In my head, you really have two major versions of the iPhone.

• iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4, iPhone 4S

For the record, I make no serious attempt to back these predictions up with any hard facts. Take it all with a grain of salt.

Prediction #1 — Steve Jobs Will Introduce the iPhone 5

Unless his cancer reaches a point which seriously prohibits him from doing so, I believe that he will do everything in his power to be the one on stage to show off the new iPhone. Rumors of his impending doom are being greatly exaggerated

I still maintain that Steve Jobs will be present at the announcement, even after his recent retirement as Apple CEO. I think he will be there to hand it off to Tim Cook in some way, or perhaps participate in some FaceTime chat to highlight a new iOS 5 feature. At the very least, his presence will be felt.

Prediction #2 — Hardware Updates

I’m going to go on record by saying that the iPhone 5 isn’t going to look drastically different than the iPhone 4. While the antenna design my be altered slightly, the dimensions are going to be the same. In my opinion the market isn’t ready for something drastically different, yet. That will probably come with next years version. Aside from the well documented attenuation problems, the design of the iPhone 4 is solid. My best guess is, Apple won’t alter it much except to correct that flaw.

On this I will 100% totally double down.

The iPhone X will be what most are calling the iPhone 4S. An upgraded version of the current device. There will be only one device announced, but it will not be a revolutionary new device. The larger, thinner version will come in 2012. What you will see next Tuesday will be an evolutionary upgrade, along the lines of the iPhone 3G to 3GS. Same form factor, better guts.

Expect the A5 dual-core processor, upgraded camera, more memory, and possibly NFC integration, reworked antenna. Don’t expect a lot more than that.

Prediction #3 – Networks

1. No LTE. It’s not needed, the chips that are out to support it are not mature, and suck a lot of battery life. Besides that, cellular networks around the world are not deploying it at the level where it’s even going to be utilized except by a few lucky few.
2. Support for fake-4G also known as “HSPA+” — although I really hope that Apple doesn’t ever call it 4G. Enhanced 3G is all it is.

Prediction #4 – Software

Obviously with the release of a new iPhone comes updates to iOS, in this case bringing us to version 5.0.

The HTC Jetstream is no low end tablet, but it is nothing unique. 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, 10.1-inch display, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. In today’s world, the majority of tablets (including this one) is a add-on device.  Why are they charging the price of a low to mid-range laptop?  At this price point I can almost buy a Lenovo Thinkpad and a lower end Android Tablet.

The other piece that is puzzling to me is why is AT&T only offering a $149.00 discount for a 2 year contract?  Who would sign up for that deal?  With Sprint’s recently announced ETF Change is this a new pattern?  Low subsidies and high ETF’s?  Lets hope not.

Hopefully this is just a case of “too late to change” and doesn’t show a trend to things to come from HTC.  If it does, I don’t see the once great smart device manufacturer continuing on with their legacy.

I’ve had AT&T’s U-verse service since October 2009, the day we moved into our house. At it’s heart, it’s really a fantastic service offering… IPTV, whole home DVR, advanced DSL, all wrapped up into a nice package. But for the last 6 months I’ve been struggling with a lot of different issues ranging from broken DVRs, freezing TV signal to Internet connections that go away at random. While the issues have not been persistent enough to track down an exact cause, they’ve been frustrating.

The other day, after watching Face Off on HBO (for the first time, I know) and getting right to the climax of the movie, the whole TV signal froze and wouldn’t come back. It was 1AM and my wife was already sleeping, so I muted by frustration and went to be deciding to look into alternatives the next day.

Monday, I called up the two traditional cable providers in the area looking for pricing. Then, I hit Twitter with my plan:

Thinking of dumping AT&T U-verse for Surewest, anyone in KC area have any experience with them?

I actually didn’t get any responses from Surewest customers. What I did get was a little more surprising.

1. A reply from Ron, a Surewest social media manager saying hi. Fairly standard stuff. (see here)
2. A reply from an AT&T social media manager, asking for my phone number. This was a little more interesting. (see here)

I decided to DM my number to the AT&T manager, figuring what could it hurt? A little while later I get a call from a Jessica. She asks me what my issues are, and then vows to take care of them if I can wait a couple days while she follows up on them. I said sure, halfway thinking nothing was going to come from it.

