iPhone Rumour mill starts here

[DivideBYZero]

OK, so some of you know I have contacts in the mobile industry, so I heard the other day of some interesting info from Carphone Warehouse. For those that don't know CW, they are the biggest shifter of units in Europe and also own Best Buy in the US. Anyhow, onto the info:

June is new iPhone month. New model, possibly a 'nano'. I know nano has been touted before, but this has been mentioned by two insiders, one from CW and another industry source. The takeaway from this is that there WILL be a new device, that it will be a 'nano' is the shady part, but to me it makes sense. The iPad is the Maxi (resisted the joke there...;P), the iPhone regular and the nano would fit in nicely and give a lower price point to expand the user base.

Interesting times.

 

[phillyTIM]

Well it's now pretty widely documented online that an Apple event has been scheduled for JUNE 22, and it's a given that it will be an iPhone event (such events have been scheduled the past 3 years and ended up with a new-gen iPhone).

My gut instinct says that the iPhone-Nano is a fantasy, an elusive dream that some people want.

I think what will happen on June 22 is that a new iPhone with HD-quality screen and a second, front-facing camera for video-conferencing/VOIP will be released.

Will Verizon availability be announced? Perhaps, but if so then all indications are that Verizon won't get it until like September; if at all.

I think that's pretty much all we know about what is happening in Apple-phone-land for the time being.

 

[dguy6789]

What are some things you guys would like to see it have? My list is:

* Removable/replaceable battery
* MicroSD card slot
* Much longer battery life(I think current smartphones are powerful enough. Two years from now I'd prefer a phone that was as powerful as today's current phones, but with far longer battery life)
* Adobe Flash support(pipedream)
* Flash for the camera
* OLED screen
* Much higher resolution screen
* Ability to work on more than one carrier

 

[zerogear]

What are some things you guys would like to see it have? My list is:

* Removable/replaceable battery
* MicroSD card slot
* Much longer battery life(I think current smartphones are powerful enough. Two years from now I'd prefer a phone that was as powerful as today's current phones, but with far longer battery life)
* Adobe Flash support(pipedream)
* Flash for the camera
* OLED screen
* Much higher resolution screen
* Ability to work on more than one carrier

How about a 'shared' application space so that I can email the document I created in QuickOffice directly from the Mail app without having to send it to PC first. (Yes, I dislike the iPhone quite a bit just for this)

 

[gorcorps]

I think a nano wouldn't be a good move by Apple. With all the apps out there now, you'd have to make a smaller screen but with the same res to ensure the apps looked proper. I suppose it could just be scaled down, but that doesn't always work out so well.

 

[Qbah]

I read somewhere that a 960x640 screen will show up in the new iPhone. Also a front facing camera. And I think that's it. Together with iPhone OS 4.0 the jump to "next gen" will be enough.

Stuff I wish they did? A plugged in iPhone to behave like a USB drive. I don't need access to the apps or anything else related - just give me the possibility to use the remaining free space as storage. I have everything else already - extremely smooth experience and multitasking (comes with OS 4.0). Wouldn't mind if the phone lasted a few days too - but that's more about battery technology at this stage. Don't really care about it being replaceable.

 

[slag]

What are some things you guys would like to see it have? My list is:

* Removable/replaceable battery
* MicroSD card slot
* Much longer battery life(I think current smartphones are powerful enough. Two years from now I'd prefer a phone that was as powerful as today's current phones, but with far longer battery life)
* Adobe Flash support(pipedream)
* Flash for the camera
* OLED screen
* Much higher resolution screen
* Ability to work on more than one carrier

Really?

1. No need since the battery lasts about 3 days as it is with normal usage
2. yes
3. See 1.
4. Waiting on html 5 instead.. screw adobe
5. yes
6. Why?
7. Why?
8. yes

 

[dguy6789]

Really?

