Questions Linger Now That Apple's iPhone 3G S Here

3G what we learned at WWDC Monday

1. Will video be the x-factor Apple craves?

Apple's iPhone 3G S has the potential to turn every smartphone user and handheld Web surfer into an amateur videographer. This isn't to say that handheld devices that can shoot video or video features on smartphones are anything new, only that Apple needed a real hook for its iPhone 3G S, and with its video capabilities -- you can shoot and do some basic editing -- it has one. What's next for the iPhone and video?

Advanced editing apps in the App Store, for example? Look for Apple to find a way to monetize video content as video finds its way to iPhone users everywhere.

2. What's the deal with AT&T's MMS and tethering holdup?

Following the WWDC news, the blogosphere caught fire over one question in particular: Why isn't AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive carrier in the United States, enabling such much-desired features at MMS (multimedia messaging service) and a tethering plan? The issue has brought long strings of critical comments to everything from the Bits forums of The New York Times to the top stories of Computerworld and other IT news services. AT&T told Computerworld and numerous other sources that the delay in those features is only temporary and is due to "system upgrades" currently taking place. But why, AT&T, has it taken this long at all?

3. Is a $99 iPhone 3G in fact the bigger piece of news?

Most of the coverage following Apple's WWDC centered around the iPhone 3G S and its slick new features. But isn't dropping the year-old iPhone 3G down to a $99 price point a much more dramatic announcement?

Beta News has an interesting analysis of the subject, emphasizing that the $99 tag is the so-called "magic number" for tech devices, and that an Apple iPhone south of $100 (with a two-year plan for qualified buyers) is going to do a lot more to expand the cult of Apple than video capabilities on the iPhone 3G S -- cool new features or not. We're inclined to agree, considering the popularity of the iPhone already, but also accounting for the success Apple's had with cheap iPod devices, too.

4. Why is the pricing structure for upgrading to iPhone 3G S so confusing?

Here's what we've been able to piece together based on the information from AT&T. New buyers and qualified customers coming to the end of their required two-year contracts on the iPhone 3G will pay $199 for the 16-GB model and $299 for the 32-GB model of the iPhone 3G S. If you're "mid-contract" and thus not "qualified," you'll pay $399 for the 16-GB and $499 for the 32-GB if you want to upgrade to 3G S right away. You can also get no-commitment 16-GB or 32-GB iPhone 3G S devices for $599 and $699, respectively.

5. Who's going to challenge Apple now?

The new Palm Pre had a strong weekend of sales,, according to Sprint, but now that Apple has claimed back the smartphone spotlight with iPhone 3G S, Sprint and Palm need some way to keep the momentum going -- and a shortage of immediately available Palm Pre phones certainly isn't helping matters. And did you know that Nokia started shipping its N97 phone last week? Don't worry, we forgot already, too. But you can't count out the coming devices from HTC and Samsung that use Google's Android OS, or the rumors that Research in Motion has a follow-up at the ready for the BlackBerry Storm. Devices from HTC and other handset makers using Microsoft's upgraded Windows Mobile are also on the horizon.

By the time it's all over, Channelweb.com's probably going to have to go back to the testing room, it would seem, to crown a new winner in the clash of the touch-screen titans. And don't be fooled, dear reader, you want the real clash, not the many imitations, OK?