iPhone 5 “Lite” Rumor Suggests Confusing, Complicated Choices For iPhone Users

If you have been following the iPhone 5 rumor mill since its beginning, then this isn’t the first time (nor likely the last) that you will hear rumors of two iPhone 5 species coming to the next iPhone release. Some have framed the rumor as an iPhone 5 “pro” model and a “lite” model, whereas others have imagined the fabled iPhone 4s playing the “lite” role to the “pro” iPhone 5 in September. There were even rumors of an iPhone 5 Nano for some time — a smaller version of the iPhone that would give users a truly pocket-sized option.
The most recent iPhone 5 rumor suggests that, “The iPhone ‘Lite’, whose name is yet to be confirmed, will feature components that are native to the iPhone 4, except smaller and cheaper.” This rumor, which purportedly comes from “sources familiar with the matter,” are completely unconfirmed, and are just a likely to have come from an underpaid customer service representative at an AT&T kiosk at the mall than anyone inside the walls of Cupertino.
The new rumor seeks to substantiate the rumor by stating that “the target markets of the so-called iPhone ‘Lite’ are those in developing countries, where a lower price point would prove more effective than piling on the technology,” and that “Charlie Wolf, with Needham & Company told Bloomberg that ‘Apple’s strategy is changing from targeting 25 per cent of the global mobile phone market…to 100 per cent.’”
Even if lowering the price point of the iPhone to accommodate developing countries’ ec0nomies indeed is a prevailing goal at Apple, Inc., there is no reason to believe that Apple would in fact offer a value-priced version of the new iPhone 5, when the company is most likely preparing to discount the iPhone upon the release of the iPhone 5. In this way, the iPhone 4 will become the “iPhone lite” that comprises this rumor.
Furthermore, if Apple was to release an iPhone 5, iPhone 5 “lite,” and keep selling the iPhone 4, it would present a complex and confusing set of choices for iPhone customers, who would find it difficult to discern the real difference in quality and performance between an iPhone 5 “lite” that would “feature components that are native to the iPhone 4″ and the original iPhone 4 itself.
Another consideration is that two versions of the iPhone 5 may dilute the market impact of the much-anticipated device.
What do you think? Would you find a smaller, cheaper iPhone 5 “lite” or “nano” desireable, or are smaller mobile phones “so 1998?”

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Will iPhone 5 Have Dual LED ?, Whither Siri?, And Why An iPhone 5 Lite Would Be A Smart Strategy For Apple