1. No need since the battery lasts about 3 days as it is with normal usage
2. yes
3. See 1.
4. Waiting on html 5 instead.. screw adobe
5. yes
6. Why?
7. Why?
8. yes

Yes, really.

1. Normal usage for you is not normal usage for everyone. It's very possible to run the phone out of juice in less than a day. Besides that, the battery can die and then your phone is as good as done since you can't put a new battery in.

4. HTML5 is not a replacement for Flash, not by a long shot. First, Video is not the only thing flash can do. Ever heard of Flash games? Second, HTML5's video capability is incredibly basic and limited. See Youtube in HTML5 vs Flash for an example.

6. Do I really have to explain why using the best quality screen technology(that also happens to be the most battery efficient) is something I would like on a portable device that is basically just a big screen?

7. Higher resolution means more clarity, which translates to a better experience web browsing, looking at pictures, and watching video.

 

[Deeko]

Really?

1. No need since the battery lasts about 3 days as it is with normal usage
2. yes
3. See 1.
4. Waiting on html 5 instead.. screw adobe
5. yes
6. Why?
7. Why?
8. yes

You honestly think there is no need for a better battery system? All smartphones - very much including the iPhone - get abysmal battery life.

You also question wanting a higher resolution screen...dude, have you compared the iPhone's screen to any modern phone from the past six months? Anything in the 800x480 range blows it away.

I wouldn't want AMOLED unless it was SuperAMOLED, personally, so I'm sorta with you there.

As for Flash vs HTML5....this debate will never end (that is, unless the iPhone supports flash, and then suddenly the fans will all claim its the greatest thing ever), but there is more to Flash than just video. There are web apps that run on flash. For instance - want to do your Yahoo Fantasy Football draft from your phone? Too bad, it runs on Flash.

What are some things you guys would like to see it have? My list is:

* Removable/replaceable battery
* MicroSD card slot
* Much longer battery life(I think current smartphones are powerful enough. Two years from now I'd prefer a phone that was as powerful as today's current phones, but with far longer battery life)
* Adobe Flash support(pipedream)
* Flash for the camera
* OLED screen
* Much higher resolution screen
* Ability to work on more than one carrier

I can see the last 4 potentially happening, but the top ones? Highly doubtful.

 

[pm]

Really?

1. No need since the battery lasts about 3 days as it is with normal usage

Your normal usage and my normal usage are clearly very different. I can make my iPhone 3GS last about 3 days by putting it in EDGE mode and disabling all fetching/pushing of email, turning down the brightness and turn off WiFi and Bluetooth. So if I disable everything that I find really useful about my iPhone, then I can pull 3 days out of it.

However, with my iPhone with Exchange server synching on for calendars, contacts and email, and 3G turned on, but WiFi and bluetooth off, if I do nothing more than carry my phone around all day (no calls, no web surfing, no games), my battery will be dead and the phone will turn off after 13 hours. I get up at 7am in the morning and take the phone off the charger and it is always one red sliver from shutting down by 8pm at night.

The single biggest thing that Steve Jobs can do to convince me to ante up more money this summer for the next-gen iPhone is to improve the battery life. If the battery life is the same or worse - even if they add a feature that makes coffee and plays 60" 1080p video via some pico projector - then it will be a really tough sell to get me to upgrade... because the current iPhone is marginal at best for my usage.

One could say, "yeah, pm" but your usage isn't normal" and I would counter that all that I'm doing is using my iPhone like it's a Blackberry. Blackberries have fairly good battery life... why is it that as soon as I turn on Exchange syncing my battery life is cut in half.



Back on the original topic - and I first have to say that I was honestly shocked to see it started by Divide of all people -my prediction is that the next iPhone will be called the iPhone HD. It will have a 4.3" OLED screen and a resolution of 800x600 or higher, it will have a better camera and will be able to record HD video, but the primary feature will be HD video with an HD video out cable. That's my rumor (created by me, influenced by a post from Pliablemoose).


