New iPhone rumors begin to leak, and one of them gets an odd confirmation

You can always tell when summer is upon us: flowers bloom, birds chirp and new iPhone rumors flow like water from a river.

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) begins on June 8th, and the opening keynote speech has become the usual platform for announcements of a new iPhone.  The tradition began in 2007, followed suit in 2008, and there is no reason to think that trend won’t continue this year.

In the weeks leading up to the WWDC, the rumors of what one can expect from a new iteration of the phone always begin to swirl, and this year is no different.  John Gruber of Daring Fireball has a good track record of spoiling new releases from Apple, having accurately predicted the unibody MacBook Pros, and now he is back with some predictions for the iPhone.

He is saying that consumers can expect:

• 16 GB and 32 GB models
• Increased RAM from 128 MB to 256 MB
• CPU speeds increased from 400 MHz to 600 MHz
• Little to no change of the physical design
• The addition of a magnetometer, or compass
• An improved camera that will not only finally be able to focus, but also shoot video
• Improved application switching, but still not clear if apps will be able to run in the background
• Possibly improved battery life

While some of these may seem like a given, and others may feel like “pie in the sky” dreams, some credence was added to them by information coming from foreign iPhone mobile partners.  According to Engadget, T-Mobile Austria briefly put a place holder on their site for a 32 GB model of the iPhone.  It was subsequently removed in a fairly speedy manner, but it definitely hints at that rumor being true.  Also, Vodafone Australia is saying that the current 16 GB models as “end of life”, hinting that a newer model is quickly coming out from the Cupertino, CA based company.

Prices, with two year contract, are expected to stay pegged at $199 for the 16 GB model, and $299 for the 32 GB model, but that isn’t a huge shock as those price points have been working for AT&T and Apple for two years now.

Expect everything to become official on June 8th, but odds are we already know the highlights of the announcement.

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