You've all read about our huge iPhone HD/iPhone 4G give-away, haven't you? You remember the part where store.imore.com is helping to pass the time until Apple actually ships the new hawt thing by giving away a great accessory every week?

Well, this week we're giving away a Jawbone ICON Bluetooth headset. It's top of the line folks (check out the video after the break!), and all you have to do to enter is head on over to our iPhone Contest Forum and make sure you enter your video link, comment on a video link, or comment on what you expect or think about the up coming, next generation iPhone.

Oh, and if you start a new, original iPhone HD/iPhone 4G-related thread, it counts as TWO entries. Boom.

Quality posts only please. Mods will delete any lameness "post to win" or spam on site.

We're picking this week's winner soon, so get over the iPhone Contest Forum and enter now!

Yes we have more white next-generation iPhone casing images that have leaked out and this time they come to us from Powerbook Medic. The site claims they received the casing from one of their parts suppliers.

We first saw evidence of a all white iPhone when images of the faceplate surfaced and then shortly there after the those were followed up by images of what appeared to be a fully assembled all-white iPhone. While a video of a all white iPhone in action would be nice, we suppose we can exercise some patience and wait until June 7th when Steve shows us both - black and white devices...

The source link below seems to be down as of this writing but we have one more image after the break!

[Powerbook Medic]

That's right -- iPhone HD, iPhone 4G -- whatever Apple decides to call it, we're giving it away.

Here's the bottom line: you gotta make us a video telling us -- no, showing us -- why you should be the one who gets the 4th gen iPhone.

Make it funny. Make it scary. Make it silly. Make it out of this world, above and beyond awesome.

We want music, we want songs, we want skits, we want spoofs, we want action and adventure, we want drama and suspense, we want stop-motion animation and Blair Witch close-ups, we want tattoos and jello wrestling -- wait a minute, these are Kevin's notes! Bah! Never mind! -- we want the absolute best, most creative, most dazzling video you can make.

We want you to prove you're the one who deserves a 4th gen iPhone.

Watch the video below, then got to http://www.imore.com/contest to find out how to enter!

YouTube link

Okay, we've now seen almost everyone except for Steve Jobs show off the next generation iPhone HD/iPhone 4G on video. All that changes next Monday at the WWDC 2010 keynote, but until then, enjoy the continued greatest shot tease in tech...

Video after the break!

YouTube link

[9to5Mac]

With the flood of iPhone HD/iPhone 4G prototypes and spare parts turning up it was only a matter of time before someone put the screen under a microscope and began counting pixels, and yes -- it looks to be the ultra-sharp 960x640 pixel display we've been drooling over for a while now.

It also looks to be an IPS panel like the iPad and latest generation iMacs, which means those glorious dots will have an equally glorious field of view.

WWDC 2010 and the presumed official unveiling is just a week away!

[superiphone.cz via Engadget]

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Our music comes from the following sources:

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Another page to be filed in our increasingly full "things analysts say which may or may not be so" drawer says Apple wasn't sure whether or not the N90 "iPhone HD" prototype would be ready to launch and so had a safer, more iPhone 3GS-like N91 in the wings:

On a side note, Apple initiated the iPhone 4G project at the end of 2008. According to our sources, Apple actually has another product codenamed N91 for the project, which offers less change from previous iPhones compared with the N90. It's a parallel product to back up the N90 in case there are major delays due to significant modifications in casing, display resolution, digital camera support and so forth.

That resolution being the 960x640 we've heard rumored for a while, which is a magic number exactly twice vertical and horizontal to the current 480x320 iPhone and iPod touch resolution at pretty much the same physical size. That means existing apps will look virtually identical while new apps look even sharper -- no iPad-style chunky double fuzzies here. Likewise, if Apple wanted to introduce a larger, HTC HD2 or Incredible sized display later, that pixel density would still look great and still mean no work, no fracture for developers.

Other tidbits include:

• No AMOLED as they cost 3x as much and suppliers simply couldn't produce enough to meet the unit numbers Apple sells.
• Apple A4 based on ARM Cortex A8 as the A9 won't be ready until the end of the year, after the iPhone launch.
• Probably 512MB of RAM, though Apple has requested tests on both 256 and 512. (Dear Apple, we'd really like 512 please).

Again, we never know how reliable any of this will turn out to be, but with WWDC so close, we'll find out soon enough.

[Digitimes]

Looks like Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty has been tapped to create some new iPhone HD/iPhone 4G commercials for Apple. Further, Engadget tipsters brings word that the device, known internally as the Mammoth N90, will have a mother and daughter highlighting its iChat video feature in at least one of the commercials.

While it's not unprecedented for cameras to disappear from final Apple release products (see iPod touch G3 and possibly iPad), the front-facing iChat video camera is looking like a surer bet every day.

Now will AT&T charge extra for it, and would you use it?

[Engadget]

With the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G just around the corner and all the talk about AT&T finally losing exclusivity, it only stands to reason rumors of Sprint getting the device would also start to grow louder.

Just like with Verizon and even T-Mobile's funky GSM bands, we're sure Apple could technologically do it, but whether or not they could come to financial terms -- and more important when is less predictable. Sprint isn't doing as well as Verizon or AT&T, however, so they might be far more open to the type of control Apple would insist upon to get the deal done.

If it does happen, count us among those who think a WWDC 2010 announcement is less likely, with AT&T getting a short period of exclusivity with Apple's 4th generation iPhone, and other US carriers coming online in the fall, red, yellow, and perhaps even magenta all.

And if not, hey, Sprint's still got that commercial to tide them over.

[MacRumors]

Apple's 4th generation iPhone HD/iPhone 4G could be set to launch with a print magazine quality 960x640 in-plane switching (IPS), fringe-field switching (FFS) display, and a beefy 512MB of RAM according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo the in hit-and-miss industry trade, Digitimes.

Rumors of a 960x640 display first surfaced back in March from Daring Fireball. Given Steve Jobs' fondness for calligraphy and type and how much he's pushed their aesthetics in the digital age finally shipping a display where the dots no longer come between content and eyes would no doubt appeal to him. IPS is the technology used in the new iMac and iPad, FFS in HTC's Legend, and they help increase viewing angles and display quality. Resolution and technology would combine to make iBooks on iPhone the most high density, high quality type experience yet.

Further, they report Apple will stick with the ARM Cortex A8 currently found in the iPhone 3GS and iPad A4 SoC, not the multicore Cortex A9, but they'll be doubling the RAM to 512MB which should be especially useful for the new multitasking API found in iPhone OS 4. That number does conflict with the 256MB analysis based on lost iPhone G4 prototypes, but Apple can and will make changes and decide final specs up to and until it goes into full production.

Oh, and Foxconn will ship 24 million of them starting in June.

[Digitimes]

Add another image to the Taoviet iPhone HD/iPhone 4G prototype gallery, this one purporting to run iPhone OS 4 in all shades of blurred glory.

Did they really get the PRO2 (which is apparently an earlier prototype to the Gizmodo iPhone HD/iPhone 4G unit) to boot up Apple's next generation iPhone OS, or did some enterprising individual launch Photoshop, grab a 3GS resolution screen shot, match all the edges up, and then add the haze? If not, where's the sharp, multi-angled pics and video like yesterday's firmware-only posts?

You tell us -- real, fake, or really fake?

[Engadget, Thanks Damon for the tip!]

Another iPhone HD/iPhone 4G prototype has shown up on the internet and has been posed, torn-down, and shown off on video. This Taoviet prototype is similar to the Gizmodo prototype seen earlier in most respects, but is clearly labeled when it comes to storage -- 16GB -- and lacks the two screws on the bottom seen on the previous prototype as well as current iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS models.

Reportedly a Vietnamese businessman bought the 4th gen iPhone in the US for $4000 but how Apple lost control of it remains unknown. The screen looks stuck on a firmware test reading Inferno and calling itself Bonfire!, so no bootable iPhone OS 4 or special feature hints yet (sorry iChat video fans).

Unlike Gizmodo, Taoviet tore their prototype down to the system-on-chip (SoC) and the chipset looks to be an Apple A4 similar to the blazingly fast 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 and PowerVR SGX chip found in the iPad. (We're still holding some hope for a multicore Cortex A9, but we're never satisfied).

More pictures and video after the break!

UPDATE: iFixit sent us word that, based on analyzing the part numbers, it looks like this A4 chipset has the same amount of RAM as the iPad. 256MB. Drat.

[Taoviet via Macrumors, Engadget]

YouTube link

With the 4th generation iPhone HD/iPhone 4G almost certainly ramping up for production in anticipation for a WWDC 2010 introduction, it's not too surprising parts like the casing are beginning to show up in the wild.

What SmartPhone Medic is showing in the video below matches up to the iPhone prototype Gizmodo got their hands on, once again adding weight to the assertions that this is pretty close to the final design we'll see this June.

SmartPhone Medic also had the iPhone G4 screen back at the end of March. Impossible to keep these things secret anymore?

[SmartPhone Medic, thanks Tim for the tip!]

YouTube link

The 4th generation iPhone looks like it will be able to do some high definition (HD) video recording according to the iPhone 4 Beta SDK. A little digging into the code reveals that there are two presets for recording resolution, the current 640x480 (VGA) and a 1280x720 (720p).

• AVCaptureSessionPreset640x480
• AVCaptureSessionPreset1280x720

It is looking more and more like Rene will finally get that iPhone HD he has been craving for the past two years. If you were on the fence about upgrading your iPhone does HD video recording sway you to make the purchase?

[MacRumors]

While Gizmodo showed off a prototype iPhone HD/iPhone 4G just over a week ago, and revealed the identity of the Apple engineer who brought it to the now-infamous bar, the identity of the man who brought it from the bar to Gizmodo was not revealed -- until now.

An investigation by Wired involving (we kid you not), looking at social network posts and confirmed via a source (which was not revealed) led them to Brian J. Hogan, a 21-year-old resident of Redwood City, California who, through his lawyer, said:

• a story broadly matching that previously provided by Gizmodo
• that he regrets not doing more to try and return the iPhone prototype
• that the $5000 he received from Gizmodo was for exclusive access to the device for review purposes

According to his lawyer, he's also a good boy.

UPDATE: CNET has identified the man who contacted technology blogs like Gizmodo, Engagdget, etc. about the iPhone prototype as Sage Robert Wallower, a 27-year-old University of California at Berkeley student.

Police continue their investigation, the internet continues their discussion.

[Wired, CNET]

Apple.com has just put up this year's World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC 2010) page, and as suspected the dates are early -- June 7-11 at the traditional Moscone West venue in San Francisco.

For the last two years, Apple has also used the even to debut new iPhone hardware and release dates, with the iPhone 3GS in 2009 and iPhone 3G in 2008. The iPhone 2G was announced at Macworld in 2008, but its release date was made public at WWDC as well. All that to say it's fairly likely WWDC 2010 will not only give us our first official look at the 4th generation iPhone (iPhone HD, iPhone 4G, iPhone G4, whatever floats your moniker boat), but word on when we'll get it as well.

While the iPhone has only been part of WWDC for 3 years, given the app-centric nature of the artwork (above) its fair to say it'll be given the lion's share of attention this year.

UPDATE: It's iPhone OS-centric to say the least. Apple Design Awards, the Mac need not apply, and the course tracks listed are predominantly iPhone OS (iPhone, iPad). That's clearly where Apple is shifting their attention, at least for this year, and given their increasing iPhone OS earnings, it should come as no surprise.

The shot's been sounded people, the race to the next iPhone is on!

[Apple]

Exercising a search warrant last Friday, members of California's Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team seized evidence in the ongoing investigation into the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G that wound up outside of Apple's control and plastered all over the internet last week.

Gizmodo has the full account up, including the warrant, a response from Gawker legal, and their account of the events.

[Gizmodo]

Dilbert's author, Scott Adams, decided to poke a little fun at the whole iPhone HD/iPhone 4G incident by drafting up 2 strips of goodness that, because of the slow pace of newspaper publication, will only ever be seen on the web. Check them out.

[Dilbert.com via DF]

The circumstances surrounding that iPhone HD/iPhone 4G prototype that surfaced online this week are now officially being looked into by local law enforcement:

Apple has spoken to local police about the incident and the investigation is believed to be headed by a computer crime task force led by the Santa Clara County district attorney's office, the source said. Apple's Cupertino headquarters is in Santa Clara County, about 40 miles south of San Francisco.

None of the parties directly involved have commented yet, and seriously we don't expect them to at this point since anything they say could literally be used against them.

All we know is that this will make a heckuva sequel to Pirates of Silicon Valley. Wonder if Noah Wiley still has that black turtleneck...

[CNET, thanks to Jeremy and everyone who sent this in!]

In a larger article discussing the circumstances surrounding the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G that founds its way into Gizmodo's hands on Monday, Daring Fireball provides some interesting details about what just might be the near-final production unit:

• A few weeks ago engineers already familiar with the 4th generation iPhone were permitted to use disguised versions as their daily drivers as part of the cell phone testing process.
• The N90 visible on the Gizmodo phone matches the known code-name of Apple's next generation GSM iPhone (so, um, what's the codename for the non-GSM next-generation iPhone...?)
• The DVT stands for Design Verification Test, which is Apple parlance for a production milestone.
• That means what we saw on Monday is either close to final, or final hardware for the next generation iPhone.
• There's a cryptic footnote asking what Apple would do with a next-generation iPhone that was do different, design-wise, it couldn't be disguised as a current-generation model. (Please. Please don't start slider or flipper rumors!)

If there were still any lingering doubts, cast them aside. It looks like that cool black glass and banded aluminum sammich, or something closely refined from it, is what we're getting in June.

Yes, it's completely useless and quasi pornographic to compare prototype and rumored specs for unannounced, unfinished devices like the iPhone HD (iPhone 4G) with specs from real, announced, and shipping or shipped devices like the Verizon Droid Incredible, Sprint EVO 4G, and Google Nexus One. But it's damn fun.

