next generation

According to a recent post, Engadget has it "on authority" that the 3G iPhone is already in the hands of a few privileged beta testers and is undergoing trials for a possible release come July 2008. Previous rumors have suggested that the second generation iPhone is scheduled for a June 2008 release, so this falls roughly in line with previous indications.

Engadget's source, which they describe as "trusted," gave the low-down on some of the 3G iPhone's highlight features, which include

If we ever go 30 days without publishing a new "source" of information on the coming of the 3G iPhone, you'll know the 3G iPhone has been released. That said, despite the large volume of rumors that continue to surface on the topic, rarely do they warrant mention. The latest, out of Citigroup, just might.

According to Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner, several sources [have] confirmed the introduction of a new 3G iPhone" in the second quarter of this year. Gardner offered up this information in a research note published following recent meetings with Taiwanese electronics companies. One can reasonably assume then, that

Rumors are flying as a result of a blog post on TUAW this morning, which indicates that Apple may be planning a product release event sometime near the end of this month. Suggestions of what might be coming at the event are already buzzing about and include: the Official iPhone SDK, new MacBook Pro models which would utilize Intel's 45-nanometre Penryn chip, and the ever-rumored 3G-capable iPhone model.

The source of the rumor is a tip to TUAW that indicates that the company that does television for Macworld and other Apple media events is reportedly hiring personnel for an event at the end of

Goldman Sachs released predictions for the iPhone over the next year or so. In addition to predicting strong holiday sales for the iPhone and iPod, analyst David Bailey predicted that Apple will likely issue two upgrades to the overwhelmingly successful iPhone, instead of simply releasing the second generation model.

According to Bailey, Apple will release a "smaller" upgrade in the first half of 2008 which would basically be the existing iPhone with upgraded storage. Given the existence of the 16GB iPod Touch, it's not much of a stretch to imagine Apple releasing a 16GB iPhone a couple months after the holiday season closes. By doing such, Apple could potentially squeeze a few