The Taiwanese IT industry newswatcher site Digitimes’ Siu Han and Steve Shen are reporting that recent insider rumors indicate that the iPhone 5 will likely ship with a dual-LED flash, with Taiwan-based LED packaging firms Everlight Electronics, Edison Opto and Lite-On Technology being pinpointed as potential suppliers, although [ahem....] all related companies are denying involvement with production of dual-LED flashes.
Han and Shen note that these new rumors seem to be related to market reports that Apple has reduced orders for Lumileds high-power LED flash products from Philips electronics recently, and switched to the Taiwanese OEMs for LED flash modules. The article suggests that Edison Opto, which specializes in production of high-power LEDs, has LED flash modules in production and shipping to other smartphone makers, and consequently is considered to be a front-runner to win dual-LED flash orders from Apple according to Digitimes’ as-usual unnamed sources.
Dual flashes are already incorporated in some phone models from HTC and Nokia, to name two, and are said to brighten photo images in general as well as mitigating some common problems associated with single light source, camera-mounted flash photography, such as the dreaded red-eye and unattractive shadowing.
This rumor sounds plausible, and especially interesting to photography buffs like me.
We also have an article up on the iPhone 5 News Ticker that collects some of the best reports around the web that have reported this story. Be sure to check them out here.
Another iPhone 5 talking point I haven’t seen chewed over a lot comes from BusinessInsider’s Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, who wonders what’s happened regarding Siri, the mobile assistant app Apple acquired almost a year ago. Gobry describes Siri as a a mobile search engine of the sort he thinks would’ve been dominant had the Internet been initially developed to support smartphones instead of computers.
In a nutshell, you speak search topics to Siri, which according to Gobry uses uses artificial intelligence algorithms developed by the Pentagon using CIA funding, and the program runs with your request to try and match the best result. Sounds cool.
Gobry cautions that Steve Jobs has explicitly played-down the concept of turning Siri into an iPhone app, explaining that acquisition of the developer was in aid of hiring its engineers and not for the application specifically, but he personally thinks that Siri built right into the iOS would be such an amazing (and Google-trumping) feature, it’s hard to imagine Apple isn’t working on quietly in the background.
Not one for the iPhone 5 in any event.
Much more likely is the persistent rumor of a stripped-down iPhone 5 for less-developed markets. There are as usual different schools of thought about this, with some insisting that Apple would not want to dilute or “cheapen” its market image by offering a less-expensive iPhone variant, but others arguing that one area where the Android brigade continues to trounce Apple is on price, and the burgeoning market in the developing world is simply too large to be ignored. Not so much China, which is now Apple’s biggest iOS device market outside the U.S., but other populous but as yet less prosperous nations like India, Indonesia, Viet Nam, and it is to be hoped eventually Africa as well.
The much-debated Bloomberg news report earlier this week predicted that Apple is working on a presumably iPhone 4-based “cheaper version of the iPhone aimed at attracting customers in developing countries,” and
FastCompany’s Kit Eaton suggests that an “iPhone Lite” could translate into $billions in new sales for Apple, and that the rumored price-leader iPhone will most likely incorporate essentially the iPhone 4′s guts in a cheaper, probably plastic enclosure, and further notes that such a device could be the actual basis for rumor reports about a “radical “iPhone form factor overhaul the blogosphere’s been chattering about, such as scuttlebutt about a super-slim teardrop-shaped case design.
Eaton predicts that if the “iPhone Lite” materializes and can be sold at a price competitive with entry-level Android phones, none of which enjoys the high-end iPhone’s cachet and performance abilities, Apple will be giving Android a real run for the money in developing markets and further suggests that the cheaper model would also be offered in Apple’s traditional iPhone markets as “a swanky entry-level option for the rest of us,” and siphoning off more close-fisted potential handset buyers who would’ve otherwise gone with a cheaper Android phone.
BeatWeek has posted a very interesting food for thought musingon the psychology underlying and motivating consumer decisions to buy Android rather than iOS, suggesting that some Android buyers are merely cheapskates, others are geeks who by nature don’t expect to pay for anything, and a third category simply don’t want to invest money in their phone platform because they don’t plan to be on it for long. Whatever, BeatWeek suggests that many are arriving at the conclusion “that they’ve been sold a geek-obsessed bill of goods, and that their next phone will need to be an actual iPhone if they indeed want the iPhone-like experience they’ve been promised,” observing that “how well Apple manages to leverage this low-hanging (if in some cases not yet ripe) fruit with the iPhone 5 and iOS 5 is up to them.”
Makes good rational sense to me, and as I see it, a price-leader iPhone would too.
What do you think?

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iPhone 5 Late Summer Release Speculation Gains Mainstream News Cycle Credibility

The rumor mills kicked into turbo-boost mode on Tuesday, with a shot of added gravitas supplied by the respected major news service Bloomberg weighing in. A Bloomberg report picked up by many mainsteeam media says that Apple Inc. is planning to launch a new model iPhone featuring its internally designed A5 dual-core processor that currently powers the iPad 2, and an upgraded camera — probably 8-megapixel resolution as opposed to the iPhone 4′s 5-megapixel unit, citing two unnamed insider sources claimed to be “familiar with the plans”, also suggesting that the new Apple handset will closely resemble the current iPhone 4 in form factor, and ship with iOS 5 installed (which brings us back to the debate over what Steve Jobs actually meant when he announced that the iOS 5 release would be sometime “this fall”).
The Bloomberg story also claims that Apple is working on a stripped-down, cheaper version of the iPhone targeting consumers in developing countries and testing its next iPad refresh, with a higher resolution display (“similar to the one now used in the iPhone 4″ – ie: “Retina Display”) to be its marquee new feature, but with only “about one-third higher) res., which contradicts other scuttlebutt about massively higher resolution iPad screens, possibly with 3D technology, in the works for iPad 3.
BGR’s Jonathan S. Geller also weighed in yesterday saying that BGR has independently confirmed based on information from what he considers a reliable source that the next-gen iPhone release will not be merely an upgraded iPhone 4 (eg: the now legendary iPhone 4S that’s been rumored for the past month or so) but rather will have “a radical new case design” with a consensus growing (although Geller doesn’t state who’s party to it) projecting an announcement but not necessarily a product release at Apple’s traditional September event, with the usually-featured iPod upgrade announcements possibly deferred until later.
However, Geller breaks with what’s been rumorista conventional wisdom for the past week or so in suggesting that Apple *may* hold an event in mid-August to announce the new iPhone in advance of a September product rollout, which would please many anxious folks waiting in the iPhone 5 aspirational queue.
More circumstantial evidence supporting an iPhone 5 release in the not-too-distant future comes in a report from the Taiwan-based electronics industry watcher site Digitimes, whose Ingrid Lee and Jessie Shen report that interestingly, despite the fact that the third calendar quarter is traditionally a peak output season for consumer electronics component and assembly manufacturers, Taiwan-based suppliers have cut projections for the quarter by roughly 10 percent for orders placed by Apple, with Taiwan-based firms involved with manufacturing OEM components for iPads and iPhones having booked disappointing order volumes for these devices in Q2 2011 according to anonymous sources, and that so in June, with barely more than a week left in the month, orders have yet to pick up. This could indicate that Apple is phasing down iPhone 4 production in preparation for an iPhone 5 launch soon.
CNET’s Eric Mac also blogged yesterday that according to speculative artistic rendering on the site “This is my next” and other rumors, iPhone 5 will be a substantial redesign, with a new tapered form factor case and a larger Home button (as opposed to the Home button being scrapped as other schools of thought have contended. Also floated by TIMN is that the iPhone 5 will be able to go global with both GSM and CDMA support in the same device.
The takeaway from all this? Still up in the air, so to speak, IMHO. These new tidbits and snippets are interesting, but I’m still inclined to think a September announcement at what will more likely still be an iPod oriented event followed by an iPhone 5 release in the fall/autumn proper (that is after September 21) will likely be what unfolds, but that’s purely based on longtime Apple-watching and deductive reasoning, and like everyone else commenting, what do I know?

