computerwoche.de

Archiv

Rumors suggest slew of new iPhone features

06.04.2009
If there is one defining characteristic of the Apple community, it's the proliferation of sketchily sourced and usually mistaken--but nonetheless fascinating--rumors of upcoming products from the tight-lipped company. Since the iPhone is the Apple's golden goose right now, it's no surprise that it also commands the largest share of the aforementioned scuttlebutt.

If the latest crop of speculation is to be believed, the next-generation iPhone (unofficially dubbed "iPhone 4G" or "iPhone 3.0") will have pretty much every new feature under the sun: a 3.2-megapixel camera will support video recording; there will be rudimentary video-editing software included; support for 802.11n Wi-Fi networking; and--get this--a built-in FM radio. Let's dive a little deeper into all this rumor and hearsay.

The first report comes from Hans Wu of DigiTimes who claims that, according to super-secret "market sources," Chinese manufacturer OmniVision has received  to be included in the next-generation iPhone. OmniVision also apparently secured a separate batch of orders for 5-megapixel sensors for an undisclosed product.

That Apple is interested in integrating all those CMOS sensors into some device (or devices, as the case may be) seems to be supported by several camera-related job postings on Apple's Job Opportunities page. Spotted by , the page lists open positions at Apple for Camera Design Engineers, a Camera Project Manager, and a Camera Validation Engineer. Although this doesn't confirm what kind of cameras will be in Apple's future devices, it does suggest that the company is taking seriously the need to beef up its capabilities in that department.

The next rumor is , which claims to have uncovered hints of  . The "evidence" in question is a folder with several small images that may eventually form user-interface elements of an editing program. Given the current iPhone's lack of support for video-recording, it suggests either a feature of some future device running the iPhone OS or perhaps the ability to edit video brought in from other sources (iTunes syncing? YouTube?).

Meanwhile, AppleInsider thinks that wireless radio component specifications in iPhone OS 3.0 beta mean  of the iPod touch and iPhone. Those would potentially support, among other features, low-power 802.11n Wi-Fi networking on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. This sounds like the most plausible of all the rumors mentioned here: even though Wi-Fi is still a big power hog, Apple's been slowly but surely transitioning all of its Wi-Fi-capable hardware to 802.11n over the last year or two. Having the iPhone follow in those footsteps makes sense, even if it may be impractical in the short run.