AppleInsider has uncovered that the iPhone 3G S will achieve its boost in graphics performance by using a graphics chip that supports OpenGL ES 2.0.
Most current phones support the OpenGL ES 1.1 standard, including the iPhone 3G, but the new iPhone 3G S will be using the PowerVR SGX GPU, which allows for higher performance. OpenGL ES is a slimmed-down version of OpenGL, which most desktop graphics cards support.
OpenGL ES 2.0 will allow for greater shading, 3D performance, and more complex textures. What does this mean for the end user? Games will become more robust and support more realistic graphics. Also, iFart will probably become iFart 3D, offering a rich virtual 3D world in which to annoy the hell out of your coworkers. However, there are some further implications of the new graphics cards.
According to Engadget, the iPhone SDK says that developers will have to make their applications support either ES 1.1, or ES 2.0, or both. This is because the standard is not backward compatible, and while the 3G S will be able to use 1.1 graphics, the 3G will not be able to handle 2.0 graphics. This could mean that some developers could potentially create iPhone 3G S only versions of graphic intensive games and apps leaving iPhone 3G owners out in the cold. Hopefully, developers put in the time to make their apps compatible with both iPhones.
