I knew what they were. I was asking how likely you think it that they will make up the main extra selling point for the iPhone 4

There has to be some change in the hardware I would have thought. Just upping the speed again will not be enough to create desire to upgrade. OLED would give better screen imaging and better battery life.

Is it a poor battery then? How does 1400 mAhr compare to other smartphones?



edit.

Hmm, it is the same as the one used in the Nexus one.

But end users won't care a jot about battery capacity. They'll care about battery life. Although the latter is a result of the former, you can't compare capcity to capacity as a measure of user happiness. Battery life you possibly can.

Then "half decent battery LIFE' should have been the retort, not "a half decent battery'

didge

On the hardware front some sort of new screen seems to me to be a given. I've recently played with a HTC HD2 and a Moto Milestone/Droid and they both have screens that are obviously and immediately better than the iPhone's. Can't see that carrying on for long.

I don't think there'll be a front mounted camera - not only is there not any real demand, the telcos really wouldn't actually like people to use them much as the 3G networks still aren't up to widespread use of video calling.

A new case of some sort seems likely - given the way all the other Apple kit is going I think we may see the plastic back disappearing in place of an all-metal possibly unibody enclosure. And also possibly the end of the curved back. I can't see much changing in the design of the face though, that's now almost as iconic as the original ipod design.

I can also believe there'll be a better camera chip and possibly an LED flash - I don't think we'll get a proper flash as the battery still wouldn't be up to extended use of it.

I would also assume we'll get a faster CPU and more internal RAM. I can't see how they wouldn't happen, frankly. And the battery will be said to last longer not because it's any better, but because they'll have incrementally improved the power usage of the major components.

Overall I wouldn't expect a grand departure from the iPhone formula - Apple tend not to deviate too much once they've stumbled across an design people like. It has happened but not often.


Jon

I thought the reason for the iPhones having plastic shells compared to the iPod touches with their nearly-all-metal back was to allow signals for WiFi, Phone & GPS, and not enclose them in a Faraday cage?

I would have to admit an OLED screen would have to be my personal preference.

I was going to make the point about the battery that Jon made. The battery life is not necessarily dependent on the quality of the battery. It is more heavily based on the way the phone manages the battery usage. This will almost certainly improve in the new iPhone.


That's true but most metal backed devices have a segment of them made in plastic to accomodate this.



The black part in this picture is there to aid the wifi signal.

Now you come to mention it you're probably correct - the 3G iPads have a black plastic section on the back for the aerial, although the wifi only ones seem to manage without needing that. There are plenty of phones with metal cases though. The problem may be the capacitive touchscreen. Non-touchscreen phones have the front which is 'radio transparent' but with a capacitive touchscreen you have a metallic layer all across the front as well, which is probably radio opaque. So you have to leave a chunk of the back 'open' to allow the transceiver to work.

Jon

Yes. I meant to say this.

Apologies for being unclear - I'd assumed this. My point was more to CC that just comparing battery specs with other hardware is not particuarly meaningful.

Is the Battery Life any worse than comparable handsets .. i would be interested to see a comparison.

My iphone can die in a few hours if i let the kids play games but used purely as a phone, it'll last a couple of days.

Didge,

4 days between charges for me on my 3G, that's with wi-fi enabled when I need it and taking images on it. I'm also text a considerable amount from it.

Mark

My mistake. I thought you were saying that Apple had fitted a cheap battery to the iPhone.

If it is battery life that you want improved then what are the options?

a) More efficient chipset
b) More efficient screen technology
c) More efficient management of OS
d) Don't implement multi-tasking
e) Newer higher power battery
f) Supplement power supply with solar or kinetic charging
g) Make the device less pleasant to use so folk spend less time playing with it.

I am all for them all with the exception of g) However g) is the main reason that the battery life is poor. The thing is such a delight to use they are always in use and never on standby.

Have to agree with you cc, i'm always fiddling with the damn thing .. there is always an app for that ..
Today i have:
Received and made phone calls, received and sent email and text messages, taken a photo, checked the traffic on RAC, watched a little live tv (showing off with that one) and converted picofarads to microfarads for someone at work.

Didge