i Phone

New Source Puts iPhone 5 On Track For June Release, 4-Inch Display & No Teardrop Form Factor

2012-02-03T08:22:00.001-08:00

An article from 9to5Mac today, purporting to be quoting a Foxconn staffer, indicates much of what the iPhone 5 News Blog reported on months ago: the next iPhone will be the “iPhone 5,” with a release date in June, a 4-inch display, and a thinner, non-teardrop form factor.

If you have continued to follow the rumors here on the iPhone 5 News Blog — even through this current lull in rumor-milling — you’ll note that since just after the release of the iPhone 4S, our own source was told from his sources in Asia that the iPhone 5 would be put back onto the June release schedule, sport a 4-inch screen, and its new form factor would be based on thinness, not a teardrop shape.

It appears that 9to5Mac’s own source is corroborating our own reports from months ago. Seth Weinthrab said today that “We’ve gotten word from a reliable source at Foxconn in China that the iPhone 5, as it is currently being called, is currently being geared for production,” and that the current prototypes floating around Foxconn feature a “4+ inch display (made by LG on at least one of them)” and “No teardrop-shaped devices as were rumored in the lead up to the iPhone 4S. Samples so far have been symmetrical in thickness. Also longer/wider.”

In addition, 9to5Mac also reports that “it would appear that Apple is back on its new iPhone launch for Summer/WWDC pattern that it maintained until last year.”

You will recall that the blog first reported on the new 2012 iPhone rumors back on November 4th, 2011, “Top Source Claims: iPhone 5 To Have ’4-inch Screen and Will Be Announced in June, 2012′″ Just as 9to5Mac notes that their own Asia source was right about the iPhone 4S being a refresh of the iPhone 4, so too was our own source. But their source made that claim on September 21st — our source made his claim on August 22nd.

While I have not doubted our source, there is no doubt that this new 9to5Mac rumor lends even more corroboration to the claims of a larger screen and June release date, and that the teardrop-shaped iPhone 5 form factor rumor was just goofy to begin with.

Thinner Sony Camera Sensor a Perfect Match For Thinner iPhone 5

2012-02-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

A thinner iPhone 5 will need thinner components as well. A new, thinner 8MP camera sensor from Sony might be the perfect match for this year’s thinner iPhone iteration.

Over the weekend, we talked about a new report that outlines an Apple patent for a thinner, shapeable rechargeable battery that could empower a thinner yet more powerful iPhone 5 form factor. Today, a new report highlighting Sony’s new, thinner 8MP camera sensor is yet another piece of evidence that Apple may have the hardware necessary to overhaul the iPhone form factor and make the iPhone 5 thinner.

According to 9to5Mac, Sony’s new CMOS image sensor is remarkably thinner than its predecessor: “the new design and manufacturing process behind Sony’s image sensor should help engineer a thinner iPhone due to less space used by the Sony chip. Additionally, the Japanese giant’s new manufacturing process is cheaper and image quality is better, which are both important feats from Apple’s standpoint. The camera module is said to be faster, consume less power and sport higher pixel numbers.”

The 9to5Mac article makes a good point: in order for smartphone designers to continue to make thinner form factors, camera modules need to get thinner as well. This new sensor from Sony would seem to be a perfect fit for a thinner iPhone 5. And considering that this story comes right on the heels of the thinner battery patent report. It will be interesting to see if more reports like these surface in the lead-up to the iPhone 5′s release, as reports of thinner hardware components will serve as reasonably corroborative pieces of evidence of a thinner form factor.

Another interesting tidbit regarding the new Sony camera sensor: not only is it thinner and more power efficient, but it may turn out to be a more powerful 8MP camera than what is currently featured on the iPhone 4S. 9to5Mac points out that: “In theory, the imaging circuitry being separate of the sensors could give Apple greater control over the camera system and help increase its functionality by leveraging the company’s in-house designed A-series chip. The dual-core A5 chip found inside iPhone 4S is already responsible for some image post-processing, such as video stabilization. Therefore, the design of the new Sony chip would let Apple’s silicon take over control of the camera and its performance in ways that were not possible before.”

Will The iPad 3 Foreshadow iPhone 5 Features?

2012-02-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

Regardless of when the iPhone 5 launches in 2012, the iPad 3 is bound to debut first. Will its new features foretell what to expect from the iPhone 5, or is the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 bound to grow even farther apart?

If you scan the iPad 3 news these days, then you’re bound to see plenty of promising reports that the third-generation Apple tablet is upon us. Bloomberg is reporting that the iPad 3 is full-on into production and will arrive by March, remaining in step with its usual Springtime release schedule. The critical selling points of the iPad 3 will be in line with what we’ve been hearing about for a long time: “[The iPad 3] will sport a high-definition screen, run a faster processor and work with next-generation wireless networks, according to three people familiar with the product.”

But the big question is, how much information about the iPhone 5 will we be able to glean from the release of the iPad 3 in March? Or, even more interesting, will we see the iPad and iPhone grow farther apart in design this year?

One metric to consider when weighing these questions is the length of time between releases: whereas the iPhone 5 will have essentially been in the making for 2+ years once it is released (or even longer, depending on how long Cupertino has really been R&D’ing it), having been stalled and fretted over by Steve Jobs himself, the iPad 3 will be released according to its now-reliable schedule. For as much as the new iPad 3 features will come as a welcome to tablet users, it would seem that, from a design and production standpoint, even the new innovations for the iPad 3 are obviously not a dramatic leap forward and reasonably implementable.

Based on these two realities, I am imagining that Apple’s two defining mobile devices are growing apart. And if I’m right, it would make sense: if Apple dreams of offering a true ecosphere of products to customers, then the iPad and iPhone need to remain far enough apart for users to see a value in owning both. My three-year-old still refers to my iPhone 4 as a “mini iPad.” While the shared iOS will undoubtedly continue to make the user interface between the two devices the same, form factor and size could most definitely change between the two this year.

We’ll have a better sense once the iPad 3 is released, since we’ll find out if the zany rumors of a sub-9.7-inch iPad come true. PC World considers this possibility in a new article outlining the prevailing iPad 3 rumors, saying, “Another persistent idea is that Apple will produce an iPad “mini” tablet with a 7.85-inch display, à la Amazon’s Kindle Fire. That last possibility seems unlikely, however, because it violates Apple’s vision of a tablet as a device for both content creation and content consumption. Though 8-inch tablets are okay for consumption, they’re not so good for creation.”

I like the thinking here: I don’t think that Apple will move the iPad design closer to the iPhone by making it smaller, but rather might feel quite comfortable in following through with some other rumors that the device might actually grow thicker, thanks to the new LED bar and increased display. In this way, I think that the iPad 3 is becoming more of a crossover between a laptop and mobile media device: almost like the intersection of a Macbook Air and the rumored Apple TV. It will also continue to develop in the business sphere as a productive business tool.

Conversely, the iPhone 5 will move even further into becoming a mobile “life hub;” a device that ties together all of the facets of a user’s life. I’ve often argued that the iPhone is a truly cyborg mobile device — it enhances our bodies and mind. Now, the iPhone 5 will deliver on giving us access to information (Siri and search), media (its high quality rear-facing camera, larger screen, and total access to purchased music and video), communication (telephone, messaging, and front-facing camera), and perhaps even commerce (NFC). And all of these aspects will be enhanced by faster processing, LTE, and (hopefully) a better battery.

So, in this way, I don’t imagine that the iPad 3 will foreshadow the iPhone 5. But I do suspect that what the iPad is not, the iPhone 5 will be.

Crowds Awaiting iPhone 4S Force Delay In China, Riot

2012-02-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

The Chinese desperately want the iPhone 4S. But the large, unruly crowd that gathered to get it at Apple’s Beijing store forced police to shut the release down, leading to a riot.

If you think that westerners behave a bit obsessively about Apple gadgets, it’s nothing in comparison to the Chinese. Thirsting for perhaps what is now the crown jewel of pop western culture, a massive crowd queued up outside of Apple’s Beijing superstore on Friday, anticipating the official release of the iPhone 4S in China. Police decided to cancel the iPhone 4S’s release event, however, when it was determined that the crowd had grown too large to manage. The situation broke down from there, with customers hurling eggs and rebuking Apple employees as the police struggled to disperse the crowd.

