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According to a report by TechnoBuffalo Apple and Verizon were very careful to make sure that the iPhone 4 launch stayed under wraps until the announcement. A source close to the process claims the device was codenamed Acme and employees were privy to information only on a need-to-know basis. Some were testing Verizon connectivity at Apple stores up to six months in advance of the February release.

Some Verizon employees received iPhone 4 units two weeks prior to the official launch. This privilege required the signing of a four-page non-disclosure agreement (NDA) from Apple before they could get their hands on the device. The CDMA iPhone 4 itself had unique security features to ensure that a device wouldn't go missing as happened in 2010 with a prototype GSM iPhone 4.

Pioneer is set to bring a touch-screen car receiver to market that will integrate seamlessly with your iPhone or iPod touch. This either sounds like a great idea or the most distracting in-dash system ever manufactured. The AppRadio features a 6.1-inch 800 x 640 pixel resolution multi-touch display, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling and an AM/FM radio. The real magic happens when you plug in your iPhone 4 or iPod touch 4th generation and start the vehicle.

Apps that have been modified to display on the AppRadio can be used directly on the Pioneer unit. Initial partnerships with app developers include Inrix Traffic, Motion-X GPS Drive, and Pandora and Rdio streaming music apps. More are sure to come on board, as the modifications required for an app to run on the AppRadio are relatively minor.

Thinking you can keep your iPhone 3GS and take advantage of all the new features and improvements that iOS 5 will offer this fall? Think again. Apple is rumored to be leaving the 3GS hardware behind when it updates its mobile operating system to the latest and greatest version. Already the previous discontinued model iPhone 3G is stuck at iOS 4.2.1 and can't take advantage of many iOS 4 features.

The move could signal major changes in iOS 5 that will require improved hardware such as that found inside the iPhone 4. Apple is expected to focus on the next version of iOS and mobile software development at the annual WWDC coming in the first week of June. The fifth generation mobile operating system is expected to support new cloud-based features including streaming media and storage solutions provided by Apple.

A curved front glass screen could be on its way to the fifth generation Apple iPhone. Sources in the component supply chain tell Taiwanese tech paper DigiTimes that Apple has purchased 200-300 glass cutting machines and is storing them at assembly plants for future use. Apple has been working with touch sensor and cover glass manufacturers, glass cutters and lamination suppliers to improve yield rates.

According to the report, the new machines will be used when manufacturing is up to speed. Apple purchased the machines because they are an expensive investment for cover glass makers. Industry sources claim Apple is working on a curved cover glass for the next iPhone model that will utilize the equipment. These investments will ramp up production and make the curved glass possible at an unspecified date in the near future.

Another day, another next generation iPhone prediction. This one seems to make sense, at lease based upon historical Apple iOS event dates and iPhone hardware announcements. Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray calculated the number of days between these two events for the past three years. Also listed in the chart below from AppleInsider is the actual iPhone ship date.

Extrapolating these numbers based on this year's iOS event in San Francisco scheduled for June 6 points to an August 24 iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S announcement. This would place the shipping date for the new hardware squarely in the middle of September. These predictions mesh well with previous information we've heard over the past few months.