More next-gen iPhone whispers: video recording, faster CPU, July release?

John Gruber over at Daring Fireball has a pretty good track record when it comes to Apple rumors -- remember his spot-on predictions for the unibody MacBook Pro? -- so when he's got a thing or two to say about all the next-gen iPhone chatter, we listen. While not making any promises, he does say he'd wager quite a bit on a new model coming to WWDC, with about twice the CPU horsepower (and possibly twice the RAM, too) as the current model. He also adds some credence to all that talk of video recording, but makes no mention of potential background apps and plays down any surprise tablet or "iPhone mini" cameos. He goes on to add release date would be sometime in July in 16GB and 32GB varieties. We can't say we're willing to bet against him, but that doesn't mean we'll take his word as gospel. We can safely say, however, that we're anxiously waiting to see what kind of shenanigans Schiller has in store for next month.

[Bearsack @ May 21st 2009 8:52PM]

More of the same old news that isn't even real news?

[a13xx94 @ May 21st 2009 8:57PM]

lol yeah
its old stuff

[DR House @ May 21st 2009 9:11PM]

iphone fans love old news and old tech like the iphone itself so its ok buddy
Nokia fans or samsung would not accept phone in late 2009 with 3.2MP camera and would tell you to shove it

[str1f3 @ May 21st 2009 9:23PM]

Yeah, it's funny that what many consider to be the three best mobile play forms in the Pre, iPhone, and Android all have 3mp cameras and nokia and Samsung have 5mp. It's also funny how everybody is running from symbian and windows mobile to these platforms. You can have 5mp with a lens so small it really doesn't matter. I'll take the better OS.

[DR House @ May 21st 2009 9:54PM]

People are not running from symbian if there were samsung wouldnt omnia HD with it or nokia with N97 or SE incoming IDOU phone plus All the phones you mentioned combined doesn't even have nokia market share alone in the market, so yes people are not running so stop making your own BS to feel better about your outdated old tech iphone

[Timoh @ May 21st 2009 9:55PM]

Actually the smaller the lens the more Megapixels matters. And I love Winmo, highly customizable and limitless apps. But i guess its not cool, even though it can do everything you want it to do. Forget about 5mp cameras by the way, there are phones out there, like the Omnia HD(I8910) that are using 8mp cameras now with HD Video recording. That runs on Andriod too. I'll give Apple credit for starting a revolution in touch screen all in one phones, but they've fallen way behind. The only thing they have going for them is the owners get the "cool factor" of saying they have an Iphone.

[b3tan @ May 21st 2009 9:57PM]

I'm sick of the old, "The camera is rubbish" argument. It's clutching at straws. It's a phone, not a camera. If you're looking for something that takes good photo's there's a remarkable device on the market called a, wait for it....camera. I personally, want my phone to handle phone calls, maybe run a few apps and access the internet when I'm out and about. It does all of those exceptionally well and then a bit more. If for some reason I need an 8mp photo, I'm sure as hell not relying on a phone to take it anyway. Where do the majority of phone pictures end up anyway? Social networking sites? Where they get scaled down automatically. If you're using them for more than that then you should invest in a decent camera. There's a lot more to a camera than how many megapixels it has. Sorry, rant over.
This is old news though. Very old. In fact, people pretty much know everything to expect other than how the front of it is going to look.

[CraigJ @ May 21st 2009 10:08PM]

3.2 MP on a phone camera is stupid. The tiny lens doesn't have the resolution. More is not better.

The sensor on the iPhone is a bit noisy, and not as sensitive as I'd like, but one thing I do not want is more MP.

[rock99rock @ May 21st 2009 10:30PM]

Pete and Repete are in a boat. Pete jumps out. Who is left?

[Quix @ May 21st 2009 11:37PM]

"Actually the smaller the lens the more Megapixels matters." - Timoh

What???

"I'll give Apple credit for starting a revolution in touch screen all in one phones, but they've fallen way behind." - Timoh

What?????

[cromas @ May 22nd 2009 1:48AM]

Aye. I would much rather Apple put a 2MP sensor that actually takes decent pictures vs. a 5MP sensor that takes pictures of comparable quality to the 3G. The camera is the last bastion of gripe left after OS 3.0 comes out, IMHO.

[str1f3 @ May 22nd 2009 1:52AM]

@DR You know nothing. Nokia sells a lot of throwaway phones. If you paid attention you would know nokia had a horrible quarter because they sold a ton of phones that they make little money on and their smartphone sales have dropped. Nokia doesn't even register on a list of most sold smartphones in the U.S.. No one wants to develop for symbian because it is too hard and too expensive. Go look at the articles on VentureBeat and look at Om Malik's posting of platforms that devlopers plan to develop for. Symbian was last on the list. You can act like a 5MP is a big deal on a phone that has a tiny lens but anyone remotely serious about photography would tell you the MP won't matter. A 3MP dedicated camera would blow the doors off the N95.

