1. Larger screen, 3.7 or 3.8 inches diagonal, without growing the width of the device. This is the must important aspect of the iPhone due to onscreen controls and should be made as large as possible within the width of the device. Ie, no bezels.
2. Larger screen resolution. 960x640 is the easy way out as all apps can simply be pixel doubled and still look just as good. Would like it that high to make smaller text more readable in say Safari. 720x480 would bring them to parity with other VGA/WVGA phones such as Touch Diamond, but all apps have to be redone. If they can do an OLED 480x320, I might be satisfied as the color performance will be better.
3. More memory (RAM). This is 1 of the 2 reasons why there 3rd party apps aren't allowed to work in the background. Increase memory to at least 256 MB.
4. More CPU/GPU. With an increased resolution, GPU performance likely has to quadruple. If it doesn't increase in resolution, doubling is fine. CPU performance should double. Either through a micro-architecture change or through MHz, but it needs to double.
5. 32 GB storage. This is a stone cold lock. 64 GB would be nice.
6. I'd like filesystem access and USB flash drive mode.
7. Front facing camera, Magnetometer and gravity sensor. Instrumentation to sense what orientation the iPhone is at relative to the user.
8. 480p video recording
9. Burst mode camera functionality (60 fps?)
10. More finger gestures. 3 finger pinch, translate, rotate.
Probably not doable. Oh, and I buy into an iPhone nano with say a 3.3" like screen.
But that's not enough. There are two basic problem with opening up the iPhone's perfectly capable multitasking capability. The first is that it requires its users to do resource management, which is not something that Apple or Microsoft or anyone else for that matter has managed to make intuitive or simple. It's one thing to forget you were running an app when you're plugged into a wall; it's another to forget when you're running off a tiny battery.
To really make it work, even with a multicore CPU (doesn't it already have a dual core ARM?), even with 256MB RAM, there needs to be a simple, screen-real-estate-saving means for the person using the phone to know what's running, how close the phone is to running out of resources and how fast it's running the battery down. I respectfully submit that this is not a simple problem to solve.
The second problem is that developer applications would need to play nice. Right now they're written to assume that they have the phone to themselves, but that clearly would not work if they could be backgrounded. Would the apps have to be rewritten? I don't know if Apple wants to go there. Their system engineers might consider running background applications in a virtual machine sandbox (perhaps equivalent to the original iPhone) so that there are hard limits on how much CPU, RAM and backing store they can eat no matter how many apps are running, so that a certain amount of performance for the frontmost app is guaranteed. That would probably be simpler. Perhaps there could even be a hard limit on the number of apps that run in the background?
does voice dialing require an app continuously run in the background?? my 5 year old moto v551 did that great, so what is required and how do most or all voice dialing voice independent systems work?
1. Larger screen, 3.7 or 3.8 inches diagonal, without growing the width of the device. This is the must important aspect of the iPhone due to onscreen controls and should be made as large as possible within the width of the device. Ie, no bezels.
Yes I have to agree screen size is important. In fact I would like to see a second form factor iPhone that goes even larger with the screen. I'd like the screen to be about the size of a common check and the phone itself not much bigger than a check book.
Quote:
2. Larger screen resolution. 960x640 is the easy way out as all apps can simply be pixel doubled and still look just as good. Would like it that high to make smaller text more readable in say Safari. 720x480 would bring them to parity with other VGA/WVGA phones such as Touch Diamond, but all apps have to be redone. If they can do an OLED 480x320, I might be satisfied as the color performance will be better.
I'm to old to get to excited about making small text clearer to read. Rather I want more room for larger text. Well graphics too.
Quote:
3. More memory (RAM). This is 1 of the 2 reasons why there 3rd party apps aren't allowed to work in the background. Increase memory to at least 256 MB.
Yeah this is huge. But lets face it all the RAM in the world won't help with code that leaks, especially if it is Apples code.
Quote:
4. More CPU/GPU. With an increased resolution, GPU performance likely has to quadruple. If it doesn't increase in resolution, doubling is fine. CPU performance should double. Either through a micro-architecture change or through MHz, but it needs to double.
For my usage the GPU performance doesn't seem that bad. Cpu performance goes to crap with something as simple as an E-Mail coming in. This is where I see multiple cores doing more for iPhone than simply going to faster CPU's.
Quote:
5. 32 GB storage. This is a stone cold lock. 64 GB would be nice.
6. I'd like filesystem access and USB flash drive mode.
Hopefully Apple can achieve enough integration to allow room for a second flash chip, given the current form factor. for the larger device I'd like to see Apple should have room for 4 flash chips which could mean as much as 128GB with contemporary technology. In any event I hope that Apple takes note of items 5 & 6 above, storage and access is very important.
