There has been plenty of speculation regarding the what and when of the next generation iPhone from Apple, with some claiming to have laid hands on the device already and others citing new features a-plenty. So far the most reliable reports would appear to have come from the direction of Engadget which claims "on authority" that a "trusted source" has played with one and can reveal it has 3G capability and proper GPS built in.

Other changes would seem to be to the look and feel, with he metal backplate being replaced by a full glossy black finished casing all the way from top to bottom. To contrast with this all black look, some bling is introduced by the addition of chrome plated volume buttons.

One assumes because of the GPS capability, and judging by the experience of other handsets which have added this functionality, the iPhone 2 is somewhat thicker than the original although not by enough to make it a handful.

Meanwhile, the other reliable report comes from the direction of InfoWorld which claims that the next generation iPhone will be officially announced by Steve Jobs during his keynote at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9th.

All of this would certainly fit with the fact that Apple seems to be clearing out the old stock of original iPhone units in Europe at least, with recent huge and swathing price reductions resulting in there being hardly any iPhones left for sale in the UK for example.

It would fit the Apple pattern of winding down inventory to make way for an updated model...