All Articles Tagged iphone gen 2-1

Apple Announces iPhone 3G S – Ships June 19

iPhone 3G S

During the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) Keynote, Apple VP of Marketing, Phil Schiller, announced the all new, third generation, iPhone 3G S… and the S stands for Speed!

Averaging 2x faster on most tasks, it also includes many of the recently rumored features like video recording, editing, and sharing, a digital compass, astounding voice control, and more.

Keep your browsers pointed to TiPb for continuing coverage throughout the day!



Rumor: Third Generation iPhone 2,1 to be Called iPhone Video?!

iPhone video on AT&T

We’ve gone round and round on this before. I think Dieter and I may have mentioned this as one of a hundred guesses on the last Phone different podcast, but discounted it as being, like iPhone Extreme, something that fits into Apple’s brand but doesn’t really feel like a direction Apple would go.

TUAW was tipped to it being — briefly — on the AT&T website, however, so we have to consider it, don’t we? (If the screen cap is for real).

Once upon a time Steve Jobs said no one wants to watch video on a tiny screen. Then Apple released the iPod video. So, there is precedent. Also, Apple named the iPhone 3G after its “killer” feature — access to a faster cell network. So, if Apple considers video shooting, editing, and sharing to the the third generation’s “killer” feature, iPhone video would certainly throw the spotlight on it (better than iPhone Compass, at least!)

That’s the same thinking that was behind my betting the farm on iPhone HD last October. While Apple doesn’t seem eager — yet! — to give me my 480×800 screen resolution, Microsoft has jumped on the moniker with Zune HD via its support for HD Radio and 720p dock-enabled output. If Apple includes new AV cables that let the newer, faster, more powerful CPU, RAM, and GPU push 720p as well, and HD is now off the table thanks to Microsoft’s accelerated announcement last week, could iPhone video be a similar (if not quite as sexy) option?

What do you think?

Should Apple Release iPhone 3.0 and Next-Gen iPhone on the Same Day?

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First year, Apple showed off the original iPhone (2G or 1,1) and iPhone OS 1.0 in January at Macworld 2007, gave us a release date at WWDC 2007, and shipped both together at the end of June. Second year, Apple showed off iPhone OS 2.0 in March at the SDK Event but didn’t introduce iPhone 3G (1,2) until WWDC 2008 in June, and announced the release date for both — the same release date for both — July 11.

This year Apple once again showed off iPhone OS 3.0 at March at the Sneak Preview event, and is rumored to be introducing iPhone v3 (2,1) at WWDC 2009 on June 8. If that comes to pass, we also expect them to announce the release date as they have in the past. But will it once again be the same release date for both?

  • Pros: Apple likes big events and big news. Nothing is bigger than simultaneous releases. Apple also seems to like to stick to their patterns, and for the last two years software and hardware releases were one and the same. 2007 saw iPhone 3G alongside iPhone 2.0, App Store, and MobileMe (yeah, we’ll get to that in the cons…)

  • Cons: That simultaneous release last year? iTunes went down. No one could activate. MobileMe’s lack of readiness caused months of bad PR. As big a news bomb as it was, it brought the negative every bit as much as the positive.

Frequent reader, Icebike, makes a great case for a staged released in our comments. It lets Apple control the roll-out, manage expectations, and better assure quality experiences for all involved.

But that simultaneous release is just so tempting, will Apple simply charge ahead with it anyway? Should they? Is the Circus Maximus worth the attention, good and bad?

As an iPhone user and potential 3.0 and next-gen iPhone user, what would you prefer Apple do?

Next Generation iPhone: Black Bezel, LCD Screen?

Next Gen iPhone parts

ChinaOnTrade.com, which sells iPhone parts reportedly directly from the factory, has thrown up some images and ordering options for 3rd generation iPhone bevels and screens.

If they’re to be believed, the iPhone loses its silvery-chrome outer ring for a black band (as previously rumored?) that seems to indicate Apple will be moving things around a tad — functionally as well as cosmetically?

Bad news for OLED hopefuls, as Gizmodo says the purported screen is still LCD, though iLounge points out it’s price is double that of the 3G screen ($73 vs. $35). Hmm…

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, iFun.de for the catch, and BenM.at for the (translated) head's up!]

More pics after the break!

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2009 Next Generation iPhone 2,1 Rumor Consensus Reached?

iphone_oled

With WWDC 2009 only two weeks away, the many rumors and leaks and informed guesses seem to have coalesced into a somewhat unified view of what we probably will — and probably won’t — see if/when the next generation iPhone 2,1 is announced. Given the full version upgrade number (the original iPhone 2G is 1,1, the iPhone 3G is 1,2) we’d expect there to be more in the way of hardware changes than we saw last year with the addition of “just” 3G and GPS. Will those expectations be met? We have a pretty good handle on the iPhone 3.0 software, but what about the hardware?

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Next Gen iPhone Icon… Looks Same as iPhone 3G?

054539-iphone21

A user on MacTalk Forums (via MacRumors) may have just stumbled upon Apple’s icon for the next generation iPhone, buried inside the iPhone 3.0 SDK. And the big surprise?