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Exclusive: Bogus CNET Touting of “New” iPhone 5 Mockup Sends LiquidMetal Stock Shares Soaring

It seems that industry-leading tech news outlet CNET has recently crossed the line from being a reliable reporter of news to the new tabloid in iPhone 5 lore. Just days after CNET UK boldly proclaimed that the iPhone will be released on September 7th, today CNET is reporting that new iPhone 5 mockups posted by Thisismynext.com were crafted from insider information about the next iPhone form factor and thus paint an accurate portrait of what to expect from the iPhone 5.
In an article entitled “Drawings show big changes for iPhone 5,” writer Eric Mack states: “New renderings of what the next iPhone iteration could look like have surfaced on the site This is my next, and they indicate a major overhaul. Multiple sites claim to have confirmed that the iPhone 5 will not be a simple update of the last generation, but a substantial redesign, complete with a new tapered shape to the case.
The problem with this story is that the renderings are not new at all. A single click takes you to the the original post on Thisismynext.com, which was posted way back on April 22nd. The article has had two undated updates, but the article itself goes back to the 22nd — including the mock-up.
Furthermore, Charles Moore reported on the “wedge” or “teardrop”-shaped iPhone 5 mockup in a report of his own here on the iPhone 5 News Blog on April 27th. The mockup is clearly not “new” as CNET has touted it.
Meanwhile, in a related story, LiquidMetal Technologies Inc. stock shares, which is rumored to possibly be supplying the new metal technology for a revolutionary iPhone 5 form factor, saw an early 12% jump in its penny stock today, all as a result of CNET’s report. From the article: “Today’s surge is driven by speculation that Apple’s iPhone 5, which is expected to have a “radical new case design,” may be made of Liquidmetal Technologies’ alloy technology.”

You can get access to all of these stories in one place by visiting the iPhone 5 News Ticker.
The CNET Report: Irresponsible Journalism or Collusion?
In a sea of irresponsible iPhone 5 reports, this CNET mishap could be seen as merely one in a million of other ones made week after week in anticipation of the iPhone 5′s release. Only the fact that CNET, an otherwise respected media outlet, would make such a blunder in reporting this 2 month-old news as “new,” makes this an unusually big misstep in media reporting.
But the misreporting combined with a soaring of a stock that it typically nothing more than a “penny” stock begs a more conspiratorial question: what the CNET editor who approved this story know, and when did he or she know it?
Moreover, is anyone involved in this story a shareholder of LiquidMetal Technologies Inc.?
There is no doubt that the iPhone 5 hype cycle is regularly manipulated for material gain. But with major influencers like CNET touting old stories as new, particularly as we draw closer to the iPhone 5′s imminent release, which send obscure stocks into a frenzy, serious questions have to be raised.

