One of the other prototypes is apparently “largely like the iPhone 4, but has improved hardware including longer battery life and superior camera,” which AppleInsider compares to how the iPhone 3GS replaced the iPhone 3G.
For those of you keeping score…
Here’s where we’re at with all the iPhone rumors.
– Smaller iPhone (Bloomberg)
– iPhone with software-based SIM card that works on any network (Bloomberg—may or may not be the same as the smaller iPhone)
– Smaller iPhone with free MobileMe online storage (Wall Street Journal)
– Smaller iPhone with no storage that streams everything from MobileMe (Cult of Mac)
– iPhone with 4-inch screen (DigiTimes)
– iPhone with sliding keyboard (AppleInsider)
– iPhone 4-like but better (AppleInsider)
It’s madness, to be sure. I’m not much of a betting man but I’d wager that Apple’s June announcement will either be for a single iPhone model, or if it’s going to announce multiple models, it’ll announce three—small, medium and large: the little, cheap iPhone that keeps cropping up, the iPhone 4-like replacement with the 3.5-inch screen, and a 4-inch version.
If Apple only announces a single version, I think it’ll have a 4-inch screen if that DigiTimes rumor is to be believed. I don’t think Apple would announce only a smaller, cheaper iPhone or an iPhone that looks like the iPhone 4 but has minor internal upgrades without announcing a completely overhauled version as well. An iPhone with a slide-out keyboard just seems weird altogether but maybe it’d be a play at the business sector.
This stuff is all still four months out, which is an eternity in the world of technology. A lot can change before June, and we’ll undoubtedly come across countless additional rumors between now and then.
More on TIME.com:
Apple Prepping Small, Cheap iPhone and Free Online Storage?