After the hype, which had the iPhone conquer the front pages of broadsheets around the world the first criticism wasn’t too far off. Next to the concerns whether the energy supply for the device was sufficient enough, the decision not to take 3G on board were the main points of criticism.

There was a clear emphasis in the presentation of Steve Jobs on the Wifi connectivity of the device, trying to overcome some sticky questions in the audience heads about the lack of bandwidth by opting for EDGE (Enhanced Datarates for GSM Evolution) instead of embracing UMTS for a device, which is designed more than any other Smart Phone around rich media content.
In fact a lot of the profiling of the iPhone makes it mandatory that the user has fast network access.

Now what prompted Apple to opt against 3G? The notion that 3G technology would take up more space, hence would have an impact on the form factor doesn’t sound very convincing.
Fact is that WiFi networks grow very fast and very big in the US. And they cost a fraction of the UMTS networks. New more powerful Wifi standards are around the corner and WiMAX seems not too far off for the mass market either. As a little reminder: It is Intel, the producer of the chip for the iPhone, who is pushing hard for the rolling out of WiMAX.

If one looks at Jajah or skype or a similar service, one gets the idea that the merging of desktop computer and applications with the phone is not only approached by making phones ever ’smarter’.
In fact the adding of phone capabilities to a computer is driven mainly by the cost conscious consumers.

The users drive to embrace cheap ways to communicate with the ever more expanding WiFi networks might be the really big challenge Apple had in mind with the iPhone, since they would not really take the smart phones on, which are designed mainly for solvent business customers, but the skypes of this world which can but don’t have to collaborate with the almighty providers of our days.