Take this for what it is -- a totally unverified rumor from a Chinese forum -- but a set of specs for a next-gen iPhone have leaked out along with this screenshot, and they're not entirely far-fetched. According to the alleged leak, iPhone model MB717LL 9 (
"iPhone2,1" perhaps?) will have a 600MHz processor (up from the current 400MHz unit), 256MB of RAM (from the current 128MB), 32GB of storage, a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, as well as a digital compass and FM radio, all while retaining the same battery, basic shape, and screen size. Do we believe it? Well, if we were to conservatively guess at specs for a next-gen Apple phone that's pretty much what we'd come up with -- with the exception of FM -- so we're not shaking our heads too hard. Plus we've definitely seen evidence that a
compass will figure into the equation, and there's
endless whispers that the camera will
see an upgrade. Still, only Steve and the gang know for sure, and we're (probably) not finding out till they're ready --
WWDC, are you
here yet?
[Via
The iPhone Blog, thanks Brian]
posted May 12th 2009 12:17AM
nothing revolutionary. and nothing that makes me want to get "another" one. seems just to be an upgrade path in terms of hardware. just keeping the product up to date.
Agreed. I'm sure everyone expected those specs.
the same battery, with an 600 MHz processor and more RAM? no thanks that thing will eat power.
I expected an ULP processor (ultra-low power) like Tegra.... but this is just hilarious. So this iPhone will be an even less significant upgrade.
Tegra FTW.
nobody said anything about it NOT being ultra low power. It will probably be an ARM Cortex A8 processor like in the Pre, which is low power.
Yep, and I recall how people were lauding the iPhone for *not* having minor tweaks, like, say Nokia. And the iPhone is also about the only cameraphone out there that can get away with severely limited imaging capabilities (you know what they are) among other things.
The iPhone's a great phone, mainly for it's software and looks, but it's not the end-all, especially since it's so prohibitively expensive for most. But, that's really what Apple is about, isn't it? Nice looks, nice software, but too limited, and too expensive for most. It's a generalization, but generally true.
TareX
Tegra 600 is 650mhz, Tegra 650 is 750mhz. Tegra APX has unspecified frequency.
Nvidia home page - products - mobile.
same battery????
.......NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!!!!!
We don't know all the specs--there could still be a forward facing camera. And keep in mind that the upgrade in RAM from 128MB to 256MB is very significant in terms of OS performance--even more so than processor speed. According to an Apple iPhone engineer I talked to the RAM is currently _the_ limiting factor on how responsive the UI is.
You are all wrong. I wish people who have no idea what the hell they are talking about wouldn't comment...
1) The article does not mention the specific CPU. It wouldn't be surprising if the new iPhone uses an ARM Cortex-A8 core, which can be up to TWICE as fast clock-for-clock as the older ARM11s. So even a 600Mhz Cortex-A8 core would be far faster than the current 400mhz ARM11 core. Coincidentally, the ARM Cortex-A8 core in the Palm Pre is running at 600mhz as well.
2) Nvidia's Tegra is not some special "ultra low power" chip, nor is the CPU core any different than other manufacturers. The current "TEGRA" chips use the older ARM11 architecture --- but use multiple cores versus the single-core-only Cortex-A8 core.
3) Concerning batter life, just because the newer ARM cores are more powerful and run at higher clock speeds does NOT mean they have to use more power. I'm not sure about the 2-year old Samsung SoC used in the current iPhone, but I'd bet it was made on a 90nm process. The newest chips from Texas Instruments and Qualcomm (not sure about Samsung) are made on a 45nm process. It is very likely the iPhone's chip will either be 65nm or 45nm. A smaller process technology results in a faster, more power efficient chip.
A "a totally unverified rumor from a Chinese forum" is breaking news? Really?
And apparently Nilay changed his mind on that one.. Nothing to see here, people, move along.
Do you know where your iPhone was manufactured? the chinese? I think those pics come from QA dept of some sort.
32GB? Now we're talking.
Now... to find a way to pay for it...
You only need one kidney. ;)
3.2mp? The ninety's called...
Not quite fanman i'd say that 3.2 is the market average now, however its fast becoming 5
I was thinking the 80's called and wanted to say thanks for the Careless Whisper reference...
@Robert
As much as 3.2Mp may be the standard, for a phone that costs as much as the iPhone, I'd like to see 5Mp or maybe more, with decent video recording, at least 640x480. There's a few low-end 2MP phones a few years old that record 640-480, why can't the iPhone do it?
If any of this is true the N97 launch will be so blunted it won't even make it out of Finland...., how the mighty have fallen(possibly)
Symbian phones are a completely different market than the iPhone. People that still want a real smart phone OS with multitasking, a real keyboard, and reliability will stick with Nokia.
