Apple prepping a 32GB iPhone update, bringing back at-home activation?

We're not particularly inclined to believe them, but the whispers that Apple is about to bump the top-end iPhone capacity to 32GB are getting harder to ignore -- especially since 8GB inventory is drying up, leading to speculation that's it's going to be dropped as soon as next week. We think the timing's a little odd on the heels of the Let's Rock iPod refresh, but considering the rampant speculation that Apple was forced to bump the nano to 16GB and drop the "limited edition" 4GB model entirely at the last minute in response to the new Zune lineup we suppose it makes competitive sense. AppleInsider also says customers will once again get the option to activate in-home, but we haven't heard anything about that -- we'll see what happens in the next few days.

[Thanks, Harry]

[chris @ Sep 20th 2008 6:14PM]

hmm. im tempted. this will be interesting

[brandon @ Sep 20th 2008 6:31PM]

If Apple brings back at-home activation, I just might buy an iPhone 3G. I hate dealing with cell phone salesmen and their stupidity!

[Galen20K @ Sep 20th 2008 6:43PM]

Right on Brandon, I Completely Agree.

I cannot STAND sales people.

[m @ Sep 20th 2008 7:01PM]

as a former sales person, let me assure you that the feeling is mutual.

[brando_commando @ Sep 20th 2008 7:08PM]

16 GB is the only thing holding me back from buying an iPhone. As soon as they release a 32 GB version, I'm sold.

[RyanTV @ Sep 20th 2008 7:34PM]

I'm with you brando_commando - 32GB is the sweet spot for me. If they can get that out, I'm sold.

[MRCUR @ Sep 20th 2008 7:52PM]

If Apple launches a 36GB iPhone WITH at-home activation before the BlackBerry Bold launches, I'm sold (again). I already have had two different iPhone 3Gs which had horrible issues with calls and 3G. This of course was before the 2.1 update, so hopefully I won't have any issues if I get a 32gig.

[ybd @ Sep 20th 2008 8:06PM]

You had TWO iPhone 3Gs in the past two months and you're trying a third one?

[TareX @ Sep 20th 2008 8:09PM]

@ brandon

sales ppl are the worst. I remember a particular one who was begging for a punch in the face with his automated "check the website" response.

- So does this one have WiFi?
Check the website.

- Does it run Symbian?
Huh?
- S60?
What?
- Well what does it run?
Nokia OS.
- You sure about that?
Check the website.

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ Sep 20th 2008 9:54PM]

Technically, you can do at-home-activation if you buy from an Apple Store. You still have to sign up for the AT&T contract with the Apple Store retail assistant, but you can activate the phone itself at home.

[MRCUR @ Sep 20th 2008 10:09PM]

@ybd

Yes, that I have. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really do like the iPhone platform. I'm currently using my refurb 4GB iPhone, which works extremely well. I just can't live without 3G speeds. I doubt at-home activation will come back, so I'll probably be buying a Bold come the 2nd.

[Patrick Gardner @ Sep 22nd 2008 4:11AM]

In the Netherlands the phone is sent to your house. Then, of course, it is activated at home.

[Patrick Gardner @ Sep 22nd 2008 4:14AM]

In the Netherlands the phone is sent to your house. Then, of course,
it is activated at home.

[John @ Sep 20th 2008 6:15PM]

All that storage and not enough battery power to do anything with it!

[Twitchy @ Sep 20th 2008 7:50PM]

Meh - I'd be topping the charge every day anyway. Well, at least Monday through Friday. Can you say free electricity at work?

[Scorpio @ Sep 22nd 2008 2:53PM]

You can buy an external battery at this web site. www.mophie.com It snaps into the bottom of the iphone. Make it a little bigger, but it doubles the batter life! Great for traveling or if you spend a lot of time emailing and things.

[jared @ Sep 21st 2008 3:32AM]

if you're worried about a spike in your power bill from charging a cell phone, then your job isn't that great anyway.

