5 ms·

Wonder what they're going to announce in the iPhone 5. Better battery life and perhaps a better GPS is all I really want over my iPhone 4.

weaksauce 15y ago
Improved camera would be nice.
- blinkingled 15y ago
  Interesting. I have heard from so many friends that current iPhone camera is about as good as it can get. Curious what you are expecting more - just bumped up mega pixels? Not sure how much that would matter - going from 5MP to 8MP for e.g.
  - kokey 15y ago
    The resolution is adequate for most uses, but any improvements for lower light conditions will always be well received.
  - runjake 15y ago
    8mp, 1080p, etc. The Android world (the HTC Sensation being the first to pop into mind) has finally surpassed the iPhone 4 in camera and video capture quality. I imagine Apple will leapfrog them again as usual for a healthy competitive market.
    - r00fus 15y ago
      Megapixels != quality. Lens and sensor are far more important. Can you show me a review that honestly shows new Androids beating an iPhone4 in actual results despite the megapixels?
      - runjake 15y ago
        I didn't indicate anywhere that megapixels == quality. When you just about max out the quality of a given MP value with given hardware constraints, as I think the iPhone 4 has done, the only real way to go up is increasing MP. I can't be bothered to dig up some review for you, as my observations come from personal experience. Your best bet is to look for HTC Sensation reviews with unmodified example shots and videos.
  - wanorris 15y ago
    There was a photo posted online from within Apple that someone analyzed, and there was circumstantial evidence to suggest that it was from a new iPhone. There was a spec bump to 8MP, but the extra resolution didn't really add additional detail (which is common for 8MP phone camera sensors). I guess we'll see next week whether that was the real device or not.
  - protomyth 15y ago
    If you look at some of stuff at SIGGRAPH in computational photography, you could add a couple of more 5mp sensors and create some truly amazing images given the iPhone's programability. A 4 sensor iPhone (5mp or the newer 8mp) would be amazing.
    - Someone 15y ago
      I agree, but I do not see how one would fit them on an iPhone, and leave room (for both left- and right-handed users) to hold the thing.
      - protomyth 15y ago
        Just put them right next to each other in a 2 x 2. The amount of room is pretty small. They should also improve the camera API to allow full use like the FCam API. ref: http://graphics.stanford.edu/papers/fcam/ http://graphics.stanford.edu/papers/fcam/
        Someone 15y ago
        Nice. I was thinking of 3D stuff, though. That could be sort-of done in software (let user move the camera, estimate motion from images & sensors, compensate images for motion artifacts), but having two or four cameras at corners of the device would be easier, allow for photographing moving objects, etc. (pan iPhone is about as tall as human eye-eye distance, so this should enable non-macro 3D stuff. I do not think we will stuff like that before we have 3D screens on our iPhones, though.
        protomyth 15y ago
        You can do some pretty amazing stuff to get much better pictures with multiple cameras. The stuff they did with the Nokia phone with 1 camera is pretty impressive, but having multiple can really do wonders. The other advantage to multiple cameras is the ability to have less dense sensors allowing more light. I am not a big fan of 3D currently. I just don't see it as good for small devices and it is hard on the eyes. I really think that the other uses for computational photography would make for a killer feature on a main stream phone.
  - weaksauce 15y ago
    Better lens; more light in == better pictures(broad generalization). A teardrop shaped phone would allow it to have a larger longer lens up top but still feel relatively light and thin. I haven't done research on the iPhone 4's current ccd chip but there is always room for improvement on things. Not necessarily an increase in specs but an increase in response time, decrease in noise levels, larger ccd, etc....
- the_mat 15y ago
  In what way? It's already on par with most point and shoot cameras and better than many. Resolution is well beyond useful levels for a phone; I'm surprised Apple is chasing higher megapixel numbers when 99% of iPhone photos get cut-down for web use anyway.
  - chetan51 15y ago
    It's probably cheap to do so, and helps with the specs race.
thematt 15y ago
I don't expect it to be announced here, but a full touchscreen would be nice... one without a physical button.
- achompas 15y ago
  I hear this a lot. Why do you want a full touchscreen? I disagree only b/c this creates accessibility problems for some users.
  - roc 15y ago
    > "I disagree only b/c this creates accessibility problems for some users." Capacitive buttons create accessibility and usability problems for all users. They look great in demos and quick previews. They're crap for use.
    - achompas 15y ago
      Right, totally agreed. But are we talking about a capacitive button or a no-button, touchscreen-only front?
      - roc 15y ago
        I'd imagine capacitive buttons. iOS doesn't work without a home button. And as for the obtuse undiscoverable gesture concepts that go along with the no-button ideas: Apple has to be the last company that I would expect to ship a phone that cannot be taken from any state to making a phone call while held in a single hand.
  - igorgue 15y ago
    Oh man, how many times I hit "back" when I meant "menu" on my android phone.
  - kokey 15y ago
    Apple is helping with long fingernails, I'm hoping the iPhone 5 will have something that discourages high heels.
Nemisis7654 15y ago
I'm pretty sure they're going dual-core processor as well (like the iPad 2).
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
pivo 15y ago
I'm hoping for a more durable case. If Apple's design skills are so great then why is the phone so fragile? I'd prefer an esthetically pleasing phone that I didn't have to wrap in a rubber case that obscures my nice looking phone and makes the phone larger in my pocket.

