Black SysteM Info

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is just under a week away, and there are more indications that Apple will unveil the next generation of its iPhone device. Rumors out late yesterday point to a 4GB iPhone model that could be an actual $99 iPhone, and the possibility of four different versions of Apple's fabled wonder machine.


Here's what's going on:

[ Reports of a 32GB iPhone are also looking more likely. | Check out Galen Gruman's Deathmatch: BlackBerry versus iPhone. | Dive deep into next-gen mobile with InfoWorld's 20-page PDF featuring hands-on reviews, analysis, and insights from our editors. ]

Fido leaks
Late yesterday, a road map that is purportedly from Canadian iPhone carrier Fido contains a slide featuring a 4GB iPhone the company will offer for $99 with a three-year contract, according to BoyGeniusReport. The phone featured in the slide is not the actual product, so there are no details of its physical appearance. But according to the text, the 4GB iPhone's features include quad-band GSM, tri-band HSDPA, a 2-megapixel camera, and video chat.

While video chat may seem too good to be true, it does add more credence to the supposed iPhone 4G spare parts discovered last week on the Web site of Chinese parts supplier China OnTrade. According to photographs on OnTrade's site, the front bezel for the new iPhone has enough space near the earpiece to install a front-facing camera.

But then again, iChat for the iPhone is one of those fanboy dream features that are just a little too far-fetched to be true. It's entirely possible Apple could unveil video chat for the iPhone, but I seriously doubt this feature is coming. I hope I'm wrong.

PCS Type Review Certification Board
Adding more fuel to the 4GB fire, Engadget is reporting information from one of its sources that the PCS Type Review Certification Board just approved Apple's application for four different iPhone models, including 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB versions. The PTCRB is a standards board for mobile GSM devices that are to be deployed on North American cellular networks like AT&T's.

More reckless assumptions
So if Apple did go from offering one iPhone flavor to four, what would the price tags look like? Well, if I had to guess I'd say it would look something like this:

4GB $99
8GB $129
16GB $299
32GB $399