Apple’s been something of a one trick pony in the mobile space. Granted, the iPhone is Apple’s very first foray into the mobile phone industry, and they’ve done an amazing job on their first go. But, that doesn’t change the fact that there is only a single iPhone offering (not counting the two different storage options – 8GB and 16GB) from Cupertino.
All that may be about to change with the next iPhone launch this year. Popular opinion has Apple launching the 3G iPhone in June, and other rumors point to the next-generation iPhone getting that coveted 3G chip in a slimmer package. Other rumors indicate that Apple may offer the 3G iPhone with 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB variants.
Now, we have a rumor from Doc Macenstein that has Apple offering the iPhone in three distinct trim levels. The iPhone “Max” or iPhone “Pro” will apparently be the iPhone flagship and will include that 3G chip from Infineon, but will add a bit of girth – coming in at over 15mm, compared to the 11.6mm thickness of the current iPhone. The 3G iPhone may be packing on the pounds in order to fit a larger, higher capacity battery. Apple will allegedly offer the iPhone “Max” as an enterprise handset capable of enduring longer stints without any charging.
The mid-level iPhone offering may just be the current iPhone. No changes. No 3G.
And, an entry-level iPhone may just round out Apple’s iPhone lineup. A smaller and smaller iPhone could hit the market with an amazingly thin 6.2mm profile – in line with previous rumors. Unfortunately, all that thinness comes at the cost of video playback and will only offer 4GB of storage. The display size will remain the same, and will only do EDGE data. Cost is said to be $159.
Previous rumors of a slimmer iPhone hinted that the 3G iPhone would shave off the millimeters from its casing, but if this rumor pans out, we could see the slimmer iPhone only available as a pared-down version of the current iPhone. But, the added thickness of the 3G iPhone does allow for a higher-capacity battery that should let users surf the 3G network-waves to their hearts’ content.
There are almost too many rumors to deal with at this point. We’ll see what happens…
Disclaimer:
Doc himself is hesitant to stand by this speculation, so we’re going to take it for what it is – a rumor.
[Via: Macenstein]