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Opinion: Early Production Suggests iPhone 5, Not iPhone 4s, in Fall

The “iPhone 4s” has become the center of conversation again today, with top tech analysts suggesting that the now much-anticipated September 7th date as being the day that Apple launches the iPhone 4s, leaving the iPhone 5 for 2012. But recent reports of pre-production for new iPhone components suggests that a fall-released iPhone will be more than just a refresh — hence deserving of the iPhone 5 moniker.
Like a bad penny, the iPhone 4s controversy continues on.
After slipping out of the iPhone 5 discussion since the WWDC, tech analysts are once again insisting that CNET UK‘s recent prediction of a September 7th iPhone release will in fact be the iPhone 4s refresh, and not a reworked iPhone 5. The most credible of these predictions came from none other than the IBTimes, who said today that the iPhone released this Fall “should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support. He believes Apple had hoped for the LTE chipsets to be ready for the September launch as a best-case scenario but was planning a version without LTE called the iPhone 4S.”
In an article yesterday, the IBTimes also said that, “A new iPhone version in September, which does not have commanding new features promised by iOS 5, will be a lame duck . . . If Apple gets iOS 5 ready later in the fall, then iPhone 5 will have to take the lag as well.”
You can read all of the articles related to these stories today on the iPhone 5 News Ticker.
For the same reason that many people in the iPhone 5 News Blog community have deduced Sherlock Holmes-style that any early September iPhone activity would be an announcement and not a release, the rest of the tech media outlets have transposed into a decidedly geekier concept: that because an iPhone released on September 7th could not have the fall-promised iOS 5, that it must by definition be the more pedestrian, refreshed “iPhone 4s,” thus pushing the iPhone 5 to 2012.
“Oh, my dear Watson!”
For as “elementary” as this theory may be on the part of the mainstream tech media, in the end, it is just as unfounded as virtually every other conspiracy theory surrounding the iPhone 4s/5 saga. The fact is, the tech media has worked tirelessly to get the iPhone 4s story to stick, ever since the rumor that Apple sent suped-up iPhone 4s (the plural of iPhone 4) to app developers was circulated.
Do we even know that those reports were even true? Has anyone ever seen one of these famous iPhone 4ss? (plural of iPhone 4s — I hate that little “s”!)
The fact is, if Apple had sent out a bunch of 4s models to a horde of anti-social app developers, chances are that one of them would have sold it to Gizmodo’s Jason Chen by now, and he’d have it all opened up, spread out, and photographed, like some techno-pornographic centerfold fantasy.
And he’d be in jail.
But because this story became rooted in some sort of false “fact,” people in the media somehow believe that the “iPhone 4s” is more of a reality than the “iPhone 5.”
In the same breath that the IBTimes is predicting the iPhone 4s for September, they have also reported that, “Component manufacturers have begun to receive orders,” and that “the production ramp is expected to start in July,” according to Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies. As of today — June 21st — there are 78 days until the fabled September 7th announcement/release. Since the iPhone 4s would naturally be nothing more than an upgrade of the iPhone 4, why would Apple need 78 days to pop in the A5 chip and a few other minor upgrades?
In addition, the tech media has reported on duel LED flashes, the return to a glass or aluminum back, 8 megapixel camera, and a larger, edge-to-edge screen for the next iPhone, with purported leaked photos to boot. All of these sorts of innovations — in addition to whatever mind-blowing new features Apple could have in store for the next iPhone that we don’t even know about — are on their way in 2011, then the September iPhone would indeed have to be named “iPhone 5,” and production would indeed need to begin now to accommodate these changes to the chassis and form factor.
In the end, Apple may choose to call the iPhone something that we cannot even imagine. Maybe it’ll be the iPhone X. Or the iPhone ɣ. Or the iPhone Artist-Formally-Known-As-Prince. Heck, it could in the end be “iPhone 4s.” But let’s remember that the “iPhone 4s” moniker is no more legitimate than “iPhone 5″ as a possibility, and an early start to production suggests that the “5″ may indeed be on its way.

