Thinner 3G iPhones planned for WWDC?

A tradition unlike any other: the 3G iPhone rumor on the Internet.

The fabled 3G iPhone could be slightly thinner, according to a new report.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Today's rumor, courtesy of Daily Tech, actually has a fair amount of detail. According to what it heard from a little birdie, Apple plans to stick with the 8GB and 16GB options for the 3G iPhone, as well as the pricing for those models, and announce the new phones at the Worldwide Developers' Conference in early June.

The new iPhones, however, would be about 2.5 millimeters thinner than their predecessors, and have a slightly different exterior finish that's less "plasticky," according to Daily Tech. I'm not sure if "plasticky" is a word, but you get the drift. No changes are planned to the operating system or user interface, the report says, though you'll, of course, be able to download the iPhone 2.0 software in late June.

Daily Tech also says Apple plans to always have a capacity gap between the iPod Touch and the iPhone. Right now, a 32GB iPod Touch is available, but the iPhone carries no more than 16GB of memory. The philosophy going forward is to maintain that discrepancy as Apple increases the capacity of the devices, probably for differentiation reasons as much as technical ones.

These 3G iPhone rumors are par for the course, really. With WWDC just a chip shot away, the gallery is ready for Apple to choose a club for the rest of 2008.

[Sentinel9]

C r a c k

Oh great! Now they will crack in two like a Wheat-Thin cracker... Wonderful!

[Draxon]

unless

unless of course they use sturdy materials...

[samkass]

Won't Crack

The iPod Touch is already thinner than the iPhone-- I suspect they're probably just making the iPhone and iTouch the same size (probably helps with some component availability). I carry it in my pocket all the time. It's very solid.

[pu2006]

Right.

I already worry that I'll crack the thing when I keep it in my pocket. I would much rather see a bigger battery than a slimmer phone. It's small enough already.

From a physical standpoint, I think what they need is a more grippable surface, higher-capacity battery (I'm actually OK with it being non-removable - I've never bought a replacement battery for any cell phone I've owned), a couple more buttons on the face, a non-recessed headphone jack, louder speakers and a better camera w/ flash.

[gmon750]

Why stop there?

Would you like for it to tuck you into bed at night and have coffee ready for you in the morning?

[David Kelson]

VOICE DIALING

HOW ABOUT SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS VOICE DIALING AN iPHONE?
?????

[Xiibo]

How About...

How about turning off the caps lock when typing a post? Or are you really yelling this suggestion to Apple?

[scatlizard]

I would like blue tooth stereo headphones capabilities. FLASH!! Longer battery life. Video skype would be nice.