Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Apple : Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know

Apple : Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know

Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:45 AM PDT

iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 5G, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already.

Will there be a rush release to erase memories of the iPhone 4's antenna problems? Maybe not - with the Verizon iPhone 4 Apple showed it wasn't afraid to tweak the current iPhone design.

Will the 5th generation iPhone deliver ultra-fast mobile internet? Will it ever end up on Verizon in the US?

Let's raid the iPhone 5 rumour fridge to find the tomatoes of truth amid the stinky stilton of baseless speculation.

The iPhone 5 release date will be in the summer…

UPDATE: The Apple Worldwide Developers' Conference 2011 date has been announced as 6 June 2011, so it's possible we'll see the iPhone 5 break cover there. However, Jim Dalrymple at The Loop says that this year's WWDC will be about software, not hardware, with Apple focussing on iOS and Mac OS.

Apple's established a rhythm with iPhone releases, with new models appearing in late June or early July each year. It's a safe bet that the iPhone 5 release date UK and US will also be late June or early July.

As Beatweek magazine points out, Apple's A-Team can't be everywhere at once; by staggering the releases of the iPad 2 and the iPhone 5, they get to work their magic on both devices.

A new report from China has stated that Q3 (which still includes July) is now the earliest we will see the iPhone 5, after the disaster in Japan pushed back supply of key components.

…or maybe the iPhone 5 launch date will be earlier

iLounge said its source reckoned Apple would push the iPhone 5 release date forwards - possibly to January 2011 - because of the iPhone 4 antenna problems, although iLounge itself said the claim was "hard to believe". The source could be confusing the Verizon iPhone and the iPhone 5.

The usual July release date was mentioned by Engadget's source too in January 2011 - meaning the standard release cycle looks set to continue.

On 22 February, we reported that Craig Berger, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets, claimed that some components manufacturers are still ramping up and so the iPhone 5 release date could now be delayed until September.

The iPhone 5 will have a different form factor to the iPhone 4 - or will there be an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4GS first?

WSJ: "Separately, Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those that are currently available… it was unclear how soon that version would be available to Verizon or other carriers."

This has since been backed up by reports from Engadget we reported on 17 January 2011, which state the design will be a 'total rethink'.

Of course, since the iPhone 3G was followed by the 3GS it's possible the new iPhone won't be a total refresh and we'll see an iPhone 4S (or iPhone 4GS) before an iPhone 5.

However, reports from China have backed up the larger-screened, metal chassis-sporting iPhone 5 rumours, so the redesign still seems firmly on the cards.

There might also be a cheaper, smaller iPhone 5 - an iPhone nano

A prototype version of a smaller iPhone is said to exist, built to ward off competition from cheap Android handsets.

Rumours around an iPhone nano picked up again on 13 February when the Wall Street Journal claimed that the so-called 'iPhone nano' exists and may even be on sale later this year.

Those iPhone nano rumours may hold little truth, though. As we reported on 18 February, the New York Times cites an anonymous source who says there will be no smaller iPhone from Apple. "The size of the device would not vary," says the source.

A white iPhone 5?

The Economic Daily News is reporting that white iPhone 5 glass is being shipped, with a supplier called Wintek being the sole touch panel vendor for the white iPhone.

iPhone 5 pictures

A spurious photo of an iPhone 5 front case has been unearthed by a Chinese reseller, suggesting that the next Apple handset will feature an edge-to-edge display. We're not convinced it's a genuine Apple part, though.

On 17 March 2011, we reported on another supposed set of leaked iPhone 5 cases, this time looking remarkably similarly to iPhone 4 cases.

A new metal back?

A rumour we covered on 7 March 2011 suggests that the new iPhone will do away with the glass back and opt instead for a metal back which will act as a new iPhone antenna.

The iPhone 5 specs will be evolutionary, not revolutionary

According to the Chinese Economic Daily News (via AppleInsider), with the exception of Qualcomm chipsets - which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 - Apple's sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5G components.

We'd expect the basics of the iPhone 5 specs to get a bump - more memory, faster processor, and more storage.

The specs? A new antenna, 1.2GHz processor (possibly dual-core) and a larger screen: 3.7" instead of 3.5". The iPhone 5 may also be made from a new kind of alloy, or maybe meat.

In other rumours which surfaced on 15 February 2011, Digitimes is reporting on information supposedly leaked from component suppliers that claim the iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen. Digitimes quotes the source as saying that Apple is expanding the screen size "to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market."

UPDATE: On 22 March 2011, China Times also reported that the iPhone 5 will feature a 4-inch display.

We're also hearing word of a multi-core design, in keeping with the rest of the mobile world, as Apple looks to improve both battery life and performance.

The iPhone 5 will also get a massive graphical boost as it moves to a dual-core GPU - this could herald true 1080p output from the new device, according to our news story on 18 January.

UPDATE: On 10 March 2011 it emerged that the A5 chip, found in the new iPad 2, looks to be headed to the iPhone 5, bringing enhanced functionality and dual-core power.

The iPhone 5 specs may include a digital wallet

There's been some speculation that Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5G, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card. However, as Techeye.net notes, "Apple has looked into NFC before" so this might not be imminent.

However, with the tech being inside the Google Nexus S, the time for NFC may finally be here.

Near field communication

PAY PHONE: Apple patents show how a near field communication-equipped iPhone 5 could act as a kind of credit card

UPDATE: On 24 February 2011, we reported that an Apple patent has revealed an e-wallet icon on the iPhone homescreen. This adds credence to the rumour that iPhone 5 will feature NFC.

However, on 14 March 2011, reports in The Independent cited sources from 'several of the largest mobile operators in the UK', who said that Apple told them not to expect NFC in the iPhone 5. So perhaps we'll have to wait for iPhone 6 for that.

But who to believe? On 22 March 2011 China Times reported that the new iPhone will include an NFC chip.

The iPhone 5 specs may include LTE support

At least one analyst thinks the iPhone 5 will support LTE, super-fast mobile broadband, in the US. That would make the iPhone 5G a 4G phone, which won't be confusing at all. LTE is certainly coming - AT&T plans to roll out its LTE service in 2011 - but an LTE iPhone has been rumoured for a while. USA Today floated the idea of an LTE iPhone on Verizon last year.

The iPhone 5 price won't change

If the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS then we'd expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price tag.
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