Apple to showcase iPhone 4G at WWDC

Steve Jobs is still expected to have a few surprises up his sleeve

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 4G at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco this evening, but experts have predicted that the handset will hold few surprises.

A number of rumours have been circulating about the new iPhone, including a 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing webcam and HD capabilities.

Few features have been confirmed, however, and the only concrete news is that the device will support tethering, according to US carrier AT&T.

Tim Shepherd, an analyst at Canalys, said that, while he does not expect anything hugely surprising, Apple will have some announcements that have not been leaked.

"We have seen leaked hardware so we think we know what to expect there. I think any changes will be evolutionary, not revolutionary," he said. "A similar form factor with increased performance through added RAM, memory and sensors is expected."

Shepherd suggested that, with regards to the hardware upgrades, the improvements in upgrading the camera have been unhurried, and that it will be sudden, but not entirely unsurprising, if the new device has HD capabilities.

Ian Fogg, a principal analyst at Forrester Research, identified two key areas in which he believes Apple needs to do better.

"Social networking integration needs to be improved because the iPhone is behind competitors. Support is currently provided through add-on apps, which are poorly integrated with inbuilt software," he said.

"Apple needs to build clear ties with inbuilt apps such as the address book, calendar, and photo and video uploads for social networking sites."

Fogg also pointed out that, while Apple targets consumers via a multi-device strategy by selling Macs, iPhones and the iPad, the user experience is awkward.

The analyst suggested that Apple needs to improve its MobileMe cloud service by adding support for reading, music and video. These improvements could also make the iPhone a better business proposition "depending on how well they are executed".

"Apple's challenge is that it is not only competing against other manufacturers, it is competing with the success of its own products," said Fogg.

"As the company has an annual hardware release cycle, it will need to innovate to remain competitive for the next 12 months in a very fast moving market."

The iPhone 4G is also going to be released into a market increasingly saturated with intelligent devices. However, Shepherd does not believe that this will put the latest iPhone at a disadvantage.

"Adjacent devices will have a positive impact on the iPhone. The iPad will attract users to the Apple ecosystem, and being able to share content across multiple devices using iTunes provides a rich user experience," he said.

Shepherd added that there is likely to be strong demand in the UK for the iPhone 4G, especially as there is no longer an exclusivity agreement with O2 and many people have been waiting for the latest phone. He did, however, acknowledge that devices such as the Dell Streak will provide competition.

The keynote announcement expected this evening is in danger of being overshadowed after a 'prototype' iPhone 4G was leaked online by Gizmodo in April.

The blunder occurred after an Apple software engineer, believed to be Gray Powell, left the phone in a pub in Redwood City. The phone was subsequently found by a patron and sold to Gizmodo for $5,000 in a transaction which is subject to an ongoing investigation.

Despite many specifications being inferred, nothing has been confirmed by Apple and all eyes will be focused on chief executive Steve Jobs as he addresses the conference.