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JUNE has arrived and for Apple fans and investors that means just one thing – a new iPhone model.
The encore to the original iPhone, which was launched last year amid unprecedented industry buzz, is expected to be the main attraction when Apple chief Steve Jobs takes the stage at the company's developers conference next week.
The new iPhone will be accompanied by support for corporate email and a slate of new programs that could help boost sales of the devices, which sport a touch-sensitive screen, wireless internet access and iPod-style media functions.
"The thing for Apple is to be able to leverage the iPhone for further innovation, or they run the risk of being the next (Motorola) RAZR, which was iconic in its own way, but for which innovation did not come fast enough," said Shiv Bakhshi, director of mobility research for market research firm IDC.
Apple has declined to comment on what Mr Jobs will announce, but analysts are betting he will show off a long-rumoured iPhone capable of running on 3G, or third-generation, mobile networks.
That would address one of the chief complaints about the current iPhone in the US – the speed at which it loads websites on AT&T's pokey EDGE network.
3G capability is particularly important for customers in Europe, which is ahead of the US in building new networks and where sales of the iPhone have lagged.
"I see 3G as important for the US but essential for overseas," analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis said of a next-generation iPhone.
"It will be appreciated by technology enthusiasts and anybody who wants to get fast web browsing outside the hot spots."
Australians are expected to have access to the 3G model when it launches here.
Vodafone and Optus have so far announced they will release the iPhone locally, confirming Apple does not plan to lock the handsets to a single network in Australia, as it did in the US with AT&T.
Speculation that a local iPhone release may be close was fuelled last week after a "coming soon" sign was unveiled at the site of the upcoming Apple Store in the Sydney CBD.
The shop will be the first Apple Store in the southern hemisphere and is expected to stock the iPhone at launch.
If Mr Jobs unveils the 3G iPhone next week, the new services and programs that can tap the increased power will be more important than the actual hardware.
Some reckon that will include the ability to download songs from iTunes using the phone network. iPhone users currently have to connect to a Wi-Fi network to get music from Apple's online store.
Apple will also roll out its highly anticipated support for corporate email, a capability it showed off earlier this year that is expected to give iPhone a push into business and take it into direct competition with Research In Motion's range of Blackberry phones.
Despite the media buzz generated by Apple's iPhone, BlackBerry handsets were leading sales of smartphones in the US and were being adopted by consumers beyond the device's traditional business market, the Associated Press reported this week.
BlackBerry smartphones have long been a favourite of professionals thanks to their email capabilities.
Apple is also set to launch its iPhone "applications store" that will sell programs for the handset made by developers outside of Apple. The service marks an about-face for Mr Jobs, who initially blocked third-party software from the device.
"That's important for developers who can now build this out as a critical platform for Apple," said Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg.
"The potential here is sort of unlimited."
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Apple fans prepare for glimpse of 3G iPhone
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