Given the tension that many eager customers endured throughout the 2011 Summer, waiting in vain for the now mythic iPhone 5, it isn’t difficult to imagine how this situation could have brought would-be Chinese iPhone 4S users to the brink. But truth be told, the Chinese have a long track record of extreme behavior when it comes to Apple products, to the point where one wonders if it is quickly becoming a cultural pastime in China to behave badly in the name of a new Apple release.

Last year, the scene outside of Apple’s Beijing store was curiously similar: on the day that the iPad 2 was to be launched, a near riot was sparked when a scalper budged in line. The ensuing melee injured four and shattered one of the Apple store’s glass doors.

Just think: someone went flying through a glass window in Beijing over an iPad 2.

But China’s brinksmanship when it comes to all things Apple even extends into the macabre: there have been multiple suicides and questionable deaths at Apple’s primary components manufacturer, Foxconn, over the years. One of the most bizarre twists was when Foxconn workers — who, to wit, were working on Xboxes and not iPhones — threatened a mass suicide over a string of layoffs and pay cuts. The Washington Post reports it best: “In May 2011, Foxconn was accused of making its workers sign no-suicide contracts, and Apple issued a statement promising to improve the lives of Foxconn workers. The mass suicide was averted after Foxconn met some of the worker’s demands, but the PR damage had already been done.”

It remains to be seen when Apple will attempt another launch of the iPhone 4S in Beijing, though this story only underscores the difficulties that Apple has faced in trying to wield the lucrative yet unpredictable nature of contemporary China.

iPhone Mania Slumps for the 4S, Anticipating iPhone 5

2012-02-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

A new study finds that interest in the iPhone 4S is already showing slight signs of slipping. Could it be because prospective buyers are waiting for the iPhone 5?

There’s no doubt that excitement for the iPhone 5 has slipped over the past few months. Ever since the announcement and release of the iPhone 4S, the interest in the iPhone 5 has been put on the back burner for many tech enthusiasts out there who assumed that the iPhone 5 would be shelved for a year or so.

But now that we’ve turned over a new year — the year in which the iPhone 5 is destined to be released — it may be that iPhone users who skipped the 4S, as well as non-iPhone users who are holding out for the iPhone 5, are gearing up for its eventual release. In an interesting poll reported on by CNET, iPhone demand — while still dramatically high — is beginning to decline: “According to ChangeWave Research, which conducted a survey of 4,000 North American consumers last month, 54 percent of those who plan to buy a smartphone in the next 90 days will choose the iPhone. . . However, demand for Apple’s iPhone is on the decline. Back in September, ChangeWave found that 65 percent of consumers were planning to buy an iPhone by the end of 2011–11 points higher than now.”

CNET reports that the decline in interest for the iPhone is mainly a result of its best Android competitor gaining ground on it in the marketplace: “According to ChangeWave, it’s due mainly to the recently launched Galaxy Nexus. That device, which boasts Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and comes with a 4.65-inch display, is Samsung’s flagship device right now, and arguably the best iPhone competitor the company offers.” I simply do not agree with that finding. While it is easy to imagine that new Android devices are detracting from iPhone interest, it is worth noting that the iPhone 4S is still a very new product in the smartphone market, and it’s flagship feature — Siri — remains unmatched as far as cool, fun, sellable features go.

Instead, I believe that iPhone 4S interest in waning, in anticipation for the possibility of an iPhone 5 being released less than a year after the 4S. We reported on sagging iPhone 4 sales back in the late Spring and early Summer of 2011, due to the sense that the iPhone 5 may be released either at the 2011 WWDC or the end of the Summer. The same may be beginning to happen in 2012 as well: while many tech analysts believe that the iPhone 5 will be released in the Fall of 2012, there are still others who believe that this year’s WWDC is a viable forum for its announcement, and would also realign Apple’s typical iPhone release schedule.

In addition, our own inside source, who was correct in predicting that the 2011 iPhone would be a refresh of the iPhone 4S, has been told by his own inside sources that Apple is planning for a “June 2012 release.”

What to take out of this new poll is not that Apple is losing the smartphone wars to the Galaxy Nexus, but rather that smartphone users in the know are keenly aware that, now that we’re in the year when the iPhone 5 is to be released, it may very well be worth waiting — yet again.

Crowds Awaiting iPhone 4S Force Delay In China, Riot

2012-01-14T22:16:00.001-08:00

iPhone Mania Slumps for the 4S, Anticipating iPhone 5

2012-01-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

iPhone 5 Thunderbolt Rumor Comes Rumbling Back

2012-01-14T22:09:00.000-08:00

A new report resurrects rumors from last year that the iPhone 5 could feature a Thunderbolt port. Read how this rumor is coming back around again, and what it could mean for the iPhone 5.

So, it now appears that what came around will come back around, to tweak a cliché. We’ve proven that none of the feature-related iPhone 5 rumors in this new season appear to be anything new; just recycled rumors from 2011. That being said, some rumors are still more viable that others; slide-out keyboards and built-in bumper are outlandish, while a metal back and 4″ screen are certainly plausible.

A newly-recycled rumor is that Apple could equip this year’s iOS devices with the Thunderbolt port. Product Reviews reports that: “a separate report from PatentlyApple reveals that Apple has filed a collection of new patents related to their Thunderbolt port which you’ll be familiar with on newer Mac products. The patents suggest that Apple may have plans to include Thunderbolt ports on upcoming iOS devices which of course may or may not include the iPhone 5 and iPad 3. Many consumers will see this as a logical step for Apple though. . .”

The addition of a Thunderbolt port on the iPhone is not a new rumor — Sven Rafferty deftly reported on the possibility here on the Blog back on April 9th, 2011, explaining in detail the reasoning and benefits to installing Thunderbolt on the iPhone: “What does all of this mean for the iPhone 5? In short — speed. By equipping the iPhone 5 with faster connectors like the Thunderbolt, we could be looking at lightning-fast sync times: syncing time could be cut in half or more in the upcoming iPhone 5 as well as the next iterations of iPods and iPads. Another possibility could be that users of the current and past iDevices would be able to tap into these faster connections and sync times simply by purchasing a new cable.”

Sven gives a faithful account of the benefits of Thunderbolt, but one also has to wonder if the Thunderbolt technology really fits into the cutting edge of synching. Much has already been said about OTA synchs and updates, and the move to completely untether the iPhone to a computer. Given this advancement, is Thunderbolt for the iPhone 5 an outmoded idea?

Regardless, it would seem that Thunderbolt technology could turn out to be a relatively easy feature to add onto the iPhone 5, in order to give Cupertno yet one more new addition to the 6th generation iPhone.

Finally! 2012 New Year Will Doubtless Bring iPhone 5 With It

2012-01-14T22:03:00.000-08:00

By the time the iPhone 5 is released, either in the Summer or fall of 2012, it will have been a two-year wait for the tech community. Will the iPhone 5 live up to expectations in the New Year?

Unless the Mayans are right and 2012 marks the end of the world, 2012 should be the year of the iPhone 5.

By the time its announcement and release comes around — which will ostensibly be either in the early Summer or late Fall of the new year — we all will have waited more or less two years since the release of the iPhone 4 for this highly touted device. Just to put it into perspective, the iPhone 5 News Blog was the first blog to cover the rumors of the iPhone 5, and we got our start on August 6th, 2010.

Throughout the course of that span of time, we’ve reported on virtually every rumor, speculation, and angle regarding the iPhone 5, to the point where we are now seeing rumors from 1 1/2 years ago coming back around (such as the rumor of a built-in rubber bumper for the iPhone 5, which was recently reported on by BGR and originally suggested in 2010). This recycling of absurd iPhone 5 rumors only proves that the device’s emergence is long overdue; there is seemingly nothing left to say about it feature-wise that hasn’t already been said.

Reflecting back over the past year alone, it’s interesting to consider what the iPhone 5 has become. In many ways — and by virtue of blogs like this one — it has really transcended that of a mere gadget — it is now part of some heralded “Apple mythology” or lore, with all the stories of Steve Jobs’ own legacy bound up in it. You can argue that no other product in history has ever been anticipated on the scale that the iPhone 5 is: most landmark inventions, like the light bulb, took the world by surprise to some extent. For the iPhone 5, more has been written about it in the abstract than all other smartphones combined.

And because of this, Apple now stands on a precipice. They have to deliver the goods with the iPhone 5 in 2012, or face widespread disappointment from their customers. In many ways, the future of Apple depends on it. Somehow, they have to cram LTE, the A6 chip, a better battery, a new iOS, and a bigger screen into a new form factor that is not Android-like . . . and thinner.