Today I get a call from Diane in the “office of the President” of AT&T. Diane has obviously been talking to Jessica, knows what my issues are, and asks if I’ll stay on the line while they get one of their engineers on the line. Right before Diane hands me off to him (I neglected to write down his name) she gives me her direct phone number to contact her to follow up, and then the engineer runs some tests to see whats going on with my service. He schedules a tech to come up the same day and tonight that tech comes out and tests every line and piece of their equipment in my house.

Rick the technician ends up re-terminating some connections, and replacing my “Residential Gateway” (modem/router) with a model that within seconds proves it’s light years ahead of the previous version.  We have a nice chat about networking, technology, etc. He leaves.

Where is this all going?

I’m consistently amazed with the level of customer service that a monolithic company like AT&T manages to provide for U-verse. Truth be told, this is not my first positive experience with them. Every time I’ve called their technical support for any type of issue, either with my setup or family who has the service, the people have always been friendly and helpful. They’re well trained, and for the most part seem to know what they’re talking about. Granted, they could invest in some better equipment, but I have yet to have an experience with one of their employees that put a bad taste in my mouth.

The fact that one of America’s largest corporations is monitoring their Twitter feed and pro-actively trying to correct issues that customers have, is really pretty awesome.

Customer service in America, on the whole, has gone to crap in the last 10 years. Ironically, it’s companies like AT&T with their advanced networks that can put an army of poorly trained and poorly paid people in call centers all around the world, that corporate America have used to reduce their bottom line. But thankfully AT&T themselves don’t seem to be following the trend they’ve helped create.

I need to call Diane back tomorrow and thank her. Now, hopefully the service will be stable enough that I don’ t need to even call for support again. If not, I know who to talk to.

During a conference call with investors and the press to discuss quarterly results, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo let loose what most of us already assumed… that the next version of the Apple iPhone will be a ‘world phone’ meaning one device that is capable of running on both GSM and CDMA networks.

From Barron’s:

… when a new device from Apple is launched, whenever that may be, and that we will be, on the first time, on equal footing with our competitors on a new phone hitting the market, which will also be a global device.

GSM is the network technology used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States and every other mobile provider on the planet that has the iPhone for sale. CDMA is used by Verizon and Sprint in the United States, Bell and Telus in Canada, and a handful of other major providers around the world.

Currently, the iPhone 4 is sold in two different flavors, the GSM version and the Verizon specific version. Each version has different radios and internal layouts, and currently run different versions of iOS. A unified phone would allow Apple to engineer one device for every provider on the planet, allowing them to sell the iPhone in more markets on more providers.

A unified GSM/CDMA phone was one of my five predictions for the next iPhone.

image via iFixit, iPhone 4 teardown

Late winter, early spring… it’s that time of year where the entire technology world begins to wonder about what Apple has planned for the next version of the iPhone, which, come late June will be the device that sets the trend for mobile technology into the next year. Like it or hate it, the iPhone is the standard that all Android, WebOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phones must either match or surpass to be taken seriously.

So what will this phone feature? It’s impossible to tell until Steve Jobs takes the stage to tell us, and even then there will still be many unanswered questions until it gets into the hands of the consumer. Even though the release of the next generation iPhone happens like clock work, I’m still constantly asked questions like “when will the next iPhone be out” or “should I wait to buy it?” — This article serves to help anwser those questions right now.

By the way, if you thought I mistaken when I said Steve Jobs will take the stage, let me clarify:

Prediction #1 — Steve Jobs Will Introduce the iPhone 5

Unless his cancer reaches a point which seriously prohibits him from doing so, I believe that he will do everything in his power to be the one on stage to show off the new iPhone. Rumors of his impending doom are being greatly exaggerated, and unlike what the tabloids have said he’s well enough to have dinner at the White House (which I believe he’s doing as I’m writing this) so pending something that physically prohibits him from doing so, he’s going to introduce this device.

