I would say go for it then. Addition of MMS (and likely video recording too) would not require a hardware upgrade, but a firmware update.
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The 2009 iPhone
- Thread starter ethanwc
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I would say go for it then. Addition of MMS (and likely video recording too) would not require a hardware upgrade, but a firmware update.
Processor upgrade for sure. Have you ever compared the iPhone 3G with the new iPod touch? The 132MHz difference between the two really makes a difference because the Touch is soooo much more smooth than the iPhone.
Plus it doesn't help the iPhone that the phone and sms app are always running in the background.
Plus it doesn't help the iPhone that the phone and sms app are always running in the background.
So wrong. So, so wrong. Breakpoints are 12, 21, and 24 months depending on your monthly rate. Go google, I'm tired of posting the link.
Examples?
Mines still the way it was the first day, and i got in the day they came out
The iPhone is nice, but most people who are familiar with smart-phones are really waiting for v3 to deliver. (Apple has a history of taking a few generations to get the hardware slick.)
I'm still holding off as I have a Touch which I'm increasingly using as a PDA, but am not confident enough in the phone component. This is noticeable with my g/f who has a new 3G iPhone, when I can receive HSDPA signal on the edges of coverage areas when she can barely get call coverage on the same network (and let's not talk about dropped calls).
The iPhone needs at a minimum an autofocus 3.2Mp camera, preferably 5Mp (which is now standard outside the US) with a flash. Compact cameras are dying; mobile phones are taking over and however much you persuade yourself, the iPhone camera is pretty poor in anything other than optimum lighting conditions. Video is a minor option. It does need a small flash (does not need to be xenon).
It needs better reception capabilities and Apple should seek out why it is not achieving where smaller cheaper devices better it.
It needs a faster processor: as wow as it can be, it can be quite slow in operation and does not take much to flummox.
Finally 32Gb and a better battery is a given.
These are the main hardware considerations.
The rest is software, in no order: integrating To Dos with iCal; calendar (device) search; C&P; application folders; better video sorting (iTunes needs this too!); Notes integrated with a desktop app; less calendar bugs (default calenders!!); better email account handling....
... and background application operation as well as push notiication*!!
Phew! All possible though and expected from the 3G last year. My old Palm Tungsten E could manage many of these, so a 2009 iPhone should walk it.
* there may be hardware considerations here
I'm still holding off as I have a Touch which I'm increasingly using as a PDA, but am not confident enough in the phone component. This is noticeable with my g/f who has a new 3G iPhone, when I can receive HSDPA signal on the edges of coverage areas when she can barely get call coverage on the same network (and let's not talk about dropped calls).
The iPhone needs at a minimum an autofocus 3.2Mp camera, preferably 5Mp (which is now standard outside the US) with a flash. Compact cameras are dying; mobile phones are taking over and however much you persuade yourself, the iPhone camera is pretty poor in anything other than optimum lighting conditions. Video is a minor option. It does need a small flash (does not need to be xenon).
It needs better reception capabilities and Apple should seek out why it is not achieving where smaller cheaper devices better it.
It needs a faster processor: as wow as it can be, it can be quite slow in operation and does not take much to flummox.
Finally 32Gb and a better battery is a given.
These are the main hardware considerations.
The rest is software, in no order: integrating To Dos with iCal; calendar (device) search; C&P; application folders; better video sorting (iTunes needs this too!); Notes integrated with a desktop app; less calendar bugs (default calenders!!); better email account handling....
... and background application operation as well as push notiication*!!
Phew! All possible though and expected from the 3G last year. My old Palm Tungsten E could manage many of these, so a 2009 iPhone should walk it.
* there may be hardware considerations here
I'm in a similar situation - ready to upgrade in a month's time, been itching to get the iPhone for a long time now, but part of me says I should just wait.
However, if the new iPhone does have everything that people are asking for, what sort of premium will come with it?
It'd be nice to think that the cost and monthly fees will stay the same (in the UK) but that may not happen.
However, if the new iPhone does have everything that people are asking for, what sort of premium will come with it?
It'd be nice to think that the cost and monthly fees will stay the same (in the UK) but that may not happen.
Before I begin, scrap the nano rumors? You want people to comment on iPhone rumors but iPhone nano rumors aren't allowed? An iPhone nano is more likely than an iPhone with an HD screen (that would be tripling the pixels in the screen).
Back to reality. I'm willing to bet a farm (I don't own any) on a 32GB model. I'm willing to bet a cow that the 8GB phone goes bye-bye and we just have the 16GB and 32GB models. The camera is likely to get some touching up because it's one of the main hardware bitches around here. I'd love to see a flash attempted, but I don't know how good those are.
The iPhone 3G was officially announced in June, although millions of rumors said "sometime in 2009" and "second quarter." It was announced in June for sale in July.
