rumors

We've heard from a reliable source that Apple plans to introduce "a new iPod touch" this December. Our source couldn't go into details, but this may end up being the iPod touch with a camera that we'd expected back in September.

Some may remember that Phil Schiller, Apple's Sr VP of Product Marketing, told Gizmodo a couple weeks back that "the holiday lineup is set," although Apple's been known to say things to kill off speculation in the past. Could this be something that Apple doesn't consider part of the "holiday lineup?" Maybe, maybe not.

Our source also believes that it's also likely that Apple may roll out this update after the Christmas shopping season.* We'll just have to wait and see.

We're not sure if this is supposed to be happening, but Chinese parts supplier China Ontrade is offering an "Apple iPhone 4 Generation Midboard", which the company claims it received from Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn on November 1st. The company posted the following content: 

We also have final pictures of iPhone 4 Generation with amazingly beautiful back cover that will come here up soon. Please check for updates.

A MacTalk Forums user has found an icon within the current iPhone 3.0 SDK which may be a depiction of the next iPhone. Two versions of the icon, a black and white, are labeled iPhone2,1 (which has been previously referred to as the next-gen iPhone) and show no noticeable changes between it and the iPhone 3G icon. If the image is an accurate depiction of the next generation iPhone, it may indicate that we'll see no major changes in the next model. However, it is also possible that the image is simply a copy of the iPhone 3G image and is being used as a placeholder.

You can compare the images of iPhone2,1 to the other iPhone models in our image gallery below.

Analyst Toni Sacconaghi said in a report that COO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer hinted at iPhone price changes and new handsets. He wrote in a report this week following the interview about hints dropped by the Apple execs of possible changes to come in the future.

According to MacRumors, the recent iPhone 2.x firmware has evidence of the next generation iPhone. Found in a property list inside the update image (USBDeviceConfiguration.plist), the suspected new iPhone is designated "iPhone2,1" while the current iPhone is "iPhone1,2."

Jason O'Grady at ZDNet has picked up on an interesting rumor here at Macworld. According to him, Apple is currently working on a four-core iPhone running OS X iPhone 3.0. The 3.0 software is said to be required on the iPhone "quad."

We just received word from a reliable source within Apple that they are in fact working on an iPhone Nano, and that it will be announced at Macworld. The source says that the iPhone Nano will most likely be similar in form-factor to the iPod touch, and will probably not include 3G.

Last month BGR got word that Walmart might start selling the iPhone 3G in the U.S. on December 28. Now they have a tip from another source (whom they note isn't on their list of credible ninjas) taking the rumor one step further, saying that not only will Walmart be getting the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G, but will also have a 4GB for just $99.

Remember how some guy on the RussianiPhone.ru forums said he magically obtained a copy of the 2.2.1 Beta, claiming that it added MobileMe over-the-air syncing of Calendar items and the Notes app, and offered a screenshot with a notifier button over the Notes app as proof? We were pretty sure before that it seemed fishy (and by the comments you left, you didn't buy it either). Well, we were right. The post has been updated as a confirmed fake.

The folks at iLounge have gotten their hands on what appear to be dimensional drawings for upcoming iterations of the iPod touch and 4th generation iPod nano. According to the drawings, the iPod nano appears to be very similar the "Kevin Rose nano", we mentioned late last month. The only difference is that, according to the drawing, the nano's plastic screen covering may not be curved.

The iPod touch drawings depict a more iPhone 3G-like design which sports a tapered back - thin at its edges, and thicker in the middle. The most significant change seems to be the addition of a volume rocker, similar to the iPhone. Headphone port and dock connections seem to have stayed in the same location at the bottom of the device. Full drawings after the break.