{"id":277253,"date":"2010-02-04T15:28:51","date_gmt":"2010-02-04T20:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theappleblog.com\/?p=40516"},"modified":"2010-02-04T15:28:51","modified_gmt":"2010-02-04T20:28:51","slug":"the-next-iphone-hd-video-new-oem-and-sku-silliness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/277253","title":{"rendered":"The Next iPhone: HD Video, New OEM and SKU Silliness"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Engadget has been digging through the iPhone OS SDK and, tucked away inside the MediaValidator.plist file, found what it believes are clues to future HD video capabilities in the next revision of the iPhone (codenamed N89). Engadget\u2019s Chris Ziegler writes<\/a>;<\/p>\n

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…the maximum video width is up from 768 pixels to 1280, and the maximum number of pixels per frame is up to 921,600, which just happens to work out to 1280 x 720. The device’s AVC profile has been bumped from 3.0 to 3.1, too, which adds in support for 720p.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Image by Engadget<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Does this mean we can expect a (much) higher resolution screen in the next iPhone, possibly even OLED? (Mind you, it doesn\u2019t matter one jot how brilliant OLED is \u2013 watching HD on a three and a half inch screen is still Teeny-Weeny-Eye-Strain-O-Vision, however you look at it.) <\/span><\/p>\n

More sensibly, the baked-in HD capabilities might be intended for those times when connecting the iPhone to a big screen. (Which raises new questions about the method Apple might use to connect an iPhone an external HD monitor; Mini DisplayPort? HDMI? I\u2019m pretty sure LightPeek is out of the question, but, heck, while we\u2019re speculatin\u2019\u2026)<\/p>\n

Alternatively, this might not be relevant to the iPhone at all but, instead, is relevant only to the iPad (which shares the same OS).<\/p>\n

Foxconn\u2019s New Friend<\/h3>\n

Meanwhile, the Taiwan-based DigiTimes yesterday\u00a0reported<\/a> that consumer electronics manufacturer Pegatron is set to produce the next revision of the iPhone, due later this year. Presumably veteran manufacturer Foxconn, who has produced each generation of the iPhone since 2007, are also continuing to produce Apple’s handsets.<\/p>\n

What can I tell you about Pegatron, aside from the fact that its name is worthy of a Transformers character? (Megatron, Galvatron, Pegatron\u2026 yes?) Pegatron was founded by netbook giant ASUS two years ago. It is a consumer electronics manufacturer dabbling in all manner of devices, from LCD TVs to Microsoft\u2019s upcoming Natal controller. According to DigiTimes, Pegatron has managed to score handset orders from \u201cvarious telecom carriers.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is all absolutely essential background information when cooking-up new iPhone conjecture. Why<\/em> would Apple secure a second<\/em> handset manufacturer? Does Apple expect significantly greater demand for the next iPhone (more than Foxconn could satisfy?) Could Pegatron be the manufacturer of the first CDMA iPhone?<\/p>\n

Could the addition of a second OEM point to Apple producing (or maintaining) multiple iPhone SKUs? There are six different iPad SKUs, why not have six different iPhone SKUs, too?<\/p>\n

If Apple maintains the current iPhone lineup as well as adding a next-generation handset later this year, we would be left with a somewhat convoluted product line; there would be the iPhone 3G (black, 8GB) the iPhone 3GS (black\/white, 16\/32GB) and then, presumably, an iPhone 4G in Black, White, \u2018iPad Silver\u2019 and, of course, \u2018Unicorn.\u2019 And don\u2019t forget the SKUs that will be introduced as a result of supporting different carrier frequencies. What was once a relatively simple (and fairly minimalist) lineup is made painfully complicated. It\u2019s one step shy of producing a whole series of iPhone \u2018Editions.\u2019 Can you imagine it? \u2018iPhone Home Premium\u2019, \u2018iPhone Professional\u2019, \u2018iPhone Ultimate\u2019. (Who will buy \u2018iPhone Starter Edition\u2019?)<\/p>\n

I kid of course, but there\u2019s good reason to be wary. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in the late 90’s he axed entire product lines in an effort to simplify the company\u2019s offerings (and, no doubt, cut costs). Since then, the variation in individual products that was, for a brief time, refreshingly limited has diversified into quite an astonishing array; just three \u2018species\u2019 of laptop and three desktop families manage to produce, between them, bewildering variations in size, capability and price. (Apple calls the iMac the \u201cUltimate all-in-one\u201d which is amusing when one considers the enormous variety<\/a> in iMac SKUs.)<\/p>\n

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The Ultimate all-in-one\u2026 depends on which 'one' you buy\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Apple understands the enormous value (and profits) in offering customers multiple variations of the same product. It\u2019s how they present<\/em> that variety that\u2019s so clever. Apple somehow manages to keep their lineup simple, identifiable and easy. A quick glance at a Mac will tell you, broadly speaking, what kind<\/em> of Mac it is. Can the same be said of a modern Dell computer?<\/p>\n

The point is customers expect<\/em> wide variation between computers, but when it comes to smartphones they want a certain degree of homogeny. Particularly among high-profile, expensive smartphones. If you’re spending a lot of money on a so-called smartphone, you don’t want to perceive it as being somehow less-smart than a similar product from a competitor \u2013 or worse, a similar product from the same manufacturer!<\/p>\n

Apple changed the rules of the game; if you wanted the best smartphone in the world, you bought an iPhone. Could the rules change later this year to \u201cIf you want the best smartphone in the world, buy an iPhone, but<\/em>\u2026 be really careful which one you buy, \u2018cos some are better than others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, we’ll know in a few short months. But in the meantime, there’s nothing to stop us debating the possibilities.<\/p>\n

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Engadget has been digging through the iPhone OS SDK and, tucked away inside the MediaValidator.plist file, found what it believes are clues to future HD video capabilities in the next revision of the iPhone (codenamed N89). Engadget\u2019s Chris Ziegler writes; …the maximum video width is up from 768 pixels to 1280, and the maximum number […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-277253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277253\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}