As far as upgrading, it depends on the carrier. The iPhone 3G IS subsidized in the U.S., which means everybody here who bought one is SOL on the next model. People like me holding on to the EDGE model are begging for this update. I stuck to my guns on "no 3G until I get 32GB." I'm giving up on waiting for 64GB since it seems like that will be another year or more. Nuh uh!
You won't hear as many iPhone rumors this year. Many more people bought the iPhone 3G than the iPhone first gen, so there will be fewer rabid devotees "needing" one. There also isn't some obvious upgrade needed like 3G.
On a side note, for those who have this "iPhone pro" idea: Were you not listening when Steve Jobs said the biggest complaint was price last year? The smart phone market is infinitely small overall, and Apple is doing well in it. Any more-expensive iPhone would have a very tiny market share and wouldn't have the "reel them in" effect of items like the iPod shuffle and Mac mini. You are more likely to see some sort of tablet device. If that's what you mean by an iPhone pro, then you may have your wish.
You wish. They'll never do that.
I hope they just make the camera better and a better networking chip... (and the fact that o2 should put better connectivity in my area)
Like Stephen Fry: "I still maintain that the third iPhone will be the perfect device."
http://www.stephenfry.com/blog/2007/09/16/device-and-disires/
As Jonny75 says - "The iPhone is nice, but most people who are familiar with smart-phones are really waiting for v3 to deliver."
I'm not sure we'll see the v3 iPhone with Xenon flash. i'd imagine they'll get a better CMOS in (A year ago, Apple had several hiring spots for
http://blog.wired.com/cultofmac/2007/01/apples_hiring_i.html
SoC, CMOS, CCD,
May 2008:
Apple had a openeing for a Lead Camera Design Engineer for the iPhone. Working from CUpertino, at HQ, studying "present and future CMOS camera technologies
with an eye towards implementing it to the iPhone."
http://www.iphonealley.com/news/apple-posts-job-opening-for-lead-camera-design-engineer-for-iphone
Also searching for
"an engineer who is an "expert" in image processing techniques such as auto-exposure and auto white balance."
and to "bring both capturing and browsing imagery "to the next level," "
http://justanotheriphoneblog.com/wordpress/2008/03/05/apple-hiring-to-improve-the-iphone-camera/
http://www.appleinsider.com/article...composites_iphone_cameras_macbook_design.html
As for better reception capabilities - they've got what, 10 radio in there?
Again, there have been job advertisings for this:
http://www.intomobile.com/2008/05/23/apple-job-listings-spur-imagination-rumors.html
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/05/a...isting_requires_gps_experience_hmm8230-2.html
"Integration of wireless antenna (GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi) into mechanical enclosures." GPS! Boy howdy! But wait, isn't it a little late to start that job hunt on this go-around
- Gizmodo is right - So they'll have had some time working on this, and it wasn't really for the iPhone 3G it seems, due to the timings of the job advertisement.
http://anycool-phone.com/2008/05/23/apple-job-listings-spur-imagination-rumors/
Another ad? Doesn't even mention the iPhone.
Sr. RF System Engineer required knowledge about Bluetooth, 3G, UWB, WiMAX, GPS, Mobile TV and similar wireless technologies.
Booyah. (Another pet theory - Mobile TV - something beyond iPlayer, in a broadcast through radio masts style, helping the one to many push of data, helping with bandwidth)
"This person will proactively work with other cross-functional engineering groups."
Faster processor? the previous linked articles on the ARM 11 successor looks good, and Broadcom/Infineon chips look a likely upgrade. Apple's agressive comments in the earnings call look like they want to have a damn fine v3 iPhone. Why would they lose momentum?
Better battery? The tech for the MBP, MB batteries will flow to iPhone, no doubt.
ToDos - Apple might have something special coming here. Having pondered it. That or woefully lacking - it sounds like they're might be trying to integrate it into something we haven't seen yet, software wise...(currently shouting at Things on iPhone for no recurring tasks, an Omnifocus rival, and wishing Habits features were there).
Calendar, etc I'd imagine will have much tighter integration with other parts.
Snow Leopard should bring the calendar bugs down. You'd hope.
Push notification etc? I'd imagine they're going to be bringing some new concepts at WWDC for developers. Whether they've gotten a handle on push notification we'll see - there was some chatter here a while back saying that internally it seemed that Apple was having a nightmare trying to get push notification to vaguely work.
Apple is doing a great job actually bringing the features in. Yes, it seems slow for tech-heads, early adopters, geeks etc, but the phones in the surveys are actually getting used - people are actually using the functions of the iPhone - email, GPS, Maps etc, which wasn't really seen on other phones used by non-specialist users.