Those are the expectations — quite a list, huh?

That’s why all of the building iPhone 5 buzz is both a blessing and a curse for Apple. The blessing comes in the form of unbridled hype and publicity for a product they have yet to produce — that is a marketing department’s dream. But with it comes what seems to be an unsurmountable list of expectations. Users are looking for more than a quirky gadget. They are looking for a mobile device that will revolutionize their life. That’s a tall order.

But if any technology company is in a position to deliver on such a tall order, its Apple. Let’s hope the legacy of excellence and ingenuity that Steve Jobs fostered at Cupertino carries into this year and yields an iPhone 5 that lives up to all the hype that we, the people, have created.

Thanks to everyone who followed the iPhone 5 news here at the blog throughout 2011. We look forward to another fun year of iPhone 5 speculation and anticipation in 2012. Happy New Year, iPhone 5′ers!

iPad 3/iPhone 5 Speculation; Post And Riposte

2012-01-05T17:36:00.001-08:00

My weekend blog entry indulging in some pre-Christmas i-device speculation sparked some interesting discussion on the forum

Recyclops expressed doubt that the next iPad and iPhone will be powered by Apple’s current A5 dual-core CPU, noting that competitors like the ASUS ee pad transformer already come with quad-core CPUs, adding that he was “extremely disappointed” upon hearing that the A5 in the iPhone 4S wasn’t even a full GHz and had less than one GB of RAM. In a riposte, Brett Said he’s of a mind that the iPad 3, which most of us deduce will be out March / April, probably will have A5 silicon, arguing that it’s a perfectly good processor and he thinks Apple will probably concentrate more on features, including Siri, perhaps more memory and the 8 megapixel camera currently gracing the iPhone 4S.

Meanwhile, LoneWolf is in Recyclops’s camp, suggesting that anything other than the A6 for the iPhone 5 would be a mistake since he assumes it will have LTE, a larger screen, and possibly a smaller form factor, noting that the A6 is rumored to be more energy efficient than the A5 which would help with battery life, something he says Apple won’t be underestimating this time around.

Excellent points all, but provisionally I have to go with Brett on the processor question. The A5 CPU is respectively speedy, and I’m skeptical that the A6 will be ready for a Spring 2012 iPad 3 release. While it isn’t out of the question that Apple would opt to introduce the A6 chip in an iPhone rather than an iPad, I’m skeptical that they will.

Also, one of the major business/Apple blogosphere news stories last week was that A5 processor production has just been shifted to Samsung’s huge new 1.6 million square foot, $3.6bn (closer to $9bn, according to Austin Chamber of Commerce) fabrication facility at Austin, Texas, and I’m thinking that it’s highly doubtful that Samsung would have tooled up their big new chippery to make A5s if Apple was planning a precipitous shift to A6 silicon, at least for the iPad 3 for which component production and stockpiling is reportedly already underway.

As an aside, it’s nice to see some Apple computer hardware component production back in the ‘States, even though the iOS devices the A5 powers are still assembled by Foxconn in China.

Back on the forum, Roger Davies is looking for some major changes in the iPad 3 and iPhone 5, contending the iPad 2 was barely a bump up over the original

“Crappy camera and a slight upgrade in processor? iPad 3 needs to have come in 32gig, 64gig, and 128gig, who could use 16 gig on a video device? That fits 2 movies and basic apps along with a few selected songs Please. Quad core too or I will keep my iPad 1 until the next model Retina is not needed as the screen is fine, why have more resolution than all other Mac devices?”

I agree with Roger about the screen on the point. The current 1024 x 768 resolution suits me just fine, too. However, I expect that we’re going to get a higher-res display in iPad 3 anyway.

I do think Roger is being excessively rough on the iPad 2, and would argue that it was a more substantial departure from the iPad original spec. than he acknowledges.

While the iPad 1′s display was carried over to iPad 2, the latter is significantly thinner (33%), lighter (15%), faster (see below), and has more features than iPad 1. Apple claims that the A5 CPU’s clock speed is double that of the A4 processor in iPad 1, and that graphics processor unit performance of the A5 chipset is nine plus times quicker compared to the one used in iPad (probably 5 – 7 times better real-world performance). RAM is also doubled from the 256 MB in iPad to 512 MB in iPad 2. Those are not trivial upgrades.

I also contend that while the cameras in iPad 2 are indeed mediocre, they beat the whizz out of having no cameras at all. I do hope the 8 megapixel unit from iPhone 4S does migrate to iPad with version 3, bit in the meantime I find the one in my iPad 2 useful.

I’m a big fan of multitasking, and iPad 2 offers better multitasking support thanks to its 1GHz dual-core A5 chip and 512 MB RAM, especially with touch-based application switching in iOS 5, which was a HUGE improvement in my iOS experience.

One report I read said that with both running the same iOS version, iPad 2 delivers about 80% better Safari browser performance than iPad 1, and pages load around 35% faster with iPad 2.

iPad 2 also offers HDMI capability, enabling the user to connect to HDTV via Apple’s optional digital AV adapter, and has HDMI mirroring capability.

Moving along, Normand Rivard questioned why I somewhat wistfully queried whether we could hope for Flash support in the iPad 3 and iPhone 5. Well, I don’t dispute that Flash has manifold shortcomings, but the inconvenient fact remains that Flash os far from dead yet, and as long as there is a lot of Flash video in the Web, Apple’s iOS devices not being able to display it means that you’re locked out of a lot of content.

The main two complaints I hear over and over again from iPad users (including myself) are the absence of Flash support, and the lack of a real USB port for hard-wired connectivity. I don’t have very lively hope that we’ll see either on the iPad 3, but I can still wish we would, because they would improve my iPad experience substantially in a here-and- now practical context.

undfeatable thinks Apple needs to get back on top of new technology and stop releasing it later than other companies, likes the iPad Retina display upgrade, and wants A6 power in both the iPad 3 and iPhone 5, plus a four inch screen (but nothing bigger).

I think two out of three are going to happen, but that we’ll have to wait for perhaps 3S and 5S versions respectively for the A6. However, just to complicate the picture, Digitimes’ Max Wang and Steve Shen reported Friday that Apple is likely to launch a 7.85-inch iPad prior to Q4 2012 in addition to the new iPad 3 scheduled to be released at the end of the first quarter, according to sources in the supply chain.

Wang and Shen note that global shipments of tablet PCs are expected to reach 60 million units in 2011, of which 70% will be Apple’s iPads. However, their insider sources tell them that in order to stay in front of increasing market competition, including the 7-inch Kindle Fire from Amazon and the launch of large-size smartphones from handset vendors, Apple has been persuaded to develop 7.85-inch iPads, with OEMs in the supply chain, including panel makers LG Display and AU Optronics (AUO), likely to begin production of the 7.85-inch models at the end of Q2 2012.

So, if an Apple 7.5″ tablet device is in the works, will it replace the iPod touch at the same $199 price point, or will an iPhone-sized iPod touch continue in tandem? And of course, with telephony internals, a 7.5″ tablet could be a really big-screen iPhone. I’m kidding, I think, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see more convergence of features among the iPhone/iPad/iPod families in the future.

iPhone 5:Here To Stay, iPhone 6: Years Away

2012-01-05T17:33:00.000-08:00

Much of the discussion here on the blog throughout the Summer of 2011 speculated on the naming of the next iPhone, and how Apple would handle naming the 2012 iPhone, based on what name they chose for their 2011 iteration. At this point, we’ve heard all of the arguments for why the 2012 iPhone should be the “iPhone 5” or “iPhone 6.” And while it will indeed be the sixth generation iPhone, for now, the media and readers have spoken: we are going to refer to the next iPhone as “iPhone 5″ until otherwise informed.

A zany article on PluggedIn today, however, supposes what we might see from the iPhone 6, ostensibly to be released not this year, but sometime in the unforeseen future. Their article is completely speculative, but they have fun imagining that the iPhone 6 could be completely bendable, feature a holographic display, and even an A.I.-powered Siri. On that last note, PluggedIn wonders, “How about giving Siri a personality with some sci-fi style Artificial Intelligence? Users could program the type of personality they want Siri to have, and then build up a genuine friendship with the system. It would bring true meaning to the phrase ‘you’re never alone with a phone.’”

That would indeed be a sci-fi-inspired advancement, and given the rumors that Siri will be even more advanced on the 2012 iPhone 5, it isn’t impossible to imagine that Apple will continue to advance its capabilities on future iPhones.