[RyanTV @ Sep 21st 2008 3:48AM]

I get away with charging mine once every other day because i shut it off at night. I really dont give a flying fuck what anyone needs to say to me at 3AM. It can wait till morning when I get up.

And yah, keeping a spare USB charge cable at work is always a great idea. Might as well use their power to charge your device :)

[Twitchy @ Sep 21st 2008 8:01AM]

True Jared, if my list of gadgets were restricted to a cell phone...

[John @ Sep 21st 2008 10:22AM]

My point was, seems like everyone of you missed it, is that pretty much nobody has 32GB of music and uses most of that space for videos. Videos kill this things battery like crazy, even more so than the thing already lasts. Because its a phone, it just doesnt make sense to use it as a primary PMP, especialy because the battery cannot be hot swapped. I do store all my music on my phone though, but its very rare when i actually listen to alot of it. Its a good idea, converged PMP and cellphone, but the battery tech just isnt there yet.

[RyanTV @ Sep 21st 2008 10:54AM]

Actually, John, I don't have one video on my iPhone at all.

I DO however have a ton of music. People ask me "Do you even have 32GB of music? Why would you need 32GB of music on you at all times?"

Well the answer to the first question is Yes - I actually have several hundred gigs of music on my computer that I legally own.

The second is yes, I absolutely need 32GB of music with me at all times. Reason why? My music is encoded at very high bit rates.

Those little song quote number Apple gives you on the side of the box are for crap encoded music not really worthy of listening to through any decent set of headphones, let alone a hi-fi system.

I personally encode all of my music at 320kbit CBR. They take up a LOT of space. But let's compare what they sound like over a decent set of speakers/headphones and I'm telling you, you will be a convert.

So the moral to this story is this: beyond the occasional YouTube video, I never watch video on an iPhone. I get why people use it that way, and that is totally cool, but I am just much happier listening to music, and I'm willing to bet there are quite a few people out there that feel the same way... and to us, the battery life on the iPhone is actually pretty fantastic.

Cheers

[iphonerulez @ Sep 21st 2008 12:15PM]

I have to agree that the greatest weakness of the iPhone and iPod Touch is the battery. The more versatile and useful the device is, the more time is going to be spent using it. So while some people say that they can't get a full day's use out of an iPhone, it's because it' nearly in constant use unlike many other maker's smartphones.

I feel that Apple should dig into that overly large cash reserve they're building and invest in a company that is on the cutting edge of battery research. Get a few patents and exclusive rights to a long life battery that would be untouchable by other handset makers. If they could get battery technology that has 20% to 30% more life, it would give Apple a huge advantage on it's mobile devices. This could also be done in concert with their designer chip venture which is also supposed to yield ultra-low power processors.

Mobile devices are becoming Apple's biggest revenue builders, so a high-tech battery would be useful for them now and well into the future. Combined with the custom low-power processors, we are talking a huge advantage which could yield devices with a choice of very powerful handheld devices or medium power handheld devices with much greater battery life than other companies handsets. It's win-win for Apple.

[Phoenix @ Sep 21st 2008 12:39PM]

You encode all your music at really high bitrates then use an APPLE PMP to listen to it?

All the encoding in the world can't stop the bad sound quality

[RyanTV @ Sep 22nd 2008 1:41AM]

@Phoenix
Bro, I just cannot agree less with you here. While the fidelity of any device that is a few millimeters thin isn't going to rival the quality of a McIntosh MC2102 power amplifier and a set of reference monitors - but the sound quality of the iPhone, touch, nano, and classic are VERY good when you pair them with the correct set of headphones. So let's get into that conversation real quick because I love me some headphones.

I personally have several different sets of headphones that I've collected over the years and still use regularly.

