Hot on the heels of Apple’s much-antipcated WWDC 2008, where the 3G iPhone was finally revealed, here are some of my observations and commentary on the new iPhone 3G and its implications in the grand scheme of all things mobile, web, and digital:

Executive Summary

• basically the same physical phone on the outside (actually a smidge thicker and wider)
• basically the same physical phone on the inside (same CPU)
• plastic back (and accessible SIM card)
• less expensive (although it no longer comes with a mini-dock and the back is now plastic instead of metal)
• 3G and GPS
• central marketplace for iPhone applications with solid tools for developers
• wireless syncing of calendar, contacts, etc… “push”
• headphone jack more compatible with third party headphones

Consistency

Overall, the device itself has not been radically altered. And although it might have been a let down for many, that’s probably a good thing. A platform needs to stay consistent for a period of time in order for developers to get a handle on it and refine it.

3G means Fast?

Although 3G is a lot faster than the older “edge” cellular network, and it will make data traffic on the iPhone more zippy, the iPhone is still not as fast as a full size notebook or desktop computer online. When the CPU is upgraded in the future, I think we will see some more dramatic improvements in this area.

Still no Tether?

I did not hear anyone say that the iPhone could be used as a cellular modem by tethering it to a laptop/desktop. Maybe something for the future depending on AT&T’s capacity, at least in the US.

Development for Developers

I think the most important developments are the new marketplace that Apple has created for iPhone applications and the solid stable of programming tools that they have released for developers. I can foresee a lot of interesting, and maybe even useful, applications hitting the virtual shelves.

Sandbox Limitations

Although I have not experimented with the iPhone SDK, it was my understanding that third party applications are partitioned to run separately from the core iPhone functions. While that sounds like a good idea for a cell phone (you do not want a game to crash your phone and be unable to call 911 in an emergency), it did sound somewhat limiting in terms of being unable to run more than one application at once and being unable to keep an application running if you temporarily want to move to another iPhone function. Again, I have not used the SDK so I may be misinformed, but that was my understanding. If that is accurate, it would be better if they could partition third-party applications from core iPhone functions in a way that would allow the applications to keep running even when they do not have focus, and to run more that one third party application at once. Perhaps that type of functionality will require a more powerful CPU in future iPhones.

Web Applications

And although native applications are getting all the attention now, the iPhone is still a great platform for running HTML/CSS/AJAX web apps. Especially those with CSS templates that specifically target the form factor of the iPhone. I still see web-based intranet or internet apps as being critical to the success of the iPhone and its cohabitation with conventional desktops and laptops.