Rumor: iPhone upgrades imminent

While Apple's new iPhone is earning largely positive consumer buzz, AppleInsider reports a host of upgrades are already in the pipeline, timed to coincide with the October release of the computing giant's revamped Mac OS X version 10.5, dubbed "Leopard." According to an Apple insider, some iPhone updates may arrive sooner rather than later: An instant messaging client likened to a mobile version of iChat will reportedly arrive in the imminent future, with customized ringtones scheduled to debut around the same time. Sometime this autumn, Apple will add to the iPhone a disk mode for transferring computer files as well as a file browser to store and open documents. And in a move reminiscent of the iPod shuffle, consumers will have the choice to reserve a certain percentage of iPhone flash storage for iTunes content, with the remainder allotted for other data.

Leopard itself will allegedly arrive with its own iPhone bells and whistles, including an enhanced file window for dragging content to and from the device. Other alleged iPhone upgrades: a mobile edition of iWork (the Mac alternative to Microsoft Office), an auto-discovery file system, search and widescreen typing, not to mention third-party applications including Adobe's Flash.

In related news, technical investigation firm Semiconductor Insights is touting the first known iPhone video teardown, revealing design wins by brands including Samsung, Intel and Balda. Watch the video here.

For more on the iPhone upgrade rumors:
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