Lastly, on a side note, I'll be in the UK for 8 weeks this summer and one my first destinations will be CW. I'm skipping right past Big Ben and the British Museum and heading straight for CW when I get off the plane. Ok, maybe not... but it will be high on my list.

 

[hanoverphist]

How about a 'shared' application space so that I can email the document I created in QuickOffice directly from the Mail app without having to send it to PC first. (Yes, I dislike the iPhone quite a bit just for this)

this is the one feature that keeps me on winmo unfortunately. i use it all the time for work.

i cant think of any other features i would want to see on any phone, let alone a new iphone. lower price would be good, hehe

 

[DivideBYZero]

Heh, I'm less biased than some think.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Your normal usage and my normal usage are clearly very different. I can make my iPhone 3GS last about 3 days by putting it in EDGE mode and disabling all fetching/pushing of email, turning down the brightness and turn off WiFi and Bluetooth. So if I disable everything that I find really useful about my iPhone, then I can pull 3 days out of it.

However, with my iPhone with Exchange server synching on for calendars, contacts and email, and 3G turned on, but WiFi and bluetooth off, if I do nothing more than carry my phone around all day (no calls, no web surfing, no games), my battery will be dead and the phone will turn off after 13 hours. I get up at 7am in the morning and take the phone off the charger and it is always one red sliver from shutting down by 8pm at night.

The single biggest thing that Steve Jobs can do to convince me to ante up more money this summer for the next-gen iPhone is to improve the battery life. If the battery life is the same or worse - even if they add a feature that makes coffee and plays 60" 1080p video via some pico projector - then it will be a really tough sell to get me to upgrade... because the current iPhone is marginal at best for my usage.

One could say, "yeah, pm" but your usage isn't normal" and I would counter that all that I'm doing is using my iPhone like it's a Blackberry. Blackberries have fairly good battery life... why is it that as soon as I turn on Exchange syncing my battery life is cut in half.



Back on the original topic - and I first have to say that I was honestly shocked to see it started by Divide of all people -my prediction is that the next iPhone will be called the iPhone HD. It will have a 4.3" OLED screen and a resolution of 800x600 or higher, it will have a better camera and will be able to record HD video, but the primary feature will be HD video with an HD video out cable. That's my rumor (created by me, influenced by a post from Pliablemoose).


Lastly, on a side note, I'll be in the UK for 8 weeks this summer and one my first destinations will be CW. I'm skipping right past Big Ben and the British Museum and heading straight for CW when I get off the plane. Ok, maybe not... but it will be high on my list.

I don't think your usage is odd or unique at all. Anyone who uses a smartphone to it's maximum extent will get this type of result. I use my BB during a working day as GPS, Games console, music, email, email, email calendar, task list, memo device, camera, viewing PDF's, instant messaging, facebook Twitter, weather apps, WiFi & Bluetooth. Some days I use less some more. On a hectic day I'll get no more than 15 hours out of my Storm2, at worst 11-12.

Edit: This includes 5-10 calls per day of up to 1hr max.

 

[gorcorps]

Heh, I'm less biased than some think.

Well let's not go THAT far :awe:

 

[theeedude]

I would have been interested in an iPhone nano until Steve Jobs went all out batsh!t
That is my main problem with smartphones is they are too big and heavy.

 

[QueBert]

I hope to hell Apple stays Apple and doesn't follow the trend of OLED screens. They look beyond bad outdoors and that's where I mostly use my phone. An OLED screen would definitely keep me away from this. Sadly many people feel just the opposite so this could be something Apple does If it's a Nano besides being a phone, the only thing new I'd want would be a built in Nike+ sensor, I hate having to have it plugged into the bottom of my 5g.

 

[pm]

I'm an unabashed OLED fan. I think they look gorgeous indoors... and they are still usable outdoors. But if you spend a lot of time looking at them outdoors, I can understand having the opposite opinion - that LCD's look better outdoors and still look good indoors. Since I seem to get my tan from the flourescent lighting here at work, I'm more interested in the look indoors.