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iPhone 5 Final Testing Reports, Prototype Spotted Support CNET UK September 7th Prediction

This week, CNET UK processed the big picture for the iPhone 5 and prognosticated a September 7th release date for the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 News Blog has always predicted a late-summer release, so we concur. Read about CNET’s logic behind their iPhone 5 release date prediction, and how recent reports of the next iPhone in final testing supports this.
When you follow the full spectrum of iPhone 5 news coverage online, you often find that the audacious predictions made about the next iPhone are usually levied by the news outlets with the least credibility. However, CNET UK, a leading tech media outlet par excellance, boldly predicted an iPhone 5 release date for September 7th. Akin to a degenerate gambler placing her stack of chips on the green “00″ marker at the roulette table, CNET writer Flora Graham laid out her prediction, and the logic behind it:
“We’ve charted the dates, earwigged the rumours and consulted our iPod Ouija board. After 16 hours of number-crunching on the CNET UK supercomputer, we have determined the most likely release date for the iPhone 5 — 7 September 2011 . . . We know this for certain: Apple didn’t announce the iPhone 5 at this year’s Apple WWDC event, as it has in years past. Instead, we got iOS 5. That means we won’t be seeing the iPhone 5 this summer. Steve Jobs, however, said iOS 5 will arrive in the autumn. That’s traditionally when the various iPods are refreshed at a music-themed event . . . That’s why we’re expecting to see the iPhone 5 launch at the same time as iOS 5, in the autumn. In fact, we think the iPhone 5 will cruelly oust the iPod from its own event.”
We’ve collected all of the article related to CNET’s prediction on the iPhone 5 News Ticker. Take a look for more insight.
As many of you know, the iPhone 5 News Blog said on January 8th, “it is quite possible that the iPhone 5 may not be announced until the mid Summer of 2011, with a projected release date sometime in late August or September, just in time for a big Back To School’ promotional push,” which we remind you about ad nauseum.
Sorry about that.
But while our iPhone 5 release date prediction falls short of putting our money on one specific date, we agree with CNET in principle that September 7th is a realistic target date for when we could all be in meandering lines outside of Apple stores nationwide, waiting to plunk down our hard-earned money for what is hopefully a mind-blowing new iPhone design.
Now, reports that the iPhone 5 is in its final testing phases — and that a prototype may even have been spotted — suggests that, while production for its components may have not ramped up yet, we are most certainly getting closer to that mile marker.
Typically, we have seen an announcement for new devices about a month before their release from Apple. Last year, Apple targeted the end of August/beginning of September as the time for its media- and music-centered announcements. This is always a good time for a product announcement, since it pretty much falls at the official end of Summer. Kids are back in school, people are back from August vacations, and everyone is settling back into “normal life.”
To have an iPhone 5 ready on September 7th, Steve Jobs would have to announce it at the beginning of August, which by all public relations estimations would be a poor choice in timing. Therefore, Apple may opt to announce the iPhone 5 around September 7th, and make it available at the end of that month or the beginning of October.
When you think about it, that would make a lot of sense, since the announcement would come at the beginning of Apple’s new fiscal year. Stock share prices would soar, Apple’s Board of Directors would be very pleased with themselves, and iPhone 5′ers would be getting ready to invest in yet another iteration of iPhone goodness.

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iPhone 5 Edge-to-Edge Screen “Edging” Closer To Being a Reality, But Will It Improve the iPhone Experience?

Since last summer, iPhone users have been calling for a larger, edge-to-edge screen for the iPhone 5. New rumors are suggesting that it might be on its way. But will a 4-inch screen dramatically improve the iPhone experience?
iPhone gawkers have been rubbernecking the 2011 class of Android smartphones — some of which sport big slabs ‘o touch screens — and have been jonesing for a 4-inch, edge-to-edge screen for the upcoming iPhone 5. Rumors today abound that they just might get it: 9to5Mac, along with a hoarde of other tech media outlets, have shed light onto app maker SpeechTrans’ recent mock-ups of new Nuance-powered apps that feature the app’s GUI on both framed iPhone 4 screens as well as a smooth, edge-to-edge screen that could be consistent with the iPhone 5.
Pop over to our new iPhone 5 News Ticker site for a peek into three great stories on the new photos and rumor. Read more below for a different perspective on this new piece of news:

The iPhone 5 Edge-to-Edge Screen Question Goes Existential
In an effort to think out of the box, push the envelope, and use some other cliché to mull over the prospect of an edge-to-edge screen, I’ve challenged myself (and now, by extension, you, fellow iPhone 5′er), to ponder this deep and awe-inspiring question: why do we want a 4-inch, edge-to-edge screen for the iPhone 5, and will it significantly improve the interactive experience with our favorite smartphone?
At present, we have a 3.5-inch screen to work with, framed by a thin bezel. The best-case scenario we can hope for on the iPhone 5 is an indulgent, 4-inch screen that seemingly goes to the very edge of the chassis, then disappears off the edge. The addition of an extra .5 inch (measured diagonally across the screen) is not completely superfluous, and by removing the bezel and utilizing more surface area of the chassis, the iPhone 5 can sport a bigger screen without growing significantly in overall size and area, which is a good thing.
But all in all, is the desire for a 4-inch, edge-to-edge screen on the iPhone 5 all about aesthetics?
There is no doubt that the edge-to-edge screen looks cool, and very much fits into Apple’s tradition of simple, minimalist designs. I’ve seen some mock-ups that depict the iPhone 5 with an edge-to-edge screen both top and bottom and left to right, making the entire surface a touch surface. It would indeed look beautiful yet spartan — a device that taps into the mysterious spectre of the black monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s classic science fiction tableau 2001: A Space Odyssey.
(Ok — I’m getting a wee bit esoteric here, but I think you get the point.)
I now come from a multi-platform, multi-touch screen family, wherein we have the dual screened Kyrocera Echo (Droid) and an iPad 2 to go along with our iPhone. To be sure, the user experience between the iPhone and iPad 2 is significant — we’re talking about almost 6 inches of difference here. But between the iPhone and the Echo — which sports a dual-screened design that actually folds out into a kind of mini tablet, really isn’t as game-changing as you may think. It sucks battery life, and really doesn’t offer that much more workability than simply using the phone in its horizontal view. The Echo does allow you to multi-task by using the separate screens simultaneously with two different apps (great for doing e-mail and Internet at once), but when used together as one large screen, it isn’t all that great.
This isn’t to say that a 4-inch, edge-to-edge screen would or should be seen as a “fail” by any means — even if a larger screen turns out to be less utilitarian than we all imagined, there is always something to be said for aesthetics, and how something looks and feels as enhancing your experience and interaction with it. For my part, I am still in search of the defining feature of the iPhone 5 — the pièce de résistance — that will come to define it as unique and marketing-leading. I’m not so sure that the 4-inch screen will do the trick.
What do you think? Am I just bull goose looney for not thinking that a 4-inch edge-to-edge screen will be a mind-blowing feature for the iPhone 5? Let us know how you think the larger screen could make a world of difference for the iPhone experience, or if I’m onto something here in my thinking.

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Unlocked iPhone 4 Further Extends Sales Cycle, But Will the iPhone 5 Come Unlocked As Well?

iPhone 4 - unlocked

Apple has once again offered a variation on the iPhone 4, this time with an “unlocked” version. Will Apple do the same with the iPhone 5 as well?
Perhaps in a bid to give its iPhone 4 one final, gallant rush of sales, Apple has albeit quietly released an unlocked version of the iPhone 4 on its website. The new unlocked version is contract- and carrier-free, giving users a sim-free slot to stick a GSM sim card of their choice into it — a much-needed option for business users. While Apple has done little promote their newest chapter in the iPhone 4 saga, our guess is that they have most likely reached out to corporations in a B2B marketing push that we average consumers are not seeing.
As Josh Lowensohn at CNET says that, “This new option allows companies big and small to buy phones that will work just about anywhere, and without a contract. This is likely to have a bigger impact on frequent business travelers who are hopping between countries and may not have a company roaming plan.” Due to the fact that “In its most recent quarterly earnings call, Apple noted that the iPhone was being tested or deployed by 88 percent of the Fortune 500,” meaning that businesses could buy up a ton of unlocked iPhone 4s this summer, boosting business sales. Even an increase in government sales of the iPhone 4 could be imminent with this new feature, based on an earlier report that more and more Federal agencies are embracing the use of iPhones.
At $649 and $749 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively, the new unlocked iPhone 4 isn’t a bad deal, and more importantly, it gives prospective iPhone users who travel extensively and seek to be untethered by contracts and carriers a certain degree of freedom that has been lacking in the otherwise proprietary iPhone experience.
You can check out the product page at apple.com here.
Will the iPhone 5 Come Unlocked From the Start?
The appearance of the unlocked iPhone 4 begs the question — will the iPhone 5 feature an unlocked version as well? There is no evidence to suggest either way if Apple will unlock the iPhone 5 from the start, but my opinion is that, at most, Apple will wait to offer the unlocked version at the end of the iPhone 5‘s sales cycle — just as they have with the iPhone 4.
Apple is famous for business and revenue models based on proprietary systems, in-house technologies, and close-bonded partnerships: iTunes, the aversion to third-party technology, and a limited palette of mobile carriers in the U.S. combines to form a tightly-woven tapestry of business infrastructure that keeps Apple customers locked in to their computing experience. A free-form, open-source, “unlocked” approach to doing business is not typical for Apple. That’s Android’s domain.
In additi0n, Apple relies on the leverage of its partnerships with AT&T, Verizon, and perhaps T-Mobile and even Sprint in the future, to tap into vast quantities of mobile phone subscribers who because iPhone users by purchasing them through their carrier. Would Apple sell nearly as many iPhones if it were not for these strategic partnerships? My guess is no.
The only development over the next three months that could change this prognostication would be if companies begin to adopt the iPhone en masse, and Apple sees huge gains as a result. And it isn’t impossible to imagine: Blackberry has been the go-to device for business smartphones for quite some time now, and in many ways, they are seen as “legacy” devices that lack the flexibility and reliability of the iPhone. As business 2.0 hits its stride, the iPhone may become the smartphone of choice for business users.
And now, Apple has given them an iPhone that likes to travel internationally.