First off, I DJ on the weekends, so i have a pair of Sony MDR-V700DJ full coverage headphones that i got when they came out way back in 99 or 2000. They still sound great today even after being lugged around clubs, festivals, raves, and parties over the past 9 years - and they sound fantastic with my iPhone (and iPod before that). When they finally die I will probably replace them with a pair of Pioneer HDJ-1000s. They sound amazing. Both the Sony's and the Pioneers can be had for around $150. Many of my DJ friends swear by Sennheiser products - which i do think sound nice, but no better than the Sonys or Pioneers and I don't find them aesthetically pleasing.

Secondly we have in ear models.
Etymotic Research makes quality in ear models. very high end drivers and baffled in design. I have a set of ER-6 Isolator Earphones that attach to my custom molded earplugs that i had made because I go and see a lot of live music and would like to keep my hearing for a while longer. Etymotic is a quality company and I highly recommend them. They have models at all different price points so they are very accessible. The ones i got cost about $120 at the time (then later on i added the custom molded ear pieces). For those of you that have unlimited budgets and want the chrem-de-la-chrem, check out www.ultimateears.com . Ultimate ears is a company that Logitech recently bought out, but they make the absolute best in ear monitors out there. Pretty much every musician out there uses their products on stage to monitor vocals or instruments, but they will make one HELL of a nice pair of custom molded iPod headphones for you. If I ever won the lotto, I would definitely be splurging on a pair!

I also had a pair of Shure in-ears and they sounded great, but they just did not fit my ears well at all so i ended up selling them. Shure makes EXCELLENT quality in ear headphones as well and can be gotten at very reasonable prices. I believe they start around 80-90 bucks.

I also have a set of Sony MDR-EX90LP earbuds that my wife got for me for X-mas last year. I thought they looked kind of cool, but my expectations were pretty low. After i got used to the way they felt in my ears, they actually sound excellent. Crisp highs and almost subwoofer like lows, and they twist into your ear canals so they stay in place really well. I always wear these when I'm jogging. They were about $100

Finally i have a cheepie pair of Sony MDR-EX85LP/B that i use when i'm doing grungy stuff like mowing the yard or washing the cars and I don't want to ruin a nice set of headphones and they sound surprisingly great... and they were cheap. I think i got those on sale at Best Buy one week for $40.

Anyone that buys an iPod or Sansa or one of the 5 of you that bought a zune, the first thing you should do is get yourself a decent set of headphones. Even the $40 pair i mentioned here will sound leagues better than the supplied buds that came with your player. (personally i leave them in the box brand new because I know within a year I'm going to be putting it up on eBay so i can upgrade to a new model).

[glebec @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:54AM]

@Ryan,

Why CBR? I use lossless, so I understand the audiophilia, but isn't VBR a better option if you are going to go lossy in the first place?

[George Kirkaldie @ Sep 20th 2008 6:17PM]

You can thank me, I just ordered a 16Gb from Fido....

Murphy happens....

[Murphy Mac @ Sep 20th 2008 6:34PM]

Huh?

[zomg0t @ Sep 20th 2008 7:53PM]

I wouldn't exactly categorize this under Murphy's Law...

[HyperHacker @ Sep 20th 2008 8:38PM]

This is why built-in, non-replaceable memory is a bad thing.

[Muhammed @ Sep 20th 2008 6:18PM]

I don't care.

[Muhammed @ Sep 20th 2008 6:33PM]

Even if low ranked, I still don't care.

[Ko @ Sep 20th 2008 6:37PM]

I don't care that you don't care. Actually, I don't think anyone does.

[Muhammed @ Sep 20th 2008 6:58PM]

No actually you're wrong, if apple fanboys dont care that I dont care, they're not everyone.
And FYI, I dont care that you dont care that I dont care.

[Sora @ Sep 20th 2008 7:50PM]

@Muhammed:

No I don't caaaaaaaaaaaaare
I don't caaaaaaaaaaaaare,
I don't care, I don't care, I don't care!!!!!!!

