New iPhone will have 1GB of RAM, dual-mode chip, report says

New iPhone will have 1GB of RAM, dual-mode chip, report says

The new iPhone coming next month will have 1GB of RAM, a source familiar with its system-on-chip manufacturing reportedly tells 9to5Mac. The upgrade should finally bring iPhones up to par with higher-end Android smartphones, which are now frequently being equipped with 1GB. Apple is also said to be using a Qualcomm Gobi baseband chipset, allowing one device to connect to both GSM and CDMA networks, as has has been rumored....

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What I care about more is whether it will get a larger screen. I don't want something as large as an iPad because I want to carry it in my pocket and hold comfortable in one hand but I think the current screen size is a bit too small to enjoy things like video and going to websites that don't have mobile versions. Some mobile websites aren't as great as the desktop version so I still use the desktop site instead but it makes it not as enjoyable on a tiny screen.

Also the virtual keyboard takes up so much space that on some apps I have a very small space to type anything in. Sometimes I get as little at 2 lines of screen space when turn the iPhone horizontally. A good example is texting horizontally. I have to constantly scroll up and down to read long text messages when replying. I don't want the keyboard to be smaller so a larger screen is the only solution. The screen only needs to be slighter bigger. Nothing major.

Other than that I've been really happy with my iPhone 4. A faster processor or more RAM is nice but it's not a major concern for me. I may skip an iPhone 5 if it doesn't have a larger screen.

1gb of ram? WOW! And they say it's not a computer. I also probably wouldn't switch to the new iPhone unless they up the screen size, or the design.

I agree, the screen could be just a bit bigger. I think the 4.3" screen on the HTC Thunderbolt is a little too big, maybe just a bit smaller than that (say 4"). I really don't want to lose the "pocketability" factor.

Dual core chips just don't impress my in a phone. So few apps on full-blown PCs can take advantage of multiple cores, having multiple cores in a phone is just silly and is more about boasting specs than actually providing more performance. Increase the clockspeed and I'll be impressed. We're not running AutoCAD on these things, 1GHz is plenty for nearly all mobile apps.

To note: 1gb of ram is not uncommon in the modern android world. the Dual core Eyxios CPU in the Galaxy S II should perform close to whatever A5+ or A6 is. a 4 inch screen would be nice, but for it to be a retnia display they would have to increase
resolution...

I'm wondering what the software upgrades will be that will only be available on the 4s/5... Rumor is the digital assistant will be on the next phone only due to memory requirements. If I can send a text by saying; "Send Jen a text saying I will be a bit late to dinner," and avoid a ticket in the car or fight at dinner, it's worth the cost of upgrading.

I'd personally like for them to give us the option at least for full multitasking, not the faux multitasking we have now (maybe a settings switch with a warning - you can turn this on for full multitasking but be aware it will affect battery life).

The RAM is a nice thing to see - I am getting tired of writing code and because of the lame multitasking they have now, have a memory warning on launch (or one or two views in) because they have so many apps paused in the background. It makes debugging sometimes difficult because if you forget to shut everything down in the background first it makes you wonder if you screwed something up or something else is absorbing RAM you forgot to turn off.

Speedier CPU is nice, but as there is little eye candy for the UI and they don't allow true multitasking, I don't know if a dual core is really necessary although I'm sure in some instances it would help (the OS can still do its stuff on one dedicated core and not affect performance of power hungry apps like advanced games or tools for editing images or video)

Nethfel said:

I'd personally like for them to give us the option at least for full multitasking, not the faux multitasking we have now (maybe a settings switch with a warning - you can turn this on for full multitasking but be aware it will affect battery life).

The RAM is a nice thing to see - I am getting tired of writing code and because of the lame multitasking they have now, have a memory warning on launch (or one or two views in) because they have so many apps paused in the background. It makes debugging sometimes difficult because if you forget to shut everything down in the background first it makes you wonder if you screwed something up or something else is absorbing RAM you forgot to turn off.

Speedier CPU is nice, but as there is little eye candy for the UI and they don't allow true multitasking, I don't know if a dual core is really necessary although I'm sure in some instances it would help (the OS can still do its stuff on one dedicated core and not affect performance of power hungry apps like advanced games or tools for editing images or video)

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Current Multi-tasking is more like task switching (i.e. application is paused). I think that's good enough for a phone. On the iPad I can see implementing full multitasking.

Android-style multitasking is problematic as the user has absolutely no control over what's going on and it doesn't just "impact" battery life, it destroys it (if you don't have some kind of task manager that you're constantly getting into).

Don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to do ANY maintenance on my phone. First and foremost, it needs to be a functional phone. Anything that interferes with that experience is a huge pain. I'll take the occasional minor inconvenience of having an app "paused" in the background than deal with the hassles that full multitasking brings with it.

cwa107 said:

Current Multi-tasking is more like task switching (i.e. application is paused). I think that's good enough for a phone. On the iPad I can see implementing full multitasking.

