After the debut of recent Apple tablet rumor round up in one image.  Nowhere Else has made their own iPhone 4G rumor pictogram.  Enjoy their nice work! (Click to enlarge)

This is an iPhone 4G article by The Apps Machine.

4g iPhone prototype by gizmodo

About time, say most, if not all, iPhone owners.  Reports are coming from the AppleInsider that Apple is ordering millions of LED flash components to give the new generation iPhones lighting capabilities for still images and video, and a 5 megapixel camera.  These flashy phones are rumored to be released around June of this year.  It would be high time for Apple to bring this feature to the iPhone given the fact that the Pre, the Droid and the new Nexus One all ship with the coveted LED flash with the two Google phones possessing 5 megapixel capabilities. The LED flash could be used as a flash, a continuous light for video or as a flashlight.  Current flashlight apps leave much to be desired, not to mention the inability of the iPhone to illuminate videos of your crazy friends and their party antics.

Reports are Philips’ Lumileds Lighting sector is believed to be the front-runner for Apple’s business and may have already secured the design win. The Amsterdam-based firm is well-regarded for its LUXEON LED camera flash technology, which was the first to combine the brightness of regular lighting with the long life and small footprint of LEDs, perfectly suited to mobile technology.

appleinsider

Comments are predictably mixed.  Some are rejoicing, having had to deal with the iPhone’s pathetic attempts at photos in low light.  Others are cautioning that battery life may take a beating as a result of these upgrades.  Still others, the camera purists, are claiming that a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash would not provide proper colour saturation,  etc, etc.  People would do well to remember the iPhone is primarily a phone, with a convenient computer and camera built in!  And look at the mockup by Gizmodo above, see the front facing camera?  Just a pie in the sky dream at this point, but two way video calling may become a reality with the new 4g iPhone.  Why not dream big?

This is an iPhone 4G article by the App Machine

iPhone 4gen to get LED Flash Camera?

Digitimes is reporting that Apple placed an order for 45 million 5-megapixel camera module with iPhone 3GS’s current supplier of 3.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor, Omnivision. That is more than two times as many camera modules ordered for this year. This year Apple ordered around 20 million 3.2 mega pixel camera modules

Is Apple expecting a big sale of its next generation iPhone in 2010? Where would it come from? Could it be expanding its US network carriers to Verizon? Or could the 5-mega pixel camera modules be installed on Apple’s other hit iDevices like the iPod Touch. Perhaps these camera modules would be installed on other yet unreleased products such as the iTablet. Hey who knows, may be we are finally getting a 5 megapixel front side camera along with a camera on the back for video conferencing on the iPhone.

Apple’s iPhone camera has long been criticized as being behind the times With the iPhone 3G and 3GS getting only 2 and 3.2 megapixel cameras respectively. It looks like Apple is finally going to bring the favorite camera on flickr up to par with other cell phones.

This is a iPhone 4G article by the Apps Machine

Concept art for the 4G iPhone

“Foxconn received order for next generation iphone”

That is the big rumor going around this week regarding the next generation iPhone.  The above quote is actually a tweet from Eldar Murtazin, editor in chief of Mobile Review.  Major tech blog like Engadget seem to believe Murtazin. He has been known to have excellent connections in the mobile phone business.

Foxconn, of course, is Apple’s manufacturer for iPod and iPhones.  The above tweet suggests that iPhone 4G is ready for production. That isn’t all that surprising since we’ve already spotted someone testing the yet, unreleased next generation iPhone in San Francisco just a while ago.  The current timing also makes sense for a June iPhone product refresh.

From the looks of it, a new iPhone is definitely coming out next year. Although it is probably going to be launched in June, don’t give up hope yet for an earlier release date.  Hey, we may even see an iTablet before the next-gen iPhone is out!

Concept art for the 4G iPhone

It appears someone has been testing an unreleased next gen iPhone in San Francisco.  The new iPhone was caught using the iBart app.

iBart is a mass transit application for the BART rail system in the San Francisco Bay area.   iBart developers, using analytics software on their app, was able to detect a new iDevice that identifies itself as “iPhone 3,1.”

