Apple Gears Up Towards iPhone 4.0

The year 2009 is coming to a close fast, which means it will soon be time for Apple to announce yet another generation of iPhone. A lot of Apple fans had a lot of expectations for iPhone 3GS, and while Apple didn’t completely disappoint by including a camcorder and a host of new features on the current generation iPhone, we didn’t get the product re-design that most of us were hoping for. While there is no guarantee that Apple will do an iPhone re-design next year, it’d be interesting to see what it has in store for us.

According to many sources, Apple is in the process of rolling out test units in the San Francisco area. The phone is tracked as iPhone 3,1, which could mean we are in for a major upgrade, considering that Apple treated iPhone 3G as a minor upgrade to original iPhone (iPhone 1,1 -> iPhone 1,2). There are no verifiable news on the features that Apple is testing on the new iPhone but we do know that Apple is planning to introduce its own map program on iPhone. Of course, we all would have loved to get some of those free Google products on iPhone, but Apple and Google are not ready to kiss and make up at this point.

Here is what we know about Apple’s efforts to improve the iPhone platform. We do know that Apple is putting more emphasis on security. That is why it is beefing up its security team to help protect iPhone owners against worms, malware, and anything that could compromise their data. We also know that Apple and Verizon have been in discussions about bringing the iPhone to Verizon. AT&T has been a fine partner for Apple, but partnering up with Verizon will enable Apple to reach new heights.

As far as iPhone 4.0 goes, it’s tough to predict what features will be included in that device. But if you have seen a Droid advertisement, you may already know some of the areas that Apple will be working to improve on the new iPhone. The camcorder can get better. Apple will probably give us a decent map feature as well. I also expect Apple to finally put all iPhone’s navigation features together to provide better value to the device owners. As far as the new design goes, your guess is as good as anyone’s.

Your take: what features would you like to see included on iPhone 4.0?