There's plenty of speculation about the features of Apple's upcoming iPhone 5, but since the iPhone 5 will run on the already-announced iOS5 operating system, there is a lot we already know. The new operating system will include more than 200 upgrades and changes to the current version. GPS and location technology play a prominent role in a number of the upgrades.
Much more of an unknown - until Apple unveils the iPhone 5 on October 4th - is the hardware side of the iPhone 5. The photo here shows a MacRumors artist's conception of what the iPhone 5 may look like. Expected to be under the hood will be Apple's powerful A5 chip (the same one that's used in the iPad2), and a rumored Qualcomm 3G "world phone" baseband chip that works on all networks (WCDMA and CDMA). There is a possibility that the new chip architecture will improve the iPhone's GPS reception and location accuracy, and I'll be testing that soon after the iPhone 5 becomes available.
Beyond the chips, the iPhone 5 is rumored to have a higher-resolution (8-megapixel) camera. It will also likely have a metal chassis, and a return to a more rounded appearance (as opposed the sharp edges and glass back of the iPhone 4). Leaked looks at iPhone 5 cases (see photo) reinforce the rounded appearance of the new phone.
Significant iOS5 upgrades and features include a Notification Center that consolidates alerts, including new e-mail, texts, friend requests and more. iMessage is a new IP-driven texting-type service for all iOS5 users that circumvents the phone company texting charges.
A new Apple Reminders app includes a new location-based geofence capability. Reminders will let users create to-do lists with due dates and locations. Reminders will work with the new iCloud, so your lists will automatically update to all of your i-devices. You may set locations within Reminders ("work," "home" etc. - any location radius you want) and then tie specific reminders and/or associated lists with these locations. The Reminders app then taps into your device's GPS and/or WiFi positioning capability to ping you with a reminder when you enter or leave one of your set geofences.
One simple example of how to use this feature is a grocery store list with the grocery store set as a geofence. Another would be a to-do list or action reminder associated with a particular client or work-site location. Reminders may be set to alert "When I Arrive" or "When I Leave" a geofenced area.
Also using GPS and location services in iOS5 is a new, integrated Twitter component. iOS5 will let you tweet directly from the Safari browser, Photos, Camera, YouTube, or Maps. Apple A-GPS lets you include your location with your tweets.
As before, A-GPS will be integrated into Photos, if you wish (you may opt to not keep location data in your photo files - here's how).
Two of the biggest changes with iOS5 that people aren't talking about much yet include PC Free, which makes iCloud the home base for your iOS5 device, rather than a PC, and WiFi Sync, which makes the ubiquitous white Apple cable unnecessary for syncing.
One rumored GPS-driven feature we are unlikely to see in the new iPhone 5 and iOS5 is a free turn-by-turn navigation app (full-featured and more advanced than the Maps app, with spoken street names, lane guidance, etc.). Apple has beefed up its mapping and location capabilities steadily over the past few years, leading to rumors that the company would add free advanced turn-by-turn navigation to its software suite, much as Google has on the Android platform with Google Maps Navigation. However, that buzz has faded and I suspect Apple will leave this option on the shelf for now. If it was to be part of iOS5, the company would have most likely announced it proudly with the rest of the iOS5 news.
Watch for iPhone 5 news updates here as we learn more about this much-anticipated new phone and its iOS5 operating system.
