NoWhereElse.fr originally posted these questionable pre-WWDC photo of what could be the iPhone announced on Monday. The photos appear it will have a front-facing camera, which will fulfill many iPhone user’s wishlist.

With all the reports about the iPhone pushing video as a killer feature, it’s very likely Apple could introduce video-chat to the iPhone. But, before you start screaming out with joy, keep in mind that apparently no semi-credible source has suggested the new iPhone will pack a front-facing camera. It’s mostly been a common theme among these widely-circulated mockups. Some have even mocked up what a making a video phone call might look like. Imagine how high Apple will set the bar if such a feature would be introduced on Monday, June 8th?

WWDC will be launching June 8th in San Fransisco and we’ll know exactly what will be in the new iPhone then. Meanwhile, cross your fingers and pray to the Tech Gods that Apple will have something extremely exciting planned for us. Stay tuned!

- source: nowhereelse.fr

Financial Times reports that Apple is planning on launching a “cut-price” version of the iPhone on Monday.

Apple plans to introduce a cheaper version of its popular iPhone as soon as Monday, in a move that could dramatically increase the company’s share of the market for web-surfing devices, people familiar with the initiative said on Thursday.

Analysts predict the cut would be either $50 or $100. If correct, the drop would drastically stimulate sales of the iPhone. Past rumors speculate that Apple will bring four iPhone models (4GB, 8GB, 16Gb and 32GB) if true, the 4GB model will most likely be the sub-$100 iPhone.

Financial Times has been reasonably accurate in the past, though most of their past information has been about Apple’s negotiations with record labels.

- source: ft.com

The latest of these images come from italian site SpazioCellulare, and they look very convincing. The images appear to reflect many circulating rumors but as such it maybe a very good mockup.

There appears to be an extra button on the lower-side of the case, perhaps a camera button and shutter button? The headphone jack for the iPhone appears to have moved down to the bottom of the unit. It also doesn’t seem to have the roundness that the iPhone 3G has. With any rumor, we aren’t confident that these images are 100% legit but they serve as interesting speculation.

There’s only about 3 days till WWDC on June 8th, stay tuned!

BusinessWeek reports that Apple has included features in its upcoming iPhone OS 3.0 that would allow users to share apps with other iPhone users. However, it’s unclear whether Apple will activate that feature.

Apple’s new iPhone 3.0 software includes features that, if activated by Apple, may let users share software with one another, according to a person familiar with the technology. Eventually, iPhone users may even get a commission when they’ve induced someone else to make a purchase, says Richard Doherty, director at consultant Envisioneering Group. Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock wouldn’t discuss features that might be available in the future, saying only, “We’ve made no announcements at this time.”

Apple could take advantage of the “peer-to-peer connectivity” described at Apple’s iPhone OS 3.0 preview event in March to allow users to “invite” nearby users to download applications. This report also discusses the role users might play to further promote apps.

One example of P2P connectivity will be available in the new iPhone 3.0 software, due this summer. Users will be able to play multiplayer games with one another using Bluetooth connectivity, rather than needing to be on a carrier’s network. A player’s phone will automatically detect nearby iPhones and iPod touches that run the same app and send them an invitation to join the game. Initially, the feature will work only when both parties already have a particular app. “Now you can sell copies of your app to two players instead of one,” says Dave Howell, a former Apple engineer who now runs peer-to-peer file-sharing apps maker Avatron Software. In the future, a player may be able to invite another to a game when the second person does not yet own a particular app. Such invitations could trigger additional purchases.

WWDC will be June 8th in San Fransisco and will be a major topic next week.

Engadget reports that Apple has just received approval from a certification board for four new iPhones with capacities ranging from 4 GB to 32 GB.

4GB to 32GB — that’s one hell of a range, but we’re hearing from a trusted source that new iPhones in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities just garnered approval by the PCS Type Review Certification Board, the standards body responsible for certificating handsets for use with some carriers (AT&T, for instance).

Engadget believes that Apple is unlikely to deploy high-end hardware and software features on iPhone models with capacities as low as 4 GB, suggesting that Apple may begin offering models differentiated by more than just storage capacity. Perhaps this confirms there will, in fact, be a sub-$100 iPhone. Several rumors in the past regarding “iPhone nano” with scaled down hardware and/or software, as well as speculation regarding software-driven differentiation, have long pointed to the possibility of such variation in Apple’s iPhone offerings.

- source: engadget.com

The iPhone Blog reports that in the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware, users are being warned that they may not redownload previously purchased applications over-the-air without being charged. However, the dialog box (shown below) does indicate that users may still redownload applications for free through their computer.

This is a big move from how things currently work. In the current versions of the iPhone and iPod Touch, users are allowed to re-download previously purchased applications without being charged again on both over-the-air and on their computers.