While we are on the subject of the iPhone 6, however, it is worth noting that, given Apple’s naming strategy over the past three years, we’re unlikely to see the iPhone 6 into as late as 2014.

I don’t have to remind you (but I will) that, for the past three iPhone iterations, we’ve seen the 3GS, 4, and 4S. More importantly, with these three iterations, we also see a research and design pattern developing: refresh, overhaul, and refresh. The iPhone 5 will most definitely deliver an overhaul, thus completing the pattern. With this is mind, it would make no sense to believe that the iPhone 6 will be released in 2013. It is more likely that we’ll see an “iPhone 5S” in 2013, that will utilize whatever new hardware features that will be unveiled with the iPhone 5 in 2012.

This is actually very good news for all of you iPhone 4S early adopters out there, who are beginning to fret over the prospect of missing out on the iPhone 5, due to being locked into a new, prohibitive contract with their 4S. The new screen, form factor, battery, and 4G LTE on the rumored iPhone 5 could all conspire to make for a very bug-filled iPhone iteration, fraught with many problems in the early going. Just as we have seen with other groundbreaking mobile products, tech companies (even Apple) often have to deal with technical glitches even months after the device’s release.

If there is an iPhone 5S in 2013, it will give current iPhone 4S users the opportunity to get onboard the iPhone 5 experience after it has been tried and tested for a year or so; there will be a much higher expectation for quality and reliability for the 5S.

Of course, there is one caveat: it could mean that 4S users are now locked into always having to settle for a refreshed “S” model, instead of being able to experience the excitement of a new, overhauled iPhone. Going back to the PluggedIn piece, if the iPhone 6 is actually two years away at this point, who knows what smartphone technology will look like by then? It may be something so revolutionary that we cannot even characterize it at this point.

And for this point alone, iPhone 4S users might want to skipping not only the iPhone 5 and 5S so that they can experience the iPhone 6 in all of its splendor. But one question remains: will your iPhone 4S’s battery still have any juice left by the time 2014 rolls around?

Apple Acquiring Flash Memory Company For iPhone 5, iPad 3

2012-01-05T17:29:00.001-08:00

As we continue to follow the trajectory of a possible iPhone 5 release, we are always keeping an eye on what’s happening with respect to the hardware design and production. Most of the chatter lately about the production of iPhone 5 components have had to do with processors. But today, we’re getting word of Apple possible buying into a flash memory provider.

According to InRumor, Apple is looking to purchase Israel-based Anobit, “a company focused on flash memory and digital signal processing technologies, may become Apple’s research and development center in Israel,” for $400 to $500 million. While analysts believe that Apple is already using Anobit technologies in their products, this rumored purchase of the company comes because “Anobit’s MSP-powered MSP20xx (which stands for ‘Memory Signal Processing’) embedded flash controllers for smartphones and tablets has caught Apple’s attention, as they can improve memory and speed performances.”

IBTimes points out that this acquisition would be “the first purchase with Tim Cook as Apple’s CEO” and that ”the purchase is noteworthy because Apple seldom buys hardware companies.”

Adobe Flash: The Other Kind of Flash for the iPhone 5

For as much as the iPhone and iPad lead the mobile market in many ways, the lack of Flash capabilities on Apple’s devices has been a long-running sore sport for users. Given how many web products utilize Flash to enhance the user experience, the lack of Flash capabilities has created a gaping hole in the overall user experience on the iPhone and iPad, with many websites failing to work in their full capacity, as well as a host of other functions that rely on Flash.

There is no doubt that iPhone and iPad users will be thrilled to see the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 include Flash, should this rumor come to fruition. However, there is one consideration to the development of Flash on the new iPhone and iPad: it plays into the underlying fear that, without Steve Jobs at the R&D helm of Apple, the iPhone might move closer and closer to looking and performing more like an Android smartphone. Other rumors, such as a larger screen and new form factor also play into this lingering question.

It will be interesting to see if Apple can manage to adopt features and functions already found on the Android smartphones for the iPhone 5, while still retaining its unique, iconic identity.

Apple Testing Quad Core CPU For iPhone 5

2012-01-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

A new rumor suggests that Apple is testing a new quad core processor for the iPhone 5, ostensibly alongside earlier reports of a stacked 3D design.

When we talk about the proposed chip for the iPhone 5, we typically refer to it as the A6 processor, since Apple will most likely stick to that nomenclature going forward. But just because we are guessing that the next CPU will be called the “A6″ doesn’t necessarily tell us how it will differ from the A5. And new rumors today suggest that Apple currently has a few different iPhone 5 species in the works, testing new processor technologies.

According to InRumor, “The Cupertino-based company is reportedly working on multiple configurations of its next smartphone. German Mac site Macerkopf cites two sources that claim Apple is testing quad-core CPU’s in order to see the viability of a quad-core iPhone. The site also writes that two iPhone models are being tested at present, one equipped with a dual-core, the other with a quad-core processor.” At first, it’s hard to reconcile this new rumor with the long-running belief that the iPhone 5 was close to being released, but was shelved at the last minute due to issues with components. But considering that the 2011 iPhone 5 prototype most likely featured the A5 processor — which may have been the problem in and of itself with the early iPhone 5 prototype — then it becomes more easy to believe that Cupertino feels it needs a much more powerful chip to make the iPhone 5 do what they want it to do.

Like run on LTE and power a larger, more sophisticated screen.

The idea of a quad core A6 processor for the 2012 iPhone 5 is impressive, especially when you consider the processing power of MacBooks. But this isn’t the first time that we’ve heard of impressive, new processor technology coming down the pike for the iPhone 5. On August 29th, Charles Moore reported about a “3D” chip technology for the iPhone 5, stating that “TSMC is applying its latest 28-nanometer process and 3D stacking technologies to produce the A6, which will also benefit from TSMC’s cutting-edge silicon interposer and bump on trace (BOT) methodologies.” It remains to be seen how this technology squares with the quad core rumors, but given the fact that TSMC’s relationship with Apple may have been short-lived, it is possible that Samsung is helping to shape a new design for the A6.

Another thing to consider is how all of these processor rumors for the iPhone 5 will relate to the iPad 3, since it will most definitely make its debut in March, months before the iPhone 5. Charles’ article had stated in August that “It is widely anticipated that the A6 chip will make its public debut in an iPad, although it won’t necessarily be the iPad 3, which is expected to roll out in February or March of next year. However, if rumors that an upgraded iPad 2 with a Retina Display will be released before the iPad 3 — possibly before the end of this year — bear out, that could provide Apple with some breathing space to delay release of the iPad 3 until the A6 is ready toward mid-year.”

Charles was reporting on the “iPad 2 Plus” rumors that abounded in the Summer and, although a Fall 2011 iPad 2 Plus never came to pass, Charles’ comment about the retina display is still valid: if Apple is planning an overhaul of the iPad 3, you can rest assured that its processor will need to support any new advancements. And because we’ll get to see the new processor in the iPad 3 before the iPhone 5, it will give us some insight into what we can expect from the iPhone 5.

