Report hints at next-gen iPhone in June

[AppleInsider]

Coverage of Apple's plans to launch the iPhone 3G in the United Arab Emirates later this month appears to also signal a June release date for the handset's successor.

On Monday, Emirates Telecommunications - Etisalat said that it had struck the first iPhone deals of 2009 when it announced in a local newspaper plans to bring the iPhone 3G to the UAE and Saudi Arabia (under the Mobily brand) later this month.

Mark Davis, Program Director for iPhone at Etisalat, later spoke with Dow Jones and revealed the precise launch date to be February 15th. The same report went on to say that the "next version of the device, which is due out in June, will be launched in the UAE at the same time."

The source of the June comment is not entirely clear, but appears to have come by way of Davis. That said, industry watchers generally expect Apple to take the wraps off its next-generation touchscreen handset in June, approximately one year after the iPhone 3G made its debut.

To this end, the hardest supporting evidence to date has come from Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller, who in a post Macworld 2009 interview last month outlined the Cupertino-based company's general product cycles, which he said include an iPhone cycle in June.

Recently, references to an iPhone 2,1 have begun to crop up in weblogs and versions of Apple's firmware, suggesting testing of the next-gen iPhone is beginning to heat up.

Unlike the original iPhone and iPhone 3G, which were referenced as the iPhone 1,1 and iPhone 1,2, respectively, the iPhone 2,1 designation appears to signal a major architectural overhaul that is more significant than last year's upgrade.

Specifically, a lengthy breadcrumb trail laid by Apple and its partners suggest the new model will include the use of customized "System on a Chip" components developed by Apple using ARM processor cores and incorporating new PowerVR video and graphics processing core designs developed by Imagination Technologies.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[KindredMac]

Well the only hardware changes I would like seen would be:
-Forward facing camera for iChat AV
-Higher end Digital Camera on back to help with motion blur and low light environments
-"N" Wireless chip. I'm finding a lot of "N" only networks that I cannot connect to.

[saarek]

Well, I owned the first iPhone and have the 3G, but now that I have the 3G they are gonna have to have some really good features to make me upgrade.

I love my iPhone so much!

[steviet02]

Originally Posted by KindredMac

Well the only hardware changes I would like seen would be:
-Forward facing camera for iChat AV
-Higher end Digital Camera on back to help with motion blur and low light environments
-"N" Wireless chip. I'm finding a lot of "N" only networks that I cannot connect to.

Umm... How about more ram and a faster processor so that applications can run in the background.

[macintel4me]

Apple is going to have a new iPhone product this June just like the last previous 2 years. Must be a slow news day.

[Booga]

Originally Posted by macintel4me

Apple is going to have a new iPhone product this June just like the last previous 2 years. Must be a slow news day.

That was my initial reaction to this article, too. But it is worth pointing out that the original iPhone to the iPhone 3G was 1.0->1.1, and this year's jump is 1.1->2.0. Which leads to wilder speculation. Which is what rumor sites excel in.

The 3G upgrade last year didn't really change the chips substantially. They were still the same processor (with a tiny speed bump, I think), acceleration, screen, etc. I would expect this year's machine, especially considering the App Store's success, to really focus on gaming performance. I suspect it will blow the Sony PSP and their ilk out of the water. It will probably be comparable in performance to a "2.5G" console... and if you can hook it up to a television easily, will essentially *be* one.

[teckstud]

1.) Higher grade of scratch resistant plastic.
2.) MMS - text and pics
3.) Video recording along with improved camera.
4.) Expandable memory
5.) Flash- both for the camera and for Safari
6.) and last but certainly not least - cut and paste

[ksec]

Well, it better be thinner, faster and quicker... and larger screen...

Toshiba New Touch phone looks awesome.....

[Jagil]

Unibody!

[irnchriz]

Originally Posted by ksec

Well, it better be thinner, faster and quicker... and larger screen...

Toshiba New Touch phone looks awesome.....

Toshibas new TG01 (a qualcomm snapdragon device) that has a nice interface to hide the Winmo 6 ugliness. So, like lipstick on a pig then.

[Jarman]

A top of the line Mac Pro, maybe a 17" MBP and now this new iPhone. Seems Apple will easily get a good ten grand from me this year.

[BenRoethig]

Originally Posted by KindredMac

Well the only hardware changes I would like seen would be:
-Forward facing camera for iChat AV
-Higher end Digital Camera on back to help with motion blur and low light environments
-"N" Wireless chip. I'm finding a lot of "N" only networks that I cannot connect to.