We've gone over the iPhone HD design, given our thoughts on the hardware, so now check out the above graphic for just such a spec showdown. Yup, Android Central's epic army (as composed by the one and only Phil Nickinson) goes one-on-one with the magical unicorn that might just be Apple's next iPhone. Network, operating system, screen sizes, processors, memory, storage, data speed, MicroSD, rear camera, video recording, front camera, second mic, Adobe Flash support, Bluetooth, WiFi, MiFI-like hotspot, GPS, FM radio, TV-out, size, weight, battery, price, and SIM card support are all covered.

So get your geek on, click up top, and let us know how you think these devices stack up!

Before giving the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G back to Apple, Gizmodo have done a tear-down and provided plenty of pictures of what they've found inside, including 50% of the space being taken up by the battery (which is not user-removable), and a drastically smaller, metal cased logic board. (Not to mention screws aplenty).

They didn't want to break open the board, so no word on whether it has an Apple A4 or related system-on-chip (SoC) like the iPad, or how much RAM is inside, and no word yet on NAND Flash storage capacity either.

(And yes, they did put it back together again, dozens and dozens of screws and all).

Anyone see anything else interesting in the parts?

Yesterday we looked at the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G design, today we look at what that design embodied -- the iPhone HD/iPhone 4G hardware and specs. A lot of what was revealed in the Engadget pics and Gizmodo hands-on seems to confirm past rumors, a lot more still remains a mystery. One thing's for certain -- as much as Apple jumpstarted the smartphone space in 2007 with the original iPhone 2G, the competition has blown past them when it comes to hardware specs to date. That changes in 2010 with the iPhone HD.

We'll cover the internals, the CPU and GPU, RAM and capacity in a future post, but in terms of what could easily be discerned so far, let's break it down as follows:

Screen resolution

The original iPhone (and all iPhone models since) sported a 480x320 multitouch display. That display remains the absolute best multitouch screen on the market, bar none, but the resolution has been eclipsed by Android and Windows Phone where 800(+)x480 has become the new norm on the high end. HD2, Droid, Nexus One, Desire, EVO 4G, the list of obscenely large displays on competing platforms seems to be growing monthly. We were wondering (read: hoping) Apple would match that last year, even though we thought it would cause problems for developers (the way it has for Android). Apple didn't. They kept the iPhone 3GS at the same 480x320. This year we again hoped they'd match it. According to rumors, Apple won't -- they're going to exceed it.

Gizmodo couldn't see anything other than the connect-to-iTunes screen, so we don't know for certain what the actual resolution will be, but they claimed to be unable to see the pictures, but Daring Fireball has said a whopping 960x640 is what's supposed to be on the iPhone HD (hence the name TiPb predicted back in 2009 and Engadget hears just might be the name in 2010). That's twice the vertical and twice the horizontal pixel count as all the previous generations of iPhone. It's also over 300dpi at the physical size Gizmodo showed off. Daring Fireball points out, and our own past experience tells us, that's past fair quality print resolution, especially for color work. With Apple's sub-pixel anti-aliasing (where the red, green, and blue components of each pixel can be fired independently), it might just look as good as a high-end glossy magazine, and that would be incredible.

Being twice the current iPhone resolution also ties remarkably well into something Apple announced for the iPad and its larger, if less dense 1024x768 screen -- pixel doubling. Every pixel on the iPhone can be doubled to occupy four pixels (2 vertical x 2 horizontal) on the iPhone HD and at 300dpi look pretty much identical. No blurry double-chunky like on the iPad, and no problem for older iPhone apps. No fragmentation. (And when developers update with universal binaries for iPhone, they should look fantastic, and should also work at 1x at the same size as current iPhone apps work at 2x on the iPad). In other words, it solves a lot of problems for Apple and developers.

Front-facing camera

When the iPhone 2G shipped without Mobile iChat it was a source of speculation (conspiracy theorists thinking AT&T didn't want anything cutting into their lucrative SMS business). Since then there have been persistent rumors that not only was Mobile iChat coming, Mobile iChat video was coming with it. Of course, that would mean a front-facing camera -- a webcam or chat-cam. While it didn't appear on either the iPhone 3G or the iPhone 3GS, it is on the iPhone HD and strings for iChat have been showing up in the software starting in iPhone 3.2 for iPad and continuing into iPhone OS 4 beta 1.

Sprint's upcoming Android EVO 4G will have a front-facing camera when it ships, and will be working on a fast WiMax connection. Whether or not AT&T, which still faces data issues in some markets, will allow iChat video over their 3G network is unknown. If not, like movie downloads on current iPhones, it could be restricted to Wi-Fi only use, where cell bandwidth is no issue. Perhaps it will be similar to how streaming video is handled today -- lower quality of 3G, higher quality over Wi-Fi.

Bigger rear-facing camera

Gizmodo also noted that the camera on the back of the iPhone HD was "bigger". 5 megapixels would be nice. The new Verizon Droid Incredible has an 8 megapixel camera but if the point-and-shoot wars have taught us anything it's that pixel size... well, it matters, but it matters less than lens quality. We'd take a great 5 megapixel lens that doesn't cut up the sensor too much and gives better low-light sensitivity than a bigger, worse camera (ahem, Droid).

We'd also take 720p video recording. The 3GS is good enough for casual use. 720p would replace 90% of our video camera needs as well.

Camera flash

There looks to also be a flash, which would match with rumors of Apple looking for LED flash components. No, it's not built into a glowing Apple logo, but it's there.

Many other phones have had this for a long time, and while it wouldn't excite us as much as a quality low-light lens, we're not upset to see it.

Secondary mic

In addition to the same mic on the bottom of the device found in all previous iPhones, the iPhone HD looks to have a small mic on the top as well. Gizmodo theorizes that this is like the Nexus One -- a noise cancelation mic that reads ambient sound and removes it from the main audio channel making you sound clearer to the person on the other end.

If there's a top mounted iChat camera, however, could it also serve (or serve double duty) for chat?

Battery

The aluminum band around the iPhone HD is oddly broken at the bottom making it into two discreet pieces. Some have suggested this is so that the device can be easily opened and the battery swapped out. The EU is mandating user-swappable batteries, which is part of where the logic behind this line of thinking lies. There's also a break up top, so we're not even sure how far that logic goes.

Anything is possible, but given the size and type of batteries Apple is making lately, and the life they're getting out of them, we're not getting our hopes up. Gizmodo pegs the iPhone HD battery as 16% larger already -- 5.25 WHr at 3.7V vs. the current 4.51 WHr at 3.7V.

For the most part we have external chargers. Unless we could swap the battery for one that supported inductive charging, that is...

UPDATE: Gizmodo has done an iPhone HD tear-down and the battery in NOT removable. (So here's hoping those breaks in the aluminum are).

MicroSIM

Like iPad, the iPhone HD will use a MicroSIM as opposed to the MiniSIM found in current iPhones and almost all other phones. They're a standard and they're likely to become more common in the future, especially with Apple supporting them. (AT&T, Vodafone UK, Orange UK, O2, and Rogers have already announced support for the iPad).

They're also compatible with MiniSIM so you can cut down a MiniSIM to use it in a MicroSIM device, or put a "jacket" on a MicroSIM and use it in a MiniSIM device.

It'll make frequent SIM-switchers' lives more difficult for a while, no doubt, which might be part of the plan, but if it saves space inside for more battery, we won't complain too much.

Ceramic/glass back

The first iPhone 2G used aluminum for the back, with a plastic stripe to allow radio reception. The iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS went full on plastic. The iPhone HD seems to have a more glass-like back, but what that means exactly is uncertain. Certainly glass on the front and back would double the breakable surface area of the iPhone HD.

Mention has been made of an Apple patent for ceramics that would be glass-like, tough, and radio transparent. According to a source who claims familiarity with past Apple ceramic initiatives, however, that's unlikely for two reasons: pricing and rigidity. While there are ways around the rigidity, that drives up pricing. The flat backing, if final design, would be cheaper to deliver than something like the iPhone 3GS' curved back, but it wouldn't solve the rigidity problem. Apple has been so determined to keep their price-point down, raising it to cover the costs of a ceramic back might not make sense yet. Rather, something akin to Gorilla Glass could be used for the actual screen itself.

We're not super-smart chemists/alchemists, so whether or not Apple has solved those problems, or come up with some other material, there's no way to know.

Conclusion

So there it is -- a lot of rumor, a little hands-on, and just over a month to go before Steve Jobs takes the WWDC stage and almost certainly shows us all the final iPhone HD (or iPhone 4G, or whatever they call it). Like an episode of Lost, every answer until then will likely only leave us with more questions. We've shared our thoughts, now it's your turn. What do you think of the 4th generation iPhone specs seen and rumored so far?

Gizmodo got their hands on that lost iPhone G4 (iPhone HD/iPhone 4G/etc) prototype purportedly lost then found in a San Jose bar and reported on extensively yesterday. They've given it a thorough, geektonic once-over and here's the take away:

• Front-facing camera, bigger back camera with flash
• MicroSIM (like iPad)
• Higher res screen (exact dimensions unknown but could be the rumored 960x640)
• Potential second mic for noise cancellation

• All metal power, mute, and volume buttons

• Flat form-factor that's more squared-off with an aluminum outer border

• Shiny glass/plastic (ceramic?) back
• Slightly smaller and 3 grams beefier than iPhone 3GS
• Battery is 16% bigger, made possible by shrinking everything else

Giz claims they've been playing with the 4th gen iPhone for about a week (?!) and they think its the real deal. They have some videos up and tons more info as well so check out the link up top for more and let us know what you think. This looks like an honest-to-Jobs unfinished 4th gen iPhone -- do you like it?

Our sibling site Android Central has just published a full review of the Verizon Droid Incredible -- the latest Google superphone Android competition to the iPhone. (And yes, it does seem like they're coming more than once a month now -- we feel bad for Phil!).

It's pretty much a gussied-up Nexus One with Sense UI, which you'd think would make it a Desire but it bumps a few specs (like an 8mp camera with dual LED flash) and a CDMA radio (which the Nexus One was supposed to do but hasn't yet, and the iPhone keeps being rumored to do but hasn't yet either).

All three devices are by HTC, who Apple is suing for patent infringement, and their ability to keep dropping high-end Android bombs like this is likely the reason why. Say what you want about software fragmentation, highly restricted app storage, and OLED screens you may or may not be able to see out in the daylight, the absolutely relentless improvements in UI and hardware both is very much in keeping with the robotic nature of the brand.

Apple of course is widely expected to counter this summer not only with the multitasking iPhone OS 4 (see our complete preview and feature walkthrough), but with 4th generation hardware leaps of its own -- front facing camera, huge 960x640 display, and only Jobs knows what else.

Whether those iPhone on Verizon rumors finally pan out along with it, or in September, or only in 2011 we don't know, but our advice to potential buyers remains the same as in our iPhone vs. Nexus One: which should you buy?. Check that post for details, but in broad strokes:

• If you have to get a new phone right now and you want AT&T, the 2009 iPhone 3GS (see our review) remains head of that class. If you want Verizon, however, the Incredible is certainly a credible choice. The original Droid has a hardware keyboard (lackluster though it may be) and the Nexus One has the Google rather than HTC Sense UI (though who knows when it will actually ship?) so it's an embarrassment of Android riches over in Big Red land. (If you're on Sprint, it's EVO 4G 'natch).

• If you can wait until the summer and aren't fussy about carriers, Google may have another (two, three?) Androids on the market by then, but we have a sneaky suspicion Apple and iPhone HD (it won't be called iPhone 4G) along with iPhone OS 4 will be the ones to watch in 2010. Again.

Head on over to Android Central's complete Verizon Droid Incredible coverage for more, and let us know what you think -- is it incredible?

Engadget is now standing firm behind those images of an "iPhone 4G" they posted yesterday, claiming pictures they nabbed right before the iPad launch as proof it's not just a knock-off. And what's more:

a source -- who confirms this is the next Apple iPhone -- also tells us that the device apparently does have a higher res screen on-board, a front-facing camera, a higher resolution camera with flash, and takes MicroSIM cards.

Not only that, MacRumor's forums claim to have pictures from a Chinese website showing the guts of the device.

We're still saying it can't be called an iPhone 4G, since Apple used iPhone 3G for the 2nd generation due to its 3G radio, and likely would do the same for an iPhone 4G, signifying a 4G LTE radio -- which won't be supported in the US until 2011 at the earliest. iPhone HD is still a candidate, however, due to the higher resolution screen.

Now this still looks so different, so cobbled together that, if it does indeed come from Apple's labs, it's more likely prototype hardware than finished design -- a way to test the guts of the machine and how it works with new software features.

UPDATE: Daring Fireball claims to have called "around" (read: into Apple contacts) and now believes:

this is an actual unit from Apple — a unit Apple is very interested in getting back. I am not certain that this is the actual production unit Apple intends to ship to consumers. I think it’s a testbed frame — thicker, with visible (un-Apple-like) seams, meant to fit in 3GS cases so as to disguise units out in the wild. It’s hard to tell from the photos. But I think it is the real deal in terms of the internals and display being next-gen iPhone hardware, and the new glass back. A front-facing camera and 960 × 640 display are two things I know are slated for the next iPhone. (The “80 GB” of storage sounds like a mistake to me, but who knows? SSD storage typically comes only in even power-of-two increments.)

Either way, given the blogsphere reaction, it sure does take attention way from what Android and Verizon are getting ready, doesn't it?

Given the differences between it and current iPhone models, do you hope this is the direction they're actually going, or that the final iPhone 4G looks nothing like it?