 

[tatteredpotato]

You'll see:
Apple branded processor (similar to iPad)
Higher Res screen (roughly 3.5 inch) as I don't think they want to screw with their form factor.
Front facing camera.

 

[Riverhound777]

Probably not real, but here are some next gen iphone case pictures. Looks pretty boring to me, so I doubt they are legit.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/04/15/images-of-4th-generation-iphone-emerge/

 

[zerocool84]

I think the only thing that's getting added is a higher rez AMOLED screen, faster processor, better camera that records 720p, and they'll throw in HTML5 support. No need for a front facing camera. There are things we all wish for like MicroSD slot and removable battery but that'll never come. Apple loves the licensing money way too much that it gets from all those accessories. We know that they don't need to change a lot to get people to buy the new version. Those upgrades coupled with OS4 should be enough for the Apple people to keep them happy.

 

[rudeguy]

I think the only thing that's getting added is a higher rez AMOLED screen, faster processor, better camera that records 720p, and they'll throw in HTML5 support. No need for a front facing camera. There are things we all wish for like MicroSD slot and removable battery but that'll never come. Apple loves the licensing money way too much that it gets from all those accessories. We know that they don't need to change a lot to get people to buy the new version. Those upgrades coupled with OS4 should be enough for the Apple people to keep them happy.

They don't need to make any changes at all. If they announced the new iPhone had the exact same specs except all renamed, and that it came in chrome or orange, it would still sell out on pre-orders.

I am very glad that I never drank the Apple kool aid.

 

[TheWart]

I am guessing a higher resolution screen (torn on OLED...I like to use my phone outdoors a lot and I find the screen bright enough as is), better camera, longer lasting battery, and some sort of ichat (perhaps involving front facing camera but I think people will realize these are not as useful as they are cool).

I really, really, really doubt they will make an iphone 'nano' but who knows.

I am definitely looking forward to see what other software tweaks/changes Apple is going to unveil along with the phone. Should be good!

 

[Reliant]

Well it's now pretty widely documented online that an Apple event has been scheduled for JUNE 22, and it's a given that it will be an iPhone event (such events have been scheduled the past 3 years and ended up with a new-gen iPhone).

My gut instinct says that the iPhone-Nano is a fantasy, an elusive dream that some people want.

I think what will happen on June 22 is that a new iPhone with HD-quality screen and a second, front-facing camera for video-conferencing/VOIP will be released.

Will Verizon availability be announced? Perhaps, but if so then all indications are that Verizon won't get it until like September; if at all.

I think that's pretty much all we know about what is happening in Apple-phone-land for the time being.

I'm curious if they'll annouce it at WWDC, which will be in the first part of June.

 

[QueBert]

I think the Nano Phone, or whatever new none iPhone they're working on is something they'll announce at WWDC. I believe the rumor that Verizon's getting an Apple device, but I don't see it being the same iPhone AT&T has. A Nano phone wouldn't great, but it could be a solid phone with great PMP features. I use PagePlus so I'd love to see a Verizon Apple phone. I'm about to drop T-Mobile and no way in hell I'm going back to AT&T again.

 

[TheWart]

I think the Nano Phone, or whatever new none iPhone they're working on is something they'll announce at WWDC. I believe the rumor that Verizon's getting an Apple device, but I don't see it being the same iPhone AT&T has. A Nano phone wouldn't great, but it could be a solid phone with great PMP features. I use PagePlus so I'd love to see a Verizon Apple phone. I'm about to drop T-Mobile and no way in hell I'm going back to AT&T again.

I really don't see Apple releasing a different device for Verizon than for ATT...that seems like it would be a huge hassle for them and app developers.

I'm curious if they'll annouce it at WWDC, which will be in the first part of June.

The rumored dates for WWDC are like June 20 or 22, right? So we would be looking at a July release day I bet.