weaksauce 15y ago

Improved camera would be nice.

blinkingled 15y ago
Interesting. I have heard from so many friends that current iPhone camera is about as good as it can get. Curious what you are expecting more - just bumped up mega pixels? Not sure how much that would matter - going from 5MP to 8MP for e.g.
- kokey 15y ago
  The resolution is adequate for most uses, but any improvements for lower light conditions will always be well received.
- runjake 15y ago
  8mp, 1080p, etc. The Android world (the HTC Sensation being the first to pop into mind) has finally surpassed the iPhone 4 in camera and video capture quality. I imagine Apple will leapfrog them again as usual for a healthy competitive market.
  - r00fus 15y ago
    Megapixels != quality. Lens and sensor are far more important. Can you show me a review that honestly shows new Androids beating an iPhone4 in actual results despite the megapixels?
    - runjake 15y ago
      I didn't indicate anywhere that megapixels == quality. When you just about max out the quality of a given MP value with given hardware constraints, as I think the iPhone 4 has done, the only real way to go up is increasing MP. I can't be bothered to dig up some review for you, as my observations come from personal experience. Your best bet is to look for HTC Sensation reviews with unmodified example shots and videos.
- wanorris 15y ago
  There was a photo posted online from within Apple that someone analyzed, and there was circumstantial evidence to suggest that it was from a new iPhone. There was a spec bump to 8MP, but the extra resolution didn't really add additional detail (which is common for 8MP phone camera sensors). I guess we'll see next week whether that was the real device or not.
- protomyth 15y ago
  If you look at some of stuff at SIGGRAPH in computational photography, you could add a couple of more 5mp sensors and create some truly amazing images given the iPhone's programability. A 4 sensor iPhone (5mp or the newer 8mp) would be amazing.
  - Someone 15y ago
    I agree, but I do not see how one would fit them on an iPhone, and leave room (for both left- and right-handed users) to hold the thing.
    - protomyth 15y ago
      Just put them right next to each other in a 2 x 2. The amount of room is pretty small. They should also improve the camera API to allow full use like the FCam API. ref: http://graphics.stanford.edu/papers/fcam/ http://graphics.stanford.edu/papers/fcam/
      - Someone 15y ago
        Nice. I was thinking of 3D stuff, though. That could be sort-of done in software (let user move the camera, estimate motion from images & sensors, compensate images for motion artifacts), but having two or four cameras at corners of the device would be easier, allow for photographing moving objects, etc. (pan iPhone is about as tall as human eye-eye distance, so this should enable non-macro 3D stuff. I do not think we will stuff like that before we have 3D screens on our iPhones, though.
        protomyth 15y ago
        You can do some pretty amazing stuff to get much better pictures with multiple cameras. The stuff they did with the Nokia phone with 1 camera is pretty impressive, but having multiple can really do wonders. The other advantage to multiple cameras is the ability to have less dense sensors allowing more light. I am not a big fan of 3D currently. I just don't see it as good for small devices and it is hard on the eyes. I really think that the other uses for computational photography would make for a killer feature on a main stream phone.
- weaksauce 15y ago
  Better lens; more light in == better pictures(broad generalization). A teardrop shaped phone would allow it to have a larger longer lens up top but still feel relatively light and thin. I haven't done research on the iPhone 4's current ccd chip but there is always room for improvement on things. Not necessarily an increase in specs but an increase in response time, decrease in noise levels, larger ccd, etc....
the_mat 15y ago
In what way? It's already on par with most point and shoot cameras and better than many. Resolution is well beyond useful levels for a phone; I'm surprised Apple is chasing higher megapixel numbers when 99% of iPhone photos get cut-down for web use anyway.
- chetan51 15y ago
  It's probably cheap to do so, and helps with the specs race.

thematt 15y ago

I don't expect it to be announced here, but a full touchscreen would be nice... one without a physical button.

achompas 15y ago
I hear this a lot. Why do you want a full touchscreen? I disagree only b/c this creates accessibility problems for some users.
- roc 15y ago
  > "I disagree only b/c this creates accessibility problems for some users." Capacitive buttons create accessibility and usability problems for all users. They look great in demos and quick previews. They're crap for use.
  - achompas 15y ago
    Right, totally agreed. But are we talking about a capacitive button or a no-button, touchscreen-only front?
    - roc 15y ago
      I'd imagine capacitive buttons. iOS doesn't work without a home button. And as for the obtuse undiscoverable gesture concepts that go along with the no-button ideas: Apple has to be the last company that I would expect to ship a phone that cannot be taken from any state to making a phone call while held in a single hand.
- igorgue 15y ago
  Oh man, how many times I hit "back" when I meant "menu" on my android phone.
- kokey 15y ago
  Apple is helping with long fingernails, I'm hoping the iPhone 5 will have something that discourages high heels.

Nemisis7654 15y ago

I'm pretty sure they're going dual-core processor as well (like the iPad 2).

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

pivo 15y ago

I'm hoping for a more durable case. If Apple's design skills are so great then why is the phone so fragile? I'd prefer an esthetically pleasing phone that I didn't have to wrap in a rubber case that obscures my nice looking phone and makes the phone larger in my pocket.