Apple’s newest generation iPhone, the 3GS, identifies itself as “iPhone2,1.  Thus it is safe to assume that “iPhone 3,1″ refers to the 4th generation iPhone.
But don’t get your hopes up for an early next generation iPhone release though.  Last November in 2008, the 3GS model was also spotted online.  It was launched during the summer of 2009.

For now, we could only envy that person who gets to test the next generation iPhone while we count the days until the 4G iPhone is launched.

This is a post by the App Machine

The image of a back cover for the 4th gen iPhone has surfaced.  Although it is unclear if this is indeed a real part for the 4th generation iPhone, the image’s source, China Ontrade, has correctly shown an iPhone 3GS part 1 month before the iPhone 3GS was actually shipped.

China Ontrade claims this part belongs to the next generation iPhone 4.  But the next iPhone is theoretically supposed to come out next summer, like all the previous iPhones before it. And usually factories don’t make their parts so many months before the product’s actual shipping date.  Does this mean that the next gen iPhone may be released early?  If it is,it is probably not going to be released during this holiday season as Phil Schiller, Chief Marketing Director to Apple, had said that Apple will not announce any new products for this year’s holiday season.

So, here is where we are at.  If the image from China Ontrade is a genuine part for the next iPhone, it may arrive earlier next year in spring, perhaps even along with the fabled iTablet.  Most cell phone companies have many phone models.  It is not too out of line for Apple to release 2 iPhones per year instead of one.

On the other hand, if the images are just a marketing ploy by ChinaOntrade, everything would make sense as there is no reason to have a next generation iPhone part floating about the Internet 8 months fore its actual release date.

Via Gizmodo and China Ontrade

This is a Story by The Apps+Machine

Almost everyone who got an iPhone loves it.  But if you ask them what’s wrong with the iPhone, most iPhone users would answer “AT&T.”  AT&T’s issues with dropped calls, network coverage, lack of MMS, and other arbitrary policies and limitations make iPhone users mad.  That is why many would welcome the prediction made by a Piper Jeffray senior research analyst, Gene Munster, that Apple should offer iPhones on more U.S. carriers by the summer of next year. 

Gene Munster said that multi-carrier model in France let to a dramatic increase in market share.  iPhones achieved 40 percent market share of smart phones in France after implementation of multi-carrier model.  That is a huge gain compared with 15% market share during their exclusive agreement with French wireless carrier Orange.  Like France, the iPhone’s total market share in the U.S. for smart phones remains near the teens.  But analysts expect that number to explode if another carrier such as Verizon Wireless offers the iPhone.  Apple would also make a lot more money despite a lower profit margin for each device due to non-exclusivity. 

One issue preventing iPhones to jump ship may be wireless technology, Verizon’s EVDO network is expected to gradually phase out.  Even though Verizon is rumored to roll out its new 4G network by early 2010, it may not be ready to take on legends of iPhone users.  AT&T, on the other hand, continues to expand network capabilities for the current iPhones.  Thus, from a technology point of view, Apple is likely to stick with AT&T.

That’s not to say a Verizon iPhone won’t appear next year.  If Apple believes another carrier can increase iPhone’s U.S. market share dramatically, it can make iPhones with CDMA capabilities.  After all, isn’t Apple going to make CDMA iPhones for the Chinese market after its announcement to partner with the CDMA-only wireless carrier, China Unicom? 

Perhaps the wireless world will be a better place if your iPhone isn’t tied up with one carrier.  If iPhone users don’t like the current wireless carrier because of a lack of MMS, then just switch to another carrier that offers it.  This would make wireless services competitive.  We will no longer have to tolerate incompetent carriers that are slow to satisfy their customers’ wireless needs.  And hopefully, the competition will heat up by next summer, just in time for all those iPhone 3G buyers to upgrade their iPhones to a new model.    

How do you want your next iPhone served?  Cool new look like the new Macbooks? Better camera with flash and optical zooming?

Well, Gizmodo has released a concept iPhone 4G design along with imaginary specs. 

• Titanium and Glass.
• OLED screen
• 3G
• GPS
• Front camera for iChat
• Removable battery
• 3.2 Megapixel camera
• Video
• 32 GB

These are just some of the fantasy features iPhone fans crave.  Throw in copy and paste and MMS to make this next generation concept iPhone design complete!