[str1f3 @ May 22nd 2009 2:13AM]

@Timoh You're wrong. When you have more MP and a smaller lens the picture will become more grainy. Everybody believes the more MP the better. MP past 6 or 7 mean nothing unless you are making poster sized prints.

As for windows mobile, it has always been very powerful. I used to be a treo 700w owner. The problems I had were stability and usability. It's very hard to get things done because it's not easy to use. Not matter how powerful an OS is, it's pointless if it's not easy to use. That's why most people don't use those features. So far the iphone, android, and it looks like the pre all have better user experiences. The whole thing is the only feature the iPhone is lacking is multitasking. The user experience right now is better than any phone out there at least until the pre comes out. There are already rumors that the iPhone will have limited background processing very soon.

BTW, the next iPhone will have video and editing. Neither the pre or g1 has that feature. It will also have 32gb. How phones have that? What you say doesn't correlate with fact.

[Mark Anderson @ May 22nd 2009 2:35AM]

@strf13

Sorry but you have absolutely no grasp of reality.

Firstly, Nokia don't have any meaningful US market share to speak of and haven't for a very long time. Tragic I'm sure, however since the US us is only the third (or is it fourth?) biggest phone market and Nokia dominate the other two suggesting that Nokia are failing is delusional.

That said, Nokia's 2008 smartphone line up was terrible. The N96 was a delayed, underperforming piece of rubbish and nonsense like the N78 didn't exactly help things. Fortunately they recovered towards the end of the year with the N85 and N79. Furthermore, the release of the 5800 has really put Nokia back in the forefront and is matchign or beating iPhone sales outwith the US at the moment.

The iPhone is a god phone but Apple need to realise that this isn't a market they dominate and they cannot dictate the pace of development as they do with the iPod. Phones are to a large degree fashion accessories and the latest model will win out - in 2007 that was the N95, in 2008 the iPhone, in 2009...? Who knows?

[G @ May 22nd 2009 3:52AM]

@ b3tan @ May 21st 2009 9:57PM


when i'm buying a new phone, what i'm really looking for is a convergence device that does everything. I don't have a digital camera, an mp3 player, a watch, a portable gaming console, etc etc because my phone does everything. It doesn't do all these things perfectly, but it sure beats carrying 10 extra gadgets with me.


And what's that, you want to access the internet? Why don't you just use your phone for calls and buy a netbook to use the internet? Didn't you know netbooks were way better at handling websites than phones?

[skyblaze @ May 21st 2009 8:52PM]

i say we should all just stop stressin over what it MIGHT be and just wait and see what it WILL be. less mental strain, ya digg

[Matt @ May 22nd 2009 9:28AM]

Your comment was perfect. I actually would prefer to know nothing about the device until it launches, that way it's totally shiny and new inside and out. I know it's going to be good, and I'm getting one anyway, so I'll just wait and see. Sadly, that $300 was mentally spent long ago...

[seanlindo06 @ May 21st 2009 8:53PM]

Umm, how many of you guys actually record video and edit them? Is it a big thing I'm missing out on?

[Aaron @ May 21st 2009 9:15PM]

The video recording/editing, I assume, is more for MMS. Other possible uses are for those moments that did not plan for a camera but you wanted to capture anyways, as well as to share videos online through apps?

As a side note: don't downplay MMS. It's a viable way to share for people without smart phones and/or without internet plans.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ May 21st 2009 10:13PM]

For all the posting of videos from cell phones that goes on, a simple editing program (play this clip after that clip, don't play this portion of that clip, etc) would eliminate the hassle of transferring the video to a computer before uploading to youbook or facetube (instead just shoot, cut, and upload all from one app). The controls for that kind of editing would totally be feasible from an iphone.

[nikster @ May 22nd 2009 2:20AM]

@Amish Pirate ++ I agree. We are not professionals, we don't have time, and we don't have a camcorder with us. But if I have a phone that can shoot video and do two or three of the most basic editing functions - or maybe just cut - and upload to youtyube, it would be pretty good. I'd like it.

I have been thinking about getting a flip, guess I can shelve that thought now. Because my main, primary concern with getting a Flip were A) I am never going to take it with me, I have enough crap on me as is and B) I am not going to sit down and iMovie the clips into something watchable, I barely have time to upload my photos.

[ill trooper @ May 22nd 2009 3:59AM]

Well, if it were actually on phones and easy to use, I bet a lot more people would be doing it.

[TareX @ May 21st 2009 8:54PM]

On the way to the state of "Video recording", there's a sign saying "Welcome to the year 2005".

[b3tan @ May 21st 2009 10:05PM]

As the jailbreaking scene have revealed, this phone has always been capable of it. It's been capable of loads of things people have complained about. It's just Apple deciding not to allow them, or having to rush a product because of the masses demanding it's release. Hence the need for so many updates.

