What iOS 6 tells us about the next iPhone

Apple's WWDC may not have resulted in an iPhone announcement, but it provided the next best thing: a detailed look at iOS 6.

It doesn't come out until the fall, and will only work on the iPhone 3GS and models after that, but a lot of iOS 6 features will be welcomed by any iPhone owner.

New versions of mobile software (be it iOS or Android) can often be as feature-packed and exciting as new phone models, and frequently kick a lot of new value down to older hardware.

The question is, can we look into the new features of iOS 6 to peer upstream at what Apple's next iPhone might be like? I'll try. Here are my best guesses.

Mobile Wallet
Passbook doesn't introduce much that isn't already available via other apps, but it's Apple's first baked-in commitment to digital ticket/coupon/account consolidation. The ability to add QR codes and other frequent-user cards may sound small, but if Apple can help pull the general public into using the iPhone as a digital wallet, then this could be the first step toward unlocking NFC and other swipe-to-pay functions in the next iPhone.
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