Specs have been piling in on what the next generation iPhone will pack, one of them being a digital compass that will of course give you the exact direction you were facing when taking a picture or which way to walk in Google Maps. While it’s all up in the air at this point, Asahi Kasei may be the confirmed magnetometer supplier for the iPhone.

The hint was found in some header files for the newest Firmware 3.0 Beta. Apple Insider has more on the chip:

More specifically, the files identify Asahi Kasei’s azimuth sensor No. AK8973, a 16-pin leadless IC package measuring 4mm square and 0.7mm thick, as the chip that will help future iPhone users determine their direction. It bundles a master clock oscillator.

While we’ll have to wait for the official spec unveiling once Apple introduces the next generation iPhone, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this make it’s way in to the final hardware build. It’s expected APple will unveil the next generation iPhone during it’s annual World Wide Developers Conference just as it did last year with the iPhone 3G.

Via: Macrumors