Daring Fireball often blurs the line between carefully concealed wink-nudge leak and flat out facetious commentary, so with that in mind John Gruber has this to say about the 4th generation iPhone (which still won't be called iPhone 4G!):

• Apple A4-family system-on-a-chip. Nothing on whether that would be the ARM Cortex A9 multicore CPU with brand new PowerVR SGX GPU we've been drooling over, however.
• 960x640 display. That would be bigger than even the bigger DROID Google Android phone, but fit perfectly with the mediocre pixel-doubling announced for current iPhone apps on the iPad's 1024x768 display.
• Front facing camera. Which would mean all those iChat Video rumors we've been hearing about forever would finally come true, albeit after the HTC EVO 4G broke the barrier.
• 3rd party multitasking in iPhone 4.0. Yeah, that one we've got covered going way back. Which just don't know how they're going to implement it yet?

Again, this could just be Gruber cracking wise at the WSJ's Verizon-rumoring expense. However, a lot of this might also be considered obvious things Apple "has to do" to stay competitive. Yet Apple hasn't exactly been pushing the hardware specs since the iPhone 2G back in 2007. Steve Jobs was rumored to have said the next iPhone will be an A+ upgrade. Is the above a good start?

UPDATE: Engadget says they're hearing it will launch on June 22 and be called the iPhone HD. Hey, that sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Take this with a 7-to-10 inch capacitive grain of salt, but French site M4Ever [Google translate link] is claiming that we might just see iPhone 4.0 beta fairly soon (hey, maybe as soon as the Jan. 27 media event?) Macrumors supplies the clean text:

Several of our sources give us two pieces of information concerning the famous Apple tablet: In late January, in addition to its tablet, Cupertino should have a beta of iPhone OS 4, accompanied by an SDK. Our informants also tell us of a "simulator" specifically adapted for the tablet. Evidently, the major novelty of the SDK therefore concerns the interface, making it easier for developers to adapt to different screen resolutions. The new iPhone could also benefit from a higher pixel density.

Real, fake, really fake? We know we'll get iPhone 4.0 seeded to developers eventually, and resolution independence (i.e. iPhone HD and iTablet) is something TiPb's been talking about for a while now. No matter what, if Apple wants App Store level success to continue with next generation devices, they'll need to get the SDKs into the hands of developers, so while -- again -- this is just a rumor, it's going to come true sooner or later. The only real question is... when?

It's not the previously rumored Tuesday, Jan. 26, but Digital Daily is claming a "source in a position to know" has told them:

Apple (AAPL) is indeed planning a media event later this month at which the company will announce a major new product.

Steve Jobs has "dented the universe" previously with the Apple II, Mac, iPod and iTunes, Pixar, and again with the iPhone. He's reportedly been working on a new product, often referred to as "the tablet" (or iTablet) with special focus for the last while. Given how tightly integrated Apple is as a company, where Mac development enhances iPhone enriches iPod touch amps up Apple TV goes right back into the Mac, whether or not this new product is an iPhone, and iPhone HD, a new iPod, or the much-rumored iTablet, the services and technologies it brings with it will no doubt be reflected in iPhone 4.0 and whatever 4th generation iPhone comes later.

That's why TiPb is following these stories with such interest. iTunes LP and iTunes Extras is a side note until it's the foundation for new media on an iTablet and iPhone. The iTablet OS X is a tangent until iPhone HD uses its pixels to much the same effect.

And that's why we'll do our best to cover it for you up to Jan. 27, on that day, and thereafter. (Unless it's only iLife '10, in which case we'll blog it and move on... )

Meanwhile, let us know what you think Apple will be announcing, and what you want them to announce, if different.

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Join Rene and special guests Phil Nickinson of Android Central and WMExperts and Keith Newman of the PreCentral.net PalmCast Round Robin Android Droid and Hero vs. iPhone and Windows Phone HD2 and Touch Pro2 vs. iPhone, more iTablet, iPhone HD, and iPhone 4.0 rumors, and all the week's news and opinions. Listen in!

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Fox News' Clayton Morris is upping the ante on the rumored January 26 Apple Media Event, not only saying it's the real deal, but that it will focus on "mobility":

I've spoken to a source inside Apple who confirmed a "big" event for January. While nothing official has been handed down from the notoriously tight-lipped company, my source took the Financial Times report one step further by saying this event will focus on the mobility space, meaning we'll see something related to the iPhone/iPod touch product line.

An earlier than usual iPhone 4.0 preview to give developers time to go resolution-independent for an iPhone HD? A camera-toting iPod touch to p!$$ off everyone who got the camera-less version for Xmas? An announcement that Apple is taking itself fully to the cloud? Or just some iTablet/iSlate the entire interwebs have been gossiping about for years?

If you've Quantum Leap'ed or flashback'ed from this fictional future, let us know!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Given the rumors culminating today in the Tuesday, January 26th Special Media Event mother of all rumors, the speculation about the when is only compounded by the what, and on that raging inferno of fantasy, TiPb is once again wondering if maybe not only (or not even) an iTablet fits the bill -- but an iPhone 4.0 unveiled early in advance of an iPhone HD.

Yes, we're speculating about iPhone HD again (not just 5 megapixel cameras, thanksfortheflash). As we've noted many times, iPhone 3.2 has been screamingly loud in its absence, and one of the reasons we keep hearing being whispered is that's because Apple's investing all their energy into iPhone 4.0.

In the last year, devices like the Android Droid (and especially Nexus One) and Windows Mobile HD2 have been in-Apple's-face about taking it to the iPhone in terms of size and quality of the displays, and while TiPb was straight-up wrong in thinking Apple would give us an iPhone HD in 2009, could they afford not to, competitively, make that jump in 2010?

If they do, it will break the much-ballyhooed "single platform" model of the iPhone that so appeals to developers, but that's already straining under GSP/no-GPS, cell/no-cell, Cortex A8 processor/old slow, processor today. Apple will need to suck up the screen size break at some point, and if they do, holding an event in January rather than March like they've done for the previous two years would give developers more time to adapt their applications to fill an (AM)OLED WVGA screen (480 by 800something).

No other change, not 802.11n, HD-TV out, WiFi Direct, iTunes TV subscriptions, even multitasking or better notification system, the ever-popular glowing Apple logo, or even a shift to multi-core chips, will likely affect more developers in more ways than a jump in screen size. And if Apple is planning to show off an iTablet, either in January or in the near future, getting developers thinking about resolution independence sooner is much better than later.

Could that be why there's signs of iPhone 4.0 and a 4th generation iPhone? Or is that just part of the regular cycle just like years past, and this just more fanboy-fed speculation, just like years past?

In January 2007 Steve Jobs showed off the almost final Apple TV and introduced the iPhone. In January 2010 could he show off the iPhone HD and introduce the iTablet?

(Tip of the hat to antonioj for speculative re-enforcement)

Can the iPhone 3GS play back 720p and even 1080p source videos, perhaps even output them to an HDTV? Looks like it might, according to WeiPhone.com who claim to have gotten just such functionality working via the FileAid app.

Of course, we've heard the iPhone 3GS chipset was capable of recording in 720p before. Hey, this time last year we even heard the older, less-powerful iPhone 3G might be able to handle 1080p.

So, while not surprising, it's important to remember that the iPhone 3GS has a 320p (480x320 to be exact) display, so actually playing the files on the device -- aside from heat and battery life concerns -- would result in downscaling to such an extent that it's pretty much pointless (perhaps why Apple doesn't surface it as a feature at this point?)

It is interesting to consider, however, that Apple has another music event just a couple weeks away, and that Microsoft is making noise about the Zune HD outputting 720p to an external display. If Apple could flip a switch in iPhone 3.1 and enable 720p or 1080p overkill out via AV cables (better yet -- HDMI cable!) then that's one less checkbox in competitors' corner, and one more feature for iPhone and iPod touch users to enjoy.

(Of course, bigger video means more storage, like 32GB in an iPhone and 64GB in a presumed third-gen iPhone touch... Hmm... Maybe I was only partially crazy to predict an iPhone HD last year?)

[via iLounge]

What a difference a year makes. 2008 saw the introduction of iPhone SDK, iPhone 2.0, App Store, MobileMe, and iPhone 3G, the latter two of which were announced at WWDC and prefaced a worldwide rollout that broke Apple's conservative goal of shipping 10 million units.

We've seen iPhone 3.0, the changes to the SDK and App Store, and now on the eve of WWDC 2009 it's time to think about what else we just might see one year later, and -- according to Apple -- lightyears ahead.

No one knows exactly what Apple is going to do. They make the cold war Kremlin seem positively chatty by comparison. That doesn't mean we don't have rough ideas. See, Apple likes their patterns. They like showing iPods off in the fall, for example, and they seem to like June for showing off the iPhone. So, based on WWDC 2008, the iPhone 3.0 Sneak Preview, and the more consistent rumors since then, we might be able to draw some educated guesses as to how WWDC 2009 might play out...

Schiller Time

Last year Great Balls of Fire filled Moscone Center and Steve Jobs took center stage. This year Phil Schiller, Vice President of Marketing, will be headlining the keynote, as he did the last -- and final -- Apple keynote at Macworld in January.

Jobs announced a sellout last year. They had a faster one this year. Schiller will no doubt mention that, and cover the WWDC session housekeeping before the fun begins.

Whether Schiller elaborates on the "three legs" of Apple's business - Mac, iPod, and iPhone -- before singling out the iPhone, or just singles it out right away, the predominance of iPhone over Mac signage seen so far, and Snow Leopard being more of an internal update to Mac OS X, leads us to think this year will be every bit as iPhone-centric, if not more.

Special caveat: if the outside rumors are true, if Apple intends to delay announcement of new iPhone hardware for an event later in the summer, when Steve Jobs is back in the saddle, we expect Schiller will start off by saying something to the effect of "we're not here to discuss iPhone hardware today" so as to immediately re-set expectations. To not mention it in advance, and then not announce it, would blot out anything else Apple could say.

We don't expect that, however. Apple has shown they're no longer a one-man-show. They don't need to wait for Steve Jobs to return. So, we expect no early re-set. We expect Schiller to jump right into--

iPhone 3.0 Review

iPhone 3.0 will no doubt lead off the show. We'll get the perfunctory State of the iPhone Development address. The numbers should be staggering. 4,000 developers had been admitted this time last year. No doubt that has been eclipsed by a wide, wide margin. Same for App Store numbers. 47,000+ apps, 1.x billion downloads. We'll hear just how big Apple's monster has become.

A rundown of the OS details, likely similar to the iPhone 3.0 Sneak Preview event, will kick us off. It's a fairly massive list, so hopefully Schiller will stick to the highlights.

Last year, Exchange and Enterprise were a large part of iPhone 2.0, and Jobs spent a good bit of time on showing off Fortune 500 and higher education participation in the beta. If Apple is serious about continuing their push into IT, maybe we'll get another video. We're guessing we don't. The SDK peripheral access via USB tether and Bluetooth looks to fill that role this year, so just like we saw blood pressure and diabetes apps and accessories at the iPhone 3.0 Sneak Preview event, we expect to see even more impressive demoes of that kind of functionality at WWDC.

Demo Time

Cue Scott Forstall, Vice President of iPhone Software. Forstall handled the SDK element of WWDC 2008, and the lion's share of iPhone 3.0 software at the Sneak Preview event, and he's likely to do the same at WWDC 2009. No doubt his technical overview will "blow us away".

1000 new APIs, and developer demos, June's show should again repeat quite a bit of March's show, though we beg you, Apple -- please don't draw the demos out as long as you have the last few times. Please.

Still, Push Notification, in-app purchases, P2P gaming, and the aforementioned peripheral access will take up more than their fair chunk of time.

Speaking of Push Notification, Forstall spoke about it a year ago -- introduced it to us in fact, and promised it for September 2008 release. It was delayed until 3.0, when we saw it again at March's Sneak Preview. He's spent time poking fun at other platforms' multitasking solutions, their management complexity and battery drain. We're not sure he'll do that again now, in a post Palm Pre "Cards" smartphone space, but if any company is ballsy enough to blaze ahead with that strategy, it's Apple. Still, we expect to see the final, polished version of Push Notification, nothing more. No multi-tasking surprises, at least not yet.

iPhone 3.0 New Features

It's possible minor additions, things that Apple doesn't believe make a major impact on 3rd party developers, such as further tweaks to the built-in apps could be shown (like last year's landscape scientific calculator). Apple showed an awful lot of that kind of tweak back in March, however, and they certainly have enough on their plate already. So we don't expect anything earth shattering. Again, at least not yet.

By the same token, while we'd love to hear Apple tell us they're solving the App Store review problem, making more transparent processes and guidelines, improving the Ad Hoc and beta testing process, we've learned a little helplessness in that regard. (Surprise us Apple!)

iPhone 3.0 Release date

Apple will announce it, of course, but there will be a couple of factors at play. If they're planning to release the OS update independently from any hardware update, they'll likely give us the date right away. If, however, they plan on once again doing a coordinated release, they'll make us wait until the end of the keynote.

Our bet? Sooner rather than later. Coordinate release last year hammered Apple hard. Maybe they could handle it this year, maybe not. But they don't need to. With iPhone 2G 24-month subscription accounting period ending June 29, with Palm Pre getting a lot of technorati attention, Apple can release 3.0 either after the keynote or right after WWDC and then update to 3.0.1 or 3.1 later in the summer.

MobileMe

Phil Schiller is the star of the show this time, but he was relegated to a supporting role last year. And that role was introducing MobileMe. Could we see a MobileMe 2.0? We know developers have found strings for a new MobileMe WebApp, Find My iPhone in the 3.0 firmware, so if nothing else we should see that. With most of its growing pains behind it, however, there's certainly room for Apple to begin expanding the service.

