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iPhone Rumblings and Hopes
By Dave Peterson | May 10, 2008
It’s a pretty good guess that the next version of the iPhone will be landing soon (“soon” being the next month or so). I’ve always had the feeling that a major revision would happen about a year after the introduction (June 29, 2007). That was the time frame I took into consideration when I bought an iPhone in January. I knew the new one would be coming mid-year and I knew I’d likely be buying it. Now speculation is going wild, fueled by the fact that US and UK Apple sites are reporting both the 8 GB and 16 GB versions as “Currently Unavailable”. AT&T, the exclusive service provider for the iPhone, has marked out a month-long period beginning May 15 as a no-vacation zone for its store employees in support of a new promotion. Whether it’s coming in a couple of weeks or a month, it’s just over the horizon, so I thought I’d return to the subject with my short list of hopes and expectations.
Must Haves:
- 3G – It would be a nasty shock to everyone if the new iPhone doesn’t run on the faster network that most feel it should have launched on a year ago.
- Expanded Storage – With a 32 GB version of the iPod Touch already on the market, it seems pretty safe to assume the new iPhone will be offered at that capacity. I would buy a 64 GB model, but I’m not holding my breath for that.
Nice to Have:
- True GPS - The location system currently used by the iPhone, triangulating off radio signal sources, is okay, but not always as accurate as I’d like, and it doesn’t automatically update as you move. It was an interim solution, but I hope that period is almost over. The absence of GPS wouldn’t be a deal killer for me, but it’s inclusion would mean I could leave my Nokia N810, which I’m carrying now primarily for the GPS, at home.
- Video-Capable Camera – I want to be able to use my phone with Qik, and the first step in that direction is to give the iPhone a video camera. Again, I could live without this, but its inclusion would serve to narrow the gap with other smart phones.
I love the iPhone, but I recognize that it lacks a number of features its competitors have. What makes up for that lack for me is the Safari web browser, which delivers an amazingly computer-like web experience to the phone. I use my phone more for web browsing than anything else, including voice calls. What the iPhone promises is the best convergence device on the market. The fusion of a true iPod, true GPS, 3G phone, video/still camera, and web access to applications like Google Docs moves us closer and closer to carrying a single device in our pockets rather than several.
Topics: Phones |
May 11th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I am super excited to check out the new iPhone as well. Do you prefer the metallic back or the new black one that they are showing in pics?
I’d really love to see Google’s Android running on a phone, Linux, or some other open source software.
Android on the iPhone would be awesome, but lets face it that isn’t going to happen.
May 11th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Between the two backs, I probably prefer the metallic one, but my current iPhone spends all it’s time in a DLO Jam Jacket, so I never see the back anyway. I’m looking forward to seeing an Android phone; hope it happens.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I hope that the new iPhone is really going to come out at WWDC. I think that there is too much information and rumors floating around that it HAS to happen (or people like myself would get upset. Truthfully, I really don’t care that much about 3G as other people. I am usually around a WiFi hotspot wherever I go, and when I am not, I usually use my iPhone to listen to music. But I REALLY want the ability to download podcasts right on the phone. When I wake up in the morning, I don’t want to be syncing my iPhone with my computer, it would be nice just to have it there.