Appletell | Apple, Mac, iPhone, iPod | News, Rumors, Reviews, How-Tos

Technology just wouldn’t be the same without the rumor-mill behind each story, giving options and possibilities to every product launch. As we know, Apple is most definitely not an exception to this, and in true form, the rumors surrounding the next generation iPhone are in full swing ahead of this year’s WWDC.

Let’s imagine that every rumor came true. What sort of device, or should I say devices, would we have? A rumor released a while back suggested a range of iPhones from 4GB to 32GB models, some with 3G connectivity, and some without. These could be used in different parts of the world on various carriers, but I doubt whether Apple would release up to six versions of the phone. A couple—16GB and 32GB—is more plausible, with an option of black or white.

Rumors focusing on the design of the iPhone have stayed quite constant. There have been some brilliant efforts on Photoshop for iPhone Nanos or a possible Apple tablet using iPhone OS 3.0, but with regards to the next generation iPhone, they’ve followed similar thoughts. It seems Apple may be ditching the shiny plastic casing for a matte version, while other rumors lean towards a rubber back.

As a list of specification details goes, here’s what we could see, if rumors were fact:

• Quad-band EDGE
• Tri-band HSDPA
• OLED Screen
• 3.2 megapixel camera with Auto-Focus
• Video recording and calling (iChat)
• 256MB of RAM (up from 128MB)
• 4GB, 8GB, 16GB & 32GB Storage
• 600MHz CPU Speed (up from 400MHz)
• Enhanced battery life (to compensate for GPS & Push usage)
• FM transmitter
• True GPS
• Compass
• A illuminating Apple logo (similar to Apple’s laptop range)

Add the expected features of the iPhone OS 3.0, and that would be a very nice handheld device. An improved camera has been long awaited for the iPhone since its original release in June 2007. 3.2 megapixels would be a nice upgrade, and be adequate for recording video as well as shooting stills. With a faster processor, the iPhone may also be capable of video chats.

A software rumor that hasn’t had much attention takes a thought from iPhoto. Remember the iPHone facial recognition feature, part of iLife ‘09 released at the MacWorld Expo? It was a great addition to iPhoto, but has now become quite dormant as the fun dies. Could it be possible to use this technology in the iPhone? For images stored on the phone, or transfered across from iPhoto, it could use a similar tagging process seen in Facebook. It would be very cool if this then showed itself when taking photographs on the iPhone, showing people’s faces and their names in the live display. It’s a long shot, and almost random compared to other rumors, but it would still be interesting to see.

We also can’t forget the many rumors surrounding the iPhone nano. The main change here would be a smaller size, likely with also less memory (possibly the 4GB version), and, of course, a drop in the price. After using many mobile phones, the iPhone first seemed quite large and bulky. But now I quite like its form-factor. It fits nicely into your hand, with easy access to the entire screen. I’m not sure what space Apple could afford to loose without shrinking the screen-size too, which would make typing on the on-screen keyboard a nightmare.

Speaking of typing, with the new APIs in OS 3.0 allowing developers access to build accessories, could we see an external iPhone keyboard emerge for the device? It’s likely this would be left to third-party developers, but a keyboard with Apple’s aesthetics would look great.

As Apple is in the final stages of WWDC preparation, we’re left in suspense as to what we’ll see when Phil Schiller gives the keynote presentation. Will these rumors come true? Or will it be something completely different? Their main WWDC banner reads “One year later. Light-years ahead.” It’s certainly one year later, but they’ll really have to deliver amazing technology to be “light-years ahead” of their strong competition.

We’ll be here following reporting on it all with our WWDC keynote live-blog and up-to-the minute coverage of the event, so don’t forget to check back for the latest news from WWDC 09.