Quote:
7. Front facing camera, Magnetometer and gravity sensor. Instrumentation to sense what orientation the iPhone is at relative to the user.
I'm not big on video conferencing myself, the image might break somebodies iPhone.
By magnetometer do you mean flux gate compass? Whatever I'd like to see thermal measurement capabilities embedded into the machine.
Quote:
8. 480p video recording
Not unless Apple rethinks the hardware interface. The iPhone needs a real shutter release button that eliminates the tapping of the screen to try to get a picture. Video recording would really need such a switch too. The current arrangement for triggering a picture is the worst human factors thing Apple has done in years.
Quote:
9. Burst mode camera functionality (60 fps?)
10. More finger gestures. 3 finger pinch, translate, rotate.
Probably not doable. Oh, and I buy into an iPhone nano with say a 3.3" like screen.
Don't think negatively here much of what you want is very doable. The thing is will Apple do it.
I think the iPhone version of Copy n Paste will arrive.
That'd be great.
Quote:
Same carrier
How about carrier free in the rest of the world that's not used to forced bundling. So tiresome to force operators down our throats, imho.
Quote:
SDHC ???? superfluous feature in a 8/16/32GB phone. SDCH is obsolete from a roadmap standpoint replaced to SDXC
SDXC is paper standard for now, just like those 2TB sdxc cards. You can't even get the interface parts for a sdxc slot now from any maker. All phones in 2009 will ship with SDHC compatibility at best.
Now, I wouldn't mind SDXC support, but my point was that Apple will never put a memory card slot in there.
Why? Because I want's to charge $100 extra for that 'extra memory' version, even if you can get twice the amount of storage space on card for 1/5th the price.
That's again the way Apple does things. Like it or not.
Quote:
Much faster CPU. I don't know why anyone would assume otherwise unless they just enjoy being pessimistic.
Like I said, slightly faster, but for sure not a 1Ghz dual DSP snapdragon. Apple buys cheap parts, not the best parts for iPhone. At least until they can ramp up the volume.
Quote:
Same screen though if it ain't OLED based then it ain't a big deal in my book. We need Rez independence more than ever now.
I don't care what the technology of the screen is. Physical size and resolution matter.
Almost all high end phones in 2008 and surely in 2009 will ship with 800x480 or higher resolution.
While I cannot be sure, I think Apple will keep the resolution same ("to ensure compatibility") and completely miss the boat on this one.
You are right that I'm being pessimistic. But that's what you get for following Apple announcements for the past years
And again, I hope I'll be proven wrong. There's of course always the iPhone 3.0... some years down the road...
I know this is a speculation thread about a future iPhone but I have some seasoning to add to this salad. This comes from recent copies of Electronic Design.
1.
Peregrine Semiconductory has some new tech for antenna matching. This could potentially improve the iPhones RF performance.
2.
OmniVision has more info on its OV5642, 5 MegaPixel CMOS SoC camera. This chip has the potential to really move the state of the art in cell phone cameras ahead. I kinda wish I had time to post more form the article but this is something that should make iPhone users stand up and take notice. The allegation here is that they have successfully implemented high performance sensor technology at a reasonable price, we shall see.
3.
New display technologies where covered including MEMS based optical shutter displays and everything else between that and good old LCD.
4.
A Liquid Lens controller based on a process known as electrowetting got a short blurb. These for Varioptics patented tech. Liquid Lens are interesting all on their own.
These are just things I saw in stuff passing across my desk in the last days. This doesn't even include interesting new low power tech for a number of important parts of an iPhone, or even a tablet device. In fact when one thinks of tablets and some of this tech, it becomes obvious that Apple will have a very wide range of options for new devices this year.
Of course I don't expect all this tech in on Apple product but it does highlight that things continue to move forward as far as what is possible. But lets say Apple only implements one or two of these new "things" in the next gen iPhone. It should be obvious that these will be considerable improvements over older hardware.
The camera chip above is especially impressive as it attempts to implement what was once extremely expensive tech at mass production prices. That and the fact that the chips is actually a sensor and processor that basically provide for just about every request seen in this forum.
Like I said above this should not be taken to indicate that Apple is interested in any of this. I really don't know what they are up to and frankly they would have their suppliers locking down all info on any thing Apple might be interested in. Rather it should be taken to indicate what is possible in the near term with respect to cell phones.
Can we expect a refresh with new hardware this year?
