Check out our hands on with the new iPhone 4:
Feature comparison between the new and old handsets:
Other news and opinion:
- Apple announces new iPhone 4
- iPhone 4: our first impressions
- 12 things to know about the iPhone 4
- Opinion: how iPhone 4 points to the future
- iPhone 4: genuinely good for games
Release, hardware and app info:
- Apple outs gyro gaming technology for the iPhone
- iPhone 4 given 24 June UK release date
- iMovie app comes to Apple iPhone 4
- Farmville and Guitar Hero come to the iPhone
- Apple iPhone 4 adds in Facetime video calling
- Vodafone announces UK availability of iPhone 4
- O2 also announces iPhone 4 for 24 June
- In pictures: iPhone 4
- Orange UK iPhone release date
This is what was rumoured before the announcement - we've updated it with our verdict on whether the rumours were right or wrong.
The iPhone 4G won't have a touch-sensitive case - PROVED TO BE FALSE
So much for rumours of a touch-sensitive case backplate: The rumoured case is merely a glassy back that delivers better wireless reception - the Gizmodo prototype was the real deal.
MOUSE TO PHONE: It's the iPhone 4G! Of course it isn't - it's a Magic Mouse, but the same multi-touch tech was rumoured to be coming to the iPhone's casing
The iPhone 4G will use Bing as its default search engine - PROVED TO BE TRUE (although it's not a default)
It's no secret that relations between Apple and Google are becoming increasingly frosty, especially now that Google has entered the smartphone market. It happened, but only as an extra option. BusinessWeek said Apple and Microsoft were certainly talking about it, although "the discussions could still unravel and may not be concluded quickly."
The iPhone 4G will have an RFID antenna - PROVED TO BE FALSE
Another rumour based on a real patent: Apple filed a patent showing an integrated RFID antenna, which would enable iPhone users to scan packages and dogs, to use their phones as Oyster cards or to pay for things with a quick swipe. Other patents included haptic feedback, which would enable you to "feel" on-screen keys, and fingerprint identification. Maybe next time.
The iPhone 4G will have more storage - PROVED TO BE FALSE
We've gone from 8GB to 16GB to 32GB, and only a fool would have bet against 64GB as this year's magic number. The flash memory chips certainly exist. But it didn't happen.
The iPhone 4G will have an OLED screen - PROVED TO BE FALSE
A brighter, higher resolution screen was originally rumoured for the iPhone 3GS but didn't make it, so we thought it was a shoo-in for the fourth generation iPhone - not least because rivals such as Google's Nexus One have OLED displays.
The iPhone 4G will not have an OLED screen - PROVED TO BE TRUE
John Gruber of Daring Fireball thinks the OLED predictors are wrong and he was right. "I think Apple is all-in on LED-backlit IPS displays (which they're using for the iPad and iMac, and promoting in the tech specs)," he writes.
A recent microscope analysis of the screen also showed it's nothing more than LCD either - albeit with a very high-res display.
The iPhone 4G will have a double-resolution display, two cameras, an A4-style Apple chip and third-party multitasking - PROVED TO BE TRUE
Mr Gruber knows people who know things, and his predictions were borne out by the infamous Gizmodo iPhone. Absolutely spot on.
The iPhone 4G will be called the iPhone HD - PROVED TO BE FALSE
We know the answer to this now. We said that unless the next iPhone supports 4G networking - more of that in a moment - calling it the 4G doesn't make sense unless Apple intends to call its 4G model the iPhone 4G 4G. iPhone HD sounds much better but it was wrong.
The iPhone HD will have a 16:9 screen - PROVED TO BE FALSE
Watching TV or films on existing iPhones isn't perfect, because the aspect ratio is slightly narrower than the 16:9 we've come to expect from widescreen displays. This YouTube video claimed to show the next iPhone's display, and it was a 16:9 effort - perfect for mobile movies. But John Gruber was right, a double resolution 960x640 display retains the existing iPhone's unusual aspect ratio.
The iPhone 4G will have a removable battery - PROVED TO BE FALSE
We didn't see this one happening and it didn't - Apple is removing removable batteries from its laptops. It was a wish rather than a reliable prediction.
The iPhone 4G will have an LED flash and more megapixels - PROVED TO BE TRUE
AppleInsider reckoned Apple has been hoovering up lots of Philips LED flash components - and by "lots" we mean "tens of millions" - while DigiTimes says Apple has also been shopping for 5 megapixel cameras.
