With the iPhone 4G buzz hitting overload we realized it could be difficult to keep track of all the rumours and speculations around the coming upgrade, so we decided to create this “rumour central” post, covering all the news and rumours that is of interest surrounding the iPhone 4G.

Anyone that has additional news and rumours to share, please leave a comment below and we will review and include it in the rumour central.

We will be adding news and rumors around the iPhone 4G by date from now on, with the latest ones at the top of the post.

Latest news and rumours

Analysts from Morgan Stanley has also started to show interest in what could be next for the Apple iPhone, predicting that the 4th generation iPhone 4G could be the cheapest to date in terms of overall cost ownership (cost of handset, mobile contract, and usage) and feature the latest technology.

It is expected that the iPhone 4G will be cheaper to operate to both secure increased penetration in mature markets in the US and UK, as well as seeking to increase penetration in the important markets in the east, including the Chinese market.

Find out more about iPhone 4G being cheapest iPhone to date.

Video calling coming to iPhone 4G

The new iPhone 3.2 SDK has been dissected and some of the findings indicate that Apple is preparing future devices, including the iPhone 4G for possible video calling.

The icons and information found in the new SDK are good news for all those that have been longing for video calling and video chatting capabilities on their favourite Apple gadgets, including the iPhone and the new Apple iPad. Again, these are just findings and who knows when compatible devices will be made available, but it is a good sign at least.

References to iPhone 4G found in 3.2 SDK

According to recent revelations by Engadget, there are references to a device with the code N89, which is believed to be the 4th generation iPhone 4G, in the recently released iPhone 3.2 SDK and the firmware 3.1.3 upgrade that has come in the wake of the Apple iPad launch. Earlier versions of the iPhone has been referenced as N82 and N88.

At the moment this rumour does not reveal anything new about the features and technical specs of the iPhone 4G itself, but it possibly confirms what is expected to be a mid-year launch of what Steve Jobs have referred to as a “Grade A+ upgrade” for the iPhone.

The same firmware upgrade also had references to what is believed to be the 4th generation iPod Touch G4 with code name N80.

iPhone 4G to feature Apple A4 chip

In the aftermath of the Apple iPad launch there has been many rumours that the iPhone 4G will receive the same fast Apple A4 chip that was revelaed in the iPad. If this is the case it should based on reports significantly increase the speed of the iPhone as well as potentially improve battery life, both of which is very welcomed improvements from the iPhone community.

Magic Mouse touch sensitive casing

According to a Goldman Sachs analyst the iPhone 4G will have a Magic Mouse like casing, meaning the device will have a new plastic touch-sensitive casing. There are many that believe that after 3 years the iPhone is ready for a more extensive design upgrade, although we do believe that Apple will not be looking to change the iPhone too much. Then again Apple is known for pushing the boundaries for design and usability, usually in a positive direction, so it will be very interesting to see what they might do with the coming iPhone 4G in terms of design upgrades. We believe that we could at least expect to see a slimmer and ligher iPhone 4G.

Release date for iPhone 4G

It is rumoured that the iPhone 4G could see a release as early as May or June this year, while it is still expected that the unit will be officially announced at the WWDC this coming summer, just like the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS was announced around that time, and we know that Apple likes to stick to their upgrade schedule.

Doubled battery life, OLED screen, and dual core processor

With more competitors launching in the last few months, not to mention recently with the Google Nexus One, it is expected that Apple will be including a better OLED based screen with a higher resolution on the iPhone 4G. The current iPhone 3GS features a 320×480 display, while it is becoming more and more common for smartphones/superphones to feature 480×800 displays.

Putting a dual core processor into the iPhone 4G would also improve processing speed, and allow for more efficient use and process handling, something that again could result in improved battery life, which is an issue with the current iPhone models. It is rumoured that the device might have double the battery life of the current iPhone, and possibly even a replaceable battery, although we don’t quite believe it until we see it knowing Apple’s track record in that area.

5 megapixel camera, LED flash, and video calling

An improved camera is pretty much given for the iPhone 4G as the current models are some way behind many of the competitors in that area already. With the rumors that the iPhone 4G will feature a 5 megapixel camera, same as the Google Nexus One, comes also the rumours that it will feature LED flash following news that Apple is looking to buy a lot of LED flash camera components.

Perhaps even more interesting are the rumours that it will not only feature an improved 5 megapixel camera, but that it will also get a forward facing camera for video calling, possibly a camera similar to what is currently used on the 5th generation iPod Nano. Video calling is big in the Asian market, an area where the iPhone has serious competition from amongst other Samsung.

Multitasking with background app processing

This is a feature that many were expecting with the launch of the iPhone 3GS but that just did not happen. Now the topic has resurfaced with rumors that Apple has finally been able to crack the issue and will be able to at least offer limited multitasking for selected apps and features. The importance of multitasking for iPhone 4G can amongst other be seen by how the Palm Pre has been focusing on this feature in their advertising, targeting the iPhone especially.

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