Apple iPhone 3.0 rumor roundup, part II: parental controls and sketchy shots

WWDC can't possibly come soon enough at this point, with the usual endless array of random, oft-conflicting iPhone rumors being tempered only somewhat by the impending release of its archrival, the Pre. Meanwhile, though, we're once again on cleanup duty -- and the latest batch of rumors brings us a new alleged shot of the phone (or one of them, anyway, assuming there are multiple models coming down the pike). If we had to guess, this is supposed to be a graphic you'd see on Apple's web store, and while the black border coincides with everything we believe to be true about the new gear, the "Available today" text there gives us pause -- Apple really hasn't pulled that kind of instant-inventory stunt lately and we've been led to believe from the previous two iPhone launches that it's basically impossible to make it happen with that kind of device.

Moving on, spelunking through iTunes' inner workings has yielded more evidence that suggest Apple will introduce Nike+ support -- a feature arguably long overdue on the iPhone -- and some sort of FM radio tagging, though it's not clear whether it'll be used with an integrated tuner (a rumored feature) or simply as a memory-jogger when listening to another radio. Our money is on the former. Finally, we have what appear to be some screen shots of iPhone 3.0's new parental control system for applications in action, showing exactly what happens when you try to install some sick, lewd, objectionable material from the App Store -- check out our little gallery below for that.

[Thanks, ascen]

Gallery: Mature content ratings in iPhone OS 3.0

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Read - Sketchy screenshot shows new model?
Read - FM radio tagging and Nike+ support suggested

[hello moto @ Jun 4th 2009 12:15AM]

screw this im getting the pre

[Cheddar @ Jun 4th 2009 12:38AM]

Troll...go beat your chest in the other post about the pre...

[ShirkPower @ Jun 4th 2009 12:43AM]

Fail troll,
go play with your web app phone

[Mike10010100 @ Jun 4th 2009 12:44AM]

Oh, the irony!

Cheddar, an iPhone troll, angry when someone else trolls against his favorite device!

How does it feel now, fanboy!

Oh and by the way, hello moto, STFU. We're better than them. We don't need to counter-troll. Although I admit it IS funny.

[Iam9376 @ Jun 4th 2009 1:22AM]

@ShirkPower

You mean the iPhone

'cause you know.. it does web apps an' stuff..

[puhsitch @ Jun 4th 2009 1:37AM]

Mike10010100: I'm confused...who are "we" and "them"?

[Sir Issac Newton @ Jun 4th 2009 1:52AM]

no video ichat av for you then.

[FoxKenji @ Jun 4th 2009 4:21AM]

@Mike10010100

"We don't need to counter-troll"

You just did dumbass.

[SONYEDDIE @ Jun 4th 2009 7:56AM]

couldnt keep your face shut till wwdc could ya? ^_^
gotta spill it all out 2~3 days before pre
awwww wonder why :(

[Cheddar @ Jun 4th 2009 9:32AM]

Mike, I am truly heartbroken...my life is unfulfilled now...the agony...

[chrisaroz @ Jun 4th 2009 12:18AM]

"The new iPhone is for everyone."

Wish that meant CDMA.

[ash @ Jun 4th 2009 12:23AM]

Ohhhh one of the other carriers? Well, y'know, we meant everyone on AT&T.

[d889 @ Jun 4th 2009 12:25AM]

true, a carrier which doesnt need wifi in their devices is always a good selling point :)

[Patriks7 @ Jun 4th 2009 3:32AM]

"Ohhhh one of the other carriers? Well, y'know, we meant everyone on AT&T."
Yes, because the iPhone is only sold in the ignorant country of America.

[mgsrocks1 @ Jun 4th 2009 10:10AM]

@Patriks7:

You know what? I'm sick of this anti-American bullshit. You don't like you simply because I'm American? Fuck you then.

[Derek @ Jun 4th 2009 10:43AM]

@Patriks7

"'Ohhhh one of the other carriers? Well, y'know, we meant everyone on AT&T.'
Yes, because the iPhone is only sold in the ignorant country of America."

Nothing quite like being called ignorant by someone that things the continent of America is a country.

