Mobility Today has posted a list of features rumored to be coming in future software revisions of the iPhone. It’s a good list, and it includes several morsels that would be great to have. I’ll spoil the surprise to mention that Exchange support is not listed. Two key omissions are supposedly coming to the iPhone “very soon” or “before Leopard,” which is slated for October:
- Ringtone support
- iChat IM
And also in the works but with unknown timelines:
- File Browsing
- Something like USB Mass Storage / Disk Use
- Spotlight Searches
- iTunes Drag-and-Drop
- Cut and Paste
- landscape keyboard for every app
- Camera software update
- Mail app update
- iWork ported to iPhone, with Keynote presentation support
It doesn’t look like an official list, not by a long shot, but if it’s true I will be a very happy camper. Their list is much more exhaustive, it’s well worth checking the article out.
Update 11.07.07 11:37a: Regarding this rumor, Gizmodo isn’t exactly what you’d call convinced.
And, while we’re talking about rumors, there’s a persistent one that’s starting to seem very plausible to me. I don’t think that Apple is going to re-engineer a 3G phone just for Europe and the rest of the world, leaving Americans fresh from a $500 or $600 purchase in the lurch. Nor would Apple release a 2.5G EDGE phone over there either; Europeans have become attached to their fast internet data.
So I was perusing Ars Technica’s iPhone review but mostly just wanted their chip analysis. Ars says it best:
“The IC in the lower-left is purported to be a Multimedia Engine by Infineon by several sources. However, the markings on this device do not match up with any Infineon devices as far as we could tell. This particular part is a jack-of-all trades that can decode/encode audio formats, decode H.264 video, perform EDGE modem capabilities, and interface with Bluetooth, FM radio, and other systems, as well as drive the camera and the high-resolution display. Interestingly enough, the data sheet for this device claims that it is 3G upgradable and contains a WCDMA coprocessor.” [emphasis added]
But wait, there’s more! Ars Technica isn’t the only one talking about a software update to the iPhone that turns it into a 3G phone, so is notable online analyst Robert X. Cringely:
“I think so. The question here is whether 3G is already built into the iPhones shipping now or whether it will require a new model? Given that it is coming so soon after the iPhone introduction, I can’t believe that even Steve would make us buy new phones. It is very likely that a firmware upgrade will awaken the 3G within all you iPhone owners.” [emphasis added]
Some people think that Cringely is in the same league as online writers such as Dvorak and Enderle, and they don’t mean that in a respectful way. And admittedly, Cringely does seem to delve into the improbable every so often. At the same time though, his articles build on a kernel of truth. Cringely reports that a firmware update has to be out by Christmas, and I think he’s absolutely right. Apple is going to have to do something to turn those 8/10 scores into 9/10 scores or 10/10 scores. Also, when fantastic Cringely and dependable Ars Technica both agree on something, it’s probably worth reporting.
It has to be said that if Apple were to upgrade the radio to include 3G HSDPA for fast browsing, they’d have to re-certify the iPhone with the FCC. I don’t know if we’d get a 6 month lead time on the news like with the iPhone, but we’ll be keeping an eye on those FCC tests to see if faster 3G certification is on the way.
