At this point there's little doubt that a new iPhone model (
possibly two) will at least be
announced in June. Now the
Commercial Times have chimed in with a report saying that components from Taiwan-based suppliers have begun shipments as Apple (or its China-based assemblers, rather) readies for a "June launch" pegged by said suppliers to reach about 2-3 million units per quarter. A phone that looks to be fitted with a
3.2 megapixel still /
video CMOS camera, digital compass (magnetometer), possibly
802.11n WiFi,
more storage, and all the
MMS, copy/paste, and push-notifications you can shake a gesticulating finger at. Assuming all the firmware sleuthing and rumors are true, of course.
posted Apr 8th 2009 6:19AM
I can't believe they'd restrict it to a 3.2Mb camera given it's pro media marketing concepts.
Apple was too busy putting in place measures to stop Hacktivations and Jailbreaking to worry about something meaningless as camera quality...
I have here with me 2 BNIB 1st gen iPhones... Time to sell one for $500 USD
FACK YOU APPLE!
3.2 mp will be fine, if the lens is decent. it's not a camera, it's a smartphone.
I can't argue with Apple's business strategies. I hate 60% of the stuff they do yet they are WAY ahead of everyone else in both popularity and stock performance.
I'd love to see their strategy flow charts.
They release a new OS built into new hardware that does work for old hardware, but, everyone is psychological goaded into an upgrade to the new hardware cause the old hardware just "seems like less".
Even worse is a lack of expandable memory. That would be killer.
I just have to repeat myself,
People that wants more mega pixels are just clueless. 2 mega pixels is more than enough. If you think your camera can do better because it shoots 3, 5 mega pixels, I'll tell you that if a Nikon D3 can shoot only 0.5 mega pixels, it will still be 100 times better than your 5 mega pixels image from your camera phone, it is the LENS THAT MATTER.
Rather have a xenon flash than more megapixels.
The Lens on a camera is important; however, the CCD chip really judges the quality of those many pixels.
Fine you?
Just wondering why 3.2megapixel? I am not saying go 12megapixel (even though that would be nice).
Are they using recycled 3.2megapixel lens from the mobile phone manufacturer who have moved on to better resolutions?
I know, I know... even if it was 1megapixel people would still buy the upgraded iphone when it comes out.
Most likely because 3.2 megapixel is the highest resolution sensor that fits the volume and processing power requirements. You'd notice that higher resolution camera phones are bulkier (as result of both bigger sensor and bigger optics package) and most have a dedicated image processing IC in order to shave some of the additional power required to efficiently work with higher volumes of data.
/Sigh
Lens ≠ Sensor
More MP ≠ Better image
Otherwise you'd see professionals using those point and shoot stuff when out in the field.
3.2 MP is enough as long as the other specs of the camera are good.
Yeah enough with the megapixel debate please. It's getting as tiring as "but will it play" etc etc.
but will it play DOOM?
etc.
Ah, but I HAVE seen Pro's using point-and-shoots.
What about the processor? Does it feature the rumored upgrade?
I don't think the new iPhone will include any upgrades to the processor and RAM. For one, the current iPhones both have ARM processors that are clocked /down/ to save battery life. Regardless of how innovative and clever Apple is, they can't change the state of the art with a snap of a finger. Currently, we use Lithium-Ion batteries, and everything else is just experimental. Any increase in processor power would see a decrease in battery life that could only be remedied by making the phone larger to accommodate a larger battery. Using a different processor architechture (Like the Intel Atom) would require a full re-write of every App out there, not to mention the entire iPhone OS.
Secondly, Apple's marketing campaigns are very simplistic. Most people don't look at their phones (or even their smartphones) like a PC in terms of RAM and processor speed. It'd be hard for one of those Apple commercials to say "Meet iPhone three, now with twice the RAM and a new processor to handle multi-tasking." It's going to confuse people and seriously alienate their installed base. They may try and market video capture as requiring the new CPU, but the tech press will be quick to make the outcry that it's a sham.