All those i could use. I really hope for the second one though and with a flash. Mobile phones are really starting to replace point and shoot cameras.

[Daniel0418]

Originally Posted by Booga

That was my initial reaction to this article, too. But it is worth pointing out that the original iPhone to the iPhone 3G was 1.0->1.1, and this year's jump is 1.1->2.0. Which leads to wilder speculation. Which is what rumor sites excel in.

The 3G upgrade last year didn't really change the chips substantially. They were still the same processor (with a tiny speed bump, I think), acceleration, screen, etc. I would expect this year's machine, especially considering the App Store's success, to really focus on gaming performance. I suspect it will blow the Sony PSP and their ilk out of the water. It will probably be comparable in performance to a "2.5G" console... and if you can hook it up to a television easily, will essentially *be* one.

They will have to REALLY REALLY increase the speed of the phone. I mean atleast double the processor. Get it running somewhere around 750-950 mhz. More than double the RAM... They really need more RAM. Most apps lag so much. Maps works sometimes.... but if you get mail while using maps or a phone call... ugh the lag is herendous... Everything else I do not mind. If they increased the strength of the GPS antenna and increased the processor and RAM, I think I would buy it. If they allowed backround processes, copy/paste, better camera and silverlight 3, ajax, and flash.... lol. OKay that last one is a long long shot. But you know. There will definitely have to be some significant changes for me to switch last time. I was very disappointed switching this time. I live in LA and it switches from 3G to edge quite often. And the GPS is so inaccurate it is unusable. I kind of wish I just kept the old iPhone and waited for this newest one.

[VinitaBoy]

I've had my 3G iPhone for about six months now, teckstud . . . and not one scratch does it have.

That's because I discovered something a long time ago called a "case." I have full functionality and chargeability using this revolutionary device, and (again) not one scratch, dent, or other kind of physical incursion have I registered.

I hear there are a bunch of these innovative shells out there in the wild. Trapping one might be good for any iPhone user who values the aesthetics of his device.

[Crowley]

No firewire no purchase

¬_¬

[Roos24]

Originally Posted by saarek

Well, I owned the first iPhone and have the 3G, but now that I have the 3G they are gonna have to have some really good features to make me upgrade.

I love my iPhone so much!

Agree.
I would love to upgrade but I don't think it is going to happen this year. My friends at AT&T are already waiting at the door. Another two-year contract at again a higher price? Ha! I don't think so. I have two iPhones plus a "regular" phone in my family plan. That generates a healthy monthly bill of $150.00 plus oh, like 3,000 minutes rolled over. The iPhone is great, and I will not go without it, but AT&T spoils a lot of the fun.

Jan

[dizzy13]

So what do you think they will call this 3rd gen iPhone?

iPhone 3g Pro? iPhone 3? iPhone 3g 2?

[Orangeoutsider]

Originally Posted by ksec

Well, it better be thinner, faster and quicker... and larger screen...

Toshiba New Touch phone looks awesome.....

Then buy the Toshiba if it is so damn great!

[bitWrangler]

What's interesting in all this whining about faster processors and more ram is no mention of battery life. Faster proccies, more RAM, wireless N, background processes (which already exist, WE just can't get to them), faster graphics, etc isn't going to help the already anemic battery performance and are is likely the reason why we have the performance characteristics we already do. Perhaps Apple will switch to some lower powered display technology that will help in this regard.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by Crowley

No firewire no purchase

¬_¬

this is becoming the new "is it snappy/snappier?" or "FTFF"

My wishlist:


1.Faster ARM processor (pretty much a given)
2 PowerVR SGX graphics with OpenGL ES 2.0
3.iPhone firmware 3.0 background processes, Push Notification, OpenCL support (for capable HW) CnP and more.
4.Better camera including video capability
5.32MB option
6.Video out port for playing back HD video
7.OLED screen
8. Tethering for cheeeeap.
9. Bluetooth 2.1 with NFC and A2DP whatever
10. 802.11n Wifi at 2.4 or 5Ghz

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by bitWrangler

What's interesting in all this whining about faster processors and more ram is no mention of battery life. Faster proccies, more RAM, wireless N, background processes (which already exist, WE just can't get to them), faster graphics, etc isn't going to help the already anemic battery performance and are is likely the reason why we have the performance characteristics we already do. Perhaps Apple will switch to some lower powered display technology that will help in this regard.

