iPhonefreak width="190"

While most of us regular folk still have a few days to wait before getting our hands on the new iPhone, some of the bigger names in the tech industry have already gotten their hands on a model and are now sharing their thoughts.

Walt Mossberg; Wall Street Journal

“If you’ve been waiting to buy an iPhone until it dropped in price, or ran on faster cell networks, you might want to take the plunge, if you can live with the higher service costs and the weaker battery life. The same goes for those with existing iPhones who love the device but crave faster cellular data speeds. But if you already own an iPhone, and can usually use Wi-Fi for data, you probably should hold off and get the free software upgrade before deciding whether it’s worth getting the new hardware.”

David Pogue; New York Times

“So the iPhone 3G is a nice upgrade. It more than keeps pace with advancing technology, and new buyers will generally be delighted.

But it’s not so much better that it turns all those original iPhones into has-beens. Indeed, the really big deal is the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store, neither of which requires buying a new iPhone. That twist may come as a refreshing surprise to planned-obsolescence conspiracy theorists — and everyone who stood in line last year. “

Edward Baig; USA Today

“While not everything on my wish list made it onto the new device, Apple has raised the bar with iPhone 3G. To which I offer an enthusiastic thumbs up.”

While I am still planning on making a purchase, I am not as convinced that I “need” to purchase one. It seems that, at least with these three reviewers a big portion of the “iPhone 3G release” is not really the phone itself, but software version 2.0, which as pointed out by all the reviewers will be available to everyone who currently owns an iPhone.