What Apple should add to the iPhone 6 (yes, the iPhone 6)

Today, we’ll finally saw which of the interminable iPhone 5 rumors were true (none of the wilder ones, it turns out). In the actual iPhone 4S, we saw a faster processor, a better camera, more memory and storage capacity, a Sprint version, a “world phone” capability (a dual GSM/CDMA radio), voice-based “intelligent” assistance, and a reduction in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3G S prices to expand the iPhone’s reach downmarket.

That’s all nice, and it’s typical for Apple to go a couple years before making radical changes to its products. The 3GS, for example, followed the 3G as essentially a speed-bumped version. It makes sense the same pattern will hold today.

That means a really redesigned iPhone is a good year away, so there’s time for Apple to consider my suggestions:

First, the “iPhone 6” (I can’t call it the iPhone 5 because of all the attention to that unreal product this year) should support LTE-based 4G networks. By next summer or fall, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and perhaps Sprint will have enough of the higher-speed, higher-bandwidth 4G networks deployed to make it worth Apple’s while to support the technology in the iPhone (and iPad 3).

Second, the glass should be water-repellent: When you hold the iPhone against your face when talking, today you can get a sticky mess if you’re sweating or it’s muggy outside. Beading the moisture or wicking it away would help keep it cleaner.

Third, the dock connector port should have some sort of shield, perhaps a membrane or door, so the schmutz in your shirt pocket can’t get into it.

Fourth, a pico projector on the back would be great for impromptu presentations of slideshows or photos. It can go on the back at the opposite corner of the camera, for some visual parallelism. Think of it as a live social sharing tool.

Fifth, tapping the power button either briefly or extralong should show a power indicator, like Apple’s MacBooks do, without the screen needing to be charged. Does it need a charge? Why should I have to turn it all the way on to find out?

Sixth, I’d like the light sensor to be used to turn off the screen when I place the iPhone in a pocket or face down on a table — why waste the battery when the screen is obscured? The iPad 2 does this when you close the Smart Cover, so Apple could adapt that technique using the light sensor rather than the magnets.

Seventh, I want a bigger screen, something like 4 inches, up from today’s 3.5 mark. At 3.5 inches, it’s just too small for many apps, especially non-Apple apps whose text size you can’t increase using the Accessibility settings. Sorry, but my eyes are nearly 50 years old, and small is not good.

Eighth, I want autosyncing of documents with my Mac, using the same AirDrop technology as in Mac OS X Lion. Yes, iOS 5’s Wi-Fi syncing gets you much of the way for backup and media syncing, but I don’t want to have iTunes on for this to work (as is required in iOS 5). It should work with the Finder (which is always running) as AirDrop does. And yes, iCloud does some of this for some apps and photos, but it assumes the same apps on both the computer and the iPhone — and that’s never going to be the universal scenario.

Unlike AirDrop, it should not be permissions-based for my own devices (use my iCloud or Apple ID as the test of which devices are mine), though it should be permissions-based for other people’s devices. If Apple can do it for Windows, too, be my guest; I can see Apple using the forthcoming Windows 8’s syncing technology to do so. I don’t care whether it’s a form of Bluetooth file sharing or Wi-Fi sharing — PCs and iPhones do both. In fact, I shouldn’t even have to be asked — use whatever both have on. Oh, and I want Apple to license the technology — AirDrop/Wi-Fi syncing and/or iCloud document sharing — to peripheral and camera makers; for example, my camera’s images would just show up on my computer and iPhone, without a clunky connection cable.

Ninth, I want my iPhone to merge into my Mac when I’m at my desk. That is, I want to access its apps from my Mac, as if they were the same computer, with the iPhone in an integrated virtual machine, as you would get running Windows on Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. In other words, I want the iPhone to be an iPhone when it’s alone but become part of my Mac experience when I’m using my MacBook Pro.

And I want my iPhone to tap into my Mac’s storage and peripherals (the display, not just the input devices) so that I can dock to them when needed. It might be harder to do this on Windows, but it might be possible in Windows 8’s Metro UI and SDK. An early-stage version of this doackable smartphone concept is in Motorola Mobility’s Atrix, Fusion, and related Android devices. I want Apple to do it right — for both the “iPhone 6” and “iPad 3.”

Yes, I’m struggling with a radical idea for the “iPhone 6,” although I think the last one comes close. The iPhone is so impressive that it’s hard to imagine something radical but useful to add or change. On the other hand, that’s something Apple’s designers are good at — I’ll leave that to them!

What I’d hate to see are the end of the physical Home button, volume buttons, power button, or silent mode button; if these were touch-based, they’d be too easy to activate or change inadvertently. These are all situations where tactile feedback and the need for a definitive press are useful. If Apple can somehow hide them under the surface but still achieve that physicality, great! Just make sure there’s tactile feedback to indicate my fingers are actually on them.

I’d hate to see a teardrop-shaped or otherwise curved-surface iPhone, as some bloggers suggest is in the works. It might look cool, but how well would that fit in my shirt pocket? Or set on a table? I shudder to think. But maybe an all-glass exterior would allow the curves without getting weird.

But do feel free to make it faster, thinner, more capacious, and lighter. Those features are always good.

This article, “What Apple should add to the iPhone 6 (yes, the iPhone 6),” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Galen Gruman’s Mobile Edge blog and follow the latest developments in mobile technology at InfoWorld.com. Follow Galen’s mobile musings on Twitter at MobileGalen. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.