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This Summer's Upcoming iPhone
- Thread starter Doju
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I really this idea the most. It sounds very logical.
chris1016 said:
I really this idea the most. It sounds very logical.
Agreed. But look on the bright side. Safari will benefit enormously from more RAM.
A better camera is also inevitable IMO, hopefully with a flash this time making it less than useless.
A dedicated camera button and change the back design (get rid of the stupid tapering, it's ugly) and they'd be sorted.
Phazer
I thought that about 50% of the first 3G buyers (in the USA) were original model owners. ??
Just *what* will this brilliant device hold?
Personally, I think Apple will absolutely blow us away. We've asked for such simple features, that it seems every dumb-phone, your kitchen sink or your dog can perform at whim, but the iPhone lacks it. I imagine Apple will implement these with the new one, as it seems to be the only logical answer why they wouldn't. Such a simple to fix draw back is causing them a large loss in sales (though they still sell like crazy) they'll logically fix it soon.
Plus, with no 4G to bring to the new phone, they can't do any massive speed jump, really, so this is their only option.
Other than features that we deserve to have, I think we'll also see a slightly updated OS, in order to accommodate for the large onslaught of applications that we've found ourselves with. Whether it be how Android solves it, folders, or something else. I'd hope there will also be small OS tweaks to make it newer and funner.
Perhaps some new buttons either, and independent camera button on the side, and some quick-launch-application buttons (a la Blackberry?) as well as a camera megapixel update - almost inevitable - to I'd hope at least 3MP.
Maybe some other updates to the hardware, but I doubt much, bluetooth I think will only be the big thing, as Apple likes to keep it simple, but some additional low-profile buttons, and a different back wouldn't surprise me. (But boy would I be happy!)
This likely seems like *a lot* to take in, but Apple was missing massive features last year - 3G and GPS - that would have taken awhile to implement, so it was probably big enough to pass off as an update. But this time around, 4G certainly isn't big enough, nor is there really any other revolutionary features (small ones like copy paste, mms, etc.) so I think they'll do a massive amount of small tweaks, that will add up into some absolutely revolutionary - take two.
Other phones are starting to challenge the iPhone, the new upcoming one will knock them out before climbing into the ring.
You've pretty much stated yourself that it'll be nothing to blow anybody away. There will be lots of small tweaks, which will add up to a tweaked iPhone.
The thing is only two years old for goodness sake.
The buyers guide says to wait to purchase an iphone. When is the update expected? Which update? The cheaper costco phone? thanks
32GB would be my guess
A CPU upgrade would be nice
Apple wouldn't have to "upgrade" the CPU. I believe it uses a 600Mhz CPU that is downclocked to 400Mhz. They can up the clock speed in firmware updates as battery life increases.
As for everything else, I don't see any of these major hardware changes. I'm hopeful that Apple will go back to the first-gen style of phone casing. That white iPhone 3G is the ugliest piece of ugly I have ever seen in their store. It might be OK if the front was white, but it looks like a two-tone rustbucket.
As far as 4G, that is about the dumbest concept on the planet. The 3G radio was held off because of power issues. Just a year later, does anybody think a 4G radio that isn't a power sucker would exist? NO. Let's not forget that I haven't seen AT&T or anybody else even tout a 4G network. People are complaining that their 3G speeds are too slow, and that network is supposed to be capable of about 2 Mbps. It will be years before we see 4G. AT&T just has work to do on 3G coverage and robustness.
You can pretty much bank on a 32GB iPhone in 2009. Whether the 8GB is discontinued or cut in price is debatable. I can't see a reason for any model to top the $299 price point unless they do have some "pro" model that has ridiculous features that only about 8 people would use.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
Sprint has 4G WiMax in Baltimore MD (where i live
) and it will be coming out in Philly, Chicago and Washington DC soonI don't expect much. There's not really much they can do right now, hardware wise.
- Thinner
- Maybe more colors
- 32 GB around Macworld '09
Sure, there's Evolved HSPA(HSPA+), down 42 mbit, up 22 mbit but there's not really many carriers supporting it as of now. Maybe for the '10 revision?
And there's also 802.11n. Other than that I think we're just getting what we should have had from the beginning, software wise.
- Thinner
- Maybe more colors
- 32 GB around Macworld '09
Sure, there's Evolved HSPA(HSPA+), down 42 mbit, up 22 mbit but there's not really many carriers supporting it as of now. Maybe for the '10 revision?
And there's also 802.11n. Other than that I think we're just getting what we should have had from the beginning, software wise.
No matter how trivial the update I'm going to want one. So the real speculation is how will AT&T handle things this time? We just promised two years for this subsidized iPhone! I think they will have two subsidized prices.
What do we do with our current 3G if unlock never comes?
What do we do with our current 3G if unlock never comes?
Why would Apple have recruited several new mobile phone camera engineers just after the release of the 3G (the posts were advertised on the jobs site) if they weren't going to touch the camera in the next iteration?
Phazer
Sorry, but you've got it all completely confused.
