These two details are trivial to some, but lets be honest they may be the only two things we don't know about the next iPhone. For the sake of clarity let's recap what we do know.
On April 19th Gizmodo posted those now infamous videos and photos of what they claimed at the time was the next-generation iPhone and what has now been confirmed by the affidavit [PDF] to indeed be a prototype model of the fourth-generation iPhone.
In their investigations with the handset Gizmodo confirmed the following hardware details:
- Front-facing video chat camera
- Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS)
- Camera flash
- Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad)
- Improved display. It's unclear if it's the 960x460 display thrown around before -- it certainly looks like it, with the "Connect to iTunes" screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.
- What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
- Split buttons for volume
- Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic
Bundle that information with what we know about iPhone OS 4.0 and you have a very detailed picture of what Apple is likely to unveil on June 7.
So what's left to work out, well the name and the date of release.
We know from good sources and explicit guessing by Gizmodo that the fourth-generation iPhone will have a high-resolution 960x460 display. And through investigations within the iPhone OS 4.0 SDK it looks like the rear camera will have the ability to record HD video (presumably 720p).
Based on these points the most logical name and one that has been banded around for a while is iPhone HD. Apple also has little direction for naming, iPhone 4G would be incorrect and misleading (not many 4G networks around).
Next up is the date. We can say with 99% certainty that Apple will use the stage at WWDC 2010 to unveil the iPhone HD so that's Monday, June 7. But Apple has never unveiled an iPhone and released it immediately. Also Apple has historically coincided hardware releases with software releases, if iPhone OS 4.0 was due for release in under 14 days we would have expected developers to be under a deadline for App Store submission and app compatibility. We haven't heard anything about that yet.
World of Apple has heard several times that June 22 is the date the next iPhone will be available. That's a Tuesday, a significant departure from Apple's previous Friday releases but several subtle hints point towards a June 22 release as well.
First let's look at two factors that could very well mean nothing, in May AT&T moved its upgrade eligibility dates to June 21. In short upgrade eligibility is a point in a customers contract where they are no longer expected to pay and early termination fee and qualify for subsidised hardware.
This week O2 in the UK has been telling customers that a new iPhone will be available June 22. Carriers rarely know much but it's worth considering.
Put these two points into the mix with previous iPhone release schedules, likely software releases and rumour in the air and we settle with June 22. Don't think that counts as "early-June".
Finally, rumours continue to flow that Apple will announce that Verizon will carry the iPhone HD. This is highly unlikely, not before 2011 anyway. I would spend time outlining the facts but Matt Drance over at Apple Outsider has already done the work.
In short Apple will hold back going with Verizon for the following reasons:
- Lack of simultaneous voice and data.
- Verizon loves to brand hardware and software.
- Verizon uses CDMA technology not GSM, would require separate iPhone hardware or chip capable of both increasing cost.
So there we have, iPhone HD announced June 7, available June 22 and still exclusive to AT&T in the U.S.