iPhone Predictions - Updated

So here is the list I made about almost 2 months ago, and here is my updated list, with explanations below:

For Sure:

• 64/32 gb of Memory
• New case design, less rounded w/ sharper corners
• Better Lock screen (home screen), like the jailbreak app 
• Multi-tasking, maybe with some restrictions 
• File Management/Document Generation, its time. 
• Springboard Expose/Spaces  
• Camera 5mp 

 Likely:

• Overhaul the Email App (Unified Inbox) 

Maybe:

• Application Sharing
• Themes and Wallpapers for Springboard
• Front facing Camera 

  Unlikely:

• Bigger Screen
• Flash Support  

  

*If something isnt mentioned below, goto the original post for explanations.

Intro:

Given recent developments, and after digging up more research on alot of these subjects. I need to change some of my predictions.

Flash:

In my original post I felt that although flash support is terrible on Mac OS X (in general) and especially on the iphone, that somehow apple would find a way to get it included in the next release of the iPhone OS. Im gonna back track and say that this is not gonna happen. Here are a few reasons why:

• Flash performance sucks on OS X, incl. iPhone OS.
• Since the first iPhone, Steve Jobs and Apple have drawn a line in the sand saying that if you wanna develop a site that will work in Safari Mobile, DONT USE FLASH.  
• Flash support could hurt App Sales 
• HTML5 will bring video streaming to the iPhone without the need for flash
• Flash is bloated, it is notoriously buggy, and given their monopoly, Adobe can just sit on their hands and tell everyone to F-off when they ask for improvements or compatibility fixes.  

  Hurting app sales is something that i didnt think of when i wrote my last post, but it is something that makes alot of sense, and could really damage Apples app sales, especially since it means that there is no app approval process. Flash is also super buggy on macs, and for the most part adobe hasnt done much to make flash a robust plugin for mobile devices. Its just not gonna happen, and taking everything into account apple wont gain much by supporting someone else's plugin. Maybe in 2011. 

Front Facing Camera:

I talked about this in my last post, saying it would be that really cool feature that would give the new iPhone some wow factor. Im gonna kinda backtrack on this one too, not because it wouldnt be really cool, more because no one really cares about video conferencing on a casual cellphone. Also it would be akward having to carry it so your face can be seen. Im not totally dumping this idea, Instead im moving it down a notch in priority list. The reason im not totally getting rid of it, is because although it might not be super useful, it would be really cheap to add an extra 1.2/2mp camera in the front, and beyond just video conferencing it could do alot more for apps, and taking pictures. So Ill say that this is now a 'Maybe'

Refinements:

So hindsight is always 20/20, and im gonna use this to beef up a couple of predictions. So my original list was pretty general when it came to technical specs just saying this will be better/bigger. Now im gonna make specific predictions about the technical specs for some of the items on the list:

Camera: 5 megapixel. 

Just makes sense, 5mp is a logical progression from 3mp, and there have been alot of rumors to back up this claim.

Storage Space: 32-64gb 

Another 'gimme' prediction (i think) since the producers of all the memory in current iPhones/iPods has updated the capacity, it would be on par with all the other upgrades from 2g->3g->3gs

Case Design: Less Rounded, with Sharper Corners

This prediction is probably the most reliable since a friend (who has a friend at apple, whose seen the new iPhone) told me that the new iPhone will look less rounded with sharper corners. He said it will look more like the droid and less like the current iPhones. Not sure where in between those two designs the new iPhone will fall, but if I had to guess it would look more like this render below, than anything weve seen sofar.

New Home Screen:

This is another prediction that my friend confirmed is true, so im gonna move this one upto 'for sure'. He says its like the jailbreak app where you can have alerts and calender stuff all show up on the lock screen.

Multi-Tasking:

This is another one that my friend was pretty sure about. Its not like this should come as a surprise, the hardware and the software already support it, apple just needs to flip a switch and throw in a UI to access all of it. Im gonna move this upto 'for sure'. One thing is that it might not work the same way as the jailbreak app, meaning there may be some restrictions as to how many and which apps are open.

File Management/Document Generation:

The file management part is GONNA happen, im moving it to 'for sure'. Were now at the 4th iPhone, and to move it forward it really needs some sort of document management. People have files and they need to save and send them to people, its that simple. The amount of work needed to add this into the iPhone seems pretty minimal since it can already save files, it just doesnt expose any UI to the user for accessing them (except for pictures and video). This will be just one more step to turn the iPhone into a miniature computer. Document generation, probably but it will most likely be limited to the notes app. Id expect to see a small overview of the notes app, or something completely new. I wouldnt expect anything more than a rich text editor type app.

Springboard/Dashboard expose:

Another one that im feeling pretty confident about. If they do multitasking, they will need to give the user a UI to access all the running apps. Also, when the iPhone was initially conceived, i dont think they expected to have 150k apps avaialable for download. They are gonnna need a better way to organize them. Im thinking that we will finally see some folders (stacks) that let the user navigate through the 100's of apps much faster. Another one of those things thats been on jailbreak for awhile, that I think apple will finally implement. So im moving this into 'for sure'

Themes and Wallpapers:

This is one that i kinda brushed off as not likely, mainly because its not that neccessary, and because it could detract from usability. I think that this could be implemented in a way that didnt detract from usability. For example you can select a wallpaper, but the iPhone will apply a mask to darken whatever picture you select so it doesnt take away from the springboard. Im gonna move this upto 'maybe'.

Better Screen - no OLED:

Ive read a little more into the OLED situation, and as it stands right now, they just arent ready for primetime. Yes OLED's have much more vibrant color, use less battery etc.. EXCEPT for the fact that they dont display whites well. For an OLED to display a white background it uses 3 times the energy. Also alot of CE's that use oled's right now have trouble displaying information in bright light situations like during the day outside. OLED is a great tech, but for it to get into an apple product, which are always super polished, its gonna take some more time. So since were arent gonna see OLED, im not sure where apple could improve, atleast not any type of technology i could pin down. My guess is that they will find a way to optimize the existing tech, whether or not they mention this at the release, im not sure it might just be one of the things you see way at the bottom of the specs/improvements list. So this will get moved down a notch. 

New Stuff:

Hardware CPU/GPU:

Ive read here that the producers of the current iPhone CPU have demo'd a new dual core version of the chip that runs a little faster. The geek in me wants to assume that all this new stuff will be in the 4g iphone, but its not really that sensible to bump up the hardware if the software wont be using it. If we assume that the software will be using it, then that means that all the older iPhones wont have the hardware to run the new software. And im not sure that apple would want to alienate that much of its user base. I think that there is some middle ground here. If i had to guess i would say that there WILL BE hardware improvements over the 3gs. This is one of the easiest ways to differentiate new models from older ones, and its been an entire year since the last release. So my guess is dual-core, with a new GPU. At first I would imagine this will only affect the ability to run more apps at once, but as time goes on, games will be released that only support 3gs and 4g iphones. This one is a tough call, and i may have to update it later on. 

Conclusion:

The next iPhone is going to change the game once again, it will turn the iPhone into a portable computer more than ever. Im really looking forward to its release, and if i get even half of whats on my list ill be happy. Let me know what you think in the comments section.