As for nano rumours - i'd imagine not talking about them is easier. It's just another topic/thread really. iPhone could potentially change their screen resolution if they really wanted. Would they go OLED? We'll see. No bumps screen wise really since v1 iPhone afaik.The wiser devs are not binding themselves to one specific resolution - would be code-nightmare in the longrun.
Uhuh?
Apple could get a lot of upgrades. It's what the carriers would love!I'd say there are obvious hardware and software upgrades possible. It's in Apple's DNA to one up on a new update. Not so much making the last model redundant, as making it not the best anymore. And that creates a big "i want the new model" feeling amongst many buyers of Apple kit.
http://www.stephenfry.com/blog/2007/09/16/device-and-disires/
As Jonny75 says - "The iPhone is nice, but most people who are familiar with smart-phones are really waiting for v3 to deliver."
I'm not sure we'll see the v3 iPhone with Xenon flash. i'd imagine they'll get a better CMOS in (A year ago, Apple had several hiring spots for
http://blog.wired.com/cultofmac/2007/01/apples_hiring_i.html
SoC, CMOS, CCD,
May 2008:
Apple had a openeing for a Lead Camera Design Engineer for the iPhone. Working from CUpertino, at HQ, studying "present and future CMOS camera technologies
with an eye towards implementing it to the iPhone."
http://www.iphonealley.com/news/apple-posts-job-opening-for-lead-camera-design-engineer-for-iphone
Also searching for
"an engineer who is an "expert" in image processing techniques such as auto-exposure and auto white balance."
and to "bring both capturing and browsing imagery "to the next level," "
http://justanotheriphoneblog.com/wordpress/2008/03/05/apple-hiring-to-improve-the-iphone-camera/
http://www.appleinsider.com/article...composites_iphone_cameras_macbook_design.html
I think the iLife software shows that video could get big. just my pet theory, mostly wish fueled. But why not? They could do wonders - it'd cerate a huge potential for video creation, video editing etc. iPhone version 3 could easily rival the Flip. Maybe not HD, but well, wouldn't you want HD 720p tech in your phone?
As for better reception capabilities - they've got what, 10 radio in there?
Again, there have been job advertisings for this:
http://www.intomobile.com/2008/05/23/apple-job-listings-spur-imagination-rumors.html
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/05/a...isting_requires_gps_experience_hmm8230-2.html
"Integration of wireless antenna (GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi) into mechanical enclosures." GPS! Boy howdy! But wait, isn't it a little late to start that job hunt on this go-around
- Gizmodo is right - So they'll have had some time working on this, and it wasn't really for the iPhone 3G it seems, due to the timings of the job advertisement.
http://anycool-phone.com/2008/05/23/apple-job-listings-spur-imagination-rumors/
Another ad? Doesn't even mention the iPhone.
Sr. RF System Engineer required knowledge about Bluetooth, 3G, UWB, WiMAX, GPS, Mobile TV and similar wireless technologies.
Booyah. (Another pet theory - Mobile TV - something beyond iPlayer, in a broadcast through radio masts style, helping the one to many push of data, helping with bandwidth)
"This person will proactively work with other cross-functional engineering groups."
Faster processor? the previous linked articles on the ARM 11 successor looks good, and Broadcom/Infineon chips look a likely upgrade. Apple's agressive comments in the earnings call look like they want to have a damn fine v3 iPhone. Why would they lose momentum?
Better battery? The tech for the MBP, MB batteries will flow to iPhone, no doubt.
ToDos - Apple might have something special coming here. Having pondered it. That or woefully lacking - it sounds like they're might be trying to integrate it into something we haven't seen yet, software wise...(currently shouting at Things on iPhone for no recurring tasks, an Omnifocus rival, and wishing Habits features were there).
Calendar, etc I'd imagine will have much tighter integration with other parts.
Snow Leopard should bring the calendar bugs down. You'd hope.
Push notification etc? I'd imagine they're going to be bringing some new concepts at WWDC for developers. Whether they've gotten a handle on push notification we'll see - there was some chatter here a while back saying that internally it seemed that Apple was having a nightmare trying to get push notification to vaguely work.
Apple is doing a great job actually bringing the features in. Yes, it seems slow for tech-heads, early adopters, geeks etc, but the phones in the surveys are actually getting used - people are actually using the functions of the iPhone - email, GPS, Maps etc, which wasn't really seen on other phones used by non-specialist users.
As for nano rumours - i'd imagine not talking about them is easier. It's just another topic/thread really. iPhone could potentially change their screen resolution if they really wanted. Would they go OLED? We'll see. No bumps screen wise really since v1 iPhone afaik.The wiser devs are not binding themselves to one specific resolution - would be code-nightmare in the longrun.
Uhuh?
