iPhone 3G adds speed and an app platform

The second iPhone keeps the multitouch design and adds 3G networking, built-in GPS, and a lower starting price. Those changes address speed, location, and reach at once.

Apple’s iPhone 2.0 software and SDK make third-party applications part of the product’s identity. Exchange support also gives the phone a clearer place in business environments.

The announced App Store is still ahead of its opening, but the direction is unmistakable: the phone is becoming a software platform whose usefulness can expand after purchase. Developers now have a reason to design for a pocket computer.