TechJunction

Apple seems certain to unveil a new iPhone at a developer conference in San Francisco on June 9 – but how will it differ from its predecessor?

It seems, at times, as though Steve Jobs has an impossible job. Within days of the iPhone going on sale, technology fans and gadget geeks were already speculating what the next-generation version of the device would look like.

Since the launch of the device in July 2007, Apple has sold more than five million iPhones, and despite grumbles about slow mobile browsing speeds and difficulties typing on the touchscreen virtual keyboard, the handset remains, for many, one of the most innovative gadgets available today.

So, what will the son of “Jesus phone” look like, and will it really be an improvement over the first-generation device, or simply another clever way of bleeding our wallets dry?

The blogosphere seems pretty unanimous in its verdict that iPhone 2.0 will run on the 3G mobile network. That means it will be able to download data much quicker than it can on the current Edge network, and should make the web browsing experience much slicker when outside of a wireless hotspot. At the launch of the original iPhone, Jobs claimed that it had decided not to use 3G because it would be too much of a drain on battery life. Apple, presumably, has addressed this issue, which could explain why pictures of what is purported to be the new iPhone show a new-look handset with a slightly curved back, supposedly to make way for a bigger battery. Some bloggers also claim to have uncovered code in the new software for the device that suggests you can toggle 3G on and off, to help conserve battery life further still.

There’s also some general consensus about the fact that iPhone 2.0 will have a much better camera than the two-megapixel snapper it currently boasts. A five-megapixel camera would be most people’s desired minimum, but it’s more likely that Apple will plump for a three-megapixel camera, and sweeten the pill by offering video calling capabilities (which were missing on the original device).

Gadget fans will also hope that iPhone 2.0 makes much better use of its built-in Bluetooth, which at the moment only works with a few selected Apple-approved accessories. This could potentially allow iPhone owners to ‘pair’ their handset with their Bluetooth-enabled computer to transfer files between them, and wirelessly connect to Bluetooth headphones and handsfree systems.

Expect to see voice-dialling and speed-dialling added to iPhone 2.0 as well – it seems ridiculous that such a cutting edge gadget is missing so many of the utterly basic mobile phone functions and capabilities that we’ve taken for granted on lesser handsets for years.

Apple could also add “proper” global positioning software to the iPhone, which would tie-in nicely with its Google Maps tool. At the moment, iPhones are able to triangulate a users’ vague location by triangulating their mobile phone signal with nearby masts and wireless internet hotspots. In truth, that’s probably sufficient for most iPhone users, and GPS is an expensive technology that is still largely in its infancy on mobile phones. Adding it to the iPhone would probably increase the cost of the device prohibitively, and it’s unlikely to improve navigation and triangulation accuracy enough to justify the outlay.

In terms of appearance, several industry analysts have said that they do not expect Apple to make any significant or dramatic changes to the look of the device until early 2009. The main differences are likely to be that slightly convex back to make room for a 3G-capable battery, and a non-recessed headphone plug – plenty of iPhone users were left disgruntled to discover their expensive, noise canelling headphones didn’t have a long enough jack to fit into the current iPhone’s sunken headphone socket.

So, what won’t we see with the new iPhone? Don’t expect too many dramatic changes to its text-messaging functionality. Americans are not big fans of “txting”, and while we Brits would love to be able to forward on text messages to other contacts in our address book, it’s unlikely to be added to the device. Instead, keen texters will have to look to the new Application Store for those sorts of tweaks – more of which below.

It’s also unlikely that Apple will make any dramatic changes to its touchscreen keyboard. iPhone users have long hankered after the ability to flip the iPhone for a horizontal keyboard layout, and haptic feedback to indicate that buttons have been correctly pressed, but that sort of interface improvement is more likely to appear on the third-generation device rather than on iPhone 2.0.

Opinions are divided on whether Apple will drop the 8GB version of the phone and instead offer 16GB and 32GB versions of the device, which would bring it into line with the storage capacity of the iPod touch range. The fact that Carphone Warehouse and O2 stores slashed the price of the 8GB model just a few weeks ago could either be taken as a sign that they were trying to clear soon-to-be-discontinued stock, or that they are simply making a bit of extra space for the next-gen model.

Personally, I think we will see an introduction of a 32GB model, not least because Apple will be making another big announcement at the conference that is all about software, rather than hardware: details of the iPhone application store, that will allow people to buy third-party programs and widgets through iTunes and install them on their device.

Essentially, Apple is seeking to make the hacking of iPhones unecessary by providing a development ecosystem in which people can build small programs that improve, diversify and personalise the iPhone’s capabilities. The iPhone is built on a stripped-down version of Apple’s OS X operate system, which means there is plenty of latent power that can be leveraged to turn the handset into a mini computer of sorts.

Expert to see some really clever bits of software that fill in the gaps Apple itself is not plugging, such as an instant-messaging program for the iPhone, nifty location-based features, such as restaurant recommendations and movie reviews that tie into Google Maps and its triangulation capabilities, and even software to keep track of your company expenses.

In many ways it is this, rather than the actual handset itself, that should dominate the headlines, because it is the platform, rather than the hardware, that is key to securing the enduring popularity, flexibility and longevity of the device.

But the poor old iPhone, rather like a handsome movie star, has been typecast for its good looks and sex appeal. Still, there are worst things to build a reputation on. via telegraph