Next iPhone a 'repeat?'

The next-generation iPhone will have few substantial changes, a Chinese source claims. The individual explains that through a friend at Foxconn -- the manufacturer of the current iPhone 3G -- he has managed to test prototypes of the future device, whose changes are mostly internal. The CPU is allegedly being upgraded from a 400MHz Samsung ARM chip to a 600MHz model, at the same time as RAM is being doubled to 256MB.

Such changes would make the iPhone better suited to gaming, consistently one of the most popular categories at the App Store. Helping in this regard may be a jump in maximum capacity from 16 to 32GB, although practical storage is said to be just 29.3GB after formatting. The source additionally backs up suggestions that the phone will have a separate compass, along with a 3.2-megapixel camera; a unique assertion is that the camera will have autofocus capabilities.

The phone is said to retain a 3.5-inch, 480x320 touchscreen, but it is uncertain how many of the claims may be legitimate. The source suggests for instance that an FM receiver will be present, when Apple has expressed opposition to adding the technology to any of its handhelds. The AT&T network one phone is set to connect to is meanwhile listed as "AT&T3.5," rather than the usual AT&T3.1. This could however be a reference to the company's upgraded 7.2Mbps network, often referred to as 3.5G.

Prototypes are said to use the internal model number N88, and the Apple number MB717LL. The new iPhones were said to be undergoing a "process validation test" as of late April; this may be the stage immediately before mass production. Apple is expected to formally announce new hardware at WWDC in June.

The source also makes mention of the long-rumored Apple tablet/media pad, but can offer no new details other than an internal model number, K48.

by MacNN Staff