With an Apple event inviting the press to see their “latest creation” officially scheduled for January 27, speculation regarding what Apple might introduce at the event has reached a fever pitch. In addition to a flurry of conjecture over the Apple Tablet, many have begun postulating that iPhone OS 4.0 will see its debut as well.
We’ve scoured the net to bring all the rumors into one handy location, and we will of course separate the wheat from the chaff next week Wednesday. In the mean time, we begin now with BoyGeniusReport which has alleged via “trusty Apple contacts” that the iPhone is getting more computer-like:
- There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
- “A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.
- Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
- The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
- The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.
Next, we look at Unwiredview, which has dissected a pair of Apple patent filings related to event-based modes and intelligent communication. The following excerpts explain:
Event based modes: In reaction to these life events your iPhone would be able to to automatically reconfigure its settings – e.g. switch the sound off and turn on a voicemail when calendar shows that you are in the meeting; prioritize certain functions and assets based on your location and time – e.g.messaging functions, e-mail access and notifications during working hours and when device knows you are in your office, music and multimedia when you are out of your office in the evening; turn off or limit some power hungry functions -e.g active data connection – when your battery is running low, etc;
Scheduled communications: Another Apple patent app, called “User-programmed automated communications “ is somewhat similar to the one above, but describes a way for you to automatically schedule/preset communications activities based on calendar events, your location, caller id and other conditions.
E.g. your iPhone can automatically send a birthday greeting SMS or e-mail to your friends on a certain date, play a specific message based on caller id, if you are unable to pick-up the phone at the moment, send another message to your colleague if your haven’t answered his voicemail message in an hour, set-up a call with John on specific time, if a calendar entry says “Call John”, or send an e-mail to your friends in LA when you arrive there.
Intelligent communication modes: Your phone doesn’t really care that you are in a meeting right now, so it’s your problem if you forgot to turn the sound off and some telemarketer calls… Well, patent app called “Systems and methods for intelligent and customizable communications between devices” shows how Apple might be able to do something about that.
By that I mean:
Select appropriate communication modes for incoming communications requests based on a user’s preferences and availability. In addition, the communications device can determine the communication modes of a user based on the current activity and allow the user to provide customized information to his contacts.
And Electronista:
Apple’s buyout of Lala revolves around an online locker for a user’s music, MP3tunes head Michael Robertson says. A “variety” of internal sources tell him that iTunes will roll the online access into a software update that will make a note of the user’s music and video collections, updating in the background to mirror this online.
Rounding out the list, we have:
And that’s all she wrote! Check back on January 27 where will give you the full scoop on anything tablet-y or smartphone-y launched by the turtleneck aficionados from Cupertino.
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