March 2012 iPhone 5 Release Would Equal Epic Fail For Apple, iPhone 4S

2011-12-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

It would appear that the iPhone 5 rumor mill is getting stupid again, now with rumors that the iPhone 5 will be released as early as March of 2012. According to IBTimes, “Hitachi and Sony have reportedly begun shipping 4-inch LCD panels to Apple for final production of “new iOS devices” believed to be the next-generation iPhone, according to Japanese blog Macotakara. Citing reliable sources, Macotakara believes the so-called “iPhone 5″ may be unveiled as early as March 2012.”
For the record, to the best of my knowledge, IBTimes has never reported or predicted anything accurately about the iPhone. And it looks like they will keep their losing streak intact with this new rumor.
There is little doubt that Apple could manage a March 2012 release of the iPhone 5 if it wanted to: I am compelled to believe the rumors that much of the design work for the iPhone 5 is complete, and it will now be a matter of “simply” put it into production. That being said, the notion of releasing the iPhone 5 just four months after millions of people invested in the iPhone 4S is ludicrous, for no other reason than the fact that most if not all iPhone 4S users would be incensed. In addition, it would be tacit admission from Apple that the 4S was nothing more than a thrown-together Rube Goldberg iPhone iteration, designed for no other reason than to quell the unwashed masses clammoring for a new iPhone in 2011.
In short, a March iPhone 5 would be an epic fail for Apple — a real public relations disaster. It could also be the harbinger of doom for a post-Jobs Cupertino as we know it, confirming a sense that, without Steve Jobs at the helm, Apple is ill-equipped to remain competitive and on the vanguard of technology.
As you know, the iPhone 5 News Blog‘s own inside source has already confirmed to us that the iPhone 5 will be released in June of 2012 to coincide with its traditional WWDC announcement. We first reported this back on November 4th. If this rumor comes true, and Apple intends on getting the iPhone back onto its typical WWDC release schedule, even this release timeframe could stoke anger among early adopters on the iPHone 4S, since it would be just seven months after the iPhone 4S.
A Lost Generation of iPhone Users
As more and more dissatisfaction wells to the surface in the iPhone community, one has to wonder if the chaos and confusion that obviously beset Cupertino during the 2011 Summer as Steve Jobs’ health declined — and the ensuing decision to scrap the iPhone 5 for the 4S — may have created an unintended consequence: a lost generation of iPhone users. In a sense, Apple spent the unprecedented buzz and excitement built up for the iPhone 5 on the 4S. And because the 4S isn’t even living up to its own hype in terms of quality and performance, they have in essence locked in many would-be iPhone 5 users into a disillusioned commitment to the iPhone 4S.
How many iPhone 5 sales did Apple lose by releasing the iPhone 4S? We may never know. But it is very possible that many of the iPhone 4S users could become a “lost generation,” who may opt to go with an Android smartphone if they feel that Apple let them down in quality with the 4S and by cheating them out of the iPhone 5 in 2011. This could be especially true of first-time iPhone users who have bought the 4S.
One thing is for sure: for all those who chose not to rush out and buy the iPhone 4S when it was first released, now that the start of 2012 in right around the corner, it may not be a bad idea to continue to read the iPhone 5 tea leaves and see if you can make it another 6 or 7 months with what you’re using now, in anticipation for a possible June iPhone 5.

New Apple Supplier Means LTE, New Battery, Screen for iPhone 5

2011-12-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has followed the iPhone 5 rumor mill from its very beginnings knows that tech analyst reports often have to be taken with a grain of salt. But a recent report by Jefferies analyst Peter Misek would seem to be worth its salt in reliable evidence that Apple is taking long strides to produce next-generation hardware for the iPhone 5 that will deliver on some of the features that stalwart iPhone users have been calling for.
According to CNN Money, Peter Misek’s trip to Japan yielded a major nugget of news: “The “key takeaway,” as he calls it, is that Apple has sunk a lot of money — as much as a billion dollars — into a new supplier (most pointedly, not Samsung) and new screen technologies to build the next generation of iPads and iPhones with resolutions, battery life and prices its competitors will be hard-pressed to match.”
This is extremely positive news: it outlines the prospect of an advanced, industry-leading iPhone 5 in 2012 that will remain competitively priced within the smartphone market. The keywords “resolutions” and “battery life” checks off two hardware component upgrades sorely lacking in the iPhone 5.
In addition, the report also eludes to an “iPhone 5 LTE,” with the assumption that the next iPhone will be 4G.
Apparently much of the new gear for the iPhone 5 will come by way of Sharp — particularly the new displays. While the CNN Money article focuses much of its attention on Apple’s rumored television set, with may be hitting stores as early as February 2012, it appears that Sharp will be handling duties for the new iPad 3 and iPhone 5 screens as well. iPad 3 displays are said to already be in production, and that Apple will be using Sharp “for the vast majority of the iPad 3 displays.” The current logic also suggests that “For the iPhone 5 LTE we also believe this new facility will be used to supply displays.”
So what can be said about the new display technology? Apparently, it will be quite impressive: “We believe that Apple and Sharp together have a modified IGZO (indium, gallium, zinc) technology to achieve 330 dpi, which is sufficient for an HD display while not using IPS nor having to include dual-bar LED backlighting. In our view, this should lead to several design advantages, namely the device can be thinner, battery life should be longer, and the overall experience for users should be meaningfully improved.”
What was conspicuously absent from the Jefferies report was talk of a larger iPhone 5 screen. The current rumors all suggest that Steve Jobs himself was not in favor of a 4-inch+ iPhone screen (a notion that I suggested as a possibility during the Summer), but that Apple will be ready to bump up the screen size with the 2012 iPhone 5.

A Few Good Black Friday Deals for iPhone 4S Cases

2011-12-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

U.S. readers: I don’t know about you, but the prospect of braving the Black Friday shopping crowds to get a few good deals just doesn’t seem worth it anymore. I awoke this morning to read about riots, fights, stampedes, and other animalistic behavior at U.S. retail megastores like Target, BestBuy, and Walmart, all in an attempt to get some good deals and a leg up on Christmas shopping. One story tells of a woman who actually used pepper spray on other shoppers in order to “gain an upper hand” in some “competitive shopping.”
Nice.
For my part, I think that online shopping makes total sense, since most of the top retailers offer the same if not similar online deals, from Black Friday until Cyber Monday. This is equally true with iPhone case companies: sensing the fact that there is now a huge crop of new iPhone 4S users, they are really going for it with good Black Friday deals on iPhone 4S cases, figuring that a discounted case is probably the right price for a wide range of Christmas gifting situations.
But first, let’s unpack Apple’s own Black Friday sale.
Not to be outdone, Apple is cutting prices on some of their most beloved toys. According to MacLife, at Apple.com you can “Get a new Mac for $101 off, iPads from $41-61 off (depending on capacity and type), iPod nano for $11 off and iPod touch models from $21-41 off. The big price slash has been reserved for the base model 11.6-inch MacBook Air at $898, but there will also be a wide variety of accessories on sale this Friday as well.” That’s an extremely good deal on the MacBook Air: to be able to get into the world of Apple laptops for under $900 is stunning.
But the first place I wanted to look for Black Friday deals was Case-Mate. They are, after all, the iPhone case company that trotted out those bogus iPhone 5 cases back in the summer, claiming to have an inside track on its “teardrop-shaped” design (which is looking less and less likely for the 2012 iPhone 5). I was curious to see what hot dog promotion they would roll out.
It looks like Case-Mate is going a general promo code sale of 30% off. You can use promo code SaveMore2011 to get it.
Rather than offering a blanket promotion for all orders, Griffin is cherry-picking certain items. The good news is that they are offering up to 80% off on some items — the bad news is that the iPhone 4/4S cases are slim pickens. I count only one case — the Explorer — on sale for the iPhone 4/4S, at just $12.99 instead of $39.99. Not bad at all.
I love Otterbox cases — to me, they are the true iPhone insider’s case. I say “insider’s” because they aren’t the kind of case that the average user picks up at Best Buy — they are more of a “deep cut.” All of this being said, I’m not too thrilled about their Black Friday promotion: instead of giving a chunky discount, they are instead giving away a “free gift,” valued at $15.00, with any order over $30. To me, this means that they are giving away some outmoded accessory or Otterbox-branded trinket — not at all what I’m interested in. But you can see for yourself here.
UNIEA may have the sweetest deal of them all over this weekend. They are doing a 40% off promotion from now until midnight on Cyber Monday, plus $5.95 flat rate shipping worldwide. It is designed to let people stock up on cases and accessories for Christmas presents, with that flat rate shipping promotion really making a difference as you buy more stuff from them. The promo code for their promotion is BLACK40, and the flat rate shipping gets applied at checkout automatically. Go to UNIEA.com to take a look at their stuff.
Zagg, who is well known for their screen covers for the iPhone, has a little Black Friday deal going on, where if you buy their earbuds ($49.99), they give you a $25 gift card back. This is actually a pretty good deal, since they also carry three iPhone 4S cases under $25. Take a look here.
Finally, it is noteworthy which companies decided to pass on doing up a big Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal: I see nothing of real note from Hard Candy, Belkin, or Case Logic. It’s hard to believe that they are doing so well that they don’t need a good Black Friday sale to put them into the “black,” but hey: to each their own.

