New iPhone specs leaked -- 600MHz CPU, 32GB, 3.2MP cam?

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]

[mt @ May 12th 2009 12:21AM]

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.

[Soulsaber @ May 12th 2009 12:31AM]

Agreed. I'm sure everyone expected those specs.

[CleverEndeavor @ May 12th 2009 12:36AM]

the same battery, with an 600 MHz processor and more RAM? no thanks that thing will eat power.

[TareX @ May 12th 2009 12:43AM]

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.

[Don @ May 12th 2009 12:49AM]

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.

[solmar @ May 12th 2009 1:28AM]

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.

[Shinigami @ May 12th 2009 2:28AM]

TareX
Tegra 600 is 650mhz, Tegra 650 is 750mhz. Tegra APX has unspecified frequency.
Nvidia home page - products - mobile.

[Theory28 @ May 12th 2009 3:56AM]

same battery????

.......NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

[Harkonian @ May 12th 2009 10:16AM]

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.

[loosely_coupled @ May 13th 2009 5:07AM]

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.

[RioRyan @ May 12th 2009 12:22AM]

A "a totally unverified rumor from a Chinese forum" is breaking news? Really?

[RioRyan @ May 12th 2009 12:30AM]

And apparently Nilay changed his mind on that one.. Nothing to see here, people, move along.

[tom @ May 12th 2009 8:37AM]

Do you know where your iPhone was manufactured? the chinese? I think those pics come from QA dept of some sort.

[Haikibutsu @ May 12th 2009 12:23AM]

32GB? Now we're talking.

Now... to find a way to pay for it...

[Evangelion @ May 12th 2009 12:40AM]

You only need one kidney. ;)

[fanman @ May 12th 2009 4:00AM]

3.2mp? The ninety's called...

[Robert @ May 12th 2009 5:09AM]

Not quite fanman i'd say that 3.2 is the market average now, however its fast becoming 5

[Ryan @ May 12th 2009 8:50AM]

I was thinking the 80's called and wanted to say thanks for the Careless Whisper reference...

[wrs589 @ May 12th 2009 11:43AM]

@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?

[syko21 @ May 12th 2009 12:24AM]

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)

[andrew autopsy @ May 12th 2009 12:31AM]

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.

[ShinyaAoki @ May 12th 2009 1:01AM]

You don't know much about cell phones outside of the states, huh?

[syko21 @ May 12th 2009 1:08AM]

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.

[Jay @ May 12th 2009 3:35AM]

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.

[Aaron @ May 12th 2009 3:28AM]

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.

[Frankie Dumlao @ May 12th 2009 12:26AM]

how much better will this make the iphone?... is it worth getting one if these rumors are true?

[Steveorevo @ May 12th 2009 4:17AM]

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).

[dodo @ May 12th 2009 12:25AM]

So how much does it cost to fill it up with apps from the apple store vs microsoft's store? :)

[dodo @ May 12th 2009 12:27AM]

Oh, and yes: doesn't a higher clocked CPU and the same battery mean that the battery life will suffer?

[sacapuntas @ May 12th 2009 12:35AM]

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.

[Jose @ May 12th 2009 12:41AM]

$30,000. My financial advisor told me that, his name is Wes, he's saved me sooo much money.

[Neg @ May 12th 2009 12:49AM]

@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

[CreepinJesus @ May 12th 2009 2:51AM]

@Neg - do you even know what 3G is? Doesn't sound like it.

[poke @ May 12th 2009 4:25AM]

@CreepingJesus

Do you know what 3G is?

[Osman @ May 12th 2009 12:27AM]

unless my eyes are deceiving me, I can totally see the numbers and Chinese characters photo shopped on.

[Dr. Spaceman @ May 12th 2009 12:28AM]

Jpeg artifacting around the letters doesn't = 'shop.

[Neil @ May 12th 2009 12:31AM]

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".

[Osman @ May 12th 2009 12:34AM]

Damn you eyes!

[insky @ May 12th 2009 1:06AM]

I can tell by some of the pixels.

[nick @ May 12th 2009 12:30AM]

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.

[Paul @ May 12th 2009 12:39AM]

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.

[MIA @ May 12th 2009 3:36AM]

you just leave that to the dev team my friend.

[Newone @ May 12th 2009 5:50AM]

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.

[Steveorevo @ May 12th 2009 6:45AM]

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.

[Mark Anderson @ May 12th 2009 7:28AM]

@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.

[Steveorevo @ May 12th 2009 9:05AM]

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.

[John Doe @ May 12th 2009 9:54AM]

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).

[logicbomb.de @ May 12th 2009 12:33PM]

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...

[AMiSH PiRATE @ May 12th 2009 12:28AM]

how soon until we get an iphone I can do video editing on?

[Don @ May 12th 2009 12:43AM]

About 3 weeks... :-)