Regular updates via the MobileMe News blog for things like File Sharing (which were actually promised at launch but not delivered until later) suggest that Apple might be content simply rolling out new features as they finish them. If that's the case, while we won't see a whole new version -- certainly nothing as ambitious as Google Wave -- we could see whatever other new features are ready, or will be made ready during the summer.

Notes sync, given the new iPhone 3.0 desktop functionality, certainly makes sense. We'd love photo sync as well. Task sync would really round things out, but unless a built in task app is one of those extra new features, there's little chance of that this time. Online backup would be competitive with Microsoft's MyPhone and Palm's new Pre features. Server-side calendar subscriptions would also mirror on-device functionality, and server-side email rules would just make life so much easier, as would the ability to pull in other email services, a la Gmail. Speaking of which, Apple has already integrated Google into iCal and Address Book on the Mac, why not in MobileMe? And with FaceBook and Flickr living in iLife, could they also find some form of integration into MobileMe?

Heh. We doubt it. Our prediction is minor, evolutionary improvements for MobileMe, with one or two new features like Find My Phone thrown in for good measure.

iPhone International

Last year Steve Jobs presented a list of what the iPhone still needed. 1st on that list was 3G, followed by Enterprise support, 3rd party apps, and more countries. The middle two had already been addressed earlier in the keynote, and since then both 3G and a worldwide rollout have come to pass. Sort of. There's still the small matter of China.

It's a big deal in terms of market, and rumors have persisted about Apple trying to make deals with China Mobile and China Unicom, and even making a special Chinese CDMA iPhone to better fit that market's needs. They may do just that, but ultimately Apple is a US company and WWDC is a US show, so while it may get a mention, it won't be the main event. The third generation iPhone will be.

Third Generation iPhone

We predicted an iPhone HD back in October. Turns out we're getting a Zune HD instead. (Hey, maybe next year?). What Apple looks to be focusing on this year is an iPhone with video. And a fast iPhone at that.

Consistent rumors point to speed. Faster CPU, more RAM, faster 3.5G or 3.75G and 802.11n Wi-Fi networking. And a 3.2 inch, auto-focusing, video-recording camera in front of it.

If last year's model was named iPhone 3G to highlight last year's killer feature, iPhone video, as many rumors are now suggesting, could certainly highlight this year's.

The casing could see cosmetic changes, the digital compass could get some demo time, but shooting video, editing video, and sharing video -- all of which have been found in the 3.0 firmware screens, will be the star of the show.

And like with web browsing in 2007 and apps in 2008, Apple will bring ultra-mobile video production and publishing to the masses in 2009.

If they can take a page from iMovie and include direct upload not only to MobileMe but to YouTube as well -- well, the next set of TV commercials have just written themselves, haven't they?

(This is also where we'll see those previously undisclosed iPhone 3.0 features, of course).

It will be Phil Schiller pulling it from his pocket this year, not Steve Jobs. Sure, we'd love Jobs to be the "one more thing..." that comes on stage, triumphantly returning, iPhone video in hand. We'd love for a special iChat Mobile demonstration with Steve Jobs on the other end. Heck, we'd settle for hearing Steve Jobs over the phone or being sent a video clip while on the phone... Anything.

But realistically Apple has always said "end of June", and if Steve Jobs looks anything less than Greek god-like, history shows Apple takes a stock hit.

So, yeah, Phil Schiller will be waving the new iPhone high over Moscone, going over the battery details (please let John Gruber's 15-20% bump in battery life be correct), doing the demos, and announcing the price...

Pricing and Availability

Apple was aggressive last year in hitting $199/$299. Given the current competitive landscape, we can't see them being anything other than the same this year. You'll get more iPhone for your money, but it will cost the same money. $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB (given the availability of the double-density NAND Flash chips of course -- with Palm Pre only coming in at 8GB, Apple may think video alone is enough until component costs are sufficiently low).

The $99 iPhone? That'll be the iPhone 3G, on clearance, while supplies last.

Color will stay the same as well. No aluminum unibody iPhones this year.

Availability... we're hoping the same as last year -- as close to simultaneous release in all major markets as possible (especially Canada!).

Release Date Take III

Tomorrow just sounds too soon to us. If it really was going to be in Apple stores before the keynote, we'd have expected to see some leaks by now -- mysterious packages arriving, back store pictures, etc.

FCC clearance will no doubt be announced as quickly as possible (it was same day as WWDC last year), and while it's possible online ordering or even shipping to Apple Stores could be announced immediately, there's one huge reason we doubt it:

AT&T.

The iPhone is a two-part show, Apple and carrier. AT&T, and other carriers, will need to announce MMS plans and tethering plans. They'll have to announce upgrade paths for users still on contract for iPhone 3G. Unless AT&T is up on stage with Apple at WWDC and announces everything with crystal clarity right away, it'll be a customer support nightmare.

No, we think Apple will announce the date, but that the date will be some reasonable period of time after WWDC. Maybe a week, maybe a month like last year.

Unless Apple has secretly been shipping over new internals in iPhone 3G casings for a while now, they'll need to fill the channel and organize a huge, splashy launch just like they did last year and the year before.

June 26 would be close to the 2 year anniversary. July 10 to the 3G anniversary.

We'll take a risk and go for June 26.

Ad

The only thing we don't know is if we'll see a new ad for it to close out the show. Last year they shut down the flagship Apple Store to film one. This year, nothing so obvious. We hope so, it's a very Apple thing to do.

Conclusion

So that's it. That's our predictions for how the WWDC 2009 keynote will roll out tomorrow. Now all that's left is for us to watch tomorrow and find out!

While previous rumors had Apple announcing iPhone video tomorrow at WWDC 2009, Daring Fireball's John Gruber has just put up his predictions and, at least in code name form, they're going with "iPhone 3GS" -- though they don't offer what the "S" stands for...

In the past, Daring Fireball's predictions have at times seemed closer akin to inside information, so it's worth paying attention to. In terms of specs, Gruber is sticking with what he previously predicted:

significantly faster processors, twice the RAM, and twice the storage. I expected prices to remain the same as the current lineup: $199/299 for 16/32 GB, respectively. The video camera is going to be a major selling point. [...] battery life: 15-20 percent longer than the iPhone 3G.

As to the oft rumored iPhone nano/mini, while he does see Apple eventually doing a distinct iPhone nano model, much like the iPod nano, for now:

I would wager heavily on [the iPhone 3G 8GB becoming the $99 iPhone] — that the new iPhone 3GS models will not replace the 3G, but rather assume the flagship position while the year-old 3G slides down to the second spot in the product lineup.

On the subject of the equally oft rumored iTablet, Gruber thinks it's real, but not yet ready to be announced.

In less than a day, we'll all know for sure!

Tomorrow is WWDC 2009. We'll no doubt get a second preview of iPhone 3.0 and hopefully a release date to go along with it -- if not the actual release itself.

We've done our best to cover iPhone 3.0, both through our massive and continuously updated iPhone 3.0 Beta Walkthrough, and our ongoing iPhone 3.0 blog posts. But what will that release -- tomorrow, later this week, or later this "summer" -- mean for current owners of the 2007 original iPhone 2G and the 2008 iPhone 3G, never mind the 2009 iPhone... whatever it ends up being called.

Let's take a look!

2007 iPhone 2G on 3.0

Apple has provided an unprecedented amount of software updates -- free software updates -- for iPhone owners. What originally shipped with OS 1.0 received a series of interim updates until 2008, when they got 2.0, and now 2.2.1.

Even after the 2-year subscription accounting model Apple users is on the verge of expiring, Apple announced back at the iPhone 3.0 Sneak Preview Event that they would also be providing 3.0, free of charge, to iPhone 2G owners. (That expiration date might even play a factor in the 3.0 release date, who knows?)

Controversially citing hardware limitations, however, at least 2 major features won't be made available:

• MMS
• Stereo Bluetooth

Of course, it won't get new features tied to the new hardware. It didn't get GPS and 3G last year, and it won't get the presumed digital compass, storage, RAM, CPU, etc. upgrades this year -- which means video recording is likely off the table as well. Other than that, your 2007 iPhone be made 2009 hardware fresh.

2008 iPhone 3G on 3.0

Apple demonstrated iPhone 3.0 on the current, iPhone 3G, and all the improvements publicly shown so far were shown specifically for the iPhone 3G.

That means, come iPhone 3.0 release day, the very least iPhone 3G owners can expect is what Apple showed -- and what most developers have been using since March.

Of course, developers who dug into the 3.0 code have found extra functionality. Some of it, like the digital compass, would require new hardware. Video recording may or may not require the additional storage, RAM, CPU power, of the new hardware.

Everything else, however, will be made 2009 good for your 2008 iPhone.

2009 iPhone ? on 3.0

Well, that's the question now isn't it? Apple hasn't announced any new iPhone for 2009 yet, but they're widely expected to tomorrow. Based on the code strings referenced about, it will include new hardware features and boosted internals.

So, at the very least, if you decide to upgrade to new hardware along with your new software, you'll get everything the iPhone 3G gets... and probably more.

Conclusion

So, if you're still rocking the iPhone 2G with no interest in upgrading, Apple still has a pretty nice present coming your way with 3.0. Feature-set alone, it will be like getting a whole new phone.

For iPhone 3G owners with not intention of changing, you'll still get everything you've been promised so far. And, yeah, it'll feel like a whole new phone.

And for those of you who simply must have the third generation hardware, either as an upgrade or as a first time iPhone owner, well, we ain't seen nothing yet.

The WWDC Keynote is tomorrow. Phil Schiller and Apple Execs take the stage as Moscone to update us on iPhone 3.0 and -- hopefully! -- announce iPhone 2,1 hardware (iPhone video in the latest rumors).

Makes sense that them rumors then would be hitting the high point of crazy today? By way of iSpazio (via Gizmodo), we get the above shot of a supposed iPhone with Mobile iChat video (is that why the ear piece has been raised up, to make room for the camera?), a two-tone iPhone, and the mother load of all whacky leaks:

A supposed Canadian source with inventory listings for -- we kid you not -- multicolor 64GB iPhones with flowers and bunnies on them. Yeah, somebody is having a little fun there in data entry... But here's the thing:

Make. It. Stop.

Seriously Phil.

Announce it tomorrow. The insanity must end...

(At least until speculation for 2010 starts!)

Yeah, we're suffering just as much anticipointment over all these possible maybe blurry photoshopped "leaks" of the 3rd gen iPhone as you are. But the wait for WWDC's Monday keynote -- for the real answers! -- is just about driving us batty anyway, so we might as well distract ourselves.

Engadget grabbed this one from Nowhere Else. How does it grab your?

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Join Chad and Rene for... what else? iPhone 3.0 and 3rd generation iPhone, WWDC 2009, and the 'splosion of news and rumors. Full show notes to follow a bit later, we wanted to push this out to ya!

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Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
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We get leaked third generation iPhone pictures. Not all of them are compelling enough to post or link to, but every once and a while, something comes in that fires off the old brainstorms. See above.

This one was sent to us by Emanuel who said simply, "Hello, this is leaked Photo of the iPhone video coming out June 9."

Date aside -- how tall is that screen now? Quite a bit taller than the current iPhones and iPods touch. We've heard rumors of a repositioned ear piece before, and this could certainly be a reason for it.

Not only is it taller, however, it's also exactly 16x9, that magical widescreen video ration the current iPhone achieves by letter-boxing, and what the Zune HD will have by going with a slimmer 272x480 display.

Apple can't cut pixels -- it would play havoc with all those 40,000ish apps that count on every single one of the current 320x480. Assuming Apple adds to them then, we'll be looking at 320x570.

Adding pixels wouldn't create the same problem for developers, since current apps would still fit on the wider screen. However, instead of having to letter-box video as much (some video is even wider than 16x9), Apple would suddenly be letter-boxing (or pillar-boxing) everything else. That doesn't sound like Apple.

We'll speculate after the break!

Enter our noble editor-in-chief, Dieter Bohn: "Hey, what if they just left the dock visible for everything but video. That would make app switching a lot faster."

Doing the math, the current iPhone dock is 90 pixels high. 480 (old screen height) + 90 (dock height) = 570, which looks to fit nicely into 16x9.

Sure, landscape mode would require a dock that re-stacked vertically during transition. The current dock would likely also cause some problems for some users in an always-on implementation, coming too close to the menu tabs many apps use at the bottom of the current iPhone screen, and making the overall look a tad busy and cluttered.

The ability to auto-hide the dock like in Mac OS X (where you see pillar-boxes of black until you touch the area) could solve that. So could a whole new dock or approach to the home screen in general, which Daring Fireball's John Gruber had on his wish-list going back to Macworld 2009 in January.

So, let's break this back down. The picture above claims to be a leak of the iPhone video, available January 9. It has a 16x9 screen ratio. Do you think a) the picture could be real, b) the release date of June 9 could be real (it's been rumored already), c) Apple could go with an even wider, wide screen iPod, and d) if they do, how will they handle it for existing applications?

We have roughly 48hrs to figure it out for ourselves before Phil Schiller takes the keynote stage at WWDC and -- hopefully -- tells us for sure.

Gearlive (via BGR) is reporting that Apple will not only announce the third generation "iPhone video" (that's the name they use, so we'll mirror it here) this Monday, June 8, but actually have it available for sale at Apple stores the same day.

it will be available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB models. A 4GB model is in the works as well, but it won’t be available on Monday, and when it is released, it won’t be sold in Apple Stores. All the things you’ve been seeing about an auto-focus camera, compass, etc. are all true. A camera on front along with a camera on back, that is the real deal - although it may just be for you to take video of yourself, and not for iChat video communication (although that would freaking rock.) A faster processor is also a lock (although I have heard nothing on additional RAM, it would make sense.)

Gearlive basically thinks Apple was going to release in July, but are rushing it up in an effort to counteract the release of the Palm Pre tomorrow, June 6.