I predict that, besides the new camera and magnetometer, the major upgrades to the iPhone will be mostly in the capacity department. The iPhones will come in 16 and 32 only now. I think the iPhone 3 will be like the iPod Classic was, same form factor, a needless upgrade without bringing much new to the table simply to keep their lineup fresh.
Processor is the make or break really.
Once multi apps is available I want to be able to have more than just two on the go!
I agree with your statement.
this thing better have one hell of a battery too
I'm dissapointed I can't leave my Aol IM on all day without it not staying connected. Also, I want to be able to leavemy iMOB running (123751495)
Multitasking and video capture would be cool, but I don't think Apple will be satisfied until you can make and edit video on the iPhone on a basic level.
There is a lot of talk about multi task apps, I got an iPhone 3g recently and it only just manages a days worth of operation on full charge as it is. For multi apps to be running this things gonna have to get considerably larger battery as the current set up 'aint gonna cope :(
fit it with 128gb of flash memory and most important a proper 800x480 screen and i will consider buying it
And jack the price up to 1k subsidized? Yeah, right.
1. what do you think does it cost to make these devices? the price is so high because it is good for apple
2. look at the htc devices they all got vga or wvga
3. i dont care so much for the price as long as it has the features i want
You're wrong- these phones cost so much because they cost a lot to build. Sure there is always profit, but not as much as you think. Have you actually looked at how much even the cheapest 128gb SSD drive costs? How about one that would fit in an iphone? 128gb is more than Netbooks come with, more than really most SSD laptops as a whole come with. If apple wants to stay on top they need to put a hold on the price point, no more than $500 unsubsidized, 200-300 subsidized. 8/16/32gb is more than enough space for a phone
3.2 megapixel is plenty for a phone. Improving the quality of the lens, autofocus and adding a flash would make a bigger improvement to picture quality then adding resolution, which i hope they do cause it currently sucks
Huzzah - a voice of sanity. Indeed, who cares really what the bloody megapixels of the camera is as long as it takes a reasonable picture. If the image is clear and not a noisy mess then I'll be happy.
Couldn't care less about 'camera' and compass, but really hope for some RAM upgrade - Safari is painful to look at with just two tabs open, and any 'multitasking' via jailbreak just slows poor thing to a crawl..
Either this, or add a gig of really fast flash and make it a pagefile.
You soooo should care about the compass!! Have you seen google street view on an G1??? So awesome how it literally tracks what you are seeing but shows you the view from the street view car. VVVVVVV clever.
That's why Apple are feeding you guys with lame excuses about multi-tasking not being necessary.
It's because the iPhone is currently too weak to pull it off.
128 MB of RAM and a downclocked processor won't cut it.
/returns to Touch Pro on Mighty ROM with 288 MB of RAM and 533 MHz dual core processors
LOL @ Hamidxa
Did the iPhone do something to you? On a personal crusade.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a Touch Diamond user - love it and understand its flaws.
@ Poke,
You'll have to excuse Hamidxa, he IS in fact on a personal crusade. He quit his job selling hot dogs and has made it his goal to spend all day looking for Apple posts on Engadget so he can go in and spread the iHate. Take a look at his posts. Every time you read a Mac or iPhone post you'll find him there, bashing, without fail.
More storage?... you paying attention Palm?
Bump the Pre's storage or give us expanded memory.
Yeah it is really funny that so many people are demanding a 32GB iPhone and are on the other side hyping the Palm Pre with its maximum storage of 8GB
But people are praising the N97 for its ridiculous capacity AND microSD support...
I wonder if there will be a flash for the camera...
I wonder if there will be a flash for the camera...
I want BATTERY LIFEEE
Maybe even a replaceable battery? Is it much to ask for?
Yes... You're a very greedy man, I mean what is the removable battery you speak of? BURN THE WITCH!
They can't be serious about 3.2 megapixels , while its better than before thats still horrible for a multi media phone. Why not keep the 802.11G and up the camera to 5megapixels at least with video recording
The amount of megapixels does not equal a better image.
@Kizorblade, Damn right!
Yes the amount of megapixels does not make a better image...unless you have enough megapixels to make a decent image to begin with. The whole argument you guys are making doesn't apply at 2 or 3.2 megapixels. It's when you get into 8 or 10 megapixels that quality changes. At 10 megapixels a better lens will make more of a difference than a couple more megapixels.
