CapMac iPhone SIG

Apple announced today that it has sold more than 1 million iPhone 3GS phones since they went on sale last Friday.

The announcement also brought the first public comment from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January:

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning. With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

The sales figures for the first three days of iPhone 3GS sales exceeds Apple’s sales of its predecessor, the iPhone 3G, during its opening weekend in July, 2008. That should be good news for Apple on Wall Street. Many analysts had predicted that Apple would sell far fewer iPhone 3GS models, with estimates ranging from 500,000 to 750,000.

Apple also reports that six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software which works on the existing 40 million iPhone and iPod touch models.

Despite the seemingly shorter lines for the iPhone 3G S, the early sales number estimates indicate that the iPhone 3G S launch numbers could even exceed those of the iPhone 3G launch a year ago, when Apple sold over a million iPhone 3G phones the first weekend.

Unlike last year, however, This time, Apple and AT&T have allowed pre-orders, speeding the sales process considerably.

UK mobile carrier O2 reveals that by lunchtime, they’ve already sold more iPhone 3G S handsets than they did during the entire day of the iPhone 3G launch. They expect by the end of the day to have sold 50% more than last year’s opening day.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that AT&T has sold “hundreds of thousands” of iPhone 3G S’s ahead of the launch. Based on these numbers, analysts speculate that Apple could easily sell more than a million devices during the first three days.

Sales at both Apple Barton Creek and Apple Domain have been brisk, with many in the huge early morning lines, holding pre-qualification paperwork – ensuring a smoother and faster sales process.  That alone may help Apple push sales over the million phone record by Monday.

In front of Apple’s (AAPL) flagship New York Fifth Avenue store, three college students from Monclair, NJ, huddled under borrowed umbrellas at the front of the line to buy the latest in multitouch mobile technology.

The trio arrived at 7 a.m. EDT, 24 hours before Apple is scheduled to begin selling the new iPhone 3G S to the public. The heavy rain hadn’t let up since they arrived and the forecast was calling for more rain into the night.  Apple store personnel provided the protective cover.

Financial analysts expect Apple to sell over half a million phones during the first weekend.

Every Apple store in the United States will open at 7 a.m. this Friday morning to begin selling the long-anticipated new version of the iPhone – the iPhone 3GS.  Apple retail stores at Barton Creek and The Domain will both open early.

Six Apple retail stores will be closed for renovations on the day that the iPhone 3G-S debuts. However, the remainder of the 205 U.S. stores, including those within malls, have made arrangements with local jurisdictions and mall security to open early.

Unlike AT&T, Apple will have a single opening time and expedited shopping to buy an iPhone, both for those who pre-authorized via Apple’s web site, and those who are just walking in.

Analysts expect that Apple will sell over a half million of the new iPhones the first weekend.

Please join us for iPhone Meetup this Thursday, June 18th, from 7:00 – 9:00 pm  at BB Rover’s Cafe & Pub – 12101 Jollyville Road; Austin, TX 78759

This month we will have more tips and hints for iPhone and iPod Touch users:

• iPhone OS 3.0 update – What’s in store? Why update, and how?
• iPhone 3GS – How does it really stack up?  Is it worth it?  How to get the best deal?
• Focus on Travel Apps — Save money and time, across town or around the globe.
• Special tips and tricks — Helping new users to get up and running quicker.

Please join us at Meetup to stay in touch  – http://www.meetup.com/iphonesig

If you are a developer – or know one – please bring them along, we set aside time at every meeting to showcase local developers and their applications.

Hope to see you at BB Rover’s tomorrow — and bring your iPhone or iPod Touch.

We have some great door prizes this month, so bring your friends — everyone’s welcome.

Apple released the iPhone OS 3.0 firmware at noon today, Wednesday. The update adds new features, and appears stable, speedy, and offers many new features.

Deployment through iTunes 8.2.0 is fast, subject to the speed of your internet connection – the download runs approx 250MB depending on your iPhone model.

The firmware adds a number of demanded features to the iPhone OS, such as tethering, MMS messaging, turn-by-turn navigation and copy, cut and paste. Movies can now be bought and rented directly from a handheld, and expanded control of third-party accessories has been enabled. JavaScript performance is said to be substantially improved, sometimes tripling the performance of the previous Safari web browser. AT&T promises support for MMS and tethering, ‘later this summer’ – an embarrassment for Apple and their exclusive US carrier.

The upgrade is free to existing iPhone owners, but costs $10 for those with an iPod touch.

If you want a choice of carriers for your iPhone – call or email your US Senators now – hearings will be held Wednesday.

Several U.S. Senators have urged the FCC to examine the widespread use of exclusive arrangements between handset makers and carriers to see if they negatively affect competition and choice in the marketplace.

Reuters reports that the Senators voiced their concerns in a letter to Michael Copps, acting chairman of the FCC. The letter said: “We ask that you examine this issue carefully and act expeditiously should you find that exclusivity agreements unfairly restrict consumer choice or adversely impact competition in the commercial wireless marketplace.”

The wireless industry depends heavily on exclusive agreements. Every major U.S. carrier has its flagship device: AT&T (NYSE: T) has the iPhone, T-Mobile has the G1, Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) has the BlackBerry Storm and Sprint (NYSE: S) has the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre. The deals supposedly make the devices cheaper for consumers, but also limits choice when it comes to picking the carrier.

But it is not the big four in the U.S. that are complaining. The Rural Cellular Association, which represents more than 80 small town wireless providers, filed a petition with the FCC to look into whether consumers benefit from exclusives. It’s particularly difficult for a smaller carrier, or a discount provider, like Leap or MetroPCS, to get their hands on a popular handset when the larger carriers get first pick.

The letter sent to the FCC was signed by such Senators as Democrats John Kerry, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota; Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi. The senators will hold a hearing Wednesday to see if legislative action is necessary.

If you want to end iPhone’s exclusivity to AT&T — contact your US Senators now:

After a solid week of fumbling and mumbling – AT&T finally clarified pricing for MMS messaging for the new iPhone 3GS, available this Friday:

Later this summer, as part of the 3.0 software, AT&T will make multimedia messaging (MMS) available at no extra cost to customers with a text messaging bundle.

Meaning that if you currently have a text messaging (SMS) bundle, multimedia messaging will also be included at the same rate.  Many had voiced concerns that AT&T, as many other carriers have, might place a premium rate on MMS or count a single MMS as several SMS message units.  NOT SO. AT&T Monday clarified pricing saying that for a given bundle one MMS would equal one SMS to the limit of your bundle.

More AT&T related questions can be answered via this AT&T FAQ.

Apple is offering a great way to speed the process of buying a new iPhone 3GS on launch day, Friday, June 19th.

The first step is to visit the Apple iPhone 3GS page of the Apple website – where you can select your new iPhone, review the AT&T rate plans and options available, even check your eligibility for subsidized upgrade for a new phone. From there, you can choose to pickup your new iPhone 3GS in launch day either at an Apple Retail store, or have it delivered to your door. Either way, Apple is expediting the process to keep lines and wait-times reasonable.

And don’t forget our iPhone Meetup on Thursday June 18th will have special coverage of the new iPhone 3.0 software, and the new iPhone 3GS.