It looks pretty much the same as the icon for the iPhone 3G.

iPhone 2,1 is Apple’s internal number for the next gen iPhone, expected to be announced at WWDC. The original iPhone 2G is iPhone 1,1, while the iPhone 3G is iPhone 1,2. The numbers show that even Apple doesn’t consider there to be much more than a point difference between the first two iPhone generations (as opposed to the iPod touch, which went to 2,1 last fall).

The use of iPhone 2,1 led many to believe the next gen iPhone would have more differences than the addition of 3G and GPS last time around. And while it still might, including processor bumps, digital compass, a better camera, etc. if this icon is accurate it looks like few if anything will change on the outside.

Next Gen iPhone to Sport “Entry-Level-Laptop” Class CPU?

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s possible AT&T leak on the next gen iPhone, MacRumors is laying out more specific, if still un-confirmed, details:

Another interesting possibility is that Apple may have settled on the Marvell PXA168 ARM chip as the heart of a future device. Some unconfirmed claims point to Apple buying up supplies of this chip which is reportedly also due in the July timeframe. The Marvell PXA168 CPU was announced in January of this year and aims to provide “entry-level laptop” capabilities to consumer electronic devices.

We’re noticing the theme of speed and power is staying pretty consistent across these rumors. And if Apple is packing the boom! of a baby-laptop in the iPhone, where does that leave iNetbook rumors?

But what’s with all the leaks? Steve Jobs is still on leave of absence, so are folks inside Apple a little less afraid of the flame thrower than they were last year? Or is this a calculated way to keep people’s interest (and the internet’s attention) away from the upcoming release of competitive products like the Palm Pre and BlackBerry Niagra?

Next Gen iPhone to Have Video Recording and Higher Megapixel Camera?

camera

As Dieter would say, “cats and dogs living together!”. That’s how it feels these last few days, what with all the leaks/rumors hitting about next generation iPhone stuff. Are they legit, or part of some mass internet meme-teria? Dunno. But I’m running out of puzzle metaphors!

This time, Apple Insider is reporting that the next generation iPhone hardware will not only provide video recording, but through a higher quality camera to boot! Want more? They’re further rumoring that Apple will build in a Movie Recorder app, the video equivalent to the Memo Recorder for audio that already part of the iPhone OS 3.0 beta.

So this brings our list of leaks for the week to: code references for iPhone 2,1 and 3,1, multi-core GPUs, video publishing, OLED screen, faster internet speeds, and now higher def video recording…

Curiouser and curiouser…

Apple to use OLED in Next Gen iPhone Screens?

Smarthouse (via BGR) has a report saying Apple just might be making the leap to OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens for those future iPhone models mentioned yesterday.

It’s also believed that a new iPhone and iPod Touch due later this year will include an OLED screen made by LG who last year scored a multibillion dollar deal to manufacture display screens for Apple.

Apple currently uses LED for the iPhone (and MacBooks, and the new 24″ Cinema Display). OLED required no backlight and consumes much less battery power than previous technologies. Given Apple’s obsessions with thinness and battery life, this move makes the kind of sense that does.

Also bundled in the rumor is, of course, a rumor about Apple also using OLED in an upcoming “netbook”. We’re still thinking an iTablet is more likely…

So, all these leaks starting to paint anyone a new summer hardware release picture yet?


UPDATED: iPhone 3.0: Code References iPhone Gen 3 and 4 Hardware? And iPod touch Gen 3? And iProd 0? iFPGA?

UPDATE: Ars Technica has found references to an iProd 0,1 (iProduct prototype? Could that be the iTablet?) and an iFPGA, which they say may be something to do with “field-programmable gate array” (yeah, us neither). So Apple is either really busy building out their Mobile OS X offerings, or are having a load of fun punkd’ing the blogosphere…

ORIGINAL: We pretty much know there will be new iPhone hardware. Apple is likely always working a generation, two generations, three generations ahead. What we don’t know is what and when.

The first iPhone 2G (2007) is references as iPhone 1,1 while the iPhone 3G (2008) is 1,2 — which indicates it wasn’t a significant hardware revision (3G and GPS not significant? Okay!)

The first iPod touch (2007) was 1,2, however the iPod touch Gen 2 (2008) was 2,1 — which indicates a more significant revision (external speaker and volume controls, Nike+ are significant? Okay again!)

Now BGR is reporting that deep delving into the iPhone OS 3.0 has found references to future models. iPhone 2,1, which we’ve heard about before, makes it look like Apple has a more significant hardware revision on its way for the iPhone. No idea what that is yet (we’ve guessed iPhone HD). What’s new is a reference to iPhone 3,1(!).

Does this mean there are 2 new hardware models coming? And soon as in this year (2009)? Or will 3,1 follow a year or more after 2,1, like Apple does with iPod models?

Speaking of which, the code also reveals an iPod touch 3,1. Could that be an iPod touch HD? A large size iPod touch iTablet? Or should we quiet our fanboy hearts for a moment?