What does 2008 hold for the iPhone?
The iPhone has only been with us for a little over six months, yet it already feels like a lifetime.
So what's in store for Apple's hot little mobile phone this year?
1. 3G
It's all but been announced: a 3G iPhone is coming. Steve Jobs wants to create one when the hardware conditions are right, and we're expecting / hoping that will be in the first half of 2008.
Apart from the timing, what we don't know is which markets will receive the hallowed device, and how much it will cost.
Will it go to new markets first, or be launched in all existing markets at the same time? Might Apple actually favour Europe over the US and allow us to get our hands on it first (after all, we love and need 3G), or will we be passed over because we've only just got the first generation iPhone?
And cost? Slash the price of the first version? Scrap it altogether for new customers? Or pump up the price of the 3G version even more? Who'd pay?
Oh the questions. Plenty to speculate on until such a time as Mr Jobs sees fit to announce it — which probably won't be at Macworld 2008 in two weeks' time.
2. Software Development Kit
We're led to believe that some highly favoured software developers are already testing a beta version of the kit that Apple has said will be available from February.
We don't know exactly how the SDK will be distributed, and to whom, but it does pave the way for genuine, approved third-party applications on the iPhone.
3. GPS
This one isn't a certainty, but there have been rumours of third-party hardware to address this need, and I'd imagine Apple would add such a feature before the end of the year.
The latest firmware seems to contain pseudo-GPS functionality for Google Maps, so the concept is something Apple must want to add.
It's something many users want, but the decision will likely be based on whether battery life can be sustained with additional hardware, particularly if it comes in a 3G model.
4. More markets
For all the hype, the iPhone is still only officially available in four markets. Expect Apple to sign more deals in the coming year, with some interesting wrangles along the way as it continues to tread on the minefield of differing international laws.
5. More hacking
Until such a time as an unlocked iPhone with free third-party application development support is available (not this year, if ever), the hackers will continue to play their "cat and mouse" game with Apple.
Expect ongoing firmware upgrades, counter-strikes from hacking communities, and more stories of iPhones being bricked.
6. More competition
One thing the iPhone doesn't lack is competition. Expect everyone, from the cloners to the mainstream mobile phone manufacturers, to come out with handsets that emulate and surpass the iPhone's capabilities. They'll do it faster, with more handsets, with more choice for the consumer, and globally.
Yet, still expect the iPhone to be a serious object of desire for many in 2008.
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