NFC-Based Mobile Wallet Feature Looking Like A Virtual Lock For iPhone 5 [Updated]

2011-12-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

“Apple will launch a mobile wallet product in 2012. Apple’s MNO [Mobile Network Operator] partners will allow Apple to offer their mobile wallet to consumers who have iPhones, regardless of whether or not the MNO has a competing mobile wallet,” says Mark Beccue, ABI Research senior analyst, mobile commerce and NFC, thereby factoring into the expected erosion of MNO mobile wallet market share.
The report forecasts that mobile wallet technology is coming, and while MNOs will provide the majority of NFC-based mobile wallets, their market share will erode between 2012 and 2016 as Google and Apple claim loyal users. “By the end of 2012, Google will prove that Google Wallet is a hit with consumers. By 2014, we will see Google Wallets supported alongside competing MNO offerings globally,” Mark Beccue predicts.
The report anticipates the number of NFC-based mobile wallet users will grow to 594 million in 2016. Growth will be fueled because 1) MNOs and OS players will flood the marketplace with NFC-capable mobile phones, particularly in the U.S., Western Europe, Japan, and Korea and 2) the business cases around merchant offers and interaction are compelling enough to pull mobile wallet ecosystem players in alignment, and by as early as 2014, MNOs will incorporate OS and OTT mobile wallets into their umbrella mobile wallets, slowing down the growth of truly independent mobile wallets from OS and OTT providers.
Daniel Shen and Adam Hwang, of the Taiwan-based IT industry-watcher site Digitimes agree, reporting that according to Taiwan-based smartphone makers, Apple and Microsoft to respectively make the iOS and Windows Phone support NFC in 2012, with the proportion of NFC-enabled smartphones to quickly increase from less than 10% currently to over 50% in two to three years.
Shen and Hwang note that Samsung, HTC, Nokia and RIM launched NFC-enabled smartphone models in 2011, , and without technological problems, the unsmooth development of NFC is mainly attributable to problems in standard specification, ecosystem and commercial operation, according to insider sources.
Nearly a year ago, in January, 2011, Apple published a job listing to its recruitment page seeking for an iPhone hardware test engineer with knowledge of RFID (a form of Near Field Communications used intensively in retailing and inventory control), and subsequently hired NFC expert Benjamin Vigier — formerly product manager for mobile wallet, payment and NFC at mobile payments specialists mFoundry and who also was a key player in development of both PayPal’s Mobile service and Starbucks’ barcode-based mobile payments service. Apple has also reportedly filed two NFC-related patents in the past three years. The first one, filed in September 2008, was for concert, entertainment and sports ticketing. The second, in August 2009,was for peer-to-peer financial transaction devices. Apple has also patented techniques for incorporating an NFC antenna in a touch screen, and for NFC-enabled iPods, games controllers, TVs and iPhones. Clearly Apple is up to something with NFC technology, and there have been reports that the company is working on a mobile wallet feature that would tap into existing customer data and payment details collected for iTunes and App Store that would enable iPhone owners to wirelessly pay for goods and services. With millions of customers having already entered their payment details into iTunes to pay for music, apps and movie downloads, and a high degree of consumer trust in Apple, iPhone NFC is expected to be a major catalyst in bringing contactless payments to the mass consumer market.
PaidContent reports that Apple has been moving ahead on some interesting mobile payments initiatives. Earlier this month the company began allowing users of its Apple Store app. on iPhones to pay for small-ticket items with it in Apple Stores via their iTunes accounts. That system will use barcodes to link to items, although PaidContent there’s no reason why that couldn’t be upgraded to NFC at some point in the future.
Last spring, Sprint announced that it was entering a partnership with Google to launch Google Wallet, an application using NFC technology for Android phones. Google Wallet allows eligible Sprint customers to tap and pay while they shop, with Sprint the first carrier and Google’s Nexus S 4G the first phone to deliver this service.
Google Wallet is designed for an open commerce ecosystem, and Google says it will eventually hold many if not all of the cards you keep in your leather wallet today, but be able to do much more than a traditional wallet ever could. For example storing thousands of payment cards and Google Offers but without the bulk, along with your loyalty cards, gift cards, receipts, boarding passes, tickets, and eventually even your house keys, all seamlessly synced to your handset, with every offer and loyalty point redeemed automatically with a single tap via NFC.
Apple would also seem to have plenty of incentive to get NFC up and running on the iPhone as soon as possible. Business Insider’s Jay Yarow posted a report cited a Bernstein note projecting that NFC can add $15-$30 billion in incremental revenue for high end mobile companies, so Apple, with 20% of the high end mobile market, could end up with $4-$9 billion in extra revenue.
However, Apple presumably has has its reasons for waiting to hold back on rolling out NFC support on the iPhone, one possibly being that they want to bulletproof the security aspects as much as possible. NFC capability will exacerbate security concerns if your phone gets lost or is stolen, being as NFC is essentially just an embedded RFID chip interfacing with a reader. However, it can be also safely assumed that Apple will be working to incorporate ever more efficient and effective security safeguards into its mobile devices, possibly including measures like fingerprint recognition and retinal scanning, that will have to be satisfied before the machine will function, all of which takes time.

iOS 5 Update Tanking? iPhone 5 Release Date Can’t Get Here Soon Enough

2011-12-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

Apple’s most recent iOS 5 update for the iPhone 4S was meant to fix the battery issue. But with users complaining about how the update made their battery use worse, plus new reports that iOS 5 is causing SIM issues, the iPhone 5 release date cannot get here soon enough.
With tech pundits seemingly weighing either June or October 2012 as possible iPhone 5 release dates, it is appearing more and more that the release of the iPhone 5 cannot get here soon enough.
In spite of the fact that Apple enjoyed record sales of the iPhone 4S, and continues to see robust demand for their fifth generation iPhone, it would appear that a notable percentage of 4S users continue to be dogged by battery — and now SIM — issues associated with the latest iOS 5 update. According to InRumor.com, users are now reporting iPhone 4S SIM card issues as a result of the most recent iOS update: “According to reports on the net, the problem regarding the iPhone 4S SIM card occurs regardless of the telephone operator and prevents users from activating their phones once the SIM card is in the slot.”
While this most recent snafu is more annoying than devastating for most users, AT&T iPhone 4S users are experiencing a much more serious issue, since on AT&T iPhone 4S models “the SIM card is used to verify the user’s account and allow access to the device.”
This breaking development joins a recent report echoed by many in the tech community that the iOS 5.0.1 update, which was meant to fix the battery drain issue on the iPhone 4S, has actually led some users to see the battery performance decline instead of improve. According to KnowYourMobile, iOS 5.0.1 “doesn’t seem to have fixed everybody’s battery issues,” and that a 5.0.2 update is now very likely to be released sooner rather than later to hopefully fix the issue.
This isn’t good.
While iPhone 5′ers desperately wanted the iPhone 5 to be released in 2011, instead they have had to settle with the iPhone 4S, which, aside from the fact that it reconstituted the same screen and form factor as the iPhone 4, did indeed deliver on new features like Siri and improved camera hardware. But with quality and battery life now at issue with the iPhone 4S, as well as persistent rumors that the iPhone 5′s 2011 release was nixed at the last minute by Steve Jobs, pressure is once again beginning to build among the iPhone community for an iPhone 5 sooner rather than later.

Anti-Jobs 4-inch Screen Rumors Intensify, iPhone 5 Release Date: Summer

2011-11-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

Another reputable source has come forward with information that the iPhone 5 will indeed feature a 4-inch screen, along with a form factor redesign, for a Summer 2012 iPhone 5 release. And apparently the new design with larger screen was opposed by Steve Jobs before his death.
A new report surfaced today claiming that the 2012 iPhone 5 will indeed feature a larger screen and redesigned form factor. According to an unnamed source at iLounge, “the next-generation iPhone will not look like the teardrop-shaped version that was widely rumored for release in 2011 We’ve been told that the device will have a 4-inch display and will be 8mm longer than before, with a metal casing (probably aluminum).” The iLounge report also sheds some light on the iPhone 5 release date — targeting the Summer of 2012 as the most plausible timeframe — as well as the possible causes for the iPhone 5 not being released in 2011, stating that “We suspect that poor battery life doomed the prior prototype version, and that this one is being built with LTE-ready battery drain in mind.”
iLounge’s report comes more than two weeks after the iPhone 5 News Blog‘s own inside source reported to us on November 4th that the iPhone 5 is “going to have a 4-inch screen and will be announced in June 2012.” The only detail that our source diverges from the iLounge source on is the thinness of the iPhone 5: whereas the iLounge report is claiming that the iPhone 5 will be thicker in order to accommodate a larger battery for the 4-inch screen and 4G LTE technology, our source is claiming a thinner form factor.
It is important to note that the iPhone 5 News Blog‘s source accurately predicted that the 2011 iPhone would be a refresh of the iPhone 4 while the majority of the tech community was reporting that a teardrop-shaped iPhone 5 would be released in 2011, sporting a larger screen. The new iLounge report appears to put to rest the predictions of a teardrop form factor for the 2012 iPhone 5.
Steve Jobs Was Against a 4-inch Screen for the iPhone 5
According to several well-placed sources, it is now apparent that the iPhone 5′s release in 2011 was squelched by Steve Jobs for some unknown reason. While reports have suggested that either the battery or processor posed a performance issue for the larger-screened iPhone 5 prototype, a new report is suggesting the real reason why Steve Jobs stopped development of the iPhone was the larger screen itself.
According to The Register, Jobs himself scrapped production of the iPhone 5 due to concerns over the size of the screen, and how it might negatively impact the user experience: “Steve stepped in to kill the iPhone 5 because he thought that the bigger screen would fragment the iOS ecosystem and make some apps look less than perfect on the new phone.”
If this report is true, then a 2012 iPhone with a 4-inch screen would indeed be a major departure from the wishes of Jobs, marking Apple’s desire to move in a different direction for the design and functionality of its flagship mobile device.