That is pretty much what this thread is about isn't it. The speculation right now centers around updates to the current model and or what a new model will be like. I'm fairly certain we will get one or the other.
Of course when and how is the harder question but some evidence implies June.
Out of curiosity... why does one need that much space on a phone? I'm not trying to be rude either just a straight up question. On launch day I waited in line for the iPhone 3G and even though I was about 55 people back in line when the doors opened they still ran out of black iPhone 3G's so I thought about it and decided to just get the 8GB then and if I realized I needed more space later on I'd try to return it.
- Because they are using it for something OTHER then a phone.
I hope Apple comes out with a Phone version of iPhone, for those of us, who just want a phone.
It will be cheaper and work just fine for CALLING folks, when we need to make a PHONE call.
I like many others have an iPod or 2, I have a very nice digital camera I bring everywhere, I have a nice 17" PowerBook, a GPS in my car, and I don't play games ? so let's have a Apple Phone please.
Hey what's the worst that can happen? I use someone else's iPhone, and like a feature or 2, I then UPGRADE. That seems like a win-win for Apple / AT&T. They sold me a nice PHONE and now I purchase a better iPhone, but all I went is the choice to do just that.
An Apple nanoPhone, nPhone, iPhone jr., little iPhone, iphone shuffle (hell I don't care what they call it) for $99.00 with no subsidies to AT&T, NO hidden costs or contracts, just a nice small working PHONE. We ALL know this would sell like hot cakes.
Skip
Apple has no interest in making this device for you. The margins are far too small.
Comments
1. Larger screen, 3.7 or 3.8 inches diagonal, without growing the width of the device. This is the must important aspect of the iPhone due to onscreen controls and should be made as large as possible within the width of the device. Ie, no bezels.
2. Larger screen resolution. 960x640 is the easy way out as all apps can simply be pixel doubled and still look just as good. Would like it that high to make smaller text more readable in say Safari. 720x480 would bring them to parity with other VGA/WVGA phones such as Touch Diamond, but all apps have to be redone. If they can do an OLED 480x320, I might be satisfied as the color performance will be better.
3. More memory (RAM). This is 1 of the 2 reasons why there 3rd party apps aren't allowed to work in the background. Increase memory to at least 256 MB.
4. More CPU/GPU. With an increased resolution, GPU performance likely has to quadruple. If it doesn't increase in resolution, doubling is fine. CPU performance should double. Either through a micro-architecture change or through MHz, but it needs to double.
5. 32 GB storage. This is a stone cold lock. 64 GB would be nice.
6. I'd like filesystem access and USB flash drive mode.
7. Front facing camera, Magnetometer and gravity sensor. Instrumentation to sense what orientation the iPhone is at relative to the user.
8. 480p video recording
9. Burst mode camera functionality (60 fps?)
10. More finger gestures. 3 finger pinch, translate, rotate.
Probably not doable.
But that's not enough. There are two basic problem with opening up the iPhone's perfectly capable multitasking capability. The first is that it requires its users to do resource management, which is not something that Apple or Microsoft or anyone else for that matter has managed to make intuitive or simple. It's one thing to forget you were running an app when you're plugged into a wall; it's another to forget when you're running off a tiny battery.
To really make it work, even with a multicore CPU (doesn't it already have a dual core ARM?), even with 256MB RAM, there needs to be a simple, screen-real-estate-saving means for the person using the phone to know what's running, how close the phone is to running out of resources and how fast it's running the battery down. I respectfully submit that this is not a simple problem to solve.
The second problem is that developer applications would need to play nice. Right now they're written to assume that they have the phone to themselves, but that clearly would not work if they could be backgrounded. Would the apps have to be rewritten? I don't know if Apple wants to go there. Their system engineers might consider running background applications in a virtual machine sandbox (perhaps equivalent to the original iPhone) so that there are hard limits on how much CPU, RAM and backing store they can eat no matter how many apps are running, so that a certain amount of performance for the frontmost app is guaranteed. That would probably be simpler. Perhaps there could even be a hard limit on the number of apps that run in the background?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/03/t...lds-first-sna/
http://www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk/2...martphone.html
+ BIG screen, beautiful screen quality
+ thinner
+ really fast cpu
+ sdhc card slot
So, even downgrading that to a cheaper version - the next iPhone has plenty of head room to improve into.
Now, considering Apple is what it is and designs the way it does, my guess for the next iPhone:
- same screen res as the old one ("because it would just confuse devs")
- thinner ("Look at how light and thin it is!? Almost like air!")
