Latest buzz on the next iPhone

What will the next generation iPhone look like when it’s released in June?

That’s the burning question on the minds of Apple devotees and technology observers alike, sparked by the less-than-blockbuster release of the iPhone 4 on Verizon.

There are rumors galore, and multiple leaks and media reports suggest that Apple is toying with the following three potential models:

- A miniature, uber-portable iPhone, much like an iPod nano.

- An iPhone with a bigger screen, up to 4 inches from the current 3.5, making the iPhone touchpad more in line with many of its Android rivals and allowing it to more easily support some apps.

- The perennially discussed version with a slide-out keyboard, which has long been in the running but has never made the cut.

Apple produces three prototypes at a time that are brought all the way to the point of manufacturing — but only one is chosen. So consumers are likely to see one, but not all three, of those potential iPhones.

Carl D. Howe, a tech analyst at Boston-based Yankee Group, predicted the larger screen version of the iPhone would be the one to make the cut — and not because Apple is afraid of the Android onslaught.

“What they’re doing is more likely related to usability,” Howe said. “It gives your fingers more room to move on the larger iPhone.”

The smaller iPhone prototype would reportedly be a cheaper version of the phone aimed at targeting Google’s mobile operating system. Apple is also reportedly turning its MobileMe online storage locker into a cloud server that would store electronic books, songs and movies — a move that would augment the smaller storage space of a potential nano.

With an iPhone nano, however, the trade-off would still be that a smaller phone would support fewer apps.

“The fact that there have been rumors does not mean they’ll see the light of day,” Howe said. “They’re always working on the next generation of any product.”