You don't know much about cell phones outside of the states, huh?
I preordered the n97, I'm well aware of the capabilities of symbian, current phone is an n95-1. And I know a fair bit about phones outside of the states but Asia throws me off sometimes.
The iPhone is for people who tries to be cool.
Nokia phones are for people who are cool already and want functionality. Now this might be a small market in the US, but they are doing pretty well in the rest of the world.
I'll be getting the N97 over the new iPhone.
I don't want to be limited to Apple's choice of carrier (O2 in the UK). I also like the idea of a decent camera, physical QWERTY, higher resolution screen and the ability to double the memory to 64GB with a memory card.
how much better will this make the iphone?... is it worth getting one if these rumors are true?
It really depends on what you are looking for. For most (myself included) its about the apps and the multitouch display -something you can't find on other phones. Period. A single app alone can dictate its purchase.
For Gymrat Joe it could be LoseIT, iFit, or any number of health conscience applications for weight, workouts, or GPS hiking/tracking.
For Sys Admin Scott it could be Remote Desktop or VNC, again, multitouch (pinch & squeeze, two-finger tap to 'right click') work infinately better then any WinMo phone.
For Realestate Rachel it could be iPhone exclusive apps for Zillow, Google Earth, etc. again multitouch rules the game.
No its not just 'fart apps' ...and many of these apps are free (in fact, some of the best are).
So how much does it cost to fill it up with apps from the apple store vs microsoft's store? :)
Oh, and yes: doesn't a higher clocked CPU and the same battery mean that the battery life will suffer?
Why can't they do what Cowon did on the S9 and give it a dual-core processor and a 50hr battery life. I understand the phone end of the product would suck some more juice but still.... Apple can do better with existing technology. On another note, AMOLED screen tech is on the verge of becoming mainstream and Apple will be left behind if it dos not lead with this next release. They need to blow all competitors away with this release or they will lose major market-share.
$30,000. My financial advisor told me that, his name is Wes, he's saved me sooo much money.
@sacapuntas the 3G chip is the problem.
the 3G chip pulls as much power as the rest of the device combined.
Apple told you 3G was too much of a drain...
--neg
@Neg - do you even know what 3G is? Doesn't sound like it.
@CreepingJesus
Do you know what 3G is?
unless my eyes are deceiving me, I can totally see the numbers and Chinese characters photo shopped on.
Jpeg artifacting around the letters doesn't = 'shop.
Just seems like jpg compression....not saying the image is real or anything, just saying what you're talking about looks like jpg compression....not evidence of "shopping".
Damn you eyes!
I can tell by some of the pixels.
I would like to see the new IPhone with dual processors. It needs to be able to multi-task if Apple wants to be taken serious in the business world.
You could multitask quite well with a 80386 from 1986 running OS/2. That's not the problem. The problem is Apple's insistence that users are too stupid to be allowed to multitask and accept the inevitable hit on battery life.
Perhaps the new hardware specs are paving the way for a multitasking version of the OS, though.
you just leave that to the dev team my friend.
The real reason for no multitasking isn't battery life, but OSX, and really limited memory. You can't use virtual memory with flash unlike with harddisks, unless you want to burn your flash to crisp in one evening.
With new platform with more memory we might see multitasking one day, as the limited memory phones exit market. Also a bit more stable phones.
I see a lot of misleading statements about the iPhone not having multitasking. It does have multitasking. Its just reserved for the Apple designed applications and not open for abuse by third party developers. Its true that multitasking is a battery hog so Apple had to be very strict with the development guidelines, unlike the unsavory (and unstable) apps for other platforms. But where iPhone *does* multitask it really shines:
* email - checks flawlessly in the background
* phone - yes, your phone doesn't just go away, you'll still get calls
* contacts - get your phone list in other apps, or while on a call
* SMS - text messages appear where ever you are
* iPod - Play your tunes while surfing the web on a multi-touch display, its sweet
The short comings are that its harder for hackers, err 'developers' to write a virus, err 'less-then-perfect' application. On WinMo, the quality of apps is less then par. Stuck in the background, crashing your phone is a-typical. Just look at Skype on WinMo... its a joke. The plus side for WinMo is that its easier and faster to develop apps then for iPhone (albeit not as well thought out apps). But yet Apple seems to have no problem in the sheer number of available apps for their platform.
With 3.0 coming out next month, Apple is delivering a background messaging layer that developers can utilize in lieu of true multitasking to answer some of the missing functionality alot of app. developers want to include but couldn't w/out multitasking. Apps can now receive focus and 'become active' in response to a 'server push' event. This gives the benefits of 'running in the background' like features without sucking up CPU and putting the critical multitasking Apple developed apps at risk (Phone, iTunes, eMail, SMS). So now Skype can tell you that a call is coming in w/out a large portion of it running in the background, games can notify you of users that want to play without sucking up memory, etc. etc.