- slightly faster cpu, but only slightly ("Because we want to save the battery run time")
- sdhc card slot ("Just confusing to users" = Apple want's to charge extra for built-in mem)
- no MMS ("It's a dead standard, we don't like it. Use e-mail")
- no copy&paste ("that's so PC, we don't think like PC")
- same carrier locks ("Because we want to offer the best bundled experience")
I hope I'll be proven wrong.
Guys, the bar has been raised:
Now, considering Apple is what it is and designs the way it does, my guess for the next iPhone:
- same screen res as the old one ("because it would just confuse devs")
- thinner ("Look at how light and thin it is!? Almost like air!")
- slightly faster cpu, but only slightly ("Because we want to save the battery run time")
- sdhc card slot ("Just confusing to users" = Apple want's to charge extra for built-in mem)
- no MMS ("It's a dead standard, we don't like it. Use e-mail")
- no copy&paste ("that's so PC, we don't think like PC")
- same carrier locks ("Because we want to offer the best bundled experience")
I hope I'll be proven wrong.
I think the iPhone version of Copy n Paste will arrive.
Same carrier
SDHC ???? superfluous feature in a 8/16/32GB phone. SDCH is obsolete from a roadmap standpoint replaced to SDXC
Much faster CPU. I don't know why anyone would assume otherwise unless they just enjoy being pessimistic.
Same screen though if it ain't OLED based then it ain't a big deal in my book. We need Rez independence more than ever now.
What I'd like to see:
1. Larger screen, 3.7 or 3.8 inches diagonal, without growing the width of the device. This is the must important aspect of the iPhone due to onscreen controls and should be made as large as possible within the width of the device. Ie, no bezels.
Yes I have to agree screen size is important. In fact I would like to see a second form factor iPhone that goes even larger with the screen. I'd like the screen to be about the size of a common check and the phone itself not much bigger than a check book.
2. Larger screen resolution. 960x640 is the easy way out as all apps can simply be pixel doubled and still look just as good. Would like it that high to make smaller text more readable in say Safari. 720x480 would bring them to parity with other VGA/WVGA phones such as Touch Diamond, but all apps have to be redone. If they can do an OLED 480x320, I might be satisfied as the color performance will be better.
I'm to old to get to excited about making small text clearer to read. Rather I want more room for larger text. Well graphics too.
3. More memory (RAM). This is 1 of the 2 reasons why there 3rd party apps aren't allowed to work in the background. Increase memory to at least 256 MB.
Yeah this is huge. But lets face it all the RAM in the world won't help with code that leaks, especially if it is Apples code.
4. More CPU/GPU. With an increased resolution, GPU performance likely has to quadruple. If it doesn't increase in resolution, doubling is fine. CPU performance should double. Either through a micro-architecture change or through MHz, but it needs to double.
For my usage the GPU performance doesn't seem that bad. Cpu performance goes to crap with something as simple as an E-Mail coming in. This is where I see multiple cores doing more for iPhone than simply going to faster CPU's.
5. 32 GB storage. This is a stone cold lock. 64 GB would be nice.
6. I'd like filesystem access and USB flash drive mode.
Hopefully Apple can achieve enough integration to allow room for a second flash chip, given the current form factor. for the larger device I'd like to see Apple should have room for 4 flash chips which could mean as much as 128GB with contemporary technology. In any event I hope that Apple takes note of items 5 & 6 above, storage and access is very important.
7. Front facing camera, Magnetometer and gravity sensor. Instrumentation to sense what orientation the iPhone is at relative to the user.
I'm not big on video conferencing myself, the image might break somebodies iPhone.
By magnetometer do you mean flux gate compass? Whatever I'd like to see thermal measurement capabilities embedded into the machine.
8. 480p video recording
Not unless Apple rethinks the hardware interface. The iPhone needs a real shutter release button that eliminates the tapping of the screen to try to get a picture. Video recording would really need such a switch too. The current arrangement for triggering a picture is the worst human factors thing Apple has done in years.
9. Burst mode camera functionality (60 fps?)
10. More finger gestures. 3 finger pinch, translate, rotate.
Probably not doable.
Don't think negatively here much of what you want is very doable. The thing is will Apple do it.
Dave
I think the iPhone version of Copy n Paste will arrive.
That'd be great.
Same carrier
How about carrier free in the rest of the world that's not used to forced bundling. So tiresome to force operators down our throats, imho.
SDHC ???? superfluous feature in a 8/16/32GB phone. SDCH is obsolete from a roadmap standpoint replaced to SDXC
SDXC is paper standard for now, just like those 2TB sdxc cards. You can't even get the interface parts for a sdxc slot now from any maker. All phones in 2009 will ship with SDHC compatibility at best.