Android-powered Amazon Smartphone May Battle iPhone 5

2011-11-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

Analysts are now predicting that Amazon will release a smartphone in 2012 to take on the iPhone 5. But rumors indicate that it will most likely feature the Android operating system.
Sensing that their brand name is quickly becoming a valuable commodity in the mobile gadget marketplace, Amazon may be looking to counter the iPhone 5 in 2012 with a smartphone of their own. According to TechLeash, analysts and tipsters embedded in the Asian tech scene are both pointing to the debut of a 2012 Amazon-branded smartphone. Their report states that “This is more than a hearsay flying around without any support, thinks Mark Mahaney, analyst for Citigroup,” who “wrote with all the confidence ‘Based on our supply chain channel checks in Asia led by Kevin Chang, Citi’s Taipei-based hardware research analyst, we believe an Amazon Smartphone will be launched in 4Q12.’”
The notion of a fourth quarter 2012 release of the Amazon smartphone would make a lot of sense for going up against the iPhone 5 release date, whether it be in June at the next WWDC, as I have reported and believe, or around the same time that the iPhone 4S was released this year. Just as Amazon has positioned the Kindle Fire to take on the iPad 2 as a price leader for this year’s Christmas shopping season, they could very well seek to do the same thing in 2012, perhaps with an even cheaper smartphone with similar features and performance to the iPhone 5.
Now being dubbed the “Kindle Phone” (a plausible name), the article goes on to explain that “Amazon’s smartphone will integrate Texas Instruments’ OMAP 4 processor and is very likely to adopt QCOM’s dual mode 6-series standalone baseband,” an impressive array of hardware, to be sure. But in terms of price, it remains to be seen if Amazon will have the wiggle room to make a cheaper smartphone than the iPhone 5 that still offers robust features, considering that production costs for the Kindle Phone may range between $150 and $170. Considering that the iPhone 4S production cost clocks in at $188, it would seem that Amazon could come in under the iPhone 5′s price tag in 2012, but it remains to be seen how low they will be able to go.
The Kindle Phone — Just Another Android
Perhaps the most interesting consideration about the Kindle Phone is what kind of operating system it may feature. Many have wondered if Amazon could debut a new operating system that differs from the current mobile OS platforms on the market now. However, early going suggests that, in the end, Amazon will opt for Google’s Android.
Should the Kindle Phone end up being “just another Android,” it would seem that Apple will have little to fear in losing market share to Amazon in the smartphone segment, since iPhone users tend to be comprised of users who are smitten with the Apple brand and/or disenchanted with the Android platform.

iPhone 4 Users May Be Skipping the 4S for the iPhone 5

2011-11-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

Strong rumors of a June iPhone 5 release, together with the iPhone 4S being a form factor refresh, may have compelled iPhone 4 users to skip the 4S rush.
While early polls showed that just as many iPhone 4 users were planning to purchase the iPhone 4S iPhone 3G/3Gs users, exit polls are revealing that not nearly as many iPhone 4 users are investing in the new model, opting instead to wait for the iPhone 5. An interesting article published by the Huffington Post indicates that Blackberry and iPhone 3G/3Gs users round out the lion’s share of iPhone 4S sales: “According to a recent survey by consumer electronics site Retrevo: Blackberry users and owners of early-generation iPhones like the 3G and the 3GS, mostly. Per Retrevo’s survey of over 1,300 electronics shoppers.”
The new survey that Huffington is referencing contradicts earlier polls that indicated a surprising number of iPhone 4 users who were planning on purchasing the iPhone 4S, in spite of it featuring the same form factor and screen size of the iPhone 4. The early Retrevo study from October 12th indicated that “the study actually found almost as many iPhone 4 owners (42%) as iPhone 3G/3GS owners (44%) planning to buy an iPhone 4S,” and that ”BlackBerry owners (24%) were less interested in switching to an iPhone than we found in previous studies.”
But these initial findings are not proving to be completely accurate in the early going of iPhone 4S sales.
Still, there are elements of the Retrevo poll that hint at why iPhone 4 users — and smartphone users as a whole — may be changing their minds about the iPhone 4S. Huffington points out that, “Retrevo also surveyed its customers’ reactions to the new iPhone 4S and found that 47 percent of iPhone owners were disappointed in the new phone. The biggest reason, however, was not the lack of a new design (disappointing 21 percent of respondents), but rather the lack of 4G capability.” The disappointment over the form factor refresh and lack of 4G has resulted in an overall skepticism about the 4S that most likely would have not been the case had the iPhone 5 debuted in 2011: when asked in October, “Will you be buying the iPhone 4S?” only 24% indicated “yes,” in the survey, with 50% indicating “no” and 26% indicating “not sure.”
It would be interesting to know where those 26% “not sure” respondents stand today with the iPhone 4S, what with the reported battery issues and the prospect of the iPhone 5 being released in June of 2012 at the WWDC. At the same time, it should not come as a surprise that iPhone 4 users may end up passing on the iPhone 4S and wait for the iPhone 5: it has been a pattern among iPhone users to skip an iteration before investing in a new model. For this reason, it would make sense that the majority of iPhone 4S customers would be legacy iPhone 3G/3Gs users.
It’s also easy to account for Blackberry users switching to the iPhone 4S: RIM had a tough year and appears to be in their death knell. Blackberry users are fleeing the sinking ship.
But considering that, of the 110+ million iPhone units sold since its debut, statistics show that the majority of iPhones sold are iPhone 4 models, and that the iPhone 4 is the most popular smartphone in the U.S. market, it could mean that the iPhone 4S will in the end not live up to the hefty estimates predicted by analysts regarding the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 Release Date: 7+ Inch iPad 3 Would Defy Steve Jobs’ View On Mini Tablets

2011-11-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

In his lifetime, Steve Jobs downplayed the viability of sub-9-inch tablets, tacitly stating that Apple would never release a mini iPad. But new rumors of a 7-inch “mini” iPad 3 would be Apple’s first defiance of Steve Jobs’ vision for future Apple devices. Could a Spring iPhone 5 Release Date also include a mini iPad 3?
The “mini” iPad rumor has been kicking around the Apple rumor mill for well over a year now, with many sources along the way claiming that the iPad 3 would feature either a smaller screen, or a “mini” option to the standard 9.7-inch version. After unfounded rumors that the iPad 3 would be arriving alongside the iPhone 5 in October of 2011 proved to be false, little has been said about the prospect of new tablet dimensions for the 2012 iPad until recently.
An article today in the Korean Times claims that there are credible sources that Apple is planning on releasing a 7″+ version of the iPad 3 in the Spring of 2011. According to the article: “The Korea Times is reporting that Apple is developing a smaller iPad (being called the iPad mini) with a 7.35-inch display, and a 4 inch iPhone 5. Apple and LG are reportedly negotiating a $1.1 billion deal for long-term display parts for these upcoming iOS devices from 2012 to 2016.”
Of course, if Apple was to finally release an iPad model that is below the 9.7-inch mark, it would be a major departure from the will of Steve Jobs, who never believed that “mini” tablets were viable long-term designs for mobile computing. Likely the mini tablet to a device that doesn’t know if it is either a smartphone or tablet. He even specifically stated that “The seven-inch tablets are tweeners: too big to compete with a smartphone, and too small to compete with an iPad.” With this quote in mind, would new Apple CEO Tim Cook defy Steve Jobs this soon after his death and release a 7-inch iPad?
I am beginning to think that he would.
An article on BGR recently stated that, based on Cook’s recent comments about the success of the Kindle Fire, “Cook said he was confident with the products that Apple has coming down the pipeline. The ‘iPad mini’ could be one such product — one that may go toe-to-toe with the Kindle Fire. Rumors have suggested the tablet may be smaller, or at least cheaper, than the current iPad 2. If a cheaper iPad does debut next year, the fight between Amazon and Apple could come down to each company’s respective ecosystem.”
Now that Apple is out of the hands of its founder and visionary and in the hands of a hired hand who answers to the bottom line of a board of directors, Apple is bound to see some sort of divergence from what it has been while Steve Jobs was alive. In past, investors, executives, and customers could trust Steve Jobs and his vision — even in the face of evidence to suggest that he might be wrong — based simply on his track record for success and beloved creativity. But as the years pass without Steve Jobs at the helm, we will see Apple take action on product development that Mr. Jobs would have disagreed with. Over time, the “what would Steve do?” ethic will recede.
The question is, will Apple defy Steve Jobs’ views on the mini tablet less than a year after his death?