I'mma do the things
That I wanna do
I ain't got a thing
To prove to you
I'll eat my candy
With the pork and beans
Excuse my manners
If I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear
The clothes that you like
I'm finally dandy
With the me inside
One look in the mirror
And I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot
About what you think

[hiko36 @ Sep 20th 2008 8:36PM]

@ Sora


I... Don't...Care what ya think
as long as its about me
the best of us can find happiness
in mi-i-i-i-i-sery!

[absurdio @ Sep 21st 2008 12:09AM]

Muhammed:

Yeah. I DO care a lot more than you do. Funny that I'm posting on the damned article so much less than you are. Go away.

[Muhammed @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:22AM]

ok, I'm sorry.

[Paul Zarate @ Sep 20th 2008 6:21PM]

A 32gb iPhone? Sounds likely. But not the home activation/

[AJ @ Sep 20th 2008 6:21PM]

does this mean a possible 64gb touch? after all, the touch has always had a higher capacity than the iphone.

[alex @ Sep 20th 2008 6:23PM]

they just released the bigger ipod touch. iphone will be soon to follow in 32 gig variety, and then the touch will be presumably upgraded or a new product will take its place

[RyanTV @ Sep 21st 2008 11:18AM]

The reason the iPod Touch has always had more storage than iPhone is simple.

Space.

The Touch uses 2 16GB flash memory chips to achieve it's 32GB. There just isnt the room for a second chip in an iPhone due to all the other gizmos that have to go in. So if Apple wanted to put out a 32GB iPhone, they would have to use a single 32GB flash chip.

Well, up until just recently, those were EXTREMELY expensive and it just wouldnt be cost effective to bring that product to market. With prices on larger capacity flash chips falling at record paces, a 32GB iPhone is iminant.

So to answer your question, a 64GB Touch would absolutely not be out of the question because it could house 2 32GB memory chips. It would just be a matter of economics - could Apple bring them to market at a pricepoint that consumers could stomach.

[AJ @ Sep 21st 2008 12:05PM]

ok makes sense. thanks

[keithwwalker @ Sep 22nd 2008 5:50AM]

The reason this makes sense is that Samsung has released a 1.0 inch 32GB SLC memory module.

I gots the info and I is sharing it:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/productListNonflexTable.do?fmly_id=161&sht_id=1

[keithwwalker @ Sep 22nd 2008 5:51AM]

The reason this makes sense is that Samsung has released a 1.0 inch 32GB SLC memory module.

I gots the info and I is sharing it:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/productListNonflexTable.do?fmly_id=161&sht_id=1

[POV @ Sep 20th 2008 6:21PM]

“Wait for iPhone Three” “that’ll be the one that gets it right.” Stephen Fry.

I'm holding back till then no matter how many GB's you throw at me.

[Ed @ Sep 20th 2008 6:47PM]

Yeah he just missed the Gee from the end of the three :p
no I kid I'm thinking the same thing at the moment

[theducks @ Sep 21st 2008 6:02PM]

I know I always listen to actors for tech advice ;)

That said, the lack of video, disk mode and tethering suck. I'm getting over the lack of ability to send files by bluetooth though.

[andrew @ Oct 18th 2008 5:09PM]

They way I see it technology improves pretty quick anyway. I know the ipod is hard drive based and the iphone is flash based but. I60gb? compared to 8gb now 16 gb then soon 32 gb. Im not getting an iphone till the storage space gets way more and the battery life gets improved. I have a sony ericsson w810 i use high quality mp3s and the sound quality because of the earbuds are pretty good. Audiophiles will know it hisses at low volume but they sound good. I really like the iphone, love it actually, but the prices they're charging for it are ridiculous And i guarantee the storage space will get higher. and the prices will fall. Also I text alot and its dang hard to do it effectively with an iphone. So beyond all the hype it's just not there yet for me.

[Darrol @ Sep 20th 2008 6:21PM]

Dang, just got the 16 gb one a couple days ago.

[Ross @ Sep 21st 2008 9:16AM]

join the club -_-