In case I wasn't redundant enough; megapixels.
@insky
Not true. The tens years old Nikon D1, which has 2.7 Mega pixels is still going to produce better picture than most recent point and shoot with 10 mega pixels or more, and definitely better than any camera phone or any mega pixels.
If you think mega pixels matter, tell me if any camera phone can produce an image like this 0.2 mega pixels photo from a ten years old camera.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackbeardben/2581927708/
Yes I understand that as well, but you're never going to be able to fit an SLR lens on a cell phone. Putting on a 5 megapixel sensor, flash and slightly better lens will give you better image quality easier (and be easier to carry around) than putting on the best lens available for cell phones.
@ insky,
Yeah that's the thing though. The more pixels you squeeze in a sensor the higher noise ratio you get. No good. Now, consider the eraser tip/pinhole sensor that space constrains only allow on mobile phones. They just don't have enough space for a physically larger sensor. So small sensor crammed with more pixels will end up with terribly noisy images so no point.
But ultimately, it's the photographer that makes the image, not the camera. It's the painter, not the paint. Yes?
What about tethering???? Why oh why is everything possible with every other damn phone impossible with THIS one?!?!
It's the operators that try to block tethering IIRC.
On that note I have my iTouch tethered to my E90.
Because some networks give "unlimited" internet with the iphone..
@joseph
That is why tethering would be great. Use the iphone's 'unlimited' internet on your net/notebook while out and about without having to find a hotspot.
what's an iTouch? don't you mean iPod Touch?
@poke:
We KNOW that! And so do the carriers!
The only way you're getting proper tethering is if you want to pony up an extra ~$20 (though most likely ~$30) per month.
You really can't go into this just expecting a free lunch. I mean.... we're talking about wireless carriers, here. They have some of the most greedy, backwards business practices around!
The iPhone 3.0 fully supports tethering, but the talks w/ AT&T aren't finished yet.
my buddy has tethering working perfectly fine on beta 3.0 on at&t
Apple already said they're working on tethering. They're launching it world-wide, meaning they have to work with all the carriers world-wide where the iPhone is sold to make sure iPhone tethering works with their network.
This phone needs to at the very least have multi-tasking capabilities and a big memory bump. Otherwise there's no reason to upgrade really! 32gb plus an improved processor and we're talking. An improved camera with video recording would be a bonus.
Tethering is there in 3.0. Tried it on a train and got an internet connection to my MacBook!
Whether your carrier will allow it is another matter entirely.
C.
3.2MP is 2048x1536 (or something like that). You are not going to print posters now, are you? For a normal print, this resolution is fine.
Improve low light conditions image quality (and overall optics of course), is more important. I would much prefer a 3.2MP CMOS sensor that can do, say, a noise free ISO3200, than a 12MP sensor that is useless at anything above ISO100. I hope that's what they went for, i.e. low res, but high sensitivity (big pixels).
Carl Zeiss lens? Please Apple?
Carl Weathers lens? Please Apple?
Carl's Jr. $6? Please Apple?
C-C-C-Combo Breaker!!!
"Carl's Jr. $6? Please Apple?"
LOL I'd like one of those too
so now it'd be worth it to add a video capture???
The previous two generations with 2mp cameras would of been utter crap.
iphone haters would of had so much fun FLAMING :D
Do you realize that my 1080p HDTV is just over 2MP? Thus proving you have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to cameras. A 2MP camera would be more than fine if it actually recorded at 2MP. Heck, it would be full HD. Show me any phone recording at full HD. The rest of the camera is what really needs upgraded not the MP. Although fitting a decent lens in a tiny phone is nigh impossible.
If the new iPhone has a better processor, multi-tasking and flash I might take the dive.
Please Apple be a palm
yea we all love $7 shares :/
32gb used to be a computer a few years ago, now people are complaining it not being on a phone.
shit im geting old
nah ancient :p
My iMac came with 4gb (I think) of hard drive space.
Some people have more memory than that now.
Too quick.. too quick..
I once bought a 400 MB harddrive for $400.