The Apple premium you pay for goes into the intellectual forward thinking, optimization, and developer guidelines that are simply missing on other platforms. But a lot of hackers can't justify paying for or respecting intellectual property. Hackers are akin to the "more hardware for the money in their pocket" mentality... even if it does run like shit. And sadly, some software companies just envision throwing more hardware at a problem rather then do it right the first time (some might actually be in cahoots with those hardware suppliers). That is why Apple hardware, even grossly dated, tends to last longer and hold its value longer. Its all about design and the software.
@Steve
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/Look_everyone_Multitasking_does_work_after_all_And_has_been_doing_so_for_a_decade_and_a_half.php
Seriously. Cut out the apologetics.
LOL. No apologies here. Hey I don't knock the power of symbian. It's truely a nice platform. And competetion will make the market better, its definately better then WinMo. I've owned several including a few Nokia N gages. The problem is like I said, 1) not very many apps (and running amature client side, slow ass java doesn't count) 2) of the apps that do exist, they crash taking down the entire phone. 3) despite what that obviously biased article says battery life is crap. A utility device like a smart phone demands a certain level of Q&A.
I think the major reason why Apple is not allowing multi-tasking on iPhone is that it would make it slow. iPhone's major advantage over other OS smartphones is its speed which makes it's interface smooth and navigation a breeze.
Multitasking would make all the auto-rotate, gesture control and multi-touch capabilities have a lag in operation, and this is where the iPhone really wins.
Yeah, battery life is one reason but iPhone has a lousy battery already even though it is user irreplaceable. But if they are gonna use the same battery with all these upgrades, the overall usage time would drop drastically (sans multi-tasking which would be iPhone 4.0).
Who in their right mind would consider the iPhone a "Business phone" or even want to do "work" on it?
I mean sure, it can access your corporate email and with other apps can be augmented to do all kinds of other enterprise related functions...
It's always been first and foremost a media-centric device so while multi-tasking would be a"nice" feature, its not a concern for me since I do not do any work related tasks on my phone besides using the calendar for meeting times.
Jailbreaking allows me to run any music/streaming-audio app in the background while I check email, respond to texts, surf the web...
what else do you really need to be running at the same time?
what did you say? IM services...?
er.... yes.... I... guess always on IM would be killer.... I really do miss that from my old blackberry...
how soon until we get an iphone I can do video editing on?
About 3 weeks... :-)
why'd you smile when you said that? are you flirting with me?
You just gave me quite a chuckle, AMiSH PiRATE!
Or it's the new Meizu spec..
@Steve
* email - checks flawlessly in the background
* phone - yes, your phone doesn't just go away, you'll still get calls
* contacts - get your phone list in other apps, or while on a call
* SMS - text messages appear where ever you are
* iPod - Play your tunes while surfing the web on a multi-touch display, its sweet
With the exception of the iPod, I don't believe any of those are really multitasking to be honest. Email isn't push notification, rather it is based on a time interval. The phone isn't really being run, it's the radio launching the phone application whenever it receives a call. Same for the SMS. Contacts is a gimme, is it really an application that has to be launched?
Now all we need is some xenon flash, android software(lol, just kidding), a full qwerty keyboard, iris scanner, and............(continue)
P.S. Sounds like a quality upgrade to the iphone. ;-)
Sounds to nice to be the apple specs so it must be one of those chinese knock offs. Of course they always come with FM radio and tv tuner. And most of them still have better specs than the iphone
really?
Really all this new battery draining technology and not even the smallest upgrade?
REALLY
Who says it's battery draining? Who says the battery is the same?
Who says it's battery draining? Who says the battery is the same?
Are you guys serious? Why would a Chinese iPhone be using AT&T?
It's built in China.... with all the firmware built in.
Do you think they build it in China and send it to America to load the software on?
...yes, the carrier is tied to the subscriber's SIM card, not the phone's firmware. There's no reason for it to have an AT&T SIM "from the factory".
It is an AT & T phone with language set to "Simplified Chinese", you can do that on your existing iPhone as well. There is nothing strange about it.
Where is the OLED screen?
An Apple product with FM Radio? I don't believe it...
This hit me too.
Apple doesn't do FM radio, just like they don't do MicroSD slots.
They just don't.
You know you have been able to buy an FM Radio attachment for the iPod since...well since it came out?
I don't see the point in the FM radio...
If it was a transmitter then fine. But a radio? Isn't the iPhone and iPod all about moving us away from terrestrial radio not promoting it?
