Last-minute rumor: iPhone 3GS with longer battery life at WWDC

As Apple's WWDC opening keynote looms, one prominent blogger claims that Apple may embark on a new naming scheme for its next iPhone and that battery life, speed and video capabilities will be the key selling points.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball hears that the upcoming models have been given the codename "iPhone 3GS," though whether this is simply an internal Apple moniker or the final naming scheme is uncertain. What the "S" might mean is just as indeterminate; Gruber speculates that it may be "speed," an allusion to the faster processor and additional RAM that have repeatedly been rumored as part of the update.

New, however, is an assertion that the upgraded models will have extended battery life. The new models will reportedly have "15-20 percent" more useful lifespan between charges than the iPhone 3G, addressing a common complaint about today's handsets.

The writer also recapitulates expectations for other features based on his unnamed sources, which echo many other reports: he anticipates 16GB and 32GB models priced at $199 and $299 respectively, and believes that Apple will emphasize video editing as one of the most important software features.

Turning more towards speculation, he adds that cheaper iPhones are likely but that he suspects any move on Apple's part is more likely to entail a large price cut on the existing 8GB iPhone 3G, which could drop to as low as $99 on a contract. Any genuinely redesigned product to fit the category isn't likely so soon, Gruber believes.

While the late outline of Apple's plans for Monday hasn't been corroborated elsewhere, the blogger has had an accurate track record as of late, detailing Apple's exact plans for unibody MacBooks just hours before they became official the same day.