“Welcome to the Mac Micro,” Sascha Segan and Tim Gideon report for PC Magazine. “The iPhone 3G is the beginning of a new computing platform. With 3G and the App Store, the best iPod ever is now one of the best handheld computers ever. We struggled with a bunch of day-one bugs, but we’re confident that Apple will work them out. Oh, and it’s finally a decent phone, too.”
“Over the past year or so, Apple has made a subtle shift from developing products to building platforms, and it’s a move we applaud. Products are disposable. Platforms grow. We witnessed the shift in the last update to the Apple TV, which gave an old box new features. You saw it when Apple made the iPhone 2.0 software available to original iPhone and iPod Touch owners, as well as to the new iPhone 3G users,” Segan and Gideon report.
“While not a huge physical upgrade over the original iPhone, the 3G hits two of the older model’s critical weaknesses—poor phone call quality and slow Internet connection speeds—and makes it clear that the iPhone is now a platform, a pocket computer that software developers can empower to do anything its users want. It’s a formidable smartphone (though not without weaknesses), a heck of a lot of fun to use, and a device that will grow with you,” Segan and Gideon report.
“iPhone 3G makes our previous Editors’ Choice, the AT&T Tilt, look like last year’s news. This phone is powerful, easy, fun, and just really cool. Apps will come to correct its missing features and make it even better. Hands down it’s the best smartphone on AT&T today and thus our Editors’ Choice,” Segan and Gideon report.
The full review – quite extensive and *gasp* recommended (despite the random nature of PC Magazine’s “Editors’ Choice” criteria or total lack thereof) – here.
Also, check out the companion piece: PC Mag reviews iPhone OS 2.0: Still a niche player, Microsoft Windows Mobile remains Editors’ Choice – July 11, 2008
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Sascha Segan” for the heads up.]