Why Can't First Generation iPhones Receive MMS?

During the iPhone OS 3.0 event, Apple announced that the iPhone would finally be able to send and receive MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service).  It was also during that same event that we found out that the first generation iPhone would not be getting the highly sought after feature.  People began speculating that the first generation iPhone hardware may just not be capable, but of course that couldn't be the case since there are jailbreak applications out there, such as Swirly MMS, that are capable of doing such a thing on first generation iPhones.  Instead of speculating any further, MacLife decided to try to get some cold hard facts straight from the source, the chip maker. MacLife contacted an Infineon representative, the company that makes the PMB8876 chip contained within the first generation iPhone, to see if they knew the reason why Apple decided not to allow MMS on the first generation iPhone and here is what they came up with:

We contacted an Infineon representative in Milpitas, CA to uncover the details. The gentleman that answered the phone kindly explained that there is no way the Infineon chip inside the original iPhone is incapable of receiving MMS since that function relies on software rather than hardware.

MacLife also searched to find mobile phones that used the same chip to see if they too were unable to send or receive MMS.  To no one's surprise, the two models they discovered to contain the same chips as the first generation iPhone were both equipped with MMS capabilities. So if it's not the hardware, than it must be the software.  MacLife attempted to get a statement from Apple regarding the situation and they received the usual treatment:

"Now the hardware has changed enough between these two devices that not all the features will be available on the original iPhone. For instance, MMS and stereo Bluetooth will not be available on the original iPhone."

Apple never claims that the original iPhone is incapable of MMS, they simply state that the hardware has changed enough for the feature not to be available.  Apple has always been good with words. The moral of the story is that when iPhone OS 3.0 finally arrives this summer and you are a first generation iPhone user, don't go beating on Infineon's door, take your beef up with Apple.

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