iPhone hardware wishlist
With all the talk about the iPhone SDK and software development, I want to steer the discussion to hardware and specifically what you want to see in the next generation iPhone from a hardware perspective.
Obviously 3G/HSDPA data support is going to be the biggest request. It's an obvious oversight in iPhone 1 and an evolutionary update that would allow iPhone to keep up with other smartphones on the market. UBS analysts are betting on a mid-year iPhone launch with a 3G Infineon chip.
When 3G does finally arrive I hope that Apple gives iPhone Dial Up Networking (DUN) capability so that we can tether them to our Macs and use them as modems (preferably over Bluetooth). I really miss this feature from my Treo!
A colleague, Stuart, recently expressed his desire for a slide-out keyboard after growing frustrated with the iPhone's touchscreen interface: "too many other phones have it – it's the main reason why I want to throw my iPhone into the river... even the on-screen controls for music/video suck, especially the kludgey FF/Rev."
Wonderkit, in a comment on Engadget, said it best:
Apple have proven with the original (and ground breaking) iPod Nano (and 1st gen iPhone) that they can miniaturize when they try hard - so no reason why by mid 2008 they cannot offer a next gen iPhone in the same form factor with these specs:
a) Built in GPS, real GPS!, not fake as per Nokia N95 and most other phones. b) 3 MP or greater camera with auto focus and xenon flash - protected and hidden behind a... c) ...slideout QWERTY keyboard that can be detached to make it easy to swap if phone is imported or re-sold to an owner of different nationality. d) Haptic feedback on the touch screen e) Proper 3.5mm audio jack f) Stereo bluetooth to work with my lovely Sony stereo BT headset g) Intelligent formatting of web pages, not just clever zooming. (My Sony Ericsson K800i browser displays web pages at a size I can read right away, I do not need to zoom in and out first. The iPhone browser is sexy, but actually a pain - IMHO!) h) Stereo FM radio with INTERNAL antenna like the new Sony Ericsson W980
What about you? What hardware will it take to get you to buy or upgrade to iPhone 2.0?