Following the release of iPhone’s 4.0 operating system and competitors like Nokia’s smartphones and Google Nexus nipping at it’s smartphone heels, what’s a company like Apple supposed to do? Release a more powerful smartphone, that’s what!
Rumors have been circulating over the past couple of days, intimating a new Apple iPhone 4G will be available by June, or even as early as May. Besides the earlier-than-expected launch date (new iPhone models traditionally come out in June or July), potential new features could include a more advanced camera, an OLED screen, a removable battery, and different casing.
A concept image of the rumored iPhone 4G, conceived by iPhoneRoot.com.
A Bloomberg report stated that Robert Chen, a Goldman Sachs analyst said in an interview that Apple’s latest phone could also feature a touch-sensitive casing. “Apple’s going to put a lot of innovation, not just on the hardware, but also on the software of the new iPhone,” said Taipei-based Chen, a member of Asia’s top-ranked technology hardware research team. The handset will feature a new plastic casing similar to that used for Apple’s touch-panel Magic Mouse released last year, he said.
"Upgrading to a 5-megapixels camera will bring the handset into line with that offered by Google Inc.’s Nexus One which was released last week," Chen said added, "the handset may include an updated version of the iPhone Operating System as part an overhaul of Apple’s applications store."
A report from The Korea Times indicated KT, in partnership with Apple will sell the 4G iPhone to their domestic market as early as April. "We don’t see any bigger hurdle to introduce 4G iPhones here, as legal issues were completely cleared. It’s possible to launch the devices within the first half," a high-ranking KT executive told The Korea Times, asking not to be identified.
iPhone vs SymbianIt’s amazing as secretive as Steve Jobs normally is about products pre-launch, these rumors seem to be tipping his hand, perhaps intentionally. In my most recent post, "Is Nokia Symbian Smartphone Smarter Than An iPhone," I talked about Samsung’s new Symbian Omnia HD having the capabilities of running 62 applications simultaneously – which approximates 11 times faster than most other smartphones. Will the 4G iPhone have the horsepower to compete in that multi-tasking arena? And if not, is this an opportunity for Nokia and Google to steal marketshare from iPhone?
It should prove to be an interesting summer when the Smartphone Skirmishes heat up1
