Job advert prompts iPhone 4G LTE rumours

As is often the way of things in the world of technology, it is the smallest things which prompt rumours about where particular device manufacturers are going next with their gadgets, and when.

In this case, it is a job advertisement by Apple which has started rumours flying about the spec of the next incarnation of the iPhone, the 4G; which will be capable of much faster mobile broadband speeds than we've seen so far - potentially in the region of 40 or 50Mb. Still a mythical beast at this stage, the iPhone 4G was widely expected to be released next year; mainly because 4G chip manufacturers had admitted that they wouldn't be ready to ship until the first quarter of 2011.

Now, however, a job advertisement on Apple's website has called that into question. The California-based company is advertising for a "cellular technology software manager" who will have, amongst other things, "expert knowledge" of LTE technology. This has prompted speculation that the 4G release could be as early as this summer -  in the States, at least.

With HTC already having announced the EVO 4G on Sprint's WiMAX network it's to be expected that Apple will be looking to bring forward the release of its own 4G model; but news that the iPhone will be using LTE technology will definitely please Apple fans on this side of the pond, where LTE is likely to be the next mobile broadband standard.