iPhone 3GS
The iPhone 3GS[a] is a smartphone that was designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the third generation iPhone and the successor to the iPhone 3G. It was unveiled on June 8, 2009[8] at the WWDC 2009 which took place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
"3gs" redirects here. For the plural of 3g, see 3G (disambiguation). For the third-generation standard for mobile communication, see 3G.Developer
"The fastest, smartest phone yet." (2009–2010)
"More to love. Less to pay." (2010–2012)[2]
3rd
A1325 (China)
A1303[3]
June 19, 2009
June 24, 2010 (16, 32 GB)
September 12, 2012 (8 GB)
115.5 mm (4.55 in) H
62.1 mm (2.44 in) W
12.3 mm (0.48 in) D
135 g (4.8 oz)
Original: iPhone OS 3.0
Last: iOS 6.1.6, released February 21, 2014
Samsung S5PC100
600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8[4]
8, 16 or 32 GB flash memory
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
3.7 V 1220 mAh
3.5 in (89 mm) diagonal 3:2 aspect ratio screen
24-bit (16.76 million colors) LCD
480×320 pixel resolution at 163 ppi
Single loudspeaker
3.5 mm TRRS, 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response (internal, headset)
Microphone
Multi-touch touchscreen display
3-axis accelerometer
Digital compass
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Microphone
Headset controls
Head: 1.19 W/kg
Body: 0.67 W/kg[6]
Apple – iPhone – Mobile phone, iPod, and Internet device. at the Wayback Machine (archived June 25, 2009)
This iPhone is named "3GS" where "S" stood for Speed (Phil Schiller had mentioned it in the launch keynote).[9] Improvements include performance, a 3-megapixel camera with higher resolution and video ability, voice control,[10] and support for 7.2 Mbit/s HSDPA downloading (but remains limited to 384 kbps uploading as Apple had not implemented the HSUPA protocol).[11] It was released in the United States, Canada, and six European countries on June 19, 2009,[12] in Australia and Japan on June 26,[13][14] and internationally in July and August 2009.
The iPhone 3GS runs Apple's iOS operating system. It was succeeded as Apple's flagship smartphone by the iPhone 4 on June 24, 2010. At the same time, an 8 GB model of the iPhone 3GS was released, discontinuing the 16 and 32 GB models,[15] the 8 GB 3GS continued in production until September 2012 when the iPhone 5 was announced.
History[edit]
The iPhone 3GS was released on June 19, 2009 in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[12] Within the first weekend of its release, over 1 million iPhone 3GS units were sold.[16] It reached its first million units sold as quickly as its predecessor, the iPhone 3G.[17] After the release of the iPhone 4S, the 3GS was still offered for free on a contract until November 2011, when AT&T raised the price to 59 cents with no explanation.[18] The 99¢ price was only available with a two-year contract on AT&T in the United States and a three-year contract on Telus, Rogers, Bell and Fido Solutions in Canada. This was a departure from Apple's previous trends, in which only two phones were sold.
Critical reception[edit]
Reviews of the iPhone 3GS have been mixed. Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal described the device packed with "new features that makes a great product even better, but for many users, the software may be enough of a boost to keep them from buying the new model."[27] Engadget also said that "the additions of video recording, a compass, and a speed bump just don't seem that compelling to us."[28]
The device managed to receive numerous favorable reviews. CNET gave the iPhone 3GS 4 out of 5 stars, citing battery life improvements and speed bump.[29] Engadget praised the performance improvements.[28][30]
The 8 GB version received more favorable reviews mainly because it comes pre-installed with iOS 4. Jason Snell of Macworld praised the iPhone 3GS, saying that "the device's internal changes shines in the iOS 4 update, making the iPhone 3GS a worthwhile upgrade compared to its predecessor although a little too late compared to the iPhone 4."[31] TIPB stated that "aside from hardware-specific features like FaceTime, Retina Display, and gyroscope support, the bottom line is iPhone 3GS users are getting the same software that makes the iPhone 4 great."[32]
Issues[edit]
Shortly after the release of the iPhone 3GS, some users reported overheating of the device while in heavy use, and others reported discoloration of the device due to heat (particularly on the white models). The discoloration issues were largely discounted as being as a result of iPhone covers rubbing against the back of the iPhone.[33]
Apple responded to the heat issue reports by warning users against leaving their iPhones in a car on a hot day, leaving it in direct sunlight for extended periods of time, and refraining from heavy usage while in a hot/sunny environment.[34] It is also worth pointing out the temperature specifications in which the iPhone should be operated, which follows safety standards in the countries the 3GS was released.[35]
Continued support[edit]
iPhone OS 3[edit]
The iPhone 3GS shipped with iPhone OS 3, with features like a Digital Compass and Voice Control.
iOS 4[edit]
After the release of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS received an update for iOS 4. Unlike the iPhone 3G, it received support for features like home screen wallpapers, multitasking, and Game Center.
New boot ROM and 2011 baseband update[edit]
On September 9, 2009, Apple launched an updated model of the iPhone 3GS that patched a segment overflow in the SecureROM of the Device that had allowed loading an unsigned LLB.[36]
After the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple updated baseband hardware from an Infineon Baseband chip to a Toshiba Baseband chip in week 2 production in 2011 which removed the end-user's ability to change basebands. Although the new chip uses the same modem firmware as the Infineon chip, it cannot be updated to iPad baseband 06.15.00 that is still vulnerable to the AT+XAPP exploit.
iOS 6[edit]
The 3GS received iOS 6, making it the first iOS device to receive updates for four major iOS releases. Although the 3GS was still supported, some major features of iOS 6 were not supported.[37] The 3GS had generally positive reviews of smooth performance on iOS 5 (some even claim better performance), making it still a good candidate for iOS 6.[38] On September 12, 2012, Apple announced that they would no longer be selling and supporting the iPhone 3GS and the device did not receive iOS 7, due to hardware limitations.[39] On February 21, 2014, Apple issued iOS 6.1.6 to fix the "goto fail;" SSL security bug.[40]