iPhone 4G

Veit did a great job of covering the evolution of existing architectural features and hardware capabilities.  I would like to add my own 5 cents on what I would like to see that could be very cool, useful, and also disruptive to other devices.  Most of my wish list has to do with add-ons/accessories:

Wireless Keyboard
A wired or, ideally, wireless keyboard that I could roll up and store in a tube when not needed, and unroll and type on when I needed to do word processing.  If you assume that the iPhone 4G will have a Pentium-class processor, it will be more than suited to this task.  Once it has word processing, it could cause major competition for netbooks, because there will really only be one reason to have a netbook, screen real estate, which brings me to…

Matching Wireless Virtual Display Glasses
This tech already exists and is for sale, though currently only at a resolution of 320×240.  This is, IMO, the missing link for mobile devices.  Imagine that Apple, with its normal design prowess, creates a finally-ready-for-prime-time pair of projection glasses that can do at least 800×600, but more preferably 1024×768, that can wirelessly display iPhone screen contents.  Apple would sell a ton of them because they could be used:

• to playback and view picture slideshows and videos shot on or received by the iPhone
• for web browsing and word processing with a reasonable screen
• for other compatible devices to watch movies on airplanes, for instance.

Eventually, a future generation of these glasses could be used for augmented reality, such that the iPhone could provide a virtual heads-up display with turn-by-turn directions, information overlays for museum tours, etc.

This could very well crater a lot of Kindle and other e-book business if it were done properly.  Why would I need a Kindle if I could read a book virtually projected in front of me at 50″ rather than at 8 or 9″ as on the Kindle?

Pico Projector Add-on.
It seems like a no-brainer that as more mobile devices this year and next have pico-projectors built in the iPhone will have one either built-in or as an add-on.  It has to happen.  This would allow for group playback of videos and still-image slideshows on the most popular mobile device for consumers.  And, it would bring the real-world ’social’ network back into vogue–you remember that, where you actually sat and watched a slideshow on the wall or on a screen?

Image Stabilization
As Veit previously mentioned in this post, image stabilization, or some form of it, needs to be included in the iPhone 4G.  This is a key photography feature that would serve video recording as well.

These are a few features and accessories that I would suggest for the iPhone 4G in 12 months’ time.

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The iPhone 3GS has barely launched and already it is time to think about the next generation iPhone. For now, I dub it the iPhone 4G. Here are my predictions what it will look like:

Launch at WWDC 2010
This is pretty much a no-brainer. The last iPhones have been launched then and the next iPhone will be as well. But there is another reason, because at WWDC 2010, Steve Jobs will ask Ivan Seidenberg on stage to announce…

A relationship with Verizon to provide 4G network support
AT&T’s exclusivity will end and Verizon will become the second network the iPhone supports. With it will come support for 4G in the form of Verizon’s LTE (Long Term Evolution) which currently is scheduled to be rolled out starting in 2010. LTE will provide Verizon customers with higher up- and download speeds. AT&T will also roll out its LTE network, but most likely not in 2010. The iPhone 4G will support 3G, HSPA and LTE.

Cortex A9 processor: Dual-core ?!
The current iPhone 3GS features a Samsung Cortex A8 processor, even although it is Apple branded. The rumor mill already expects the next iPhone to feature the Cortex A9, which is dual core capable. This would be great news! Dual core would use lower power, thus allowing for better performance, while enabling the same or even better battery performance. But dual core would also speed up certain capabilities quite dramatically, such as video encoding and compression, thus enabling…

720p Video
Even although the iPhone 3GS is already capable of handling 720p video, Apple chose to restrict it to VGA to save battery life but also preserving a swift upload experience on AT&T’s network. I would not be surprised to see an unlocking of 720p video through a firmware update further down the road. Similarly, the iPhone 4G might be capable of doing more than 720p video, but Apple might again choose to restrict it initially to just 720p.

Better Camera
Yes, it will feature a better camera. I’d expect a jump to 5+ megapixels, esp. if we see a 5+ MP “iCamera” this year.

More Storage
Pretty much a no-brainer. 32 GB and 64 GB to handle bigger videos.

Same Form Factor, Same Screen Resolution
I don’t expect the form factor to change significantly, nor do I see why Apple would upgrade the screen resolution, if the form factor stays the same.

What else do you think could or should be in the iPhone 4G?

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