TiPb isn't so sure. Last year's iPhone 3G was announced at WWDC on June 9, was cleared by the FCC that same day (presumably to prevent leaks), and went on sale July 11. Could iPhone video get announced, clear FCC, and hit the streets all in one day?

Also, last year Apple announced their carrier partners at WWDC, and those carrier partners spent the next month unveiling rate plans, upgrade paths, etc. Has AT&T, or any carrier, breathed a word about an MMS plan for iPhones? A way to upgrade from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone video? Would releasing the iPhone video not create an immediate customer service nightmare for Apple and AT&T as everyone showed up, nothing but questions to ask?

We don't know. Only Apple does. We know we want it though, and figure you do too. But could Apple really release the iPhone video this Monday?!

TGRBlog (via iSpazio) has put together a graphical representations (above) of all the major third generation iPhone (iPhone 2,1) rumors, color-ranked by likelihood. Very nice!

Could WWDC be any closer...?

We've gone round and round on this before. I think Dieter and I may have mentioned this as one of a hundred guesses on the last Phone different podcast, but discounted it as being, like iPhone Extreme, something that fits into Apple's brand but doesn't really feel like a direction Apple would go.

TUAW was tipped to it being -- briefly -- on the AT&T website, however, so we have to consider it, don't we? (If the screen cap is for real).

Once upon a time Steve Jobs said no one wants to watch video on a tiny screen. Then Apple released the iPod video. So, there is precedent. Also, Apple named the iPhone 3G after its "killer" feature -- access to a faster cell network. So, if Apple considers video shooting, editing, and sharing to the the third generation's "killer" feature, iPhone video would certainly throw the spotlight on it (better than iPhone Compass, at least!)

That's the same thinking that was behind my betting the farm on iPhone HD last October. While Apple doesn't seem eager -- yet! -- to give me my 480x800 screen resolution, Microsoft has jumped on the moniker with Zune HD via its support for HD Radio and 720p dock-enabled output. If Apple includes new AV cables that let the newer, faster, more powerful CPU, RAM, and GPU push 720p as well, and HD is now off the table thanks to Microsoft's accelerated announcement last week, could iPhone video be a similar (if not quite as sexy) option?

What do you think?

Short version: When Steve Jobs went on leave of absence before Macworld, Apple said he would return end of June. Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, say Jobs will indeed return.

Longer version: After suffering a protein-digestion problem which rendered Steve Jobs unable to function on a day-to-day basis at Apple, he took time off and corrective measures. Periodic visits back to the HQ not withstanding, and speculation of a surprise cameo at WWDC running ever-rampant, Jobs is still on track to return just precisely when Apple first said he would.

New iPhone good to go:

Apple is ready enough with its latest iPhone to be in a position to unveil it next week, said a person who has seen the new model. The new phone will look similar to last year's model but has more processing power and some new features like video editing, this person said.

Confirmation all around then, thanks familiar person!

[And digitalrio for the tip]

Poor iTunes 8.2, not even a week and its code has been sifted and (some of?) its secrets laid bare. Apple Insider reveals details including:

• radio capabilities along with a corresponding ability to tag songs so that they can later be purchased from the iTunes store
• additional string shows the ability to change VoiceOver settings to manage aspects of the Nike+ application

So, Nike+ like the iPod touch, VoiceOver like the iPod shuffle -- looks like Apple isn't only adding new features to the next gen iPhone, but leveraging features they've added to the rest of the line since the last gen iPhone. Good way for Apple to keep the iPhone "the best iPod we've ever made", isn't it?

[Thanks daveizzle for the tip!]

The grand old uncle of technology reviewers, Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal loves him some iPhone. Indeed, ever since Apple's little pocket universe-denter came out in 2007, it seems Mossberg can't review another, similar device without mentioning the iPhone as much as the subject du jour.

As I mentioned last night on Twitter, however, with his Palm Pre review for D All Things Digital, Mossberg went a step further. Alongside roughly 40 or so iPhone references -- including the title! -- Mossberg interjects:

• I’d note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features
• Apple has both a new iPhone operating system and new iPhone hardware coming, likely available within a month
• I expect to see an iPhone with up to 32 gigabytes of memory, video recording, a higher-resolution camera, a compass, and greater operating speed. Plus, there are persistent rumors that Apple will announce at least one iPhone at a drastically lower price than $199.

And in the video he goes on to say that, at WWDC:

• There will be changes to the iPhone, not all of which are known

That's a lot of iPhone info (Engadget thinks so as well). Our question remains:

Is Mossberg guessing, leaking, or was his Palm Pre video clip shot on a next generation iPhone?!

Italian site iSpazio has posted up a couple images they received from tipster who claimed they're shots from Apple's development web server showing off pages that feature the next-generation iPhone (presumably what will go up post-WWDC keynote).

Of note, they highlight the Voice Memos app from iPhone 3.0 and -- wait for it -- a front facing camera, presumably for the oft-rumored Mobile iChat. As always, there's no way to tell if these are real or fake.

The second image (after the jump), which features tethering, however, perplexingly shows off the iPhone 2.x, NOT 3.0 home screen layout. Roh-roh Raggy. That one has us immediately calling shenanigans...

All in favor?

[Via CultOfMac, thanks to Jeffdc5!]

First year, Apple showed off the original iPhone (2G or 1,1) and iPhone OS 1.0 in January at Macworld 2007, gave us a release date at WWDC 2007, and shipped both together at the end of June. Second year, Apple showed off iPhone OS 2.0 in March at the SDK Event but didn't introduce iPhone 3G (1,2) until WWDC 2008 in June, and announced the release date for both -- the same release date for both -- July 11.

This year Apple once again showed off iPhone OS 3.0 at March at the Sneak Preview event, and is rumored to be introducing iPhone v3 (2,1) at WWDC 2009 on June 8. If that comes to pass, we also expect them to announce the release date as they have in the past. But will it once again be the same release date for both?

• Pros: Apple likes big events and big news. Nothing is bigger than simultaneous releases. Apple also seems to like to stick to their patterns, and for the last two years software and hardware releases were one and the same. 2007 saw iPhone 3G alongside iPhone 2.0, App Store, and MobileMe (yeah, we'll get to that in the cons...)

• Cons: That simultaneous release last year? iTunes went down. No one could activate. MobileMe's lack of readiness caused months of bad PR. As big a news bomb as it was, it brought the negative every bit as much as the positive.

Frequent reader, Icebike, makes a great case for a staged released in our comments. It lets Apple control the roll-out, manage expectations, and better assure quality experiences for all involved.

But that simultaneous release is just so tempting, will Apple simply charge ahead with it anyway? Should they? Is the Circus Maximus worth the attention, good and bad?

As an iPhone user and potential 3.0 and next-gen iPhone user, what would you prefer Apple do?

Engadget's reporting that we won't see just two new iPhones, not just three, but a whopping four next-generation iPhones coming soon!

we're hearing from a trusted source that new iPhones in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities just garnered approval by the PCS Type Review Certification Board, the standards body responsible for certificating handsets for use with some carriers (AT&T, for instance).

Only a week remains before WWDC 2009, so we're deep behind crazy lines here, people, and anything is possible. But four new models? What about the CDMA version for China? The iPhone nano and iTablet for Verizon? The flying model that oinks?

We'll find out next Monday!

[Thanks to Jeffdc5 for the head's up!]

www.umpcfever.com [Google translation link] has posted what just might be the first pictures taken of the next generation iPhone... taking pictures. Highlights include the new auto-focus, both how it looks in action and the results of photos taken with it compared to the original iPhone 2G. The new digital compass, and a CPU log are also featured, along with some other new features we've already seen from 3.0 running on current iPhone 3G hardware.

Are these for real? We'd guess all of this was merely surfaced in iPhone 3.0 on iPhone 3G... except the iPhone 3G doesn't have a digital compass and it's camera doesn't auto-focus. So, either it's a combo-ruse, or we have just seen the first images of the next generation iPhone in the wild.

A few more pics below, hit up the source article for all of them...

ChinaOnTrade.com, which sells iPhone parts reportedly directly from the factory, has thrown up some images and ordering options for 3rd generation iPhone bevels and screens.

If they're to be believed, the iPhone loses its silvery-chrome outer ring for a black band (as previously rumored?) that seems to indicate Apple will be moving things around a tad -- functionally as well as cosmetically?

Bad news for OLED hopefuls, as Gizmodo says the purported screen is still LCD, though iLounge points out it's price is double that of the 3G screen ($73 vs. $35). Hmm...

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, iFun.de for the catch, and BenM.at for the (translated) head's up!]

More pics after the break!

iLounge reports that they've been told the next generation iPhone will come in two storage capacities (we'd guess 16GB and 32GB) and three radio flavors, 3G, 3.5/3.75G, and China CDMA. Consumers won't be able to choose which radio model they buy, each carrier in each local region will simply offer the one that best suits their network. Some choice in color -- black or white? -- should remain.

The design is said to be roughly the same with the exception of a new, more scratch-resistant matte finish for the back plate, which has been rumored for a while now.

And no, unfortunately, Chinese CDMA won't run on Sprint or Verizon in the US. Different frequencies.

I was hoping Apple's third generation iPhone -- widely expected to be announced at WWDC 2009 -- would have a huge screen and lend itself perfectly to the name iPhone HD. After all, Apple has been promoting HD a lot lately with their iTunes offerings.

Absent that huge screen, however, the last Phone different podcast had Dieter and I wondering what else Apple could have up their black, turtle-necked sleeves when it comes to branding?

• iPhone 4G would require 4G LTE wireless networks, which haven't even begun to be rolled out yet, so last year's scheme is out.
• iPhone 3.5/3.9G is likewise a non-starter. HSPA+ radio or not, that's just too inelegant for Apple,
• iPhone 32GB is what the telco leaks have been splashing all over the internet. This too seems unlikely, as it paints Apple into every bit as much of a techno-corner as the radio-based names.
• iPhone Pro fits with Mac Pro and MacBook Pro (and even Final Cut Pro), but Dieter points out that beyond my little Apple-verse, that terms is already used and abused by Palm Treo Pro, HTC Touch Pro, and a variety of other stylus-wielding Windows Phones. That alone might sour Apple.
• iPhone, sans descriptor is always a possibility. After all, it's not iMac X, Y, or Z, it's just iMac. Whether internal documents say iPhone 2,1 or iPhone 3rd Generation, Apple could be ballsy enough at this point to just stick with the unadorned moniker.

What do you think, one of the above or something else entirely? Come WWDC, when Schiller or Joz or whomever whips out that new iPhone, what are they going to call it?

With WWDC 2009 only two weeks away, the many rumors and leaks and informed guesses seem to have coalesced into a somewhat unified view of what we probably will -- and probably won't -- see if/when the next generation iPhone 2,1 is announced. Given the full version upgrade number (the original iPhone 2G is 1,1, the iPhone 3G is 1,2) we'd expect there to be more in the way of hardware changes than we saw last year with the addition of "just" 3G and GPS. Will those expectations be met? We have a pretty good handle on the iPhone 3.0 software, but what about the hardware?

More Than Likely

• More storage. Thanks to all the telco leaks over the weekend, either Apple has acquired the double-density NAND flash memory chips needed to move the iPhone to 32GB (and iPod touch to 64GB), or they're all just as convinced as we are that the high end iPhone will be twice as roomy this year.
• Faster processor(s). Not yet the miracle system-on-a-chip Apple will eventually produce based on PA Semi, ARM and PowerVR licenses, OpenCL, and all their recent expert hires, but a healthy 50% bump up from the current CPU. We might not see the multi-core GPU yet either, but more graphics firepower would make sense here as well.
• More RAM. Right now the iPhone is a lot like the genie in Aladdin. Unbelievable mobile potential... trapped in an itty-bitty RAM bottleneck. Dieter tells us that in the larger smartphone world, the iPhone's current 128MB of RAM gets looked at askance. It also causes Mobile Safari to crash and Apple to prevent background multitasking for anything but their own core apps. 256MB is increasingly the norm, and something we fully expect will make it into the next iPhone.
• Faster networking. TiPb called 802.11n Wi-Fi way back in October '08 and we'd now be surprised not to get it. Hopefully an improved cell radio will hook into faster 3.5/3.9G HSPA+ cell networks as well, and for the love of all things American, please let the new chip work better with AT&T's rabbit ear antennas. The rest of the world enjoys solid iPhone 3G connectivity, the USA should as well.
• Longer battery life. If one things remains constant, it's the entitled internet denizens demand twice as much of everything for half the price of anything before. So, in addition to all the new features packed into the next gen iPhone, Apple will no doubt have to figure out a way to make the battery last longer as well. Part of this will be smoke-and-mirrors, no doubt, the rest could be the result of leveraging the same new battery technology found in the 17" MacBook Pro allowing them to put more and smarter cells into the iPhone. If updated components help too (especially the outside chance of an OLED screen -- see below), so much the better.
• Better camera. Because it couldn't get any worse, right? There have been rumors of 3.2 and 5.0 megapixel cameras. We're betting 3.2 is what we see at WWDC, with 5.0 coming to an iPhone (or iPod) further down the line. Auto-focus will be included, if only to take better pictures and to provide a mechanical feature that's easier to break than the screen when we inevitably drop it trying to take that one great photo... (or video, but that's a software feature so we won't get into it here).
• Digital compass. Hey, it will make Google Street View demos infinitely cooler. Okay, and a magnetometer will also allow for faster, more precise positioning for things like Turn by Turn GPS when we finally get them in the App Store. And we're certain game developers will find spectacular ways of hooking into it as well.
• Price point. Same $199/$299 we currently enjoy. In the increasingly competitive smartphone space, it would be hard for even Apple to push the premium -- and with carriers subsidizing anyway, what would be the point? Lower prices are unlikely as well, though there's always hope AT&T and others might give users a break on data rates...