Android-style multitasking is problematic as the user has absolutely no control over what's going on and it doesn't just "impact" battery life, it destroys it (if you don't have some kind of task manager that you're constantly getting into).

Don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to do ANY maintenance on my phone. First and foremost, it needs to be a functional phone. Anything that interferes with that experience is a huge pain. I'll take the occasional minor inconvenience of having an app "paused" in the background than deal with the hassles that full multitasking brings with it.

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I do understand and see your point - I would like the option though with the default setting as off. There are times where I might be doing something and need it to continue while I go do something else (an example would be using Reel Director to render a video and having to wait for it to finish to be able to do anything else). I don't necessarily ALWAYS need it, but there are times where I would like to have it and don't (but don't think I'm planning on getting an Android device due to this - I prefer my iPhone regardless of any limitations I may feel it has ).

I also agree that it would be much more valuable on the iPad (which honestly also needs a LOT more RAM in it) but a lot is based upon what the person uses it for. Some apps are better suited for task switching and some apps have certain functionality that is better suited for true multitasking)

cwa107 said:

Dual core chips just don't impress my in a phone. So few apps on full-blown PCs can take advantage of multiple cores, having multiple cores in a phone is just silly and is more about boasting specs than actually providing more performance. Increase the clockspeed and I'll be impressed. We're not running AutoCAD on these things, 1GHz is plenty for nearly all mobile apps.

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Very good points and I agree. I use my iPhone less intensely than my main computer so the whole spec performance wars between phones don't really impress me either. If an app I use does need that much power and performance then it will be beneficial but as you have said most mobile apps don't need it. A continued bump in performance is good but it should not be the main selling point anymore in my opinion.

For me it's more about the overall experience when using my phone that I care about. It's the same reason why I choose Mac OS instead of Windows. This is why I'm more excited to see the new iOS rather than the iPhone 5. I'm hoping the new iOS will fix some annoying user experience issues that bothers me while adding new features that will make life easier or the user experience even more enjoyable.

It's easy for a company to upgrade a phone's specs but it's not as easy to make something very enjoyable to use everyday. Most people don't use their phones to their full performance potential anyway so increased performance doesn't impress me as they once did.

I got to say that with each update I have been impressed with the speed bump which I told myself was not needed but now I am spoiled to the point I will not go backwards so bring it on.

I'd like to see it go the other direction. A phone about the same size and form factor as the Apple remote, that would snap into the back of an iPad sized touch screen when desired.
That way I would only need one data plan and my phone would be truly pocketable.

osxx said:

I got to say that with each update I have been impressed with the speed bump which I told myself was not needed but now I am spoiled to the point I will not go backwards so bring it on.

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The thing is that with every update it's pretty standard to expect some kind of speed bump. To me that means it's not really a special selling point if everyone expects it. Unless I see my iPhone struggle to run my apps I'm not going to be rushing out to get an iPhone 5 if it were just a speed bump.

Now give me a larger screen and some other interesting new features then it will give me more of a reason to upgrade. A larger screen alone will do it for me but maybe not for everyone else.

Razormac said:

That way I would only need one data plan and my phone would be truly pocketable.

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You must have some very tiny or tight pockets.

Razormac said:

I'd like to see it go the other direction. A phone about the same size and form factor as the Apple remote, that would snap into the back of an iPad sized touch screen when desired.
That way I would only need one data plan and my phone would be truly pocketable.

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The multiple data plan has been a pet peeve of mine for a while since you pay for a data plan at home and mobile why should you have to pay a third plan since obviously you will not be on both at the same time. Clear seems to be the only company out there that does a combined package. Problem is they are not widespread and their bandwidth limits when all their customers
are using the net.

Honestly, I could always go for more ram. I have experienced many slow downs on my iphone4 from using apps, and from various app memory readers, my ram is usually completely taken up.

However, above all else, the only true thing I want to be better on the next phone is the antenna! I'm now usually in the center of downtown Cleveland, or Washington DC, and the signals ability to send/receive data is pretty much non existent. However, don't go blaming AT&T(as much as I hate to say that) because I'm usually with a friend who's got the iPhone on verizon and it's pretty much the same thing when it comes to data. He can make calls quicker, while I have to call the number, place it to my ear, then look at the screen again to make sure I dialed it, and then it goes through after a few seconds.

I want a better antenna!

EndlessMac said:

You must have some very tiny or tight pockets.

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it's probably just my pants have too much of ME in them.

I've owned a BB Storm for 3 years and am interested in the new iPhone 5 only if the screen size is about the same as the current Droid's I've played with. I've played with the current iPhone 4 and didn't experience any issues with its performance etc so none of that matters to me.

Guess we'll know for sure in a week or so.

Tom

TomServo said:

Guess we'll know for sure in a week or so.

Tom

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...3 days from now.

Razormac said:

it's probably just my pants have too much of ME in them.

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Lol. Ok, your situation is officially understood now.

With things like iCloud, do we still need so much space on the iPhone? I guess this is more of a bragging right for Apple against competition rather than any serious feature-add.