Bites from the Apple: Closer to iPhone 3.0

April 17, 2009 · Posted in Apple

The closer we get to June, the louder the buzz is becoming about the likelihood that we’ll be seeing new iPhone hardware to go along with the iPhone 3.0 software. The IntoMobile blog (among others) has been speculating that there will be two iPhones, and this week a Kaufman Bros. analyst increased that speculation based on reports from supply chain and industry sources. Fortune’s Apple 2.0 blog covers his findings, which include one iPhone with a more powerful processor and longer battery life as well as the possibility that AT&T will offer more price-flexible data plans. In regards to the process/battery angle, Cult of Mac reports that code for the iPhone 3.0 software indicates support for the 802.11n wireless standard, which could improve battery life. (My pal Glenn Fleishman considered this possibility back in late March, and came to the conclusion that the iPhone would benefit from 802.11n Wi-Fi, but the processor would also need to be improved. Also check out some more technical details about the advantages of 802.11n from Roughly Drafted.)

Additionally, it’s looking like the new iPhone will have video capture capabilities (and a battery percentage in the menubar) according to a screenshot from The Boy Genius Report. And Gizmodo reports that video editing tools have been spotted within the code of the iPhone 3.0 firmware.

Rumor Revue Leftovers: According to a patent discovered this week, the MacBook unibody construction design might make its way to a future iteration of the iPod. And Apple has reportedly ordered 100 million 8 Gb (gigabit) NAND flash chips for delivery later this year, which AppleInsider considers suspicious as these 8 Gb chips represent only 1 GB (gigabyte) of storage and wonders whether these are finalized chip packages or bare chips that will be stacked to create a higher density memory chip.
Microsoft is in all-out competition with Apple these days, releasing another of its Laptop Hunters ads (this time with a Mom and son shopping for a gaming laptop, and getting excited when they find one with Blu-ray) and continuing its Apple Tax meme to show that Mac hardware is far too expensive compared with PCs. Microsoft posted a tax return mock up that shows the savings you’ll get when purchasing two Windows systems compared to two Mac systems, based on an analyst white paper that was sponsored by Microsoft. Not surprisingly, many have found the white paper heavily padded in favor of Microsoft
And in other polling data, Piper Jaffray reports that 100 percent of surveyed teens want to buy an Apple iPod at some point in the next 12 months–leaving the Zune at 0 percent (down from 15 percent from the same survey back in the fall of 2008) (via Podcasting News). This morning my 2-year-old vigorously and repeatedly stated “I… need… iPod…” during our drive to drop me at my office, so it looks like Apple’s got firm grip on the toddler market as well.
I’m not really one to clutter up the spare aluminum look of my MacBook Pro, but this take on Magritte’s “The Son of Man” in the form of a vinyl sticker from Etsy for Apple laptops is tempting–it comes in gray, black and white (via Cult of Mac).
Apple’s App Store is approaching 1 billion downloaded iPhone/iPod touch apps, and it’s celebrating with an online countdown and contest that could win you a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule, and a MacBook Pro. It looks like I’ve helped the cause with 66 apps (though not all–including some election ‘08 trackers and various kid-friendly apps for travel) are being used currently on my iPhone. The most popular iPhone app is Tap Tap Revenge, which Pocket-Lint reports has a 32 percent install base across all Apple app users.
For my iPhone dictionary, I’ve been using a web app version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary (i.word.com), which I saved as an icon to my iPhone’s home screen. But the nature of the web app is that you have to be connected to the internet to use it (or have a good connection to get a decently quick return from your search, which isn’t always the case with my OG iPhone). This week Dictionary.com released its free iPhone/iPod touch app (based on the Random House unabridged dictionary), and it kicks butt. The 36 MB app not only provides dictionary definitions and thesaurus, but also features auto-completion of words and audio pronunciations of words. Additionally, you can view dictionary/thesaurus look-ups offline, though you’ll need an Internet connection for word pronunciations (hat tip to TUAW).
Another discovery I made this week is iStat menus from iSlayer (hat tip to Cult of Mac). I already use and am a big fan of their iStat pro dashboard widget, which provides an easy-to-read overview of what’s happening with your Mac system (from memory and CPU usage to network I/O and fan RPM). The iStat menus application (installed as a preference pane) duplicates that info, but places it in the Finder’s menubar and allows you to pick and choose what you see. Additionally, it’s got a Date and Time menu item that I like better than the standard Apple version. (Additionally here’s a lil’ menubar tip: to move items, first select the menubar icon with the Cmd key, then hold down and drag to where you want it placed; note however that not all menubar items may be movable.)
iPhone tip of the week: I can’t believe I never figured this out on my own, but Ars Technica discovered that you can turn on Wi-Fi connectivity even when you turn on Airplane Mode (which, by default, turns off the cellular and Bluetooth radios as well as Wi-Fi). However, this can’t be replicated for turning Bluetooth on while leaving cellular connectivity off.
iLounge reports that first- and second-generation iPod shuffle units are experiencing syncing issues when used with iTunes 8.1.
And finally… NBC has been playing around with the cult of Steve Jobs this week on both 30 Rock and Chuck, and TUAW compiles the Hulu-fed video clips for your enjoyment.