See the problem is you're comparing Apple (which is a multi-platform brand) to companies that exclusively make cellphones/smartphones. RIM doesn't make computers, or iPods, or anything but Blackberrys, so your example is moot. Apple is a fundamentally different company, and they don't have the consumer following to constantly update the iPhone without pissing everyone off who already bought one. Here is why Apple isn't going to update the iPhone this summer (hardware wise - minus a harddrive increase on the high end):
*** Note, please read everything before everyone jumps, if you read what I typed you'll come around and realize that although you want new features, a new camera, etc, it's not going to be a reality until the 3G iPhone lives out its shelf life. I'm suggesting that these changes will not happen this summer, which is what this thread is suggesting. I don't purport to know what Apple will do over the next year, but I'm pretty sure they're not going to change the iPhone this year. Here is why: ***
It's very expensive to make small manufacturing changes, and since incremental hardware improvements won't drastically affect the number of people who buy iPhones (a camera with a flash is not a deal maker or breaker for most people - if you want an iPhone there are 50 more important reasons to get one, and 50 more important reasons not to get one) they're not going to make small changes this summer. They're going to wait until the end of the iPhone's shelf life, which will probably be in a couple of years. The only thing that is going to sell more iPhone's is improving the stability of the operating system, adding new features to the operating system, and marketing the iPhone as an enterprise solution.
Changing the physical design of the phone, adding more buttons, etc, is definitely not going to happen because it goes against Apple's concept of the touch screen device. Moreover, adding buttons would drastically increase the complexity of manufacturing - which I think we can agree isn't up to snuff in the first place. Next someone will argue there will be an iPhone Pro with a physical keyboard - come on, get real.
There is no removable battery because Apple made a conscious choice not to make it that way - do you really think that they're going to make two models (one with a removable battery), then start selling extra batteries (but only for model B iPhones) - or start making a phone with a removable battery six months after the release of the 3G without one? I'll bet my house (and I don't even have a house yet lol), that that does not happen this summer, or next summer either. They've never made iPods with removable batteries (and contrary to the argument it hasn't hurt their sales one bit - although by logic it ought to have), so why would you expect they would make an iPhone with a removable battery? Because you or I think it's a good idea? It doesn't work that way.
Apple will not make multiple versions of the iPhone for another reason: it doesn't make any sense, because the OS wouldn't be taking advantage of different hardware (are you telling me that they're going to make one phone that's faster than another - and that consumers are going to go for that?). "My iPhone Pro is overclocked and can play Labyrinth LE at a higher frame rate than your regular iPhone!" Again, it's not going to happen. Doesn't make sense, it'll complicate the App Store, and make programs more unstable because they'll need to be tested on multiple hardware types, and then everyone will bitch because the phone ends up being unstable again. That's a massive headache that Apple will have to solve in a couple of years - when they release a new iPhone...
All the improvements that people want can be made via firmware updates (except for physical changes to the hardware which we must realize won't happen this summer). Apple isn't going to make multiple versions of the iPhone because it's not a product line, it's a product in and of itself. Apple will replace the current model with a new one, and do you really believe that after the skyrocketing sales of the past 6 months that Apple is going to say thank you to everyone by making their iPhones obsolete (when they're locked into a 3 year contract which they didn't have a choice over)? It's not going to happen.
There is no way that Apple is going to update the iPhone this summer - I doubt they even come up with a 32GB model in fact - who updates a product in the middle of the summer anyway? Holiday season next year maybe. They just released a new notebook line, the next product their focusing on next is the Mac (which is legitimately due for an update).
We've been hoping for legitimate OS updates (like cut and paste) since the iPhone's release (the original iPhone), and those haven't come yet (although they've been acknowledged as being on the way by Apple). Are you telling me that, having hinted at nothing, Apple is just going to reveal a huge iPhone "line" (I might point out that right now there is no iPhone line) update? It's just not going to happen. Not for a long time.
Sorry to burst your bubble my friend.
The iPhone not having a removable battery is one of the most prominent criticisms of the iPhone from business phone users. I've already said that the iPhone is not an iPod and they shouldn't be compared. Apple is going to have to wake up and realize they are going to have to adapt the iPhone to consumer needs if they want to be more than a fad.
It's also silly that you suggest they will only have one model of iPhone because they are more than a mobile phone company. Apple has declared that they have three main product lines: macs, iphone, iPod+itunes. How many macs do they have? More than one, OK. How many iPods do they have? More than one, OK. How many iPhones do they have? One... so far. In fact if you follow it logically it suggests they will have more than one iPhone model as they develop that portion of their product line (including a new model next summer). It's nonsensical to claim they will not come out with a new model JUST because they make computers too. They come out with new notebooks and iPods every year despite your claim to "drastic increases in manufacturing" costs.
I look forward to telling you "I told you so" in 8 months.
Apple doesn't update the design of iPod every year, and the latest update brings the iPod touch and the iPhone to virtual parity (minus the specific 3G/Edge antenna), so it's pretty clear they're trying to stream line the manufacturing process (by making the products similar) - which speaks to my point, not yours.
The rest of what you said I have already addressed sufficiently (which you didn't quote or rebut), so I don't need to repeat myself.
Side note: I hope you have better things to do than to wait for 8 months hoping Apple updates the iPhone so you could tell me I'm wrong.
More importantly, you'll still be on contract for two years (assuming you own an iPhone), so if I'm wrong we both lose.