[str1f3 @ May 22nd 2009 2:18AM]

@b3tan: you're wrong. Just because a camera can record 15fps didn't mean it should automatically made a feature. That camera is not made for video recording.

[Maikel @ May 21st 2009 8:54PM]

I'm just excited to the fact that they will have a 32GB version.

[Totalfixation @ May 21st 2009 9:00PM]

I currently have a 16GB version right now. I barely hit 3GBs, but for some reason I'm excited about a 32GB version. Now it could possibly be good enough for a movie library collection on the go. I hope they still use the same business model for 3G owners as they did with the first gen to 3g gen upgrade. Meaning if you bought the 3G when it first came up you qualify for an upgrade to this version.

[b @ May 21st 2009 9:09PM]

oh yeah, better than that i want 128gb! i have many series of tv episodes purchased from itunes store and my music collection alone is already about 4gb. 16gb now just fits all the music and thousands of pictures plus 10 episodes of tv shows. but i want ALL of them! bring it on apple!

[Paul a. Chapel @ May 21st 2009 9:29PM]

I been waiting patiently for the 32GB version. It's still not big enough for my iTunes library. I have a lot of TV shows, but I'll settle for 32. Ten years ago, I would have killed for a desktop computer with 32 GB, now we have it in small devices. It really blows my mind.

[jdechko @ May 22nd 2009 1:30AM]

@Totalfixation

Probably not for the upgrade, unless you paid full retail for iPhone 3G. The reason you could go from iPhone to iPhone 3G is that everyone who bought iPhone paid full retail for it.

[Famikom @ May 21st 2009 8:57PM]

$10 says its true

($10 also on this article having the most comments of the day... )

[BSprague @ May 21st 2009 9:38PM]

Second most comments, I think the recession antidote takes the cake by a couple miles.

[IG @ May 21st 2009 9:01PM]

Android > iPhone OS

[jay jay @ May 21st 2009 9:27PM]

Agreed

[B3astofthe3ast @ May 21st 2009 9:38PM]

I second this notion.

[ampMOD @ May 21st 2009 10:02PM]

The phone AN INDIVIDUAL prefers > A phone AN INDIVIDUAL doesn't prefer

douches.

[CleverEndeavor @ May 21st 2009 10:03PM]

thirded.

[SONYEDDIE @ May 21st 2009 10:37PM]

iWho. Res don't like it when you bring the truth to the table. ^_^

[Lundmark @ May 22nd 2009 4:43AM]

Lol you guys are just Linux nerds fighting for open source, even if it means shitty mobile operating systems.

[Logboy @ May 21st 2009 9:02PM]

I love that pic...reminds me of Dr. Who...

"EXTERMINATE!"

[SDariesII @ May 21st 2009 9:07PM]

That lens would never fit in my pocket.

[Jason @ May 22nd 2009 8:22AM]

I know something bigger that fits in my pocket...

[Galley @ May 21st 2009 9:08PM]

Is that a zoom lens on your iPhone, or are you just happy to see me?

[rippinhonda @ May 21st 2009 9:13PM]

Gotta love rumor season! keep em comin even if they arent true because I love that shit, and do not say you don't because if you're on engadget you're a nerd.

cant wait to see the end product, curious to see (if indeed it is true) what it looks like without the metal bezel and all that shiz! Can I say OLED!?

I have had the first iphone and I enjoy it way enough to get it again this go round. Oh and 32GB FTW, I could have filled my 8GB up 3 times by now.

And personally i dont give a shit if other products have had some features that the iphone is getting so just take it easy for christ sake.

[Soulsaber @ May 21st 2009 9:13PM]

I'm pretty sure everyone knows its a July release... gotta keep up the trend of yearly refreshes.

[nDy @ May 21st 2009 9:15PM]

What everyone always want:
Tiny body
MicroSD HC
Draft-N
Exmor CMOS sensor
20X 20mm wide angle zoom lens
Full HD 1080p video recording in max. 1000fps.
128Gb internal memory
CPU faster than Earth Simulator
Battery life of 2 months
Price no more than 299 usd

On shelf now.

[B3astofthe3ast @ May 21st 2009 9:44PM]

You forgot the wipe-ur-ass ability, something no phone should be without!

[Paul a. Chapel @ May 21st 2009 9:46PM]

Oh man, that is so true. And your point about the price is dead on. Everybody wants the greatest specs in the history of computing, but no one wants to pay for it. Reminds me of the belly aching about the Playstation 3. People complained about the $400 price, but they don't realize that Sony is still selling it for below manufacturing costs.

[Phenoum @ May 22nd 2009 10:19AM]

Good god, did i just up-rank P.A.C ?

[J Dogg @ May 21st 2009 9:15PM]

Would video recording or voice-dialing be possible with the iPhone 3.0 OS or necessitate a new phone? I'm thinking/hoping the former.