Why? Because the reality distortion field doesn’t function without him.

Do I think it’s a coincidence that the Verizon iPhone hasn’t taken off like crazy and that Steve Jobs was not the one to announce it? While there are many factors, some of which I’ve outlined in the past, that have led to the Verizon iPhone not being as exciting as what some in the tech press thought it would be, the fact that Steve wasn’t there to hock the wares didn’t help. Now don’t get me wrong, Apple’s chief operating officer Tim Cook, who is taking Steve’s place running the daily operations in Cupertino is a very capable person and did a fine job at the Verizon iPhone launch. You also have the very engaging Jonathan Ive, who I’m sure would give a fantastic intoduction, or Bob Mansfield who I’m sure could also take the stage.

But none of them are Steve Jobs. None of them really have the magic, none of them have the power to convince millions of people that the device Apple is selling is the best product on the market, even if it lacks some features that competitors have, or operates within Apple’s closed system. Regardless of your loyalties, at the end of the presentation Steve makes you want to go at least try his new device… if not stand in line for hours on end to please him.

Prediction #2 — Hardware Updates

I’m going to go on record by saying that the iPhone 5 isn’t going to look drastically different than the iPhone 4. While the antenna design my be altered slightly, the dimensions are going to be the same. In my opinion the market isn’t ready for something drastically different, yet. That will probably come with next years version. Aside from the well documented attenuation problems, the design of the iPhone 4 is solid. My best guess is, Apple won’t alter it much except to correct that flaw.

I don’t buy into the 4″ screen rumor that is going around the blogs. I also don’t give any credence to the prediction of an “iPhone Nano” — I just don’t think it’s going to happen this year, if ever.

Inside though, you’re probably going to see updates similar to that of the transition from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS. What does that mean this go round?

1. Dual-core processor, perhaps in the 1GHz range. Can’t you just see Steve on stage saying “it’s twice as fast!” If they don’ t get this, they’re going to be left behind in the power plant by almost any serious Android phone in 2011 who will all be sporting dual processor/graphics cores. NVIDIA is working on a Tegra 3 chip that has a quad-core ARM processor powerful enough rival an Intel Core 2 Duo, and with far better power efficiencies. This is one area I don’t think Apple cannot afford to let us down in, and I don’t think they will.
2. Improved rear camera, perhaps in the 8MP area, and with support for 1080p video recording. Honestly, as good as the camera on the iPhone 4 already is, rather than simply bumping up the megapixels I’d like to see them give the sensor increased sensitivity, faster focus speed, and better ISO/low light performance… and maybe they will.
3. 1GB of RAM. It’s cheap, and it’s going to be needed as mobile computing becomes more powerful to background more and more applications. I can see Apple sticking with 512MB here just as much as I can see them update, so I’ll give this one a 50/50 shot.
4. NFC, or near field communications. If you don’t know what this is, I’d suggest some research is in order. It’s too much to explain here, but it basically means using your phone for mobile payment and communication with other devices. I’ll be shocked if they don’t have this feature.

Prediction #3 – Networks

1. No LTE. It’s not needed, the chips that are out to support it are not mature, and suck a lot of battery life. Besides that, cellular networks around the world are not deploying it at the level where it’s even going to be utilized except by a few lucky few. This is an area where if you can get LTE now (or soon) and really feel like you need it, you’re going to be better off with Android anyway.
2. Support for fake-4G also known as “HSPA+” — although I really hope that Apple doesn’t ever call it 4G. Enhanced 3G is all it is.

The reason why I think Apple will support HSPA+ in the next version is the same reason why I think the iPhone 5 will be a unified GSM/CDMA device. I think it’s going to be launched at the same time on AT&T and Verizon in the USA, in addition to all the GSM providers around the world. The current iPhone 4 model on AT&T is a GSM-only radio made by a company now owned by Intel. The Verizon iPhone uses a radio that is both CDMA and GSM capable made by Qualcomm. If I could bet on it, I’d put big money on this same exact chip being in the iPhone 5. This chip currently supports HSPA+ but it’s not in the iOS firmware, nor does Verizon utilize this technology on their EVDO data network.

