iPhone Hysteria II

(Newser) - In a move aimed at bolstering its ability to compete with Apple's iPhone, Nokia is acquiring smartphone software-maker Symbian and moving toward increased cooperation with other mobile-phone industry veterans. Top handset makers and providers will participate in a nonprofit foundation to handle marketing and coordination for developers, and Symbian will combine its software into one open-source platform, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

(Newser) - Apple’s new iPhone will provide free, CD-quality radio from 200 stations in 25 genres—even if that does cut into iTunes' music business, Saul Hansell blogs in the New York Times . But Apple knows that it will "fare best if it makes the iPhone as useful as possible, and that means exploiting the device’s ability to stream music, talk and video." More »

(Newser) - The new 3G iPhone makes one thing obvious, writes Brett Arends in the Wall Street Journal : Consumers who bought the earlier models were chumps. The fans who stood in line a year ago are out $300, and for what? Apple says the new phone is twice as fast. “What that says about last year's model is painfully obvious,” writes Arends. More »

(Newser) - The next-generation iPhone, unveiled today by CEO Steve Jobs, is wired for 3G networks, costs only $199 (for the 8GB version) and will launch July 11. It's slightly thinner than the earlier incarnation, and comes with a host of new applications, as well as GPS technology. It will be available in 22 countries immediately, the Wall Street Journal reports, and 70 within months. A 16GB model will run for $299 and will also come in white. More »

(Newser) - Apple chief Steve Jobs will unveil the second generation iPhone today, ending the frantic guessing game about the company's new key product. The future of Apple and its ability to regenerate sales of its computers may depend on how the public responds to the new iPhone, reports the Los Angeles Times . The new version is expected to be cheaper and smaller than the old one, the Guardian reports. More »

(Newser) - Apple is likely to announce the addition of GPS to the iPhone tomorrow—and that’s bad news for makers of portable satellite-navigation systems, Wired reports. It could also be a dangerous distraction for those on the road, as drivers increasingly turn to tiny mobile-phone screens for directions. The number of users of GPS-enabled phones is expected to quadruple by 2011. More »

(Newser) - The new iPhone will be in Japan at the end of the year, but it may not be souped up enough for consumers there, Wired reports. Japanese phones tend to have an endless array of cool features such as live TV and Wii-style games. Even though most people hardly ever use all those bells and whistles, that doesn't mean the simpler iPhone will be welcomed. More »

(Newser) - With more than a 27% market share after just a year on the market, and a new iPhone expected to be released in the next week, Apple watchers are hoping the next-generation device delivers the same, simple functional beauty of its predecessor. But, Forbes cautions, the lumpy original iBook is a reminder that Apple's flubbed these kinds of things before. More »

(Newser) - The much-anticipated next generation of iPhones, which are expected to be faster and built around a more robust communications chip, may already be positioned in major US markets, Forbes reports. Analysts believe the 3G version will debut—or, given unprecedented secrecy even for Apple, be uncloaked—at a conference next Monday; Apple's aiming to sell 10 million this year. More »

(Newser) - AT&T is limiting customers to one iPhone purchase each to keep the popular product in stock longer, according to a newsflash sent to managers and picked up by the Boy Genius Report, and Apple's online stores have already sold out of iPhones. Apple is known for managing its stock effectively, and the disappearing inventory is fueling speculation that the release of a new model is just around the corner. More »