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Some Post-WWDC Next-Generation iPhone Notes Rumors, And Predictions

Dave Caolo at The Unofficial Apple Weblog has uncovered an explanation for the ambiguity over what the next iPhone will be called, noting that USB device files in yet-unreleased iOS 5 firmware’s iOS system files that reference “iPad3,1″ and “iPad3,2,” “iPhone4,1,” and “iPhone4,2,” therefore deducing that the iPhone 5 will be a 4th generation unit because the iPhone 3G was technically 1st generation which skews the numbering order and could be the genesis of much of the confusion. Sounds like a plausible theory anyway.
Another interesting tidbit encountered over the past several days is in a Wall Street Journal blog by Dave Kansaswho says market research firm CLSA believes Apple will release an iPad3 with a better display and LTE support in time for the Christmas buying season, but doesn’t expect an LTE iPhone in 2011. I’m not sure why that would be, but presumably they are basing that prediction on something more than supposition.
MarketWatch’s Rex Crum Reports that most analysts expect the iPhone to be refreshed later this year, but cites Gleacher & Co.’s Apple specialist Brian Marshall predicting Apple will release a “4s” version of the iPhone in the second half of this year, and an iPhone 5 in late 2012, while Piper Jaffray’s veteran Apple watcher Gene Munster also expects Apple to release its next generation of the iPhone most likely in September, but isn’t quoted on numerical designation prognostications.
As for whether near field communications (NFC) technology will make it into the next iPhone, that’s still an imponderable. Electronista reports that according to NFC chipmaker NXP Technology, Apple’s plans for NFC remain “unknown,” citing a report from Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White who attended week’s Computex expo in Taiwan, who noted that 80 percent of the smartphone market has already committed to NFC, including Nokia and Research in Motion, but there’s no clue has yet to Apple’s plans. however, White also thinks that based on his investigations at Computex, the next-generation iPhone will still probably ship in September, according to the report.
In the meantime, iOS five is coming for sure in the fall, and there is conjecture as to whether some features will not work the iPhone 3GS. A report by 9To5Mac’s Christian Zibreg notes that in the WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs confirmed that iOS 5 will run on both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, but suggests that if history is any indication, some of the new operating system’s features likely won’t work on older devices due to constrained resources, and that, unsurprisingly for Apple, the iOS 5 features page reveals nothing about possible limitations on legacy hardware.
However, he’s posted a video clip by a blogger who has checked it out and reports “In my opinion, iOS 5 beta works flawlessly on iPhone 3GS.”

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How 3Gs-Friendly Is iOS 5, and Will It Even Matter Once the iPhone 5 Is Released?