Went nice next to my 1200 baud modem.
I have yet to fill up the 8GB on my phone... Getting close though.
i have a 32gb laptop... its fine for me...
(and 4tb of external hd space.....)
Back in my day, mice had balls!
I rather wanted to buy the original 3G iPhone when it was released in Belgium but the high price and rather crappy call plans put me off (no unlimited data, for example). However, I think this is the version of the device that I'll buy since it will have proper GPS and I'll be glad that I didn't buy the 3G last year. Here's hoping that they don't hike the price or do something else equally dumb.
My own Wish List for the new version is pretty small - proper GPS and 32GB memory and I'm happy.
Even though I dont like how apple operate - they are making the iPhone very tempting.
I just cant stay on a phone for longer than 12 months and t-mobile are spoon feeding me a new phone every 12 months so I am stuck. Would be every 18 months if I break the cycle.
any chance of rumors that the iphone will have 2 cameras? one for the front for video calls (ie. Skype)? 3.2mp front and 5mp back?
3.2 at the front? Think that would be overkill.
Yeah, VGA is normal for video calling.
That could actually be very interesting. I believe most video calling is done with a VGA resolution camera. A higher res could enable them to call it iChat or what ever Apple term it.
Video calling was a bit of a novelty at first, but quickly wore off, for me at least. I'm not sure how many people actually use this ability on their phones.
That could bring some added differentiation and may re-ignite some interest in video calling. I saw Cisco's tele presence system late last year and I have to say, it was impressive.
If the network bandwidth could cope with the demands, more firms like Nokia and SonyEricsson could also add higher res secondary cameras and we could make a big dent in unnecessary business travel for meetings or maybe help doctors connect more with their patients.
Granted the iphone's interface is slick, but.....
these specs are nothing to get excited about. Where i live we hardly get any truly cool phones on contract.No iphone, no nokia 5800, no blackberry storm, and certainly no palm pre whenever that gets launched. Therefore if i want a flashy toy to play with i am buying unlocked, and to be rather honest in straight up features the nokia 5800 offers more for less as compared to its competitors previously mentioned. That being said i am supposed to get excited because the new iphone has a 3.2 cam, front facing cam, copy and paste etc. all of which the 5800 had since last year?
I mean sure apple can probably sell ice to an eskimo, but is this what progress looks like?
Apple is playing feature catch up but any apple fan will tell you that there is no point doing it until you can do it right which kind of implies that everyone else does it wrong.
This iphone iteration wont have multi-tasking but I bet they will introduce it next year saying they have some how overcome the 'battery issues' and everyone should upgrade to enjoy the wonders.
i think apple should let other carrier
like t-mobile and sprint carry the iphone as well
because not everybody wants at&t for there carrier
ATT and Apple have a 5 year contract so you may have to wait for a while. After that, I think there will be an explosion of iPhones all over the other networks.
This just in: Apple release 5 year old features to 2 year old phone!
Awesome!
I love how people like you bash Apple for adding features like MMS and copy-paste b/c "everyone else has had it for 2 years"! What you fail to mention is all of the things the iPhone did first and has that none of the other phones feature. Granted, I think MMS should have been allowed from day one, even though it is inferior to emailing...........but not everyone has full mobile email picture viewing capabilities. As far as copy/paste, Apple had one of the first multi-touch devices so they had to design a copy/paste that worked well for it. I'm currently running 3.0 and can honestly say that the copy/paste and MMS video/picture texting is very slick and one of the best I've ever seen on a mobile phone.
In other words, stop bashing Apple for being late to the game on a few minor features. They are way ahead of the curve for innovation and design. HATERS!
I was thinking more of the SMS forwarding and video recording stuff.
I don't hate the iPhone, I just find it deeply amusing when we get these breathless articles about features which everyone else has had for years.
The short story is that Apple had this long list of things to work into the iPhone. There wasn't enough time to work all of them at once so they went with the ones that would differentiate the iPhone most, such as Safari. Now Safari is the best mobile browser amongst smart phones, something that the other phones still can't say. So all in all, I think it was a fair exchange, best mobile browser over MMS. Now we'll get both!