Less Than Likely

• Higher definition screen. Yeah, we called for an iPhone HD back in October '08 as well. Given the rise of up to 800x480 screens on other platforms, we (meaning me) figured Apple would move to match it giving us more pixels for everything from web browsing to gaming to watching 480p video. Since only a very few nebulous rumors have come out since then, and there's no sign of support for that resolution in the iPhone 3.0 SDK, we're just going to have to wait and recycle this prediction next year... (Though maybe HD-out will still happen.)
• OLED screen. Only a few rumors to back up OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens as well, which would look better and use less battery power and component space. They'd also be more expensive, which might explain why there have only been those few rumors. It could still happen, but odds make it look increasingly likely for next time rather than this time.
• Updated casing. While the next iPhone might change shape just enough to force everyone to once again buy new accessories (and get out the pitch-forks and torches), it doesn't look like a radical redesign is in the cards for the next iPhone casing either. No aluminum unibody. Not yet. And likely no glowing Apple logo either. Bummer. Outside chance of a soft-touch back plate, however.

Things could change as more and better rumors break -- and there's always a chance the iPhone will skip WWDC and show up at some special event later in the summer -- but that's what the landscape looks like right now.

Did we miss anything? And either way, if you were placing your bets, what do you think we'll see?

A user on MacTalk Forums (via MacRumors) may have just stumbled upon Apple's icon for the next generation iPhone, buried inside the iPhone 3.0 SDK. And the big surprise?

It looks pretty much the same as the icon for the iPhone 3G.

iPhone 2,1 is Apple's internal number for the next gen iPhone, expected to be announced at WWDC. The original iPhone 2G is iPhone 1,1, while the iPhone 3G is iPhone 1,2. The numbers show that even Apple doesn't consider there to be much more than a point difference between the first two iPhone generations (as opposed to the iPod touch, which went to 2,1 last fall).

The use of iPhone 2,1 led many to believe the next gen iPhone would have more differences than the addition of 3G and GPS last time around. And while it still might, including processor bumps, digital compass, a better camera, etc. if this icon is accurate it looks like few if anything will change on the outside.

Boy Genius and their stealthy squad of tele-shinobi have emerged with juicy details on the Canadian carrier Rogers and their next gen iPhone plans:

iPhone — ETA: unknown (July/August), outright: not allowed, 3-year: TBD. Of note, Rogers will launch the new iPhone on the same day that it lifts off here in the US. Purchases will be limited to one iPhone per customer on opening day and there will be active demos on display in stores. Also of note, Rogers expects to have substantially more iPhones on hand this time around so as not to run into the same stock issues as with the iPhone 3G launch.

Last year's launch raised cross-country protests over the then-exorbitantly high data rates in Canada, which caused Rogers to temporarily offer a $30/6GB plan which has since disappeared. With AT&T considering lower rates for the iPhone, is there a chance in Hull Rogers would do likewise?

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News

• iPhone 3.0
  • iPhone 3.0 Walkthrough Now Updated to Beta 5
  • Apple Recruiting Developers to Beta Test Push Notification
  • And we've got the screenshots to show it!
  • But is Apple reconsidering and thinking of allowing limited background multitasking? We've got three rumors saying... maybe!
  • If you're not a developer and are running iPhone 3.0, and have hardware issues, don't count on the Apple Store!

• iPhone: Next Gen Rumorpalooza Part XXVI
  • Daring Fireball Weighs in on Next Gen iPhone
  • Asahi Kasei Confirmed for Digital Compass
  • Super-Rumor: Next Gen iPhone due in store July 17 + Glowing Apple logo?
  • Apple Jobs Wanted: Faster, More Powerful iPhone Processor Architect + Embedded Video Engineer
  • Palm Pre Pressuring Apple to Pressure AT&T to Lower Rates for Next Gen iPhone?
  • Rumorous Maximus: iPhone Models to be Differentiated by Software?

• And in Other News...
  • Speaking of Palm Pre: it launches June 6, two days before WWDC. Timing much?
  • Eucalyptus Rejected! Or, Do iPhone App Store Reviewers Spend Their Time Searching for Porn?
  • iPhone Easter Eggs Could Kill App Store Golden Egg?
  • Apple Hiring At-Home Experts from July to September just in time for...?
  iPhone Doubles Share of Smartphone Market
  • Fraudulent “iTunes” Alert — Check Your Charges!

TiPb Forums

• This week, Jeremy shone the spotlight on: iPhone on Verizon Soon? Bored of Your iPhone? WWDC and New iPhone?
• Check out our awesome forum reviews for Myst and Twittelator Pro, and don't miss the huge Forum Reviews index

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast.

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge
• Relaxation Spa Treatment by Dan the Automator via Wired 12.11: Sample the Future
• Wataridori 2 by Cornelius via Wired 12.11: Sample the Future
• DC 3000 by Thievery Corporation via Wired 12.11: Sample the Future

Colossal blunder to be sure, but is it a blunder in content, or was it just made live before it was finished and authorized? Are we seeing the first signs of a real, honest-to-Jobs iPhone 32G? Decide for yourselves, though Engadget reminds us that the original iPhone was prematurely posted by T-Mo Germany two years ago. Could this be the double d'oh!?

(But really, T-Mo, you couldn't have used a faded out, stock photo of an iPhone 3G there? My eyes. Ouch. My eyes...)

[via AreaMobile]

John Gruber of DaringFireball.net, who knows people who know people -- no names! -- has weighed in with his opinion on what we just might see from Apple in terms of a next generation iPhone at WWDC 2009.

Very likely: July release with roughly double the CPU power, digital compass, better camera with video shooting + editing, and 16GB/32GB SKUs.

Somewhat likely: Same $199/$299 price point, 256MB of RAM

Just maybe: Better battery life

Very unlikely: iTablet at WWDC

Sorta unlikely but...: iPhone mini at WWDC.

We're guessing that's soft affirmation from him on both the iTablet and iPhone mini/nano, just not yet.

Pretty much in line with all the other rumors, so consider this just more weight on the scales.

Apple Insider lets us know who's been tapped to provide the magnetometer (digital compass) for the new iPhone hardware expected to hit at WWDC 2009:

People familiar with betas of the iPhone 3.0 software developers kit recently dug up several header files attributed to the Japanese manufacturer in a directory appropriately labeled "compass." More specifically, the files identify Asahi Kasei's azimuth sensor No. AK8973, a 16-pin leadless IC package measuring 4mm square and 0.7mm thick, as the chip that will help future iPhone users determine their direction. It bundles a master clock oscillator.

As already evident in the Android G1, a digital compass allows for a better Google Street View experience, but can also make things like turn-by-turn navigation and other orientation-based functions smoother and more precise.

Apple Insider also states that this is but one of three new, confirmed hardware features, the others being a better, video-capable camera and a faster, 802.11n Wi-Fi chip.

UPDATE: Full super-rumored specs list, via Engadget after the break!

ORIGINAL: Palm Pre announces a release date and all of a sudden iPhone and Apple blogs have to rumor up a next generation iPhone release date? Yep, that's how we roll... right over the news cycles.

So when's the rumor? July 17, 2009. And no, no idea if that's an international roll-out like last year. Speaking of which, Apple introduced the iPhone 3G at WWDC 2008 and had it on sale July 11, so a similar pattern this year makes the kind of sense that does, even if July 17 just also happens to be the default date on every iCal instance in the world...

As to specs, pretty much what we've seen rumored already, 32GB, 3.5mp camera, video recording, digital compass, OLED screen, and here's a kicker -- illuminated Apple logo like the MacBooks.

How does that sound to you? Perfect timing? To soon? Too late? Too many crazy rumors, bring on WWDC already?!

[TUAW via AppleiPhoneApps]

• 32GB and 16GB storage (up from the current 16GB and 8GB models)
• $199 and $299 price points to be maintained
• 3.2-megapixel camera (up from the current 2-megapixel camera)
• Video-recording and editing capabilities
• Ability to send a picture & video via MMS
• Discontinuation of the metal band surrounding the edge of the device
• OLED screen
• 1.5 times the battery life of the current models
• Double the RAM and processing power
• Built-in FM transmitter
• Apple logo on back will glow
• Rubber-tread backing
• Sleeker design
• Built-in compass
• The camera, GPS, compass and Google map combined will identify photo and inform about photo locations
• Turn-by-turn directions

Business Insider rumormongers that Apple might be considering some limited form of multi-tasking, perhaps as early as iPhone 3.0, which would allow 3rd party apps to run as background tasks. They point to two possible models:

1. Apple might allow users to select two apps that can run in the background.
2. Apple might selectively allow some apps to run in the background. We assume that developers could apply for permission to run in the background, and that Apple might approve or deny them based on the resources they need and how well they behave with the operating system's stability.

Daring Fireball steps up to throw a combo of water and fuel on that particular fire:

I heard something very similar from a decent (but second-hand) source back in January during Macworld Expo. What I heard then was that Apple was working on a vastly improved dock for your most-frequently used apps, and that there’d be one special icon position where you could put a third-party app to enable it to run in the background.

Gruber also rightly points out that the iPhone 3G's 128MB of RAM is likely the constraining factor to current generation multitasking and that won't change with the iPhone 3.0 firmware. If reports of at least 512MB of RAM in a 3rd generation iPhone are to be believed, however, this could be a much more compelling and powerful feature.

A dock that slides up like a slot-limited version of Google's Android app shelf maybe? And one that grants background permission to anything placed inside it? Yes please.

PhoneArena (via Engagdget) was sent a tip that Best Buy has 3 mysterious new product SKU's listed in their system as "PROJECT CHARLIE". Why is this important and what does it have to do with iPhones?

ZOMG! We're 3 weeks before WWDC here people! Everything is iPhone!

Okay, in all fairness, Best Buy is one of the very few big iPhone retailers (aside from Apple, AT&T, and Walmart) and even if they have no direct info from Apple, they could be prepping themselves for a similar launch as last year (iPhone 3G in 8GB, 16GB Black, and 16GB white).

But for the Lost fans among us -- 3 SKUs, for the 3rd gen iPhone, 3 weeks before WWDC and iPhone OS 3.0? Cue creepy music

UPDATE: Our friend Phil over at WMExperts, throws in a plot twist: what if they're new Windows Phones?!

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Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat, or sent in questions!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

Business Insider is quoting Piper analyst Gene Munster as saying:

No New iPhones [at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference]. As indicated in today's press release, we believe Apple will focus on the new version of Mac OS X, Snow Leopard at WWDC. While some investors may be expecting Apple to launch redesigned iPhones at WWDC, we do not anticipate the launch in early June. Rather, we expect Apple to host a special event in late June or early July to launch a family of iPhones. We continue to expect multiple models, possibly a high-end iPhone with improved specs from the current version and a low-end version with lower capacity and fewer features along with a reduced pricing plan. Such a model could also be used in Apple's launch of the iPhone into China as soon as the end of summer '09.

Analysts are about as accurate as weathermen when it comes to predictions one month out, so take this with the usual Mac Pro sized grain of salt. Apple has used the last two WWDC events to showcase the iPhone, and introduced the iPhone 3G and MobileMe at WWDC 2008. If they stick to pattern, we should see an update on iPhone 3.0, the next generation iPhone, and perhaps a MobileMe refresh at WWDC 2009.

However, WWDC being an developer-focused event, it's not impossible Apple will focus on their Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard and iPhone OS 3.0 exclusively, leaving the hardware for a sexier consumer event later in the month.

As to a family of iPhones, we still don't see Apple breaking the software platform, which means a low end iPhone could only be a low-storage iPhone 3G (8GB?) at $99?, with the next generation unit (at 16GB and 32GB, along with other new features) taking the established $199 and $299 positions.

MacRumors has been keeping tabs on Chinese forum Weiphone, and says -- in addition to the screen shot above -- the following specs have been leaked about the next generation iPhone, widely believed to be announced in just under a month at Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC):

• Model number MB717LL
• 600MHz CPU Speed (up from 400MHz)
• 256MB RAM (up from 128MB)
• Digital Compass and FM
• 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus
• 32GB size
• No major changes in battery, screen and external casing.

Do we believe it? Some parts seem in line with other rumors we've been hearing, but who knows? (Other than Steve Jobs and his closest minions, of course). No doubt, we'll be seeing more and more of these as WWDC approaches. So, for our purposes, we'll just ask if this resembles the next gen iPhone you want?

TiPb predicted an iPhone HD way back in October of last year. We've also covered the idea that iPhone 3.0, perhaps only in conjunction with new hardware, will finally give us some much-wanted video-shooting, editing, and sharing goodness. Business Week, however, amid worrying about Hulu and iTunes, snuck in this little nugget about both of the above:

A person familiar with Apple's plans says it's simple to record and edit stunningly sharp video with the device—and then wirelessly send it to friends with a few clicks or watch it on the phone's improved screen.

Okay, so maybe they're just fixing the color temperature again. Maybe they're going OLED. Or maybe we really will see an 800x480 iPhone HD announced at WWDC? Can June seem any further away?!

No. Despite the Washington Post's provocative headline, Apple's no more "secretly working on an iPhone camcorder" now than they were "secretly working on an iPhone camera" in 2006.

Technology advances. Early digital cameras had very low resolution, now they're in the double-digits for megapixels. When VGA cameras were no longer of any value as stand-alone products, they were integrated into cellphones. Now 2, 3.5, 5 megapixel, and even higher resolution optics are becoming likewise obsolete as anything but integrated options, and so are finding their way into the iPhone, Nokia, or SonyEricsson devices.

Those same camera kits have been used by other smartphones to shoot video for a while now. And as the low-end, highly-pocketable stand-alone devices like the Flip turn their sights to HD, the older, lower-resolution technologies get integrated away.