"Apple doesn't do FM radio, just like they don't do MicroSD slots.
They just don't."
--Correct, because
a) they can't figure out how to charge consumers extra for it
b) external memory would make the phone upgradeable (and reduce the need to buy another iPhone next year)
Pretty cool, huh?
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG.... so the iPhone is expecting to compete with hi-res Tegra Android and WM phones with this crap?????????
If by 'compete against' you mean 'drastically outsell'...
...then Yes.
Don, the iPhone doesn't outsell WInMo now. If this is the extent of the improvements - and I'm hoping it isn't - then that isn't going to change.
Plenty for me to upgrade.
Very Apple like specs. Enough to get you to upgrade but nothing too crazy. I'm especially excited about video recording and better processor/ram
when will this Chinese site have rumors about the Zune phone?
It is an AT & T phone with language set to "Simplified Chinese", you can do that on your phone as well. Now you see?
Then can you explain why the carrier listing 'AT&T' is so close to its version number, i.e. showing as "AT&T3.5" rather than the"AT&T 3.5" as shown in every iPhoneOS 2.x and every 3.0 beta (including build 7A312g a.k.a. Beta 5)? The 'AT&T' text in this photo seems raised a couple pixels farther up than it should be (the top of the T doesn't match up to the top of the 5), seeming like it is a photoshopped image to me.
Speaking of build numbers, why does this have a build number between Beta 4 and Beta 5? It shows the build number as 7A306 while Beta 4 had 7A300g and Beta 5 has 7A312g. Shouldn't those be similar to the 2G and 3G's builds in some way?
Not surprising, they are just using the Broadcom chip found in the 2G ipod touch. That processor has been underclocked by apple to 533 mhz from 600mhz on the current touch
i thought that iphone use the Samsung S5L8900 620 MHz processor based on these -> http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone-1827.php | http://www.pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=1329&c=apple_iphone_3g_8gb | http://www.pdadb.net/index.php?m=cpu&id=a8900&c=samsung_s5l8900 clocked @ 620MHz - not 400MHz like the article states.. still - this is hoax for sure - *sigh [seVen_doLpHins - indonesia]
it runs a 600~mhz chip clocked to about 420 currently.
how come the writing is in Chinese and the numbers are in English
omg........ FAIL
maaaa haahahahaha
It's Chinese, not Klingon.
Get educated.
Luke
Erm...the number aren't 'in english', they're arabic. Most of the world uses arabic numbers. And no, Steve Jobs didn't invent them.
Please please let it be true about the 256 megs of ram. This is what is killing the iphone.
there is no possible way those are the specs for a phone running 3.0. with current os the battery would need charging too often, 3.0 would kill the battery far too often. i just dropped a battery from HK almost twice as powerful then the OEM battery and my friends iphone runs much faster and last much longer. this smells a lot like a certain scam forcing upgrades due to hardware flaws that seem to occur around a year after purchase. wonders why there no big civil suits.
Your friends iPhone suddenly starts running faster because you bought some battery in HK?
Even if you had put the battery into his phone, that wouldn't have made it run faster. You're seeing things.
moron, higher capacity battery.
Fire Jobs, Hire Reznor.
cool specs, but oh wait....
It's still Apple, and it's still an iPhone, what a joke.
Still no memory card slot? Welp, see ya later!
The same battery? This has to be a joke, or very stupid on Apple's part.
Although there is no credibility here whatsoever the extra ram and cpu power are very welcome improvements. Assuming with newer technology (smaller fabs, etc) they can get the power consumption down to where the current one is this will be worth it. I still have the 1st gen and this looks like it'll be a very worthy upgrade for me. I doubt Apple will ever do an FM radio though. They coulda done that years ago in the iPods and they never did. I wouldn't use it anyway if it had it.
To reply to myself, I'd like to add the biggest improvement here I see is the 256mb of RAM. Far too often do I have to reload pages in Safari if i change tabs and it runs outa RAM. This would help a lot. I look forward to that even more than I do finally going to 3G.
Until I'm able to use an iPhone as a mass storage device I won't be buying another. If all I wanted my phone for is to store music, videos, and near useless apps I'd jump at it though. As is I'm happy I traded in my iPhone for a BlackBerry Storm.
you actually can, it takes a couple steps and may run you a couple bucks. try searching it sometime.
Why should I have to perform hacks to get it to do what every "real" smartphone already does out of the box? I'll pass!
I do not believe these specs are accurate.
FM radio? No way in hell Apple would include an FM radio. Ergo this is BS. Or maybe it's the specs for the Meizu M9.
Ok so this all speculation right now. I am content in waiting for Apple to announce the phone in June and then make a decision.