I dont care hugely about features, i just wish that one network didnt monopolise the phone in many countries. My biggest gripe with the iPhone is its only available on O2 in the UK (which I wont go near with a barge pole). If they sold the new model on all networks, Apple would vastly increase their revenue.
Strangely enough, the iPhone is available on 3 in Hong Kong, but not 3 in the UK...
It's also available on Vodafone in certain parts of Europe such as malta.
It all about profit margins for them and making the iPhone appear exclusive.
Have the networks fight for it and we will take a cut of the profits after we screw the winning network.
This is becoming more common - BB Storm, Palm Pre, etc
The camera on an iPhone 3G takes beautiful pictures. Stop complaining people. The megapixels don't mean a thing, what really matters is what type of LENS they use. BUMP for new iPhone!
Digital compass? I have never seen a reliable one, if iPhone use it to detect the direction of the phone is facing, it will be a mess.
It will probably be used to detect North- like every other compass ever made in the history of compasses.
I fully understand why Apple is not declaring if they would have the new model or not - because of people like me. I want to buy iPhone. I hate it because of it's current limitations, but the new features in 3.0 completely change my buying opinions. If I would not read Engadget, i would think that there will be no new hardware version and i would buy current iPhone now, and upgrade it in June. But now i will definitely wait until June, because if e.g. compass feature will be limited only to the new hardware, i would hate my phone. I want compass because i use it on my yacht etc.
To the ones flaming against 3.2 MP camera.
Give me 2 MP with great optics and I burn the ass Of a 5MP camera phone any day :)
Apple should try to get the iphone to go free of carrier but I guess would do a lot of harm.
Am looking at all the comments and wondering why most people still want the iphone 3.0 as an upgrade when there are phones with way higher specs than the proposed iphone 3.0. I mean check out the Nokia N97, its got 32gb internal drive + an expandable memory slot, add a 32gb micro-sd the card to the equation and you've got a whopping 64gb at your disposal, not only that, its got a compass too, full skype integeration (not standalone app) + a front camera for your video call or skype calls, its also got turn by turn, 3d maps, voice navigation and you don't need a network or 3g service to use the maps, just download the map files and you're good to go. Thats not all, its got a 5 megapixels carl zeiss optics with light sensors, autofocus, dvd quality video recording at 30 frames per second and 16:9 aspect ratio plus a tv-out out to enjoy your videos in full glory on your plasma tv.
There is a long list of mouth watering features on this phone that i can't cover now. So now am wondering, why would a software upgrade and a couple of basic hardware upgrades, make people even consider upgrading to iphone 3.0. As for me am anticipating the arrival of the N97 on verizon or at&t and then i'll dish my iphone 3g and get the N97.
If AT&T (or any other US )carrier was currently selling the N97 32gb for $299 with 2 year contract, you would have a point. You're comparing apples and oranges. When is the N97 even coming out in Europe?
What is the realistic price that someone in the US would have to pay in order to be able to use US 3G, immediatlely following the N97's Europe release? I'm guessing it will be $1k+
I love how people claim the iPhone 3.0's features are years behind the curve. L M F A O. The new iPhone is going to be SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK!
I don't think this is out of the realm of possibility:
2 versions, one w/ a 3.2mp and one with a 5mp. The 3.2mp will do away w/ the 1" wide black bezels on the top and bottom of the current iPhone, and might be available in multple colors. It will be referred to as the nano. The 5mp version will have a proper camera.
PLEASE APPLE. Give us a GOOD camera. I don't care about mp. I just want to be able to shoot it in low light, and I want the interface to be snappier.
in order to shoot good in low light the cam would have to:
- Have a sick variable aperture, around f/1.8 (this would be $$$$$$)
- ISO would have to go high, at least ISO 800
- Sensor would need some serious noise reduction capabilities
No way a VR/IS (vibration reduction/image stabilization) could be built into a mobile phone. That means shooting in available light requires the shutter to stay open longer than usual. That means you better have a rocksteady hand or place the phone on a table or something.
Bullcrap. I rather lug a nice point and shoot like the Canon SD880 or a G10:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/compacts/sd880.htm