Once again, the Gizmodo prototype backed the rumours up and it was all true.
The iPhone 4G will support 4G mobile phone networks - PROVED TO BE FALSE
This one's been kicking around for a while, but we really didn't see it happening. It's hard enough getting networks to deliver decent 3G coverage; 4G is a long way off yet.
This is a global phone. Is Apple really going to embrace a technology that only reaches about six people worldwide?
The iPhone 4G will have a front-facing camera - PROVED TO BE TRUE
2008 will be the year of videophones! 2009 will be the year of videophones! No! 2010 will be the year of videophones! And so it might be.
A front-facing camera has been rumoured since the very first iPhone, and it's only just turned up. The rumour mill certainly believed we'd see a twin-camera iPhone this year. There's certainly one in the leaked prototype.
The iPhone 4G will feature video chat - PROVED TO BE TRUE
Engadget found a number of people heading to Apple commercial filming (with none other than director Sam Mendes at the helm) which it was told will see a mother and a daughter video chatting through an iPhone 4G. And it was right.
The iPhone 4G will have a new sibling for CDMA networks - PROVED TO BE FALSE
So said the Wall Street Journal. CDMA is the networking technology used by some US operators including Verizon and Sprint. Of course, the AT&T-losing-iPhone-exclusivity rumour has been around as long as the iPhone itself, and it's bound to come true eventually.
The iPhone 4G announcement date is 7 June - PROVED TO BE TRUE
This year's WWDC is earlier than anticipated: June 7-11. And the predictions were right - it has been announced.
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Your comments (15) Click to add a new comment
martuk
May 9th 2010
15. Could it be relevant that the side (volume) buttons on this picture are on the opposite side of the one that gizmodo published pics of?
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windymiller
May 6th 2010
14. @ romi
pipp!n ring a bell?
Legendary Fail.
@ nitrofan
Where I work, its the fifty plus year olds wanting one thats killing off the cool!
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unws
May 6th 2010
13. The iPhone 4G release date is April
So says a number of Korean sources, reports The Register.
the date already passed how come you didnt edit it out from the last rumours article
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nitrofan
May 6th 2010
12. iPhone 4G? Yawn who cares?
We when we hear young people on the London Underground saying and I quote "The iPhone isn't cool anymore everyone's got one Android is the way forward and you can change the battery" I know Steve's hype is no longer working!
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lovlid
March 31st 2010
11. @ shambolic2000.
"Realistically, I'd like to see"
And you probably will see all these things, just very slowly and at a *cough* reasonable *cough* price.
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romi
March 31st 2010
10. Agreed Apple need to create a high quality games console , gauranteed to make several billion for them.
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romi
March 31st 2010
9. Apple need to create a high quality games console , gauranteed to make several billion for them.
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bradavon
March 30th 2010
8. I cannot see Bing being the default browser. They'd be more likely to go elsewhere (not Yahoo either, as that's Binged powered).
It will be an amazing coy for Microsoft if they pull it off.
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beefstirfry
March 30th 2010
7. Would be funny to see them put a front facing camera for image recognition, and then have the jailbreak community work out how to use it as an actual camera...
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madjedi
March 30th 2010
6. BBC iplayer already works on the iphone. I use it quite a bit!
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hu_the_fox_hat
March 30th 2010
5. heres a thought, Nintendo are making a 3D DS console that uses a camera that tracks your head movements to make a 3D experience without the glasses, what if the proposed front facing camera is for that purpose making an iPhone 3D?
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oliver.ferriss
March 14th 2010
4. the new iPhone HD ad from Apple :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsyTAq2ny9Y
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elan96
January 27th 2010
3. Best idea, a tablet pc that runs the full mac OS leopard with a zif hard drive and a mobility gpu
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nogthor
January 26th 2010
2. I wanna play flash videos!
iphone will be purfect when i can watch bbc iplayer on the go
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shambolic2000
January 22nd 2010
1. Realistically, I'd like to see -
A better camera/flash
OLED screen
More storage
Divx support(although I know that's unlikely)
Haptic feedback
Software-wise, an improved home/lock screen, better call history management(why do you have to clear the whole list instead of particular numbers?), and a few other minor niggles
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