Well we cannot assume that today's technology isn't superior in not only performance but also power consumption. I know that there are bluetooth cores and Wifi cores that exceed the current iPhone parts in functionality and power consumption. I doubt that the new ARM and PowerVR portions will take a significant amount of power over the current solution. Plus battery techn is certainly not standing still. I'd love to see an AMOLED screen for additional power savings and wide viewing angle.

[jwyatt]

Originally Posted by teckstud

1.) Higher grade of scratch resistant plastic.
2.) MMS - text and pics
3.) Video recording along with improved camera.
4.) Expandable memory
5.) Flash- both for the camera and for Safari
6.) and last but certainly not least - cut and paste

I seem to remember an Apple patent from a year or two ago on using a ceramic enclosure for portables. It would allow for improved signal strength, scratch resistance etc. I wonder ?

[mariofreak85]

Oh I can't wait. I hope they sell it at Best Buy the day it comes out. I hate Best Buy, but my boss gave me a $300 gift card for Christmas and an iPhone is the only thing they sell that I would want to buy

[TenoBell]

What exactly is higher grade scratch resistant plastic? You can't just make stuff up.

You keep saying Apple uses cheap plastic. But you never qualify your knowledge of plastics, or the difference between durable and cheap plastic.

Originally Posted by teckstud

1.) Higher grade of scratch resistant plastic.

[success]

If the iPhone doesn't have Firewire I will never buy another Apple product again.

[dr_lha]

Originally Posted by teckstud

1.) Higher grade of scratch resistant plastic.

Its Transparent Aluminum I'm holding out for.

2.) MMS - text and pics

Its never coming, get over it. Clearly there's no technical reason why it couldn't have been in iPhone 1.0, let alone 3.0, so I think we can safely say that the iPhone will never have MMS.

3.) Video recording along with improved camera.

Would be nice I admit!

4.) Expandable memory

would be nice, but its not going to happen.

5.) Flash- both for the camera and for Safari

The former would be nice, the latter I don't want. Most of what is done in flash can be done in CSS/Javascript/HTML. Video is the one exception, but I'd prefer Apple push for HTML5 and its standard video support.

6.) and last but certainly not least - cut and paste

Amen brother.

[bigdaddyp]

Originally Posted by KindredMac

Well the only hardware changes I would like seen would be:
-Forward facing camera for iChat AV
-Higher end Digital Camera on back to help with motion blur and low light environments
-"N" Wireless chip. I'm finding a lot of "N" only networks that I cannot connect to.

I can see the first two happening if apple feels like upgrading the camera and if att lets ichat video work on their network. The wireless N I don't think we will see that. I am not a wireless card expert but so far the N cards that I have seen have generated far more heat then g spec cards. Has any chip manufacturer been demoing a low power mobile n chipset?
Jim

[Right_said_fred]

The TG01 does have a very impressive display, its incredibly thin, and bosts A2DP
Of course it runs an OS where you have to go into settings to set processor speed for improved performance OR battery life. I hope the next IPhone is smart enough to figure out optimum processor speed, however thin design, A2DP, and an even better display are on my wish (hope) list

[jk7117]

1. Faster processor (which seems pretty likely)
2. Cut and paste
3. Better Camera
4. Maybe MMS capability

Other than these I have no complaints about the phone. Some of AT&T's coverage in my area is spotty though.

[bigdaddyp]

Originally Posted by irnchriz

So, like lipstick on a pig then.

A Sarah Palin Reference? : Just kidding.

As much as I would love to get a new iphone there are two things holding me back. The first is that where I live there is no 3g coverage and probably will not be for some time and I refuse to pay additional monies for a service I can not use. The second is that I will not replace my first gen iphone with one that has significantly less battery life then my current one. With many people griping about the 3g phones short battery life how can apple up the specs on the phone without ending up with a 1 hour battery life.

[razorpit]

Originally Posted by success

If the iPhone doesn't have Firewire I will never buy another Apple product again.

I guess this is goodbye then?

[-Dre]

Originally Posted by jwyatt

I seem to remember an Apple patent from a year or two ago on using a ceramic enclosure for portables. It would allow for improved signal strength, scratch resistance etc. I wonder ?

I remember this also. I emailed Apple concerning this. I don't know how cost feasible this is, BUT- if Apple were to adopt this in the manufacture of their iPhone/Touch enclosures, man no one would complain of scratches. I own a Rado watch, which uses that ceramic technology. The only thing that can scratch it are diamonds (they can scratch almost anything) and carborumdum, which is found in concrete.) It would really be great if Apple made use of this!