Was the iPhone 5 Release Date Supposed To Be in 2011?

2011-11-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

An inside source is now claiming that Steve Jobs and Apple engineers had planned on the iPhone 5 being released in 2011, but shelved it at the last minute for the iPhone 4S.
As the iPhone 5 rumor mill begins to heat up again around what will be the iPhone 5 release date in 2012, new claims are coming to the surface that put the iPhone 5′s delay into better focus. An intriguing (and albeit unconfirmed) report from Business Insider claims that Apple was pro-actively moving forward with an iPhone 5 prototype, but abruptly halted its production about three months before the release of the iPhone 4S. According to the story: “Our source said that Apple engineers he knows thought until about three months before the iPhone 4S was released, that a new fully re-designed iPhone was going to be Apple’s next big announcement. This source said that he spent about two weeks with one prototype version of this phone.”
The iPhone 5 News Blog has reported on several stories and rumors in the past that would seem to corroborate this new claim.
On August 9th, we reported that, according to our own inside source, the 2011 iPhone was not going to be the iPhone 5, but rather the “iPhone 4GS.” The name was off, but our source was told by his own deep sources that the next iPhone would be a refresh of the iPhone 4. He followed that claim up on August 22nd by stating definitively, “the new iPhone will be a upgraded version of iPhone 4. Got this info from 2 different reliable sources.”
Our source’s timeline fits in with the timeline that Business Insider suggests: that our source was made privy to the decision to go with the iPhone 4S just about a month after Apple engineers and Steve Jobs had made the decision.
Another thing to consider is that Cupertino may have been already divided on whether to move forward with the iPhone 5 as early as the WWDC. At the time, Samsung was threatening Apple’s patents with aggressive new lawsuits that some believed could compel Apple to further delay the release of the iPhone 5.
More recent news that the full-fledged iPhone 5 never materialized in 2011 due to a faulty key component also suggests that this story may connect with what Business Insider is reporting today, and that the failure to get the A6 processor into successful pre-production may have been the cataylist for shelving the iPhone 5 in 2011. We reported about TSMC beginning work on the A6 on August 14th, which again is within the timeframe of this new story.
The Good NEws About the iPhone 5 Release Date Failure
As more and more of these reports about the failure to release the iPhone 5 in 2011 emerge, it makes the iPhone 4S seem more and more like a stand-in for what Apple had originally intended. And while that sentiment may not sit well with new iPhone 4S users, it does help to reignite excitement over the eventual 2012 iPhone 5 release — and when the iPhone 5 release date may in fact be.
I personally believe that, since the iPhone 5 prototype may already be finished and that the delay was caused by issues with one key component, like the processor, that Apple will not wait another 12+ months to release it. This, along with the fact that our own exclusive inside source is telling us that the iPhone 5 will be released in June of 2012, makes me believe that we are closer to a release than we think.
While iPhone 5 production may have been an epic fail in 2011, the fact that Cupertino was so close to releasing it at least gives us hope that little is left to do in order to make it a reality in 2012.

iOS 5 Panoramic Camera Feature Spoiled for iPhone 5

2011-11-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

A programmer and iPhone user has discovered a hidden panoramic camera feature in iOS 5 that was obviously meant for the iPhone 5. With the panoramic camera feature spoiled, how will Apple now upgrade the camera feature for the next iPhone?
All throughout the 2011 iPhone 5 rumor mill, analysts and pundits predicted that one of key features on the 2011 iPhone would be a panoramic feature. Few were dismayed by the lack of the panoramic feature on the iPhone 4S — partly because disappointment in the iPhone 4S had more to do with it not being the “iPhone 5,” and partly because the camera upgrades on the 4S were impressive enough in their own right. By all assumptions, any introduction of a panoramic camera feature was to be reserved for the iPhone 5 in 2012.
A computer programmer and iPhone user, however, has put an end to any grand plan by Apple to roll out a panorama feature for the iPhone 5‘s camera. According to TechSpot and a host of other media outlets, the panoramic function and an “autocorrect bar” is present in the current version of iOS 5 and can be hacked into. Even more surprising is that “Both items can be enabled without jailbreaking your iPad or iPhone, but not without a few initial steps.”
The articles goes on to explain that “iOS hacker, Sonny Dickson, was responsible for unearthing an “Android-like” autocorrect bar Thursday morning. In fact, the autocorrect bar is so “Android-like”, it may explain in part Apple’s reservation to include it as a production feature.” At the same time, the fact that Cupertino chose to include in the current release of iOS 5 is surprising; it is hard to believe that Apple developers assumed it would not be found, given the level of exuberance that Apple enthusiasts pour over the details and designs of Apple gadgets.
It very well be that the crux of TechSpot’s theory — that Apple recognized the feature to be too Android-like to promote, and that highlighting it would have invited scrutiny and criticism for being too derivative of the Android platform. Instead, Cupertino may have slipped in with the knowledge that it would eventually be discovered by hackers like Mr. Dickson. Why, however, would Apple include anything in iOS 5 — announced or unannounced — that would be too Android-like?

Rumor of Defective Component Suggests iPhone 5 Could Be Close To Completion

2011-11-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

A new report out of Asia is indicating that the full-fledged iPhone 5 never materialized in 2011 due to a faulty key component. If this is the case, then the iPhone 5 might be just one piece away from completion.
The biggest story in the never-ending iPhone 5 rumor mill right now is when the iPhone 5 will be released. You’ve heard conflicting reports even here on this blog: while my source has indicated that the next iPhone will debut in June of 2012, Charles posted an article yesterday that rounded up the educated guesses of the rumor mill’s Bill Palmer, who argues that a release date may not be set in stone and will be predicated on how well the iPhone 4S sells over the long term.
Regardless of who you are inclined to believe at this juncture about the iPhone 5 release date, a new report today is suggesting that the iPhone 5 may have been all but complete in the Summer, with only one flawed — but critical component — holding up its release.
This report is coming from an Koean website Hankyoreh, which says that the only reason why the overhauled iPhone 5 didn’t make its appearance in 2011 was due to a faulty part being manufactured by a Taiwanese components supplier: “Industry rumors have emerged that the reason Apple was unable to release the iPhone 5 was due a problem with stability of a key part, whose production had been newly assigned to a Taiwanese company. This story has it that the Taiwanese component failed to meet the required stability standard during tests conducted before mass production of the iPhone 5, making delay of its release inevitable.”
While the article never stipulates that this “component” was the A6 processor, the sub-text of the article suggests that this issue — which also involves Samsung — must be referencing the rumors that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC) was to take over production of Apple’s future A6 chip, which we originally reported back on August 14th. But on October 17th, an update to this story suggested that Samsung was back on the job for the A6 processor job.
Hankyoreh‘s article seems to corroborate this, when they quote Samsung as stating in a press release: “As far as we understand, Apple newly assigned production of two key components for its iPhone 5 and iPad 3 to a Taiwanese company, but these showed problems such as overheating during final tests.”
There are some positive assumptions that we can make from this report: one, that the iPhone 5 will indeed feature an even more powerful A6 processor that will be manufactured by Samsung who, in spite of their feud with Apple, has managed to maintain a high level of quality in producing Apple’s chips, and that the iPhone 5 may very well be “complete,” and is just awaiting Samsung’s ability to get A6 chip production ramped up.
I would argue that this development further suggests that a June iPhone 5 launch is credible.