I saw those reports too, but wonder what the analyst is basing that on. The iFixit guys were basing their take on the leaked photos.

In any case, I'm hoping 512 proves to be the real number in the released model.

Today TIPB is reporting 512MB of ram, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo the in hit-and-miss industry trade, Digitimes.

Oh yeah – battery life should get a big-time boost. I don't fancy the odds on that 'one more thing' though. 🙂

Totally agree on the extra RAM being needed, especially with all the new features being released. Ideally we don't want the iPhone 4G almost phased out from the OS released in 2012 (like the iPhone 3G will be after release of OS4.0 and its inability to cope with multi-tasking).

Perhaps Steve's 'and another thing' moment will be the introduction of more than 1 model of iPhone 4G, one with 256mb and another with 512mb ?

I absolutely believe this one – and Gizmodo's 'lost' one – are the real deal. With Gizmodo the ultimate proof was the letter from Apple claiming their property. With these latest photos, I've spoken directly with the guys at iFixit, who tear down iDevices with the best of them, and they say the photos match up and as mentioned above they say the part numbers are legible and match what is expected for the next model.

I agree with you that, as with PC apps, I think it's best to assume that apps need copious amounts of processor time and RAM to play with.

Also agree that better specs don;t always mean better performance – but I'm going to hope and assume that Apple will handle that part nicely, so let's have all the memory we can. A year is a long time in the tech and mobile tech world. While 256 may seem more than enough now, here's betting it won't so much 12 months down the road.

Patrick, additional insights are great, I appreciate the extra effort.

So, I assume, you think this really is the next iPhone, and the final form will pretty be much be this?

Your first point is interesting, and it probably requires me to know a little more about development. My gut reaction would be that's why they are introducing a better/faster processor. However, since more demanding PC/MAC applications require both better processors and consume more RAM it stands to reason that iPhone apps would too.

Your last point is a real reason for me, but I think applies more to readers of your blog, than the mass users. I feel the iPhone is the best smart/multimedia phone out there, and as a result, everyone of its specs should be the best. I also have noticed that Apple tends to gloss over some of these specs, and many consumers won't notice. I say that being aware that better specs don't always translate to better performance. Case in point, the Android phones that have better camera megapixel rating than the 3Gs, and then looking at the resulting "quality" of those pictures.

I think there are a few reasons why we need / want 512MB on the next iPhone:
— Apps will inexorably continue to get more demanding
— Great multitasking abilities in 4.0 should have lots of leeway on RAM
— This is just a key hardware component and I want more memory than I can currently use up – the more spare the better – I feel sure I (and apps I use) will grow into it.
— Other rival smartphones have it.

Why does the next generation iPhone user on 4.0 need > 256mb of ram?

I have a 3GS, when jailbroken I would run a navigation application, and a game (with intense graphics like Asphalt 5), and Facebook, and Google Maps at the same time. No slow down. I also understand that new 4.0 OS doesn't do multitasking the same way as backgrounder, but more like a save state and fast switching.

I certainly might be wrong, but it seems to me that staying with the existing ram isn't a big deal now, but might be down the road if backgrounding/multitasking changes, and apps become more demanding.