It's likely Apple will provide video shooting, editing, and sharing in the next generation iPhone (we've seen lots of screen shots to confirm that), and fans of the iPhone, low-end camcorders, convergence devices will no doubt celebrate. Others will keep their 1080p units handy...

At least until 2011 when Apple and RED announce their partnership to produce the iPhone 4K (2160p)... on Verizon...

(Joking!)

Daring Fireball posted a tremendous article about how Verizon, AT&T, and Apple benefit if the rumors about an iPhone Lite and iPad media tablet on Verizon are true-ish (Gruber also looks at Apple's iPod strategy mapped to the iPhone -- go read it now, I'll wait).

What struck me, however, was how Verizon, AT&T, and Apple benefit from the rumors themselves rather than the actual devices and/or their eventual carriers, if any.

• Apple is, according to a separate rumor, negotiating with AT&T to increase the length of their iPhone exclusivity agreement. AT&T's last earning report showed just how important the iPhone was to their revenues, especially their new customer acquisition and premium service charges. This puts them at a distinct disadvantage with Apple, who could theoretically -- if inconveniently -- re-engineer the iPhone to work on any of the big 4 US carriers (CDMA for Verizon or Sprint, different GSM bands for T-Mobile). Rumors that Verizon is already talking to Apple, then, pushes AT&T over edge of disadvantage cliff. Obviously this is of great benefit to Apple.

• Verizon had what could only be termed a lackluster launch of their so-called iPhone killer, the BlackBerry Storm. With AT&T likely getting yet another mainstream hero phone this year in the form of the 3rd generation iPhone. Sprint, the other CDMA carrier, is getting the less mainstream, but still geek-anticipated Palm Pre as their hot summer hero phone. Where does that leave Verizon? The BlackBerry Tour ("Niagara") and various HTC Touch series Windows Phones which will -- eventually -- be upgradable to the profoundly incremental Windows Mobile 6.5. Great gear, perhaps, but not hero phones on the same level as the iPhone or even Palm Pre (or last year's Android G1 launch on T-Mobile). Rumors that Verizon may (soon) get an iPhone of sorts, or iPad, however, give the perception of a hero phone coming to the network. This is a huge benefit to Verizon, and might even keep some users from switching to AT&T (or Sprint) this summer to get a real device.

• Inversely, AT&T benefits not one bit from these rumors. They hurt AT&T's negotiations with Apple and they may cost them some users who would have defected from Verizon.

We discussed this briefly last Wednesday on the iPhone Live! podcast, and no doubt others have made the same observation this week after reading the series of rumors (yes, even the one about the iPhone Lite actually being the Microsoft iPhone-Killer Pink). However, looking past the devices, it does seem like the rumors in and of themselves carry a hefty benefit for both Apple and Verizon.

Until the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks roll out in a couple years, that might be the closest we really get to seeing Apple and Verizon together.

Business Week (via Daring Fireball) is adding fuel to the rumors of Apple's iPhone 3.0 may not only be shooting video come WWDC, but editing and sharing as well:

I’ve spoken with a source that is familiar with Apple’s plans for the next iPhone, which may well be announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in early June. Evidently, shooting video is as easy as it is with a Flip, the ingenious device made by Pure Digital (recently purchased by Cisco). Then there’s an iMovie app that lets you quickly save the sections you want, right there on the phone itself. There may also be support for MMS, so the clips can be shared wirelessly with friends. And because of the iPhone’s relatively large screen, your friends don’t have to schlep to your PC or their Facebook page to see that video of your kids or your safari. Just hand them your iPhone.

Questing -- will this only be available on the next generation iPhone or will current (and older) iPhones be so blessed, lower-quality camera and processors not withstanding?

The Inquirer (via iLounge) is reporting that AMD (formerly ATI) Graphics Products Group CTO Bob Drebin has updated his LinkedIn page to show he's found a new home -- at Apple.

This is another in an increasingly long line of chip-related acquisitions, licensing deals, and staffing additions Apple has made in the chipset arena in the last year, including buying PA Semi, licensing ARM and PowerVR, and hiring Mark Papermaster.

Even though leaked specs for the next gen iPhone suggest previous iPhone chip-maker Infineon is still on board for now, it's fairly clear Apple is looking to make changes further out on the product road map.

Our editor-in-chief, Dieter Bohn, is wondering what they think they know about chips that nobody else does, driving them to move this in house?

We're guessing it combines Apple's desire for control and hardware customization/differentiation. Why do you think, and more importantly, what do you think Apple is going to do with all this firepower under the iPhone (and iPod touch) hood?

TiPb predicted an iPhone HD way back on October 10, and while not everyone -- even here -- agrees that we'll see it, rumors continue to point that maybe, just maybe we will.

The latest comes via PhoneNews which reports that the Apple AV Cables, component and composite versions of which were launched last year alongside the iPhone 3G, are being cleared to make room for a consolidated cable. What's more, this new cables, alongside an "iPhone HD" would support 720p or 1080i out (for your TV, not on the device itself).

A wilder bit of rumor postulates on an HD-out iPhone or iPod touch replacing the Apple TV. I'm not sure I see that happening. I use the current AV cables all the time when visiting friends and family, but tying my phone to my own TV wouldn't be anywhere nearly as convenient. Buying a second, iPod touch class device wouldn't really be cost effective compared to an Apple TV either, though would multitask better if you ever needed a second traveling device, I suppose.

If the iPhone itself gets a higher screen resolution as well, 480p (800x480) similar to last year's HTC Touch HD would be the max we'd like see (or need) on device. HD aside, web browsing with that many more pixels would be very welcome.

(Thanks to IndyJonez on our forums for the tip!)

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Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat, or sent in questions!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

Digitimes (via MacRumors) has put together a list of which supplier is providing what part -- they think! -- for Apple's next generation iPhone, ever-increasingly assumed to be announced at WWDC in June. No huge surprises, with iPhone 2G and 3G stalwart Infineon continuing to make the baseband (guess a home-spun PA Semi chip isn't entirely replacing them yet), and Samsung to provide the NAND Flash storage.

Those hyped about the rumors of a possible 5.0 megapixel camera on board, however, take note of the 3.2 spec noted above. No replacing those Canon 5D Mark II's yet!

Commercial Times is raising the bar on crazy rumors by claiming Apple will release not just one, not even two, but a whopping three new iPhones this summer.

• First would be the next-generation iPhone previous rumors have pointed to, with beefed up processors and features like the camera.

• Second would be a throwback of sorts to the original iPhone, dropping HSPA 3G in favor of EDGE 2.75G to lower costs and smash what little umbrella was left competitors.

• Third would be a special version to support a CDMA carrier in China, allowing Apple to penetrate that last, largest of markets. (And with the mere mention of CDMA, cue baseless Verizon rumors in 3... 2... ) [Note: Chinese CDMA bands won't work on Verizon -- hence baseless]

While TiPb has been on the next-gen bandwagon as a long as anyone, I have to admit the other two I'm not as sure about. Even though I mentioned the possibility of an EDGE-again iPhone on Twitter this weekend, Sacha Segan from PCMag was quick to point out a problem: AT&T is cutting EDGE capacity in favor of 3G. And like Giz says in the link below, Apple's never been a retro-embracing company...

Would anyone be interested in an uber-cheap (free on contract, low EDGE data plan) version of the iPhone? Or is it Next Gen or nothing? And could we see a world where people are smuggling CDMA iPhones out of China?!

[via Gizmodo via Slashphone]

MacNN has unearthed an Apple patent that shows the concept of aluminum unibody design, first displayed in the current MacBook line, applied to iPods and even -- potentially -- the iPhone.

Gizmodo has presented some concepts along these lines before, though we're still not sure how Apple would get around interfering with the 3G HSPA, and future 3.5G HSPA+ and 4G LTE and other radios inside a connected device (which is why they switched to plastic in the current gen iPhone to begin with).

Still, from a sheer design, build quality, and fit and finish perspective... drool.

[Image via Gizmodo]

DigiTimes (via Engadget) is reporting that Apple is once again draining the world dry of NAND Flash memory chips ahead of an anticipated summer iPhone hardware refresh.

The iPhone 3G has one NAND Flash memory slot, currently maxing out at the 16GB density. So, if Apple is planning to take it to 32GB, higher density chips will of course be required. Will supply and pricing allow that by the summer? If it does, it also means the dual-slotted iPod touch could hit a whopping 64GB by its next refresh cycle in the fall.

Anyone out there itching to load that much data on a multi-touch device?

When it rains, it pours, and when it's pouring, and leaking, that makes a flood. No sooner did some video-recording iPhone 3.0 screen shot confirmation get posted, than BGR whipped out a slew of their own.

Double confirmed now? And will it require that next gen iPhone hardware?

MacRumors has scored the scoop, showcasing what looks to be actual screen-shot caliber evidence of video recording in iPhone 3.0, and other information showing digital compass technology and voice control coming as well.

Most of these rumors have been around for a while, especially the camera and video recording bumps. A digital compass, like the Android G1 uses to automatically rotate Google Street View when you physically turn the device around, would likely require the next gen iPhone hardware pretty much everyone expects to see come WWDC in June anway. Voice control, especially voice dialing, would be another box checked off the old "missing features" straw-man we -- and everyone else -- likes to batter about.

With lots of exciting new features still being "discovered", what other goodies will 3.0 code diving reveal?

This is not a drill! We finally have someone, likely with no actual knowledge of the engineering or design of the next gen iPhone, going on record as saying:

his sources indicate Apple is readying a new iPhone that will ship in June with an upgraded camera that could deliver big improvements to the iPhone experiences, including both still and video capabilities "with possibly another camera on the front for video chat."

iChat on the iPhone has been a perennial favorite among rumormeisters before every new launch, real and imagined, just like iPhone nano speculation. Speaking of which...

Apple Insider's coverage of Barclay's Capital analyst Ben Reitzes' predictions doesn't stop there, of course, as we also get the prerequisite low end iPhone nano-ized rumors, the high end video iPhone Pro rumors.

Some of these are logical inferences, some are wishful thinking. We're thinking -- why let analysts have all the fun? What are you wishing for? Do we want Mobile iChat video? Could AT&T even support it in iPhone numbers? And if Apple isn't going to fracture the platform with different screen sizes, are features a realistic way to differentiate their offerings?

While "patent peeping" shows what Apple might be doing in the far flung future, the equally voyeuristic "job watching" gives a slightly better idea of what's going to be happening in the now and soon. With that in mind, following up on rumors of the next generation iPhone packing a 3.5 or 5 megapixel camera, it's nice to see Apple looking for a Camera Project Manager and Camera Design Engineer.

AppleiPhoneApps.com points out:

The most intriguing part of the job listing is that they mention integrating a camera into an iPod as well.

Could it simply be a boilerplate mixup, or is the iPod touch 3,1 (likely to debut this fall at the next iPod/Music Special Event) going to be packing it's own megapixel surprise?

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News

• iPhone 3.0
• iPhone Gen 3
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• Dieter wants Robots

Bonus

• Smartphone Experts at CTIA

  Credits

  Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat, or sent in questions!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

Confession: I haven't listened to FM radio since... well, since I got my iPhone, but it seems FM isn't just for Top 40 any more. 9 to 5 Mac, which found more details on the previously mentioned Broadcom BCM4329 wireless chip, which could include:

the ability to receive and send (the previous model could only receive) information through FM radio signals which theoretically could be used to broadcast sound into car stereos..without external adapters. It could also be used to pick up FM radio music, news and sports broadcasts on their iPhones and even, in August, on iPods. Currently the FM reciever is only used to pick up communications from the Nike+ peripheral.

Of course, just because the chip supports it, doesn't mean Apple will surface that support, or use it for anything other than what it already does (like Nike+).

But here's the thing: are the rumors flying just a little too fast and too far now? Are we really going to get everything and a bag of quad-core chips in the next iPhone hardware release, or are we -- as per standard internet protocols -- just hyping ourselves up for massive disappointment come June?

[via MacRumors]

When iPhone 3.0 Beta 1 was released, we saw what looked to be an errant video upload screen. Next it was the apparent ability to receive video MMS. Now more deep diving into the 3.0 beta has turned up resource files that show not only may the next generation iPhone allow not only video recording, but perhaps video editing, including trimming as well. This might be similar to the already surfaced Voice Memo app's ability to trim audio recordings on device.

Would make a nice addition to that rumored 3.5 or 5 megapixel camera, enhanced CPU and GPU, and fast cell and WiFi networking, wouldn't it?

[BenM.at via TUAW]

We'd heard rumors about this back when mobile 802.11n WiFi chipsets began to announced, and when the next gen iPhone was said to be "faster". Now Apple Insider is reporting that:

Wireless radio component specifications contained within the iPhone 3.0 firmware indicate support for a new chip enabling low power 802.11n, which is likely to be exposed in the new iPhone and iPod touch set for release later this year.

Along with faster CPUs, faster GPUs, and faster cellular networking, 802.11n Wifi, anyone think speed isn't the name of the game Apple's playing with the next gen iPhone?

Apple Insider reports that AT&T is trying to increase the coverage, reliability, and speed of it's 3G network in anticipation of Apple's next gen iPhone hardware coming this summer (perhaps to be introduced, like last year, at WWDC in June?).

AT&T's current 3G supports up to 3.6Mb/s, though AT&T has said they have the infrastructure to go to 7.2Mb/s, with 14.4 and 20Mb/s feasible within a couple of years. As for the iPhone specifically:

Apple has been evaluating a portion of the network upgrade already accessible to its engineers for testing purposes and is genuinely impressed with its speed. A person familiar with the situation commented that Apple iPhone engineers have "never gotten pages to load as fast as they were loading on the new routers."

This would follow on AT&T's EDGE "plus" upgrade before the original iPhone 2G launched, and their acceleration of HSPA last year before the iPhone 3G debuted.

So, stronger, better, faster, longer... Sounds good, but can they deliver?

