The new 3GS is promised to have improved performance that will outpace the processing power of current-release iPhones, but the tangible hardware-exclusives are not worth the unsubsidized price-point current 3G owners will have to shell out.

3GS owners will have a built-in compass (ummm…), built-in video recording, editing and upload (something that admittedly has me drooling, but is also a first-gen release), and a new 3MP camera (again… for serious pics, I’m using my REAL digital camera and not a phone). That leaves improved performance of apps like Safari, Mail, etc. as selling points, and THAT is not enough to make me want to upgrade.

Come OS3.0 day, iPhone 3G owners will effectively end up with brand new phones – complete with landscape keyboard in key apps, push notifications, tethering, MMS, new APIs which will equal hot new apps, and more. For a guy like me who tweets, checks Facebook, ends the occasional e-mail and surfs the web a bit, OS3.0 will be all the upgrade I need… for now.

So – how long should one wait to upgrade hardware? I don’t know about you, but I’m waiting until:

- video editing gets a solid point revision
- I can’t run 3rd party killer apps on the 3G hardware
- iChat and iSight come to the iPhone
- a major OS overhaul which requires new hardware
- my current phone breaks (knock on wood, this won’t happen in the next 25 months)

In short – to all my iPhone 3G friends… wait! 3GS may be faster and have a couple of new bells and whistles… but I don’t believe it is necessary to change hardware just yet!

Sent from my iPhone 3G.

+J