June 2, 2008 2:57 PM PDT

Smaller, longer-lasting iPhone on tap?

Posted by Tom Krazit
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Add another log on the iPhone rumor pile: it may be smaller.

The next iPhone might be smaller and thinner despite its new features, one report says.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The iPhone silly season is in full swing for the second consecutive year, as we get ready for Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference one week from today. A next-generation iPhone is expected to be the centerpiece of CEO Steve Jobs' keynote address, and a new report from Wired is claiming that the revamped iPhone will be 22 percent smaller thinner than the original.

The report also says the iPhone will connect to 3G networks--which isn't exactly a shocker--and will come with a GPS chip. Two tidbits that haven't been as widely discussed also made the grade, such as the new version arriving in 16GB and 32GB varieties, and featuring better battery life than its predecessor.

Apple has long cited battery life issues as the reason it didn't jump on the 3G train last year, so it would be somewhat surprising if the company actually improved battery life--rather than just keeping it constant--in iPhone 2.0. Wired's source is supposedly a software programmer at a "major software publisher," who is no doubt gearing up for the release of the iPhone's software development kit at some point in June.

Tom Krazit, a staff writer for CNET News, focuses on all things Apple. He has covered traditional PC companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, chip companies such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, and mobile computers ranging from Research In Motion's to Palm's. E-mail Tom.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 5 comments
by 4wight June 2, 2008 3:20 PM PDT
You might want to amend that to 22 per cent THINNER. The new iPhone is not going to be quarter the size of the original!
Reply to this comment
by Tom Krazit June 2, 2008 3:48 PM PDT
Good point. The iPhone, now so small you can't actually do anything with it.
by ajnauron June 2, 2008 5:47 PM PDT
Lol iPhone Nano!
by ecotopian--2008 June 2, 2008 4:43 PM PDT
Um, 22 percent smaller is equal to 78 percent of the original size.
Reply to this comment
by ajnauron June 2, 2008 5:51 PM PDT
22%? That's still pretty good...0.78 * 11.6 = 9.048, so 9mm. If they get the GPS working with Google Maps it'll be amazing, but this is probably a given because Jobs is on Google's board.
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About Apple

At the start of the 21st century, there's no tech outfit more influential than Apple. CNET News' Tom Krazit and other reporters will attempt to make sense of the rumors, hype, products, and people that will shape the future of the company. But Apple's not the only game in town, as the established cell phone companies and others strike back against the iPhone. E-mail Tom at Tom.Krazit@cnet.com.

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