RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
And Apple has fans and investors buzzing about a new version of the iPhone. The iPhone has been one of the hottest new gadgets in years, but the company's under pressure to keep innovating and boost sales. Today, Apple's expected to announce details of its new iPhone. From San Francisco, Cyrus Farivar reports.
CYRUS FARIVAR: Predicting the exact timing of a major upgrade from Apple is tricky business. But Jason Snell, editorial director of Macworld Magazine says that this year it's pretty obvious.
Mr. JASON SNELL (Macworld Magazine): The current version of the iPhone disappeared from Apple.com online store about a month ago, and that's a pretty good sign that something's happened at the factory and they're making something else instead. So I think everybody anticipates - and rightly so - that we're also going to see a new iPhone debut roughly a year after the last one did.
FARIVAR: The new version of the iPhone is predicted to have a much higher speed data capability, known in the industry as 3G. That means if you're not within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot you can still surf the Internet much faster than you can on the current model.
Macworld's Jason Snell adds that there are also predictions that with 3G on the phone, Apple could add over the air synching to a computer or online backup service. Today, getting data between a computer and the iPhone requires plugging it in with a cable - very old-school.
There are also rumors afoot that the new version may be thinner or hold more data than the current model. Apple watchers also say that it might have GPS on the phone as well, something that an increasing number of competing phones have had for some time.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is set to kick of the Worldwide Developer Conference with his keynote address later this morning.
For NPR News, I'm Cyrus Farivar.
MONTAGNE: And you can read about 3G longer battery life and other items on the wish lists of iPhone fans by going to npr.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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