Digitimes is reporting... what many others have been rumoring about the next gen iPhone and it's camera. 3.5 megapixels, according to their "market sources" are bound to get bundled in if/when Apple shows off new iPhone 2,1 hardware at WWDC this year.

What's even more fantastical is that a 5 megapixel camera is also rumored to be on its way to another Apple product this year. New iSight for the built-ins? Heh. That's no fun. Gotta be for the next next gen iPhone 3,1, right? Or the iTablet? iNetbook? iYaiyai?!

Rumor season has only just begun folks!

[Via iPhonebuzz/Engadget Mobile]

Welcome to iPhone Analysts vs. the Magic 8-Ball, where we take the often outlandish, sometime surreal predictions of iPhone analysts and pundits, blogeratti and the ‘net elite, and compare them to the potentially equally precise prognostications of a… magic 8-ball (running on an iPhone, of course!)

Mike Abramsky, seasoned veteran of of RBC weighs in on an iPhone 3G "Pro" with the following specs, and the Magic 8-Ball chimes in with its pedictions in italics:

• iPhone 3G "Pro" nickname. As I see it, yes
• Retail price to stay the same $199/$299. My reply is no
• Wireless UMTS/HSUPA, Wifi, Bluetooth. My reply is no
  (Note: our understanding is that HSUPA is to uplink what HSPDA is to downlink, and someone's mixing up their UMTS technologies there and really means a 3.5G system)
• 3.2MP camera with flash and video recording. Don't count on it.
• 16GB/32GB storage. Most likely
• 0.1" thinner. Yes
• AT&T to get it before the rest of the world. Most likely.
• Growth will not accelerate. Don't count on it.

Okay, so both of their predictions seem a little hinkey to us, but what do we know? Bring on WWDC 2009, and until then, thanks everyone for playing Analyst vs. Magic 8-Ball and be sure to leave your predictions, and your thoughts on their predictions, in the comments!

[Via Apple Insider. Thanks to Jimmie for the tip!]

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Speculation on the 3rd Generation iPhone, plus: Just can't get enough of that tasty iPhone 3.0 Beta! Listen in!

News

• iPhone: the Next Generation
  • Next Gen iPhone to Sport Entry-Level-Laptop Class CPU?
  • AT&T Leaks! New iPhone to be Announced this June?
  • Next Gen iPhone to Have Video Recording and Higher Megapixel Camera?
  • Next Gen iPhone to be an Internet Screamer? (802.11n? 3.5G HSPDA+?)
  • Apple to use OLED in Next Gen iPhone Screens?
  • iPhone 3.0: Code References iPhone Gen 3 and 4 Hardware? And iPod touch Gen 3? And iProd 0? iFPGA?
  • Imagination Details PowerVR Graphics Multi-Cores Destined for Next Gen iPhone?
  • Apple Releases HD Movie Purchases in iTunes but... Got iTunes HD? And an Old Display? — NO HD FOR YOU!
  • “iPhone HD” and the Problematic Shift to Resolution Independence?
  • When in the World is WWDC 2009?

TiPb Forums

• Will you use the iPhone 3.0 landscape keyboard? by Casper TFG
• iwill we ever get GMAIL PUSH?? by jaguar11
• Check out TiPb's Developer Forum

Thanks to Paul, Mike, and Matt for writing and calling in!

Hot on the heels of yesterday's possible AT&T leak on the next gen iPhone, MacRumors is laying out more specific, if still un-confirmed, details:

Another interesting possibility is that Apple may have settled on the Marvell PXA168 ARM chip as the heart of a future device. Some unconfirmed claims point to Apple buying up supplies of this chip which is reportedly also due in the July timeframe. The Marvell PXA168 CPU was announced in January of this year and aims to provide "entry-level laptop" capabilities to consumer electronic devices.

We're noticing the theme of speed and power is staying pretty consistent across these rumors. And if Apple is packing the boom! of a baby-laptop in the iPhone, where does that leave iNetbook rumors?

But what's with all the leaks? Steve Jobs is still on leave of absence, so are folks inside Apple a little less afraid of the flame thrower than they were last year? Or is this a calculated way to keep people's interest (and the internet's attention) away from the upcoming release of competitive products like the Palm Pre and BlackBerry Niagra?

BGR is claiming some inside info from AT&T on the next hardware revision of the iPhone. The announcement is apparently slated for June (actual release unknown) and the new features line up with some of what we've been hearing. Top of the list is speed, with likely support for the higher-speed abilities of HSDPA on AT&T -- up to 7.2MBps -- which may also play into those multi-core rumors too. There's also apparently going to be some sort of "U-Verse" app that will work with your home entertainment system (If there's an IR port on this thing, I'll eat my hat). The word "unified" gets tossed around a bit, but beyond it having something to do with Apple playing nice with AT&T's services, it's a little unclear.

Oh, and since it's the hip thing to do, there's a bit of netbook chatter tossed in at the end, but we're not getting an Apple vibe off that. We'll leave the netbook bits aside and ask: what feature do you most want? Video and Megapixels with a side of video publishing? OLED Display? iPhone HD? Free puppy with every purchase?

Thanks to Jeff for the tip!

As Dieter would say, "cats and dogs living together!". That's how it feels these last few days, what with all the leaks/rumors hitting about next generation iPhone stuff. Are they legit, or part of some mass internet meme-teria? Dunno. But I'm running out of puzzle metaphors!

This time, Apple Insider is reporting that the next generation iPhone hardware will not only provide video recording, but through a higher quality camera to boot! Want more? They're further rumoring that Apple will build in a Movie Recorder app, the video equivalent to the Memo Recorder for audio that already part of the iPhone OS 3.0 beta.

So this brings our list of leaks for the week to: code references for iPhone 2,1 and 3,1, multi-core GPUs, video publishing, OLED screen, faster internet speeds, and now higher def video recording...

Curiouser and curiouser...

UPDATE: Apple Insider points out this could also refer to an AT&T network upgrade to 3.5G HSPDA+ type cell speeds. Or maybe both?

New iPhone hardware rumors are coming our way fast and furiously now, what with new device numbers, OLED screens, and... faster Internet speeds?

That's what Silicone Alley Insider is saying:

our source has heard rumors that the next iPhone will have a significantly faster Internet connection.

What does that mean exactly? Our bet is on those new 802.11n mobile chipsets we heard about a while back. Pretty much everything else in Apple's arsenal is now 802.11n fast, and even given those fancy new Airport Extreme and Time Capsules, faster would be better...

So again, how's that picture of the next generation iPhone shaping up for you?

Smarthouse (via BGR) has a report saying Apple just might be making the leap to OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens for those future iPhone models mentioned yesterday.

It's also believed that a new iPhone and iPod Touch due later this year will include an OLED screen made by LG who last year scored a multibillion dollar deal to manufacture display screens for Apple.

Apple currently uses LED for the iPhone (and MacBooks, and the new 24" Cinema Display). OLED required no backlight and consumes much less battery power than previous technologies. Given Apple's obsessions with thinness and battery life, this move makes the kind of sense that does.

Also bundled in the rumor is, of course, a rumor about Apple also using OLED in an upcoming "netbook". We're still thinking an iTablet is more likely...

So, all these leaks starting to paint anyone a new summer hardware release picture yet?

The word has gone out: Apple is now allowing you to do more than just rent movies in HD, they're letting you buy them. You're looking at spending a bit extra for the HD version - $19.99 to be precise. They're pushing preorders for a few movies (Quantum of Solace and Twilight) but there are also a few you can buy right now (Saw V, for example. Sadists rejoice!).

The movies also come with an SD version bundled in for your iPhone and iPod. Which is great and all, but how's-about Apple provide us with an iPhone that doesn't need such primitive down-scaled resolutions. iPhone HD looking more likely to anyone? If it comes, we're still doubting it would be the 720p that these videos come in (our money's on iPhone HD with 480p), but it would be a sight better. We're still hoping against hope here, but maybe 2009 could be the true "Year of HD," ...4 years late, but still very welcome.

UPDATE: Ars Technica has found references to an iProd 0,1 (iProduct prototype? Could that be the iTablet?) and an iFPGA, which they say may be something to do with "field-programmable gate array" (yeah, us neither). So Apple is either really busy building out their Mobile OS X offerings, or are having a load of fun punkd'ing the blogosphere...

ORIGINAL: We pretty much know there will be new iPhone hardware. Apple is likely always working a generation, two generations, three generations ahead. What we don't know is what and when.

The first iPhone 2G (2007) is references as iPhone 1,1 while the iPhone 3G (2008) is 1,2 -- which indicates it wasn't a significant hardware revision (3G and GPS not significant? Okay!)

The first iPod touch (2007) was 1,2, however the iPod touch Gen 2 (2008) was 2,1 -- which indicates a more significant revision (external speaker and volume controls, Nike+ are significant? Okay again!)

Now BGR is reporting that deep delving into the iPhone OS 3.0 has found references to future models. iPhone 2,1, which we've heard about before, makes it look like Apple has a more significant hardware revision on its way for the iPhone. No idea what that is yet (we've guessed iPhone HD). What's new is a reference to iPhone 3,1(!).

Does this mean there are 2 new hardware models coming? And soon as in this year (2009)? Or will 3,1 follow a year or more after 2,1, like Apple does with iPod models?

Speaking of which, the code also reveals an iPod touch 3,1. Could that be an iPod touch HD? A large size iPod touch iTablet? Or should we quiet our fanboy hearts for a moment?

We've spoken quite a bit before about the potential that Apple might one day "split the platform" with either an iPhone nano (very unlikely) or an iPhone HD (which we've been discussing quite a bit lately).

Right now, all existing iPhones and iPod touches sport 320x480 screens at 163dpi. The iPod nano, by contrast, was already at 202dpi during the previous, "fatty" generation. The BlackBerry Bold is at something around 217dpi. HTC is making 480x800 displays now like they're going out of style.

At some point, the iPhone will jump to HD (by which we mean 480p, or 480x800) and current generation iPhone apps, and their associated bitmap interface elements just won't look so good.

Cocoia, renowned icon and interface designer Sabastiaan de With's blog, has an excellent post up today about that very issue. He says:

Applications will have to ‘deal’ with two different resolutions at the least; icons and other bitmap graphics will have to be redesigned for the higher pixel density screens. There will, no doubt, be applications that are not ready and look very bad on the new device, or perfectly good applications are not approved into the App Store because they are not ready yet.

We may keep pushing the date forward like a hot potato, but at some point Apple and developers will have to face up to the fact that there will be a lot of redesigning, re-thinking and adaptation required. Until that day, enjoy the simplicity of developing and designing for a simple, defined hardware specification. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when technology comes and slaps you in the face.

Apple has enjoyed huge success from the relatively unified hardware model as well, so here's hoping they help developers not only prepare for, but transition to future resolutions as painlessly for them -- and us -- as possible. Any developers out there already pondering this?

Imagination makes the PowerVR graphics core chip (GPU) that powers the current generations of iPhone and iPod touch handsets. Apple likes them enough to have become a huge licensor and even investor in the company. Well, it's looking like that investment may pay off for iPhone users in the next generation iPhone and iPod touch (which TiPb is still predicting will hit in July and September respectively).

Even bigger news? It looks like these new multi-core chips will be transparent from the developer's point of view. That means Apple has far less risk in "fracturing the platform" by adding more GPU firepower to the next gen iPhone. Also, they look to be supporting OpenCL, Apple's open source implementation that allows GPUs to be treated like CPUs and boost general purpose computing when they're not throwing polygons and pixels around our favorite games or movies.

Says the Register (via MacRumors):

Without any intervention by the application - and, more importantly, without any intervention by the application's developer - the driver will pass data to an "MP code scheduler," which will in turn pass that data to one pipeline scheduler per core, which will then pass it to one thread scheduler per multi-threaded processing engine, which will then manage the threads through the engines as they process the graphics data.

In other words, the SGX543 can have any number of cores from two to sixteen with no change in the driver software or the application. All that complex data/pipeline/thread management is done in hardware. No muss, no fuss.

But a whole lot of "we want it now!"...

MacRumors is reporting on a Digitimes story that says Taiwan-based supplier:

Wintek revealed that it is currently working with Apple to develop some new products, but it said it does not know what applications the new products are for.

Apple has denied interest in producing both a tablet and a netbook in the past, which is what they do both when they really have no interest, and also when they're about the release something. What with all the new hardware Apple dropped last week, TiPb has speculated that the March 24th date for a rumored Apple Event could be used to debut the iPhone OS 3.0 beta, a higher resolution iPhone HD... or an iTablet form factor.

If Apple does release a new device, would it really be a netbook scale version of Mac OS X or a large-size iPod touch running the iPhone version of OS X? Either way, developers would need time to ramp up (or down) their apps. Either way, could this be more fuel for that fire, or simply more grist for the rumor-mill?

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Last night's iPhone Live! was pretty darn good -- so good, in fact, that it created a cross-border, pan-dimensional bug that kept us from recording the first 20 minutes properly. We recapped it a bit, but those who it hit it up live got a special treat. Rest assured, though, we have more than enough to talk about with the new Kindle iPhone App, what it means for Apple, Amazon, and when it might go international - so if you missed iPhone Live!, go ahead and check out this here podcast.

Background Reading

• Review: Belkin TuneCast Auto with ClearScan for iPhone 3G
• Amazon Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch Now in the iTunes App Store
• Could an Apple iTablet be a Kindle e-Book and e-Comic Killer?
• Speculation Alert: Does This Mean March 24 Will be iPhone 3.0 Beta? iTablet? What?!

• Attack of the iClones: It’s a Small BlackBerry App World After All!

• Bonus Dieter Recommended Reading: The once and future e-book: on reading in the digital age by John Siracusa, Ars Technica

Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat, or sent in questions!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge