Talking iPhone: What's in store for us Monday?

Monday's the big day (we hope) the day when Steve Jobs will take the stage at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) and reveal what's in store for the next generation iPhone. The rumors have been flying hot and heavy for the past month, but what are we really going to see on Monday? Here's our list, sorted by likelihood.

Very Likely:

3G support: it's been confirmed multiple times from multiple sources, the new iPhone will indeed support 3G connectivity. What this means is that users will have access to AT&T's high speed data network, which they recently upgraded up to 1.7 Mbps. 3G also supports simultaneous voice and data, so you can browse the web while you're on a call. 3G will also have a major impact on battery life, however.

GPS: Steve Jobs stated when he first announced the iPhone that GPS would be a future feature. Indications from the iPhone SDK are that applications are being prepared with support for GPS, including geo-tagging photos and, obviously, mapping support. We're pretty sure this is going to be in the bag, but exactly how is a little less clear. Apple could build GPS directly into the phone, but this can have a serious effect on battery life and with the addition of 3G we're not sure if Apple wants to take a double hit. Another possible solution is support for GPS accessories, either via the iPhone's dock connector or Bluetooth.

International Launches: This is another slam dunk. Carriers around the world have already announced that they will be carrying the . iPhone shortly. Apple also needs to start bringing the phone to new markets in order to meet their goal of 10 million iPhones sold in 2008. We've also gotten confirmation that multiple carriers will be selling the iPhone in some markets, which seems to indicate that Apple is rethinking their carrier strategy, see below for more on that.

Probable:

Thicker: There's been a fierce debate about this point, with some claiming that the iPhone will be thicker and others claiming thinner. We're leaning towards the former here as the addition of 3G radios along with possible GPS not only require more space, but also require a bigger battery.

Unlocked iPhones: We may not see this in the U.S., but we expect that overseas where unlocked phones are more common that the iPhone will be sold that way. This is already done in France, where local laws require it, and the fact that multiple carriers will be selling the iPhone in some markets is also a strong indicator. What this really means is that Apple seems to be rethinking their strategy of requiring carriers to share some of their revenue with Apple. Give reports of major carriers in large markets like China balking at this provision we believe that Apple has decided to move away from it in an effort to ensure the iPhone is available worldwide.

Software Upgrade: We know for a fact that the 2.0 version of the iPhone software will be available sometime in the next month. What we don't know for sure is how many of the software features missing from the original iPhone (copy & paste, MMS, IM) will be added. Our bet is that we'll see a lot of these issues addressed in the new software upgrade.

More Memory: Apple's already bumped the current iPhone to 16 GB of storage. We know that 32 GB is possible as the iPod Touch has already reached this threshold. With Flash memory prices falling all the time we think this one's likely to happen.

Maybe:

Better Camera: The first iPhone's two megapixel camera isn't bad, for a cell phone, but in a world where devices like the Nokia N82 have raised the bar for what you can get from a camera in a cell phone we think that Apple might feel the need to play some catch up here. This one's definitely a maybe as we haven't seen any kind of discussion or rumors on the subject, but don't be too surprised if the new iPhone sports something in the range of a 3.2 - 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and video recording.

More RAM: Despite the relatively stable software interface the current generation iPhone does run into occasional problems with RAM. Our guess is that it currently runs with 128 MB of RAM, but we still see occasional crashes and lock-ups despite numerous updates over the past year. We'd wouldn't be surprised to see the new iPhone shipping with at least 256 MB of RAM to support the new software and third party applications.

Wireless Synchronization: The Apple blogs are all abuzz with talk about a rebrand of Apple's .Mac service, which currently provides online storage, email and synchronization between multiple Mac computers. Apple's latest software upgrade for the Mac seems to indicate that the .Mac service may be rebranded soon. The addition of wireless synchronization and push email services for those who buy the service seems to be a no-brainer, especially as Apple is already adding those features for corporations via Exchange support.

Probably Not:

Video Calls: although common in phones overseas the service has not become popular anywhere. We don't think that Apple will invest the space in the device to add a second front face camera for a service that no one really uses.

Colors: It took awhile for different colors to come out for the iPod and we don't think Apple's ready to roll them out for the iPhone yet.

Solar Charging: a recent Apple patent pointed at this possibility, note to everyone: companies patent everything they can think of, that doesn't mean that it ever actually gets made.

Tablet iPhone or iPhone nano: some have speculated that Apple may be expanding their product line with cheaper and more expensive versions of the iPhone. Our bet is that this won't happen until Apple's moved into more markets and established the iPhone there. Maybe next year, not this year.