Apple looking to 3G and OLED for iPhone

Apple may be ready to move its mobile phone offering, the iPhone, over to 3G, according to analysts at Gartner.

The consumer electronics giant, whose new phone has a touch screen interface, has been planning a 3G version of the phone, according to Ken Dulaney at Gartner.

He told the iPod Observer that 3Gs HSDPA protocol, which offers download speeds faster than EDGE and GPRS technology which the iPhone currently supports, will be used in future.

The iPhone has not been as successful in Europe, with analysts suspecting that the slower download speeds have put business users off.

Gartner expert Bob Hafner said: "We absolutely believe that in the next-generation iPhone 3G will be there."

Another improvement which is being predicted for the next handset is the inclusion of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen.

The OLED screen, which would be of a higher resolution than the current LCD screen would cut down on power consumption, allowing longer talk time.

OLEDs are also thinner, so the manufacturer could decide between reducing thickness of the phone or adding a larger battery.

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