The digital clues left by Apple haven't escaped the watchful eyes of the webosphere. Coders have found references to what is most likely the next version of the iPhone. Its killer feature? The ability to record HD video.Apple uses some really weird code names to mask what it's doing behind the scenes. For example, the original iPhone was referred to as M68, the iPhone 3G referred to as N82, and the iPhone 3GS referred to as N88 in its software development kits.

Last week, Apple released the SDK for iPhone OS 3.2. Therein lay an interesting reference to a new product, codenamed N89. According to sources trusted deeply by the fellas over at Engadget, N89 is the codename for the next version of the iPhone.

Not much is known beyond that, except for one other tidbit. The N89 supports version 3.1 of the AVC codec, which includes the ability to record in 720p. This thin sliver of information suggests that the next version of the iPhone could support high-definition video capture and playback.

Personally, I say it better. Apple's competitors are already rolling out superior hardware to Apple's aging iPhone design. The next generation iPhone hardware needs to make some serious improvements. HD video recording would be a good start.