Apple could get a lot of upgrades. It's what the carriers would love!I'd say there are obvious hardware and software upgrades possible. It's in Apple's DNA to one up on a new update. Not so much making the last model redundant, as making it not the best anymore. And that creates a big "i want the new model" feeling amongst many buyers of Apple kit.
Same here. My Orange contract runs out in feb (have been using a first gen iPhone on Orange last few months and liked it) and can't decided whether to go for it then or hold off a month or two. would love better camera and more memory.
I don't think so, for precisely this reason:
If im apples marketing department, and i release a newer, more expensive phone, and have the option of putting something on it that people want (a video camera/5mp still camera) that i cant make money from because people already have one, a new phone that noone has and would have to buy, or both, guess which option im going with.
All I see is some bumps in storage, claims of a better battery life, and possibly a slight design modification just enough to distinguish the "new iphone" from the current one so people will be more inclined to buy it just to have the latest and greatest. I think they will time any major improvements to coincide with the majority of early adopter's contracts ending ( unless ATT allows for upgrading without penalty like they did when the the iphone 3g first came out)
That doesn't make sense: playing to a set market.
Apple wants to make the iPhone market GROW: add new users to the platform, make it more appealing to a wider audience and make it look less feature "shabby" compared to the competition. Besides, what makes you think the US is Apple's main market priority?
If - and only if - the Pre lives up to the hype, it could really clean up.
I agree with most of t0mat0's points. As for video, well, if it had YouTube upload, that would be a feature I could see working, but mobile video - even on the best - is a few degrees below the video dedicated Flip. And as for reception: it may have 10 radios, so why should my Sony Ericsson perform so markedly better? It must be the make of radios they are using.
Due to the sensor used in the iPhone, doesn't that mess with standard video creation? It's not your normal CMOS. I'd imagine that they'll have video on v3, but not v1 of the v2 iPhone 3G.
What if the v3 had wireless sync. think Transfer Jet, but using Bonjour and Wifi. Video up to MobileMe, or to the local Mac, for editing. Yes it'll be 2 rungs below the best that'll be out come June 2009, but the best coming out by then will be >= 720p.
We've seen what the iPhone can do with respect to pictures being taken (see flickr model of camera stats). Why couldn't Apple open up to at least video? It'd give a great influx of users to iLife's video editing suite.
The problem is that there is a fair bit of hardware - how much is duplication of kit already in the iPhone is the question. But we know that cameras already out there can do fairly decent video -
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/olpc_xo_dissection_and_ma.html
The heart of one of the Flip's - Micron 1/4-inch VGA CMOS sensor with a Zoran Coach 8M (ZR36460BGCF) image processor.
http://www.smartdesignworldwide.com/news/article.php?id=105
What's one of the things Pure Digital had to get over?
"The configurability of the processor also allowed Furlan’s team to implement proprietary algorithms and core intellectual property to overcome a main obstacle to smooth digital video: autoexposure control."
What was one of the job adverts for Apple a while back? "An engineer who is an "expert" in image processing techniques such as auto-exposure and auto white balance."
Co-incidence? Or do companies need an engineer to do that *just* for a camera?
I think there's an article that gets some more about the Flip teardown here
A bit like a thread of old - you might need to go chasing the rumors and earnings calls and PR of companies that will make the components of the next iPhone. The Infineon's, Broadcom's, Micron's, Zoran's of the chip world. Whether there's a big purchase of A9's, rather than ARM 11's...
More pictures at http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~kmk592/rants/flip-video/index.html . Maybe the CMOS would be just too big for the iPhone?
Attachments
Mine and all the other UK launch day customers contracts run out May 2009. Perfect for a new model.
Many people didn't upgrade to a 3G for exactly this point.
Phazer
t0mat0.
Your post are Awesome and very informative and well sourced. Keep'em coming!
One of the best MR contributors around if you ask me.
Your post are Awesome and very informative and well sourced. Keep'em coming!
One of the best MR contributors around if you ask me.
The feature that the next version of the iPhone NEEDS is a wheel on the side to adjust the brightness - instead of having to take ten seconds, going through settings, meanwhile everyone in the movie theater is looking at me because my phone is brighter than the movie screen.
Otherwise, I think the iPhone works great. I predict the next version will simply be the current version with a few improvements, and not a radically different phone.
Otherwise, I think the iPhone works great. I predict the next version will simply be the current version with a few improvements, and not a radically different phone.
This is exactly why they won't add that feature.
You know that little notification at the beginning of the movie telling you to turn off your cell phone?
Yeah, that's there for a reason.
Hahaha! I'm gonna have to try that. I wonder if you could fire a skittle through a straw? Hmmm...
Well, I really can't comment on your contract, but I'm eligible for a new, fully subsidized phone at 18 months. Sorry dude.
btw, that's a very arrogant post. Since you're tired:
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/upgrade-advantage.jsp