When is the New iphone being released?

January 8, 2009 3:40 AM

I know Apple keep their cards close to their chest, but has anyone got a rough idea when the new iphone might be coming out?!
posted by peatree to technology (10 comments total)

Didn't they just release the 3G in June? I know that the cycle between original and 3G was pretty short, but I doubt the next release cycle will be as short. Aside from a memory capacity bump, I don't see any obvious features to add that aren't just software.

I wouldn't bet on it happening soon. Maybe a year? I don't have any evidence for that, just logic, and the fact that I haven't heard any rumors about a new version.
posted by Netzapper at 3:47 AM on January 8

No idea, but MacRumors is always good to keep an eye on.
posted by InsanePenguin at 3:52 AM on January 8

I'm betting in June or July, just because that was the previous timeframe of releasing iPhones.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:59 AM on January 8

I'm assuming we'll see a storage capacity bump to the iPhone 3G sometime in the next few months, with a 32GB model. I doubt there will be much in the way of new hardware features for a while - the iPhone is relatively "feature-complete" hardware-wise, with other features being purely handled by the software.

I can't see the reasoning for the rumoured iPhone Nano, but then stranger things have happened.
posted by sektah at 4:08 AM on January 8 [1 favorite]

The original iPhone shipped in the summer of 2007. The 3G came out in the summer of 2008. I would expect a new rev to come out in the summer of 2009. I don't expect anything earth shattering -- perhaps a better radio and better battery life and tweaks to the design.

There were rumors of an iPhone nano fueled by analyst naval gazing that a second phone would be added to the lineup. This "nano" would be smaller and not have the data aspect of the phone -- just SMS and voice but have the music/video features, smaller footprint and memory, and would be priced at $99-- or less. This phone could be marketed to the masses with a lower (or prepaid) voice calling plan. Today a huge stumbling block for the masses isn't the cost of the device itself so much as the recurring post-paid data and voice calling plans required. Although I do expect a line extension to the iPhone line, I think what the "experts" are talking about here misses the mark. An iPod nano isn't a defeatured iPod, it is smaller. I would think they're tossing around a smaller iPhone model, but it would still have the data capabilities and would sell for nearly the same price (and have the same telco subscription).

Like InsanePenguin says, Macrumors is good to follow for news. As is Gizmodo.
posted by birdherder at 4:14 AM on January 8

Between three and fifteen months.
posted by devbrain at 4:38 AM on January 8 [4 favorites]

I would be shocked if anything (hardware-wise) comes out this summer other than 32 GB storage.

New OS, maybe? Background processing is still a big missing item that was first discussed summer 2008, and was supposed to be in version 2.1 that came out in September.
posted by gregvr at 4:39 AM on January 8

With the economy in the toilet, I don't see anything coming out fast.
posted by Hands of Manos at 6:57 AM on January 8

I'm surprised we didn't see a 32GB version at Mac World, though I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up in the next month or so. If it doesn't, then I suspect that June isn't bringing any sort of revision to the hardware beyond maybe a bump in Flash.

The way I see it, Apple is doing just fine right now with a single basic model with some differentiation by storage size (just as they did fine with one basic iPod for a few years). At some point when sales slow and/or competitors start making significant inroads against them, then they'll start proliferating form factors. Maybe an iPhone with a slide-out keyboard if Apple thinks it will help them pick up a significant number of Blackberry users. It also seems like there is room in the market for a smaller & cheaper iPhone. That would probably require an alternative text input method, like a touchscreen equivalent of T9. Of course, Apple has other alternatives for product differentiation via different services & software bundles.

Those are obviously just guesses, and I doubt we'd see anything along those lines for at least 9 months, and probably more like 18 months. The only thing I'd be confident in is a bump in the storage sometime in the next 6 months.
posted by Good Brain at 10:25 AM on January 8

Check out MacRumors's Buyers Guide. It shows the most recent updates and compares their age to the usual time-between-updates. And not just for iPhones.

(They say "Updates soon", but the links don't go to any huge buzz. Maybe an iPhone Nano later this year, but I wouldn't hold my breath.)
posted by Plutor at 11:50 AM on January 8 [1 favorite]