Now, I wouldn't mind SDXC support, but my point was that Apple will never put a memory card slot in there.
Why? Because I want's to charge $100 extra for that 'extra memory' version, even if you can get twice the amount of storage space on card for 1/5th the price.
That's again the way Apple does things. Like it or not.
Much faster CPU. I don't know why anyone would assume otherwise unless they just enjoy being pessimistic.
Like I said, slightly faster, but for sure not a 1Ghz dual DSP snapdragon. Apple buys cheap parts, not the best parts for iPhone. At least until they can ramp up the volume.
Same screen though if it ain't OLED based then it ain't a big deal in my book. We need Rez independence more than ever now.
I don't care what the technology of the screen is. Physical size and resolution matter.
Almost all high end phones in 2008 and surely in 2009 will ship with 800x480 or higher resolution.
While I cannot be sure, I think Apple will keep the resolution same ("to ensure compatibility") and completely miss the boat on this one.
You are right that I'm being pessimistic. But that's what you get for following Apple announcements for the past years
And again, I hope I'll be proven wrong. There's of course always the iPhone 3.0... some years down the road...
I know this is a speculation thread about a future iPhone but I have some seasoning to add to this salad. This comes from recent copies of Electronic Design.
1.
Peregrine Semiconductory has some new tech for antenna matching. This could potentially improve the iPhones RF performance.
2.
OmniVision has more info on its OV5642, 5 MegaPixel CMOS SoC camera. This chip has the potential to really move the state of the art in cell phone cameras ahead. I kinda wish I had time to post more form the article but this is something that should make iPhone users stand up and take notice. The allegation here is that they have successfully implemented high performance sensor technology at a reasonable price, we shall see.
3.
New display technologies where covered including MEMS based optical shutter displays and everything else between that and good old LCD.
4.
A Liquid Lens controller based on a process known as electrowetting got a short blurb. These for Varioptics patented tech. Liquid Lens are interesting all on their own.
These are just things I saw in stuff passing across my desk in the last days. This doesn't even include interesting new low power tech for a number of important parts of an iPhone, or even a tablet device. In fact when one thinks of tablets and some of this tech, it becomes obvious that Apple will have a very wide range of options for new devices this year.
Of course I don't expect all this tech in on Apple product but it does highlight that things continue to move forward as far as what is possible. But lets say Apple only implements one or two of these new "things" in the next gen iPhone. It should be obvious that these will be considerable improvements over older hardware.
The camera chip above is especially impressive as it attempts to implement what was once extremely expensive tech at mass production prices. That and the fact that the chips is actually a sensor and processor that basically provide for just about every request seen in this forum.
Like I said above this should not be taken to indicate that Apple is interested in any of this. I really don't know what they are up to and frankly they would have their suppliers locking down all info on any thing Apple might be interested in. Rather it should be taken to indicate what is possible in the near term with respect to cell phones.
Dave
Can we expect a refresh with new hardware this year?
That is pretty much what this thread is about isn't it. The speculation right now centers around updates to the current model and or what a new model will be like. I'm fairly certain we will get one or the other.
Of course when and how is the harder question but some evidence implies June.
Dave
Out of curiosity... why does one need that much space on a phone? I'm not trying to be rude either just a straight up question. On launch day I waited in line for the iPhone 3G and even though I was about 55 people back in line when the doors opened they still ran out of black iPhone 3G's so I thought about it and decided to just get the 8GB then and if I realized I needed more space later on I'd try to return it.
- Because they are using it for something OTHER then a phone.
I hope Apple comes out with a Phone version of iPhone, for those of us, who just want a phone.
It will be cheaper and work just fine for CALLING folks, when we need to make a PHONE call.
I like many others have an iPod or 2, I have a very nice digital camera I bring everywhere, I have a nice 17" PowerBook, a GPS in my car, and I don't play games ? so let's have a Apple Phone please.
Hey what's the worst that can happen? I use someone else's iPhone, and like a feature or 2, I then UPGRADE. That seems like a win-win for Apple / AT&T. They sold me a nice PHONE and now I purchase a better iPhone, but all I went is the choice to do just that.
An Apple nanoPhone, nPhone, iPhone jr., little iPhone, iphone shuffle (hell I don't care what they call it) for $99.00 with no subsidies to AT&T, NO hidden costs or contracts, just a nice small working PHONE. We ALL know this would sell like hot cakes.
Skip
Apple has no interest in making this device for you. The margins are far too small.