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FEATURE ARTICLE

iPhone, The New Computer?

Since the Apple iPhone released in June 2007, it has taken the world by storm with its abundance of applications from mail, maps, video games and mp3s to video and picture capabilities, and let's not forget that it's actually a phone.  Researchers are wondering whether this new mobile device will be replacing the computer soon. 

A new upgrade releasing this June, iPhone 3G S has video recording, voice control and 32 GB of storage, making this the fastest iPhone yet. These new features allow you to cut, copy and paste, check your stocks, navigate, write messages, you name it, it has it. 

Before you panic that you may have to trade in your PC for a pocket-sized mobile device, it is not likely, or at least not anytime soon.  Not until it targets the other part of the population that doesn't have AT&T and its other exclusive iPhone partners, specifically the population that wants nothing to do with AT&T.

The price of the upgrade could be as high as $599 with an additional $70 - $100 for the plan depending on your service provider. Current iPhone users are outraged at what AT&T is going to charge them for the new 3G S.  There is also a carrier control issue with the iPhone  "Tom Krazit, an internet expert, says: "Can you imagine if your cable or DSL provider currently dictated which PC you could buy, and if you then moved your PC to a part of the country or world where that service was unavailable, you couldn't hook it up to the internet?"  There are many Verizon Wireless customers that are not willing to make the switch and it is still the highest ranked wireless carrier.

Another upgrade which is already in the works, is to try to make the iPhone as open as possible but still secure enough to block viruses and other damaging third-party applications that can cause destruction before it even takes off.  The new version of the iPhone was rushed to the market this June, which didn't allow Apple to fix these problems before it reached stores.  Researchers are still trying to figure out a way to avoid outside hacking into emails, voice conversations and Safari. 

While they work out all those glitches, there is still a rapid changing market for laptops and desktops. Apple just recently launched their newest MacBook Air and Dell their Latitude Laptop.  As long as there is a constant change in electronic media, there will be a mass-market of people ready and willing to buy the newest and latest product.  Only time will tell what the future holds for computers and mobile devices.  With the new paper thin laptops and with each new upgrade of the iPhone, it seems they will both be in the market for awhile.