Current iPhone 3Gs users were relieved to hear that Apples new mobile iOS 5 operating system will indeed work with the 3Gs model iPhone. But there is reason to believe that the iPhone 3Gs may only be partially supported by the new operating system. And since iOS 5 won’t be released until Fall and with rumors of an iPhone 5 release in September, will anyone even care about the 3Gs by then?
The only thing worse than getting pushed by tech companies into investing in a software upgrade is when you get pushed into upgrading and then find out the upgrade won’t work with your device. Unfortunately, this scenario may be what awaits iPhone 3Gs users who are planning to invest in the new operating system.
Early reports suggest that, while iOS 5 will run flawlessly on the iPhone 4, iPad & iPad 2, and iPod Touch 4G, there will be limitations on the 3Gs performance of iOS 5. CNET is stating that, while “Some developers are reporting early success with some features, such as the new notification system, on an iPhone 3GS, Apple has already stated that not all devices will be fully compatible with iOS 5 . . and it’s likely the 3GS will be discontinued with the launch of the iPhone 5.”
That being said, with the iPhone 5 most likely on its way in September (or around the launch of iOS 5 in the Fall), and with the assumption that the 3Gs will be phased out at that time, how much of a priority is getting the iPhone 3Gs to run iOS 5 properly for Apple? After all, the vast majority of satisfied iPhone 3Gs users are going to buy into the iPhone 5: for them, it’s most definitely upgrade time, and for those who have not jumped ship to Android, they will be eagerly plunking down their hard-earned money for the iPhone 5.
Therefore, all you current iPhone 3Gs users: iOS 5 running on a 3Gs is probably not going to mean a whole lot to you come Autumn.
Granted, there may be a handful of users who upgrade to an iPhone 5 and pass along their old 3Gs to a family member. But in that case, how important will it be for legacy iPhone 3Gs users to even bother upgrading their outdated 3Gs to the new operating system?
My prediction: iOS 5 is going to turn out to be a total mis-match for 3Gs’ers — a total waste of time and money to get it to work properly. It’s easy at this point for Apple to get up at the WWDC podium and say, “great news, everyone: iOS 5 will jive with the 3Gs.” Given the fact that the 3Gs is still being sold, proclaiming that iOS 5 would not work with it would virtually quash all 3Gs sales from this point onward.
You can say that it might be a cynical marketing move on the part of Apple; a way of “throwing us a bone” in order to keep 3Gs sales flowing until the release of the iPhone 5. But my guess is that, by the time the iPhone 5 comes out, few people will remember what “3Gs” is.
 
Hey, are you using the new +1 sharing icon from Google? If you have a gmail account and are signed in, be sure to click on the “+1″ icon above. It really helps the blog!

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iPhone 5 Sunday Coffee: On the Eve of the WWDC, Make Your Official Prediction

A "floating" iPhone 5 concept: pointless, but cool.
It always feels good to be right.
Here at the iPhone 5 News Blog, we don’t make many predictions, and the few ones that we have made (like the fact that the white iPhone 4 would be nothing more than “white”) have been good calls. But one of the boldest claims we’ve made is that the 2011 iPhone — namely, the iPhone 5 — would see a later-than-usual release, with the WWDC coming and going without a new iPhone announcement. We predicted a late-summer release of the iPhone 5 in an article posted on January 8th, 2011.
But this week is a big week for the iPhone 5 news cycle, and for as much as the evidence points to a later-than-usual iPhone 5 release, there are last-minute spikes of excitement that Steve Jobs could indeed make a surprise announcement. Astute commenters on this blog, like Clippy and kresimir, have contributed some very interesting anecdotes suggesting that the iPhone 3Gs is being phased out and iPhone 4 discounted in some eastern European countries, suggesting that the iPhone 5 could be on its way sooner rather than later. Add to this the confirmation that Steve Jobs will be key-noting at the WWDC, and a “surprise” announcement seems plausible. (Huge thanks to both Clippy and kresimir, by the way!)
Since we’re just a day away fro the big launch of the WWDC, now is your time to log your prediction for what is going to happen at the WWDC this week. Will it be the iPhone 5? The iPhone 4s? Will Steve Jobs do his patented “one more thing” thing? Or is the next iPhone still slated for late summer/early fall?
Call it right and we’ll make you famous: we here at the iPhone 5 News Blog love to quote and praise our readers, since the folks who read this blog have such a well-informed perspective on the iPhone and technology. Many of you have been making your predictions over and over again in post comments, but this post will be the place to frame your argument in a very neat, concise statement.
Now is your chance to get it on record!
And don’t worry about being wrong; we won’t ridicule anyone for making the wrong predictions. Journalists get it wrong half of the time anyway, and never have to answer for it, so why should you?
We look forward to your official iPhone 5 predictions — all are welcome!

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Stuck On 4: If the iPhone 4s Rumors Are True, Why is the iPhone Afraid To Turn 5?

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a bit tired of seeing that “4″ in front all of the iPhone products and rumors coming our way.
Granted, 4 is a beautiful number: it represents a nice, clean, divisible number, the time signature designation for most western pop music, the number of seasons — I have nothing against 4 per se.
Except for the fact that Apple seems to be stuck on the number 4.
If the rumors come true, the 2011 iPhone will in fact be yet another chapter in the iPhone 4 saga: the iPhone 4s would be — not ironically — the fourth iPhone iteration to be part of the iPhone 4 franchise, after the original iPhone 4, the Verizon iPhone 4, and the white iPhone 4. And as iPhone 