I think you mean the ignorant country of the United states OF America. America is neither a country, nor ignorant, as it's a land mass.

Making broad sweeping judgments against a group of people based on limited interaction and no statistical evidence also makes you look like a tool.

[wrabbit @ Jun 4th 2009 12:20AM]

Oooooh! Parental control and nike+ support! How exciting and revolutionary! I'm already brimming with anticipation of the 4th generation model where they add an "on" light at the top of the unit.

[Zach @ Jun 4th 2009 12:53AM]

i'm pretty sure that the light is supposed to imply a front-facing camera, similar to the iSight on the macs... who knows if it's real though.

[Tony @ Jun 4th 2009 12:41AM]

Dont forget the compass that will be built in, Because as you know we use compasses all the time

[ShirkPower @ Jun 4th 2009 12:43AM]

ohhh your so smart.
Its only the third generation you troll.

[no. @ Jun 4th 2009 1:04AM]

ATTN: ShirkPower:


You are = You're

[Iam9376 @ Jun 4th 2009 1:25AM]

@no: Contractions are beyond him.

(pretty sure that falls somewhere after trollish-fanboy on the education scale)

[jimmy @ Jun 4th 2009 12:33PM]

i know, really! i mean, jeez. My WinMo had Nike+ like, years ago. Oh wait, no it didn't.

wrabbit, why is it that people who obviously have nothing constructive to say always chime in with useless comments? Some people actually read articles and comments to get news, reviews, opinions, and predictions. That's why I'm here.

I happen to think adding Nike+ to the iPhone is a value-added feature. I currently travel with my iPhone and a Nano, because I run. And I use Nike+ to track those runs. If this rumor is true, it will be one less device to travel with. That's important to me.

My niece has an iPod Touch. My sister (her mom) is very careful about what goes on that device. Adding Parental Controls is very important to her.

Just because you don't use a "feature" doesn't mean it's not a "feature". I will personally never use a front-facing iChat camera, if it happens. Some people will. It doesn't mean I think it's not a great feature, but I won't use it.

Remember when sarcasm used to be funny and witty? Now it's lost it's luster. It's some geek in the basement of the science building trolling on some comment board.

[Neeraj @ Jun 4th 2009 12:32AM]

Is the first word there "Shiny"?

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Jun 4th 2009 12:32AM]

I was thinking "tiny".

[sam @ Jun 4th 2009 12:37AM]

It looks like that picture is from apple.com. Notice the "Downloads" tab along with the other tabs.

[sam @ Jun 4th 2009 12:21AM]

Porn on the iPhone. This will come in handy...

[Shyam D @ Jun 4th 2009 12:22AM]

Can't we just wait for WWDC and skip the rumour mill ? All this post his going to do is atract flame wars like Detroit Auto to Bankruptcy Judges.

[FoxKenji @ Jun 4th 2009 4:23AM]

LOL

[Abraham @ Jun 4th 2009 12:23AM]

im gonna go with the htc fortress!

[William @ Jun 4th 2009 12:25AM]

That parental controls thing has been there for a while, since I got the message for downloading Amateur Surgeon. So, uh, bad Engadget! BAD!

[JaSoN! @ Jun 4th 2009 5:36AM]

ditto!

[Tanker-X @ Jun 4th 2009 12:27AM]

Hey! Has anyone else noticed the GREEN LIGHT near the receiver? Email/Message indicator light maybe?! Of course if this shot is even real...

[kevinm @ Jun 4th 2009 12:32AM]

That's the front facing camera (isight). Every Mac with it has a green indicator light to tell it's active.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Jun 4th 2009 12:39AM]

"That's the front facing camera (isight)"

That's a pretty big claim. It could be for something else, but at this point, you could very well be right.

[Mike @ Jun 4th 2009 1:23AM]

yes he's right

[amartins02 @ Jun 4th 2009 12:30AM]

I thought that was a forward facing camera. Could be a green light though.

[niteice @ Jun 4th 2009 12:30AM]

It could also mean that iPhone OS 3.0 will launch Monday and the device some time thereafter, but that would be very out of character for Apple.