[primaltheory]

Besides all the obvious features that we all want such as the MMS/pics, better camera w/ flash, adobe flash/MS Silverlight for Safari, more RAM, bigger hard drive, better scratch resistant screens, etc., what Apple needs to do is not repeat the clusterf**k that was last year in how they sold the phone. They should definitely allow everyone to be able to order online as well as going to the brick & mortar stores. They should keep the online pre-approval/credit check forms and as long as you qualify, you can place an order if you can't physically make it to the store.
Last year's process was idiotic, time consuming and just outright annoying. Even though they make great products, they need to stop alienating the consumers who do purchase their products.

[hobBIT]

Originally Posted by ksec

Well, it better be thinner, faster and quicker... and larger screen...
Toshiba New Touch phone looks awesome.....

Well, the Toshiba TG01 is lovely thin at 9.9mm (compared to the iPhones 12.3mm) but it's friggin' huge! No thanks. Thinness not at the price of hugeness. Many of my friends already complain about the iPhone being too big. Even bigger? Are you serious?

Although a higher-resolution screen would be nice in the next iPhone.

I wonder how much of a hassle this would be for game developers. Would old games be upscaled (and blurry) on a higher res iPhone? Although I suppose most developers would welcome the ability to sell their games (in a high-res version) again to the same user...

Originally Posted by Jagil

Unibody!

Uhm, no.
As much as I'd love to get my aluminum iPhone 2.5G back, Apple had to move to plastic for signal reception. Aluminum works too well as radio frequency shield. And unlike MacBooks which have a huge plastic hinge where all the antennas are located, the iPhone hasn't room for that. Half the case would have to be plastic. And that looks odd.

[auxio]

Originally Posted by success

If the iPhone doesn't have Firewire I will never buy another Apple product again.

Snaps to that!

[dasein]

Originally Posted by KindredMac

Well the only hardware changes I would like seen would be:

-"N" Wireless chip. I'm finding a lot of "N" only networks that I cannot connect to.

I thought 802.11n was backwards compatible with 'g'....no? Also, given the processor speed of the iPhone, what advantage would there been in a larger pipe coming in? The extra range would be good.

[mariofreak85]

Originally Posted by dasein

I thought 802.11n was backwards compatible with 'g'....no? Also, given the processor speed of the iPhone, what advantage would there been in a larger pipe coming in? The extra range would be good.

802.11n is backwards compatible, however it is also possible to make a network that isn't backwards compatible. Whenever a 802.11g device is on an 802.11n network, the network slows down. That's the reason I have two wireless networks: one for my phone (802.11g) and one for my computers (802.11n)

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by dasein

I thought 802.11n was backwards compatible with 'g'....no? Also, given the processor speed of the iPhone, what advantage would there been in a larger pipe coming in? The extra range would be good.

Some people want to get 2.4Ghz network devices off the LAN. That spectrum is congested and will never perform like it can.

I'm going to move to a 5Ghz network only and I've already bought a DECT 6 phone system to further stay away from 2.4Ghz.

The iPhone certainly needs to go 802.11n if only for ease of network sake.

[hiimamac]

Originally Posted by hmurchison

Some people want to get 2.4Ghz network devices off the LAN. That spectrum is congested and will never perform like it can.

I'm going to move to a 5Ghz network only and I've already bought a DECT 6 phone system to further stay away from 2.4Ghz.

The iPhone certainly needs to go 802.11n if only for ease of network sake.

Would like to see faster 3G speeds, although do not believe really a function of the phone, others have proven otherwise. Wi Fi is fast.

Would like to see FLASH
Turn by Turn GPS with option LOUD back or bottom LARGER speaker used for GPS
Cut and Paster
Video Conferencing on WiFi and 3G
Free Tethering

You know there has to be an update. Millions will be in year 2 of their contract and can dump the phone. The good news is that we should see significant improvements due to this combined with the Palm Pre price coming in at a possible $119 price point.

Also wondering what type of deal they will have for present iPhone users (less than 2 years), as I remember when the iPhone 3G came out, anyone with an iPhone could upgrade, just had to resign for a new two year contract. Hopefully you can keep the old phone in case something happens to it.

Would also like to see insurance for the phone.

Hoping that the PRE PALM comes out ROCK'n soon so we have some competitiveness.

[Boogerman2000]

Hoping that the PRE PALM comes out ROCK'n soon so we have some competitiveness.[/QUOTE]



Amen to that