iphone hardware

Will the next iPhone model be taller than its predecessors by a quarter inch (6 mm)? If these photos are to be believed, iResQ has received fourth-generation parts that show an iPhone with additional space at the top of the device.

iResQ acquired the parts as a sample from what they describe as a "reputable source" and note the fact that Apple could still change the design of the next generation iPhone before official release. Pictured above are parts from a 3GS on the left and a 4G iPhone on the right.

One of the highlights of Apple's iPad announcement was the heart of the device, the custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) now known as the Apple A4. This mysterious chip spawned from Apple's longtime partnership and 2008 acquisition of PA Semi.

The A4 is a power-sipping, high speed 1GHz processor with an integrated graphics processing unit (GPU) that runs Apple's multi-touch iPhone OS like nothing else. According to Steve Jobs, the iPad will play video for 10 hours before its battery is exhausted.

The fourth generation iPhone is on its way later this year, and reports have already surfaced indicating vast improvements in hardware and functionality. Apple is taking its iPhone to the next level to insure that competition from rival smartphones are held at bay.

Wireless provider KT introduced the iPhone to South Korea in November of 2009, and sources within the company have given The Korea Times a glimpse of what Apple is planning for iPhone 4.0. Hardware upgrades include dual-core processors, improved graphics and a power-sipping organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen.

With the exclusive iPhone deal between AT&T and Apple ending this summer, Verizon is reportedly in negotiations with Apple to offer a CDMA version of the device on its network this year. Maynard Um from UBS Investment Research wrote a note to investors that stated, "We believe a CDMA-iPhone is also in the works, though we believe Verizon Wireless and Apple may currently be apart on pricing."

Um's research points to a new iPhone release this summer, including a CDMA network compatible iPhone for Verizon or other CDMA carriers in Japan and China. Ongoing negotiations between Verizon and Apple have been rumored to be happening frequently in recent months. The release of a Qualcomm hybrid chipset that supports multiple wireless network technologies has also added to speculation.

Save the date because on January 26, 2010 Steve Jobs will be making the product announcement everyone has been waiting for at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. This is according to ex-Google China president Kai-Fu Lee.

Lee stated that the Apple tablet will look like a large iPhone with a 10-inch screen, 3D graphics and a price under $1000. He claims that Apple plans to manufacture 10 million of the devices in 2010.

Rumors of an 8GB iPhone 3GS were shot down this summer after Canadian carrier Rogers accidentally made the nonexistent handset available on their website. Now an iPhone user in Germany claims to have received this packaging label on his refurbished 8GB iPhone 3G.

This may be evidence that Apple plans to ditch the 8GB 3G model for an 8GB capacity 3GS. The move would make sense as a new iPhone 4.0 model is expected in summer of 2010.

Yet another snafu in AT&T Wireless' public relations efforts has surfaced. Customers interested in purchasing an iPhone via the company's website in the New York area are finding that the product isn't listed.

Zip codes in New York City, northern New Jersey and Westchester County have had the iPhone removed as an option for online purchase. Representatives of AT&T have simply stated that distribution and promotion channels are periodically changed.

The next generation iPhone will sport a 5-megapixel camera if the latest reports from DigiTimes are to be believed. Last year, the iPhone 3GS improved imaging capabilities with the addition of autofocus and video using a 3.2-megapixel camera.

OmniVision Technologies is expected to increase production of its image sensors in 2010 to fulfill demands for Apple's products, including the iPhone. Orders for 5-megapixel sensors have already been received by OmniVision in advance of the iPhone 4.0 launch next year.

Qualcomm is talking to Apple about its new hybrid mobile chipsets going into future iPhones. These chips would make it possible for one iPhone to work on several different carriers, including Verizon and AT&T.

The chips are not expected to make it into the summer 2010 iPhone release, as they are too new to have been properly field tested. DigiTimes is reporting that Qualcomm is looking for a deal with Apple for "future cooperation".

The second half of 2010 could finally bring a much-anticipated Verizon Wireless iPhone. A new hybrid chip developed by Qualcomm makes it possible to communicate with several different network technologies using only one component.

This means Apple can manufacture one device, the "world mode" iPhone that will work on all of the networks it's currently compatible with as well as Verizon's CDMA network. Previous reports speculated that Apple would wait until at least 2011 for Verizon's launch of LTE technology.