infinite Loop columnist - and we - cover that if the software can support it, why not? Hey, it's probably just a firmware away - and it's a good use for the Internet-browsing Wi-Fi capabilities of the phone.

"No MS Exchange or Office support." For Infinite Loop, "this is a potential biggie to business users." Which is true - if the iPhone was meant to be a PDA to begin with. Here the QJ jury is out. At its price, it might as well have PDA features to attract a bigger customer base, but that will mean that Apple will have to face not only Nokia and Sony Ericsson on the one hand, but also Blackberry and all the other PDA manufacturers on the other. We've never seen Apple have to fight a two-front war on the underdog side before.

"Not extensible by third parties." Infinite Loop says that if Apple locks down the iPhone away from third-party developers, this will hurt the product in the long run. If Apple opens up now, and begins working with developers to at least set a standard for iPhone-compatible software, this will measure up favorably for the iPhone's chances in the market. It could even resolve the "No MS Exchange" issue by offering an alternative.

Finally, "No removable memory." Especially for a product that is essentially a kick-a** iPod, having an 8GB limit is very, very, very, very painful. Then again, what iPod had removable memory, either (of course, they didn't need to have one for the most part, but you get the point, right? 8GB)? We said it before, and we'll say it again: if the PSP can potentially get 32GB of memory all by swapping in a stick, why can't the iPhone have one built-in in the near future? Beefing up the memory is a good justification for pushing the launch date of the phone back - it will be more than worth it in the long run.

After an entire months-long game of hopscotch, peek-a-boo, and "What Will Jobs Do Next", Apple finally reveals the... iPhone. Steve, you can be quite the stubborn cookie - we shall now have to differentiate between the Apple iPhone and the Linksys iPhone. Anyway, what's probably interesting about the iPhone is not what it has out of the box, but what it DOESN'T have, for a phone that costs as much as a PS3 - 20GB and 60GB.

Let's keep it short: no 3G. As a cellphone, that could potentially be crippling to the iPhone (especially when Steve wants 10 million on the streets by next year). And if he tries to sell the phone to Japan - that country is true-blue (or blood-red) 3G country - it's going to be murder, so we're thinking that Apple might want to keep this as a North American release for now.

Still, the global (let alone NA) cellular industry isn't Apple turf - the iPhone is not going up against late entrants and also-rans (e.g., Zune), but against the monoliths of the cellphone industry: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola. Steve Jobs says that the iPhone is five years ahead of any other mobile phone. Well, not in the 3G department, most definitely.

But we're not going to simply surrender to the belief that Steve Jobs' fair-haired boys didn't think of this when they drew up the iPhone's specs. They could always market it as a luxury product (at that price, it better well be). But for a company that has made its mark as a mass market trend-setter (even given the price of the 5G iPod), that could be a bit odd.

But we still think that the iPhone is, as our gaming cousins in the QJ network put it, FTW!!! 1st post W00t!!!. Find out why after the jump.

It's happened all too often. You save up for the current hot Apple product, wait it out until about several months later into its launch for that price dip, and then pounce on your goodie. You feel happy that at long last, you purchased that darned gadget, and it was a good one at that. And then you brag about it to your friend, only to be told, "That's nice. But it would have been better if you just waited a couple more months. They're releasing the updated version soon, you know."

Well, apparently, you did not know. And even if you did know and wait out for it, there's a slightly big probability that that scenario will still happen anyway. So, when is it exactly a good time to buy that Apple product? iLounge's editors seem to have gone through this all too much, that they thought of coming up with a "ten-step guide to happy purchases of new Apple products".

The list basically tells you to expect a whole lot of constant improvements and upgrades on their products. Particularly, for the iPod, the changes would most likely be on the storage and enclosure. Also, not all changes come with a bang. Sometimes, you'd just find yourself holding an Apple product that's got newer stuff (brighter LCD screens in Cinema Displays, iMacs or iPods, probably), or exhibit fewer failures/problems, "which Apple will almost never publicize (MacBook/MacBook Pro logic boards), or will play down (replacement of iPod 3G/4G screens or nano 1GB screens with less bright versions).

Other than that, the list also warns you against staggered launches. According to them, it happens most often that the company will stagger new product launches at different times throughout the year, making it possible that a new model could arrive at any time, and on short notice. The witty thing about this tactic is that it does not necessarily aim to confuse consumers-it's done to keep competitors on their toes-but it does both.

And the list goes on. But basically, at the end of the day, as to the question of whether or not you buy now or wait, the answer is simple. If the existing product already has the features that you need, go ahead. Buy it and enjoy it. If not, then obviously, you'd want to wait it out. Then again, if you buy something that Apple replaces soon thereafter, you can probably return the item to the store where you purchased it for a complete or partial refund. Just make sure that you do it within the allowable time to do so.

There has been rumors about the existence and the release of the iPod phone ever since time immemorial...well not really. Ever since the iPod became the icon that it still is today, backfence talks that we reported earlier about the iPhone mentions that Apple is planning to release a 3G and VOIP ready iPod phone. Well you might say that the Motorola ROKR is basically the iPod phone, with its compatibility to iTunes and its ability to play great sounds. But this one may be the closest thing we have for an iPhone-- with all the wheel and stuff.

Although it has already been mentioned earlier that PDAs could masquerade as iPods, no one has ever seen a working video of a PDA donning iPod like qualities. Until this one. The controls of this one is fairly modest and it is really nice. The app is apparently called ppod, and it's out there, lingering within the recesses of the world wide web. So if you wanna give your PDAs more capabilities, you could always try it out.

Scosche products have begun selling their Bluetooth iPod Car Transmitter and Receiver Kit. This transmitter enables streaming audio from your iPod or mp3 player to your car or home receiver. Connecting to the headphone output connector, it transmits to a Bluetooth receiver connected to the supplementary input of your car?s head unit or home audio system.

The car kits differ based on the cradle (#IPBCK for the iPod and #UBCK for MP3 players). The iPod interface works with all 3G and 4G iPods and iPod minis, while the MP3 player interface works with any MP3 players with headphone jacks (all of them). Both function with aftermarket head units and RCA inputs. The iPod and MP3 player car kits sell for $249.99 each.

PodGear has released the HouseParty iPod Dock. The HouseParty is compatible with the 3G, 4G20, 4G40, Mini, Photo, and Shuffle models. The HouseParty will also charge your iPod, and enable synchronization with your computer via USB while playing 2x6W of stero sound. Features:

- High quality 2.0 stereo speaker system
- USB port for syncing your iPod with your computer
- Charges iPod? and iPod Shuffle?
- Auxiliary line in port
- Feather touch volume controls
- Funky blue LEDs light up your iPod?

iDiddy is now offering a hot new case for the iPod, Mini, Shuffle, 3G, and 4G / Photo. This case features earbud wires integrated into the iLanyard that attaches to the case, to keep them tangle free!

The iLanyard will also detach from the case, allowing you to use it with any standard audio device. The iDiddy case come in your choice of 3 colors, black, white, and brown, and range from $44.95 to $59.95, depending on your iPod model.

For those of you who don?t already know, Belkin will start selling TuneTalk for the iPod. This nifty little device allows you to record audio into your iPod 3G, 4G and photo iPod. It will begin shipping later this month. Features include:

• High-Quality Omnidirectional Microphone
• iPod Remote/Headphone Connector: attaches securely to your iPod
• Recording Indicator LED: shows recording status
• Foam Microphone Cover: helps to reduce wind noise
• Innovative Flexible Design: features flexible neck for directional recording
• No software to install?support is already built into the iPod