From months of using the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware, I can not say I’ve seen the dialog box shown above. One of my favorite things about the iPhone (or iPod Touch for that matter) is If I ever need FTP On The Go, or any other app, and I don’t have it on my iPhone for whatever reason, I have the ability re-download it without being charged. If Apple does decide to start charging to re-download applications over-the-air it’ll be a big disappointment. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments!

- source: theiphoneblog.com

UMPCFever, a Chinese blog, has posted photos of what it claims to be the first photos of the next gen iPhone in action. According to the Google translated page, these pictures show the new iPhone but as it is a prototype the external design may change so it’s not featured.

According to this blog, the new iPhone does contain an autofocus camera that is uses an on-screen square that can be moved by the tap of a finger to chose the object of focus. Also shown, is the digital compass feature (pictured above) that has been in rumor reports for the longest time. Those features seem to be specific to the next generation iPhone, though the site also demos MMS and Copy/Paste with Images.

We can’t judge their credibility as we’ve never seen any reports from UMPCFever, but the features shown seem consistent with circulating rumors.

- source: umpcfever.com

John Gruber of Daring Fireball speaks out about what the next generation iPhone revision will include. His list of details closely match with circulating rumors.

Gruber believes the next iPhone processor will indeed be a next generation processor that will be disproportionately faster than clock speed alone would have you believe. Indeed, we’ve heard that the next iPhone will use the Cortex processor.

Let’s say the rumors are right — and I believe they are — that the next-generation iPhone’s CPU will be running at 600 MHz. In the same way that, say, a 90 MHz Pentium was more than 1.5 times as fast as a 60 MHz 486, the 600 MHz CPU in the next iPhone will be more than 1.5 times as fast as the current 400 MHz iPhone CPU.

Along with 128MB of additional RAM (256MB total), this should improve app launching times, faster web browsing, and overall better performances which is always a good thing. Storage will also increase to a max of 32GB.

He also suggests that the new case changes will be subtle and retain the current iPhone’s form factor. Circulating rumors of a magnetometer and video editing are also believed to be true:

What the new iPhone’s video capabilities might lack in terms of image and sound quality will be made up for by two things: convenience and software. Convenience in that the best camera is the one you have with you, and if you’ve always got your iPhone, you’ve always got a camera; software in that iPhone OS 3.0 is set to include basic video editing (think: selecting just the good parts) and uploading features that regular cameras, which aren’t computers and which aren’t networked, just can’t match.

Much of what Gruber reported has been circulating around the internet, but he’s known to have accurate sources in past so we’ll see how things turn out. Apple is expected to announce the new iPhone at WWDC, which takes place June 8-12th in San Francisco.

Stay tuned!

- source: daringfireball.net

Ralph de la Vega, AT&T CEO, has confirmed reported that the company is considering a cheaper monthly data plan option for the iPhone. Considering 90% of the US population is having financial difficulties, this would be a good option — Assuming of course that you absolutely don’t need the unlimited data.

The executive said it would be costly for AT&T to cut the price of its unlimited Web surfing service. The minimum plan for iPhone users is $70 a month, which includes unlimited Web surfing and a certain amount of voice calls.

Of course, the cheaper data plan will have limitations on the amount of data that can be transferred monthly. The current iPhone Data Plan is unlimited for a $30/month fee. While such a move may make sense for the price conscious consumer, much of the iPhone’s success as a mobile net device seems directly related to the unlimited nature of its data plan.


De la Vega also dismissed the possibility of an iPhone with no data plan as AT&T makes the bulk of its income from selling these add-on services.

- source: reuters.com

BusinessWeek reports that AT&T is considering a discounted limited data plan for the iPhone at $20USD per month option. AT&T currently only offers a unlimited data plan for the iPhone for $30USD per month. The data transfer cap for the rumored discounted data plan is yet unknown. Considering it’s $10USD less than unlimited then the cap should be around 256MB or 500MB. If it’s anything less it’ll be a complete rip off at the rumored $20USD price. What do you guys think?

Analyst Richard Doherty claims that this additional data plan option is being driven by Apple, which wants to offer a lower-cost entry point for the iPhone.

The exclusive U.S. iPhone service provider is considering cutting the price of its monthly service package or offering a range of lower-priced plans, say people with knowledge of the company’s thinking. One plan that could be introduced as early as late May would include limited data access at a $10 monthly reduction, the people say.

The possible price cut likely reflects the back-and-forth between AT&T and Apple (AAPL) as they work out whether and under what terms AT&T would remain the sole U.S. iPhone carrier. Apple may want flexibility in pricing as a condition, analysts say. “We understand it’s part of the extension [of its contract] that AT&T wants to maintain,” Richard Doherty, director at consultant Envisioneering Group, says of the prospect of lower data-plan prices. As Apple considers whether to widen its circle of U.S. providers, AT&T may have less ability to balk at Apple’s requests.

The report also hints on the on-going rumor that AT&T is considering dropping the price from the entry-level iPhone to $99USD from the current $199. A prepaid iPhone is also rumored to be under consideration.