One chip both simplifies Apple’s SKUs and allows them to use the same device around the world.

I also think Apple is going to announce support for other CDMA providers around the world, including Canada and most of all… China. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if that doesn’t happy until after the initial launch.

Prediction #4 – Software

Obviously with the release of a new iPhone comes updates to iOS, in this case bringing us to version 5.0.

This is the area where my predictions are somewhat fuzzy. Because we’re still in the process of evaluating the soon to drop (like, within the next month, possibly with the iPad 2) version of iOS 4.3, that’s all many are focused on.

But I will say that I think Apple finally is going to get serious about the cloud, and wireless. While I don’t think that Apple will be switching to over the air updates from carriers (nor should they), I think they’re going to finally open up wireless sync for iTunes. The time is right, and their track record recently with things like Apple TV streaming, Air Play, etc, is leading them in that direction.

It would be fantastic if Apple would let you sync your device with iTunes from anywhere, but I have mixed emotions about if this will happen. Carriers are not going to want to allow them to do it, especially AT&T, so it’s possible it will be a Wifi only feature, which honestly wouldn’t be a horrible thing. I’m not sure I’d want to be syncing back over 3G, even at HSPA+ speeds and especially not on regular 3G or worse yet, Verizon’s slower broadband network. Syncing back to my home computer, or even better, Apple’s North Carolina datacenters, would be fantastic.

What I hope to see, but don’t think we will, is a better notification system in iOS. Despite Android, WebOS, BlackBerry and even Windows Phone having a superior notification system for new events, I think this is one of those areas where Apple doesn’t see major issues. Those that do, are going to continue jailbreaking and installing things like Lockinfo, Notifier, etc.

It’s my hope that some of the built in applications will finally get some love in iOS 5. I’m looking at you Calculator, but especially you Weather and Stocks… which have hardly changed at all since iOS 1.0. Most of all though, I think Apple is going to have to invest heavily in revamping their Maps application, which hasn’t changed much since the original version. Google Maps on Android is absolutely crushing iOS in this area.

Last, voice commands are going to be improved, hopefully to the point where it reaches the ability to run much of the phone without touch. If Apple could duplicate the text-to-voice functionality of Android, it’s be all over.

Prediction #5 – Most of this will be wrong

In all five of these areas, I’m probably going to be wrong more than I’m right. Predicting what Apple will do is like predicting the weather in Kansas on the day they announce the iPhone 5. It could be sunny, we could get a dual-core, or it could be stormy and we get only minor improvements. Hell, it could snow in June and we get nothing. The world honestly won’t know until later this summer.

I will say this. After the end of February, if you are reaching the point where your iPhone 3GS contract is about to expire, and you’re not considering a switch to Android or Windows Mobile (which you should, there are some great alternatives out there) then don’t buy an iPhone 4 right now. Not on AT&T, Verizon, or any other network. We’re quickly reaching the point of no return where you’re going to be kicking yourself for investing $200/$300 and two years of your life in a contract for a device that is soon to be last generation.

But, perhaps my #6 prediction is that many will not see or heed this warning, and do so anyway.

Before you join the rush of people who are shedding their AT&T iPhone for the Verizon iPhone (oh wait, no one is actually doing that) you should do some research and see what dumping “the nations largest 3G network” and getting on “America’s most reliable network” will get you.

Mostly, slower Internet speeds. A lot slower, actually. Well, that, and no simultaneous voice and data network.

What you also won’t get, as 9to5Mac has pointed out, is the ability to swap between multiple calls. Also, if you’re used to having more than a couple person in a conference call, you’ll want to stick with AT&T. That is, assuming you can make calls on their network.

While your mileage may vary, I’m sticking with AT&T.

video and images via Tipb.com

The Apple store at the Mall of America was… uh, not very busy today. Surprising, since today was the first day you could get your Verizon iPhone without being an existing Verizon customer.

Verizon set a new record for first day sales of a new product in 2 hours last week, when they sold the device to existing customers. It seems that the predicted flood of AT&T customers isn’t happening quite yet.

