Mac Forum / Country Specific / UK Mac Group / May 2008

So, what stuff do you think we'll see on the much-rumoured next-gen
iPhone, and what stuff would you like to see? I'm not talking about the
third-party software we'll see soon, just the out-of-the-box experience
of the next model.

- 3G
I think this is an almost dead-cert based on some of the screenshots
that have turned up. 90% chance, though I'm not so bothered by it.

- Capacity
A bump to 16 and 32GB models is probably a 90% chance. A 64GB model
would be sweet, but I reckon only 40% chance of that.

- GPS
I'd love to see proper, built-in GPS plus a sat nav for driving (whether
Google Maps based or from TomTom or Garmin). GPS itself (ie no
differences from the current location-based software, just more
accurate) I give a 60% chance. 50% chance of having something from
Google that gives driving directions. 20% chance of something from a
third party other than Google being bundled in.

- Front camera
I think chat will be much advertised by Apple, and most likely they'll
stick in a cheapo front cam and show off that you can do video chat as
well as standard text chat. 80% chance.

- Redesigned case
Apple like making what was the height of gadget fashion look outdated. I
don't think there's any doubt we'll see a different case design; nothing
drastic, just enough to make it obvious from a glance that this is a new
iPhone, not one of those old fuddy-duddy iPhones. 95% chance for a
refinement in colours, shapes or materials (think iPod 5G to iPod
Classic); 10% chance of a significant change (think iPod nano).

- Revised email app
I think that the email app will get a bigger feature set and possibly a
UI change thanks to the Exchange capability. Gotta keep those suits
comfortable with what they're already familiar with. 70% chance.

- Spotlight
Per-app spotlight-branded searching; 90% chance. Global search across
all apps; 50%. I'd love to see a global search.

- Tasks
A simple task list. 85% chance.

- Missed alerts list
As I understand it, there's no way to 'defer' an alert. If I get an
alarm pop up to remind me of something, I can't use the device until I
have dismissed the alarm; by the time I've finished what I wanted to do,
I've forgotten about the alarm. On my Treo, you can dismiss these to a
list of missed alerts; you then get an on-screen notifier telling you
that this list contains items but you can get on with whatever and come
back to them later. It would be nice if the iPhone handled this well, eg
you could dismiss (acknowledge and remove) the alert, snooze it (so it
reminds you again in a few minutes) or defer it (so it goes to a list
that you can come back to at a later time of your choice). That's
really, really important to me, but I don't hold out much hope - 35%
chance?

- LEDs
I guess Apple don't like the 'tacky' status LEDs on other phones, but I
hope that they recognise that they are useful and decide to add
something that shows that the phone wants your attention. I'm sure they
can do it elegantly, and it would be useful for things like missed
calls, alerts (see above) or emails. I think there's a 70% chance of
this, but it won't be more than one LED.

What do you lot think then? Agree? Disagree? Other ideas?

       -zoara-