[dagamer43 @ Jun 4th 2009 12:30AM]

Unless FCC already has their hands on the device, a new instant iPhone launch is extremely unlikely. In fact, I think the last time they had a "in stores today!" announcement was probably the original revealing of the aluminum iMac (iPods and such usually ship that day and are in within the week).

[Tanker-X @ Jun 4th 2009 12:32AM]

Never mind...the GREEN LIGHT is probably just a stuck pixel or a piece of dust stuck under the glass.

[Ryan McGrory @ Jun 4th 2009 8:06AM]

Like about 5 people have said the, the light is the camera indicator, retard!

[Adam @ Jun 4th 2009 2:45AM]

I sold my iPhone the other day. I mean I'd rather be right than wrong about a new iPhone, anyways, when I called up an Apple Rep I'm friends with I asked him if I should buy an iPhone. He said "wait a few weeks". I don't know, but that sounds like somethings up. The pictures look good to me. If anything someone photoshopped that screen then used a camera phone, but it looks Apple-ish to me. We'll find out soon enough.

[digitallysick @ Jun 4th 2009 12:34AM]

Nothing I care about, will it have un-restricted bluetooth and factory unlocked? , That, I would care about

[Puggs @ Jun 4th 2009 12:35AM]

As an iPhone owner, I am looking forward to getting some great (be it basic) functionality out of the 3.0 update. If I look forward to a new device, I think I am going to set myself up for disappointment.

Pre sure does look purdy!

[crawdad689 @ Jun 4th 2009 12:41AM]

Damn, that really is a front-facing iSight! :-)

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Jun 4th 2009 12:42AM]

Wow, this is quite an exciting pic. It shows a totally different looking iPhone model without the chrome bezel, a green-lit LED in the front, a raise earpiece (?) near the top and some indistinguishable icons near the carrier icon. Very, very interesting.

[zahid @ Jun 4th 2009 12:46AM]

I think it is called 2009 phone as well .

http://www.zahipedia.com/2009/05/27/new-apple-iphone-2009-with-4g-technology/

[Cheddar @ Jun 4th 2009 12:48AM]

Like no other phone out there, for 3 years now Apple will have taken a great phone and made it better. There will be people that have the 1st and 2nd gen phones that use the 3.0 software (along with iPod Touch owners) without having to upgrade their hardware. There are very few phones made by Nokia, RIMM, Palm, HTC, LG, etc. that people are still using two+ years later and still have the "current" model.

Yes you cannot turn a 1st gen into 3G and no it doesn't have GPS but you still get 95% of the functionality without having to buy a thing (Touch owners aside). No other company has done what Apple has done for their customers.

Add in the App Store and these are the things that continue to separate Apple from every other Company. Say what you want about the Pre/Bold/Whatever, they are still years behind the iPhone in the total experience (hell some, i.e., pre, are simply rumor and speculation...let's see how the pre does before we go "killing" off the iPhone...not going to happen). Sure others have pieces of the Apple experience but they don't have the total package and quite frankly I don't think they every will because the others don't "get it" the way Apple does.

Flame away if you so choose, but the facts stand up for themselves regardless of whether you believe me.

[weems @ Jun 4th 2009 1:04AM]

agreed

[Jeff Lewis @ Jun 4th 2009 1:45AM]

I'm not going to flame, but it has to be said - you have to get out there and look at what everyone else is doing rather than assuming the world begins and ends with Apple.

FM Tagging? Zune had it first (not to mention integrated FM radio - which as I recall, Engadget poo-poohed as being something no one needed or wanted).

Front facing camera? Uh.. my WiMo phone has that. Lots of phones have that. It wasn't useful on the iPhone because until now, it couldn't do video chat or MMS - which lots of other phones could.

Audio recorder? Please. I was doing that with my WiMo phone 5 years ago.

OLED screen? A number of PMPs and phone have that and the Zune HD kind of got there first.

And so on.

Don't get me wrong - I'm sure iPhone 3 will be a really nice phone and will almost certainly shoot ahead in a few areas - but in a very real sense, the iPhone has been playing catch-up with everyone else in a lot of basics like - yes - cut and paste, MMS, video chat and so on.

As for the App Store - well, definitely a good idea, but way overhyped even based on analysis by Engadget and Gizmodo.