Maybe AT&T in Minneapolis (and the rest of the United States) isn’t as bad as everyone in San Fransisco and New York seem to make it out to be? Kinda like I said last month?

No, that couldn’t be it.

Update: It seems that not even New York city is all that excited. As evidenced by the lack of line outside the famous Manhattan glass Apple cube. Photo via @rhapsodyartist

So did the most vocal critics of AT&T already get their phone? Or are people toughing it out until the iPhone 5?

Somewhere deep in the heart of the AT&T headquarters, their executives are huddled around holding a vigil to mourn the loss of the exclusive US contract. Likewise, Google execs are probably throwing chairs at the wall screaming “I thought we had something special!”

No longer a mythical unicorn, the much anticipated Verizon iPhone is now a reality. Available February 3 for existing Verizon customers (props to them for that) and then February 10 for everyone else.

The new device is almost exactly like the old one except for some small differences:

• CDMA radio instead of GSM, this also means a slightly altered external antenna design
• Support for Verizon Mobile Hotspot, allowing 5 devices to connect to the iPhone and use Verizon’s data service

There are a few of differences with Verizon and AT&T that should be pointed out:

1. Verizon’s data network is larger, meaning more bars in more places.
2. AT&T’s data network is faster, meaning when you get service you’re going to cruise faster.
3. CDMA technology doesn’t allow for simultaneous voice and data usage. If you’re on a call and want to look up on Google Maps where to meet your friend for lunch? Too bad. Gotta wait for your call to end.

The biggest disappointment, but not unexpected, is that the Verizon iPhone will not support LTE technology, which would have allowed for faster data transfers and simultaneous voice and data. However, given that Verizon’s LTE network just started rolling out a few months ago, this isn’t surprising that Apple chose not to support it. It would have also required further alterations to the iPhone.

The unknown right now is what version of iOS this new CDMA iPhone will run. Will the iOS 4.2.1 guts support it? Will it require a 4.2.2 update? Will we get 4.3? Will the GSM and CDMA phones run the same iOS version? Or will it all be some sort of carrier update that doesn’t involve the a new version of iOS?

Last, Apple COO Tim Cook left the door wide open to future networks when he said this contract with Verizon is multi-year but non-exclusive.

Let the Sprint iPhone discussion commence.

(Or T-Mobile, if anyone still cares about them.)

Updated

It seems that the new iOS version will be 4.2.5, via Engadget who got to play with one after the announcement.

The boys who cried wolf (AKA The Wall Street Journal, et al) are all indicating that Tuesday will be the announcement of the long awaited iPhone 4 on Verizon. I hope they’re finally right.

Not because I’m going to switch, no, I’m actually pretty satisfied with my AT&T service, having been a customer for a long while before the launch of the first iPhone. I’ll just be glad when the noise makers and complainers can have another option. I hope that Verizon’s network works better for them than AT&T (although I kinda also hope it’s just as bad) so that they’ll shut up. I also look forward to another network getting some of the load so that my service will be even more reliable than it already is.

I can’t be alone in this thinking, if AT&T’s network is so god damn horrible across the entire country as the people in San Fransisco and New York make it out to be, no one would use it. Fact is, myself and millions of other subscribers made the choice to use it long before the iPhone. I even used to live down the street from the world headquarters of Sprint, and still used AT&T because I got better service.

I’m not discounting that there are people with horrible AT&T service. I’ve been places where that is the case, I know people who have this problem on a regular basis. It sucks, but chances are no has one forced you to use an iPhone this whole time.

I’ll also be glad when this golden phone finally does arrive, so we can stop obsessing about it. The phone will come out, AT&T’s subscriber numbers will slightly decrease, Verizon will see an increase, Apple’s profits will go up. The sun will still rise in the east and set in the west. Choice is good, but the tech world needs to stop treating this like we’re awaiting the second coming of Christ, and treat this like what it is, like what happens all around the world with the iPhone on multiple carriers. The same phone, on another network.

(Image credit to Gizmodo, from back in 2005, proof people hated them before the iPhone)