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iPhone 5: 20 most-wanted features
Here's an article from CNET I thought all you iPhone enthusiasts would enjoy. It covers the features we want to see in the next iPhone this summer.
Source:
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20. Built-in IR
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We like the idea of using the iPhone as a universal remote, but we're not so keen on attaching an IR dongle to the phone every time we want to use it as a remote.
Chances of implementation: 10 percent
Photo credit: L5 Tech
19. Biometric security
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It's hardly a must-have upgrade, but it would be cool to swipe your finger--instead of enter a password--to unlock your phone. (Image note: Allegedly, Apple has filed some patents related to this feature).
Chances of implementation: 20 percent
Photo credit: appleinsider.com
18. HD output
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Right now, you can't output 720p or 1080i HD video from an iPhone (any iPhone). We hope Apple allows for HD output in the future, particularly when you consider Sprint's Android-powered Evo has full HD output via HDMI.
Chances of implementation: 50 percent
Photo credit: Dexim
17. RFID
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Rumor has it that Apple is looking into integrating radio-frequency identification, or RFID, into the iPhone. RFID is sort of a bar code replacement and could allow your iPhone--among other things--to act as a payment device or even a car key. In the image to the left, you see a scenario where the iPhone acts as a combination lock (to open what, we don't know).
Chances of implementation: 10 percent
Photo credit: appleinsider.com
16. Removable battery
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This well-known rendering of a future iPhone dreams of a model with a removable battery. That appears to run counter to Apple's current design principles.
Chances of implementation: 0 percent
Photo credit: Jim Young
15. More memory
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A lot of people were disappointed that the iPhone 4 didn't come in a 64GB version (only 16GB and 32GB). Maybe next year we'll get 64GB.
Chances of implementation: 75 percent
Photo credit: iLounge.com
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14. Expandable memory
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Not happening, but just thought we'd ask.
Chances of implementation: 0 percent
Photo credit: Kingston
13. Enhanced voice control
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We expect that in iPhone iOS4 Apple will continue to flesh out the voice controls for the iPhone, but there's always room for more enhancements. It would be cool to be able to compose e-mails or text message by just using your voice, no?
Chances of implementation: 75 percent
12. Improved home screen
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We're still waiting for a more customizable home screen, with a real "dashboard." So far it has yet appear in iOS4.
Chances of implementation: 50 percent
Photo credit: teehanlax.com
11. Video chat (FaceTime) over 4G network
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Currently, on the iPhone 4, FaceTime only works over WiFi and only with other iPhone 4's. We'd like to see an option to use it over a cellular data network, and hope it's supported when AT&T's faster 4G network ramps up in 2011. We'd also like to see the ability to make video calls with PCs.
Chances of implementation: 75 percent
Photo credit: Apple
10. Flash support
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It'll be a cold day in hell when Apple allows for Flash-support on the iPhone. But that doesn't mean we can't ask for it.
Chances of implementation: 1 percent
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9. Better cloud computing support
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Setting up an Android phone is dead simple: input your Gmail username and password, and the phone will immediately start pulling your Google-based contacts, calendar, and other info. The iPhone, by contrast, is still a slave to iTunes for activation and media syncing. Whether it's a free version of Mobile Me, or an online version of iTunes powered by Apple's Lala acquisition, cloud-based iPhone syncing can't come soon enough.
Yes, there are some nice apps out there, like Dropbox, that offer "cloud" functionality, but they're not as robust as they could be.
Chances of implementation: 40 percent
Photo credit: Apple
8. Better camera
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We certainly appreciate that Apple improved the camera in the iPhone 4 (5 megapixels; LED flash), but we've seen rumors that Sony is developing an even better 8-megapixel camera for the 5th-gen iPhone.
Chances of implementation: 90 percent
Photo credit: James Martin/CNET
7. 1.5 GHz A4 processor
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With Apple's acquisition of PA Semiconductor, it's started designing and churning out its own CPUs. The iPhone 4 has an A4 that runs may or may not run at the same speed (1GHz) as the one found in the iPad. We should get confirmation of its rated speed once the phone ships, but you'd hope the new A4 in the iPhone 5 hits 1.5 GHz.
Chances of implementation: 70 percent
Photo credit: Apple
6. Improved 3D graphics
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Because the graphics chip is integrated into the A4, it's unclear exactly what 3D graphics chip is in the iPhone 4. But as CNET blogger Brooke Crothers points out, analysts say Samsung, the chip manufacturer, typically uses Imagination's PowerVR cores (Apple is an investor in Imagination).
Whatever graphics chip the iPhone does use (Crothers thinks it may be the PowerVR SGX535 but probably not the more recently announced PowerVR SGX545), it stands to only get more powerful in the next iPhone.
Chances of implementation: 90 percent
Photo credit: Imagination Technologies
5. Better battery life
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Every time Apple puts out a new iPhone, the battery life gets better, so we expect no less from the the 5th-generation iPhone. Apple says the iPhone 4 has 40 percent more talk time than the iPhone 3GS. So, if the past is any indicator, we might see similar gains in next year's model.
Chances of implementation: 90 percent
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4. More carriers
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We know a few folks who'd have a technogasm if the iPhone finally came to Verizon--and other carriers. Alas, no one seems to know how long Apple's exclusive deal with AT&T really lasts.
Chances of implementation: 40 percent
Photo credit: technogasms.com
3. Fewer failed and dropped calls
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This really doesn't need a caption, but let's hope that AT&T figures out how to improve service in big cities like San Francisco and New York, where AT&T complaints seem to run highest.
Chances of implementation: 45 percent
2. iOS 5
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2. What new features will iOS5 bring? Who knows, but we look forward to its arrival next June.
Chances of implementation: 99 percent
Photo credit: James Martin/CNET
1. 4G network compatible
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The one big thing missing from the iPhone 4 is the lack of next-gen 4G data network support, which is probably why Apple called its new phone the 4 instead of the 4G. AT&T will reportedly have a 4G network up and running in 2011 while Sprint is in the process of rolling out its next-gen network now. Verizon is in a test phase with its 4G network, which is also due to deploy in 2011, though Verizon, like AT&T, has yet to give a firm launch date.
Chances of implementation: 90 percent
Photo credit: iphonespies.com