New iPhone Unveiled on Monday?
Rumors are swirling that the new iPhone and the iPhone 3.0 software may be unveiled on Monday at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco.
Analysts say the timing of the announcement is likely to steal some of the thunder from rival Palm who this past weekend released its highly anticipated new smartphone, the Pre .
"They had to come out with a new iPhone now, to one-up the Pre," Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, told USA Today .
The new iPhone, which is rumored to be released sometime in mid-July, will likely have an entry-level model for $149 and a premium phone with a video camera and higher storage capacity for $299. Business Week says the new phone may be called the iPhone Video . The magazine’s Peter Burrows states, "Apple would differentiate the new iPhone by making it the first device that makes home movie-making mainstream."
See possible leaked photos of the new iPhone (Wired.com )
Along with the phone release will be the new iPhone 3.0 software, which is slated to include new features like the ability to cut and paste text, and use a virtual keyboard when the phone is turned sideways. The big plus to the new release is that it will allow developers to create more sophisticated applications for the phone.
Among the applications that software developers are already beginning to consider or work on, according to the Wall Street Journal :
• Gaming fans can connect via their iPhone and play against each other by using new wireless features.
• Musicians can sync up and use their Bluetooth connection to play duets using musical instrument apps.
• Diabetics can have their glucose monitoring machines send their reports to the iPhone, which then notifies their caregivers.
In an increasingly competitive smartphone market, analysts say iPhone has had to keep up the competition. Not only is the iPhone now facing off with the Palm Pre, others are giving it a run for its money. The Independent reports sales of the Blackberry Curve and Storm indicate that the phones are winning fans over, while Toshiba and Samsung are both said to release phones very soon.