In less than a week, the world will be introduced to the second generation iPhone.
This is, of course, the worst kept secret in Apple history. Since its introduction last year, the iPhone has redefined the mobile phone market. Now, of course, Steve Jobs is faced with the daunting task of outdoing himself. Details of the new iPhone have started to solidify, with 3G capability a lock. There’s also word that we can expect to see GPS integration and, possibly, video conferencing.
If the Mac-Web is to be believed, alongside the introduction of iPhone 2.0, Mr. Jobs will also unveil a rebranded .Mac service. Long-time Apple-watchers will remember that .Mac started out as the free iTools service in 2000. In 2002, the service was rebranded and Apple added a $99/year subscription price. In the time since then, there have been various improvements to the service, but nothing that completely justified the cost.
Now, the consensus seems to be that Apple will again rebrand .Mac with Outlook-like capabilities, including push e-mail, contact syncing, and calendar syncing. The service will be renamed “Mobile Me” and may or may not have a cost associated with it. (For a more comprehensive look at the changes, see The Unofficial Apple Weblog or MacRumors.)
No matter what, I’m waiting with bated breath.
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