Reports about a future version of the iPhone are starting to ramp up, even though Apple itself has not even hinted that new hardware will be announced any time soon. The latest scuttlebutt says that the next version of the iPhone will have "significantly faster" wireless Internet, video capture and more.The supposed big news about the next version of the iPhone boasts a serious speed boost. Just how far can Apple supe up the iPhone? It currently has the ability to connect to AT&T's HSDPA network at speeds up to 3.6Mbps. Reality, however, prevents the 3G iPhone from running this fast. Real-world speeds are more like 1.4Mbps at peak, and are often lower than that. That's just the reality of how wireless networks operate.

How much room for improvement is there? Well, HSUPA for starters. But this would only boost upload speeds. HSDPA/HSUPA combined in more commonly referred to as HSPA. HSPA can hit 7.2Mbps, and AT&T has that available in some -- but not all -- markets. There's room for HSPA and HSPA+ to ramp up to 14.4Mbps and 28.8Mbps (all theoretical) peak speeds. Real-world speeds will still hover below those peaks.

Given the number of HSPA and HSPA+ networks that are being rolled out worldwide, I'd be surprised if a next-generation iPhone has anything less than this. Others speculate that Apple will endow the next iPhone with LTE (Long Term Evolution). I've spoken tio AT&T CEO Ralph De la Vega. AT&T is in no hurry to roll out LTE. We're talking years.

Most reports suggest 7.2Mbps is what we'll see, which hardly qualifies as "significantly faster" in my book.

But speed isn't all the new iPhone will be capable of. Here's where things get even more interesting. According to the Boy Genius:

• New iPhone announcement around mid-June (duh)
• New iPhone will be faster and have a more seamless experience unmatched by any device (could be just talking about 3.0, but we think it's also a new iPhone)
• U-Verse iPhone application; will allow control of your home DVR (play, pause, rewind, etc.)
• The annual iPhone launch is "becoming a tradition."
• Nothing official is being confirmed, but they said that people should prep for an exciting time this summer.
• AT&T is said to be working with Apple to create a unified product with an unparalleled experience across all their products and services.
• Apple's 3.0 software should tell us where the iPhone platform is going… uh, k?
• They said customers shouldn't need to choose from AT&T's high-end devices because of features, they should choose based on preferences. The gap in capability should be filled with the new iPhone. Ok, bets on slide out QWERTY, autofocus camera, video sharing, blah blah?
• Seems like the higher speed HSDPA (7.2Mbps) is being hinted at too which should confirm the earlier rumors of the new Infineon chipset.
• The $99 3G netbook will start selling this summer, and the first one won't be a Windows OS.

The Boy Genius reports that these points are 100% confirmed. I say, until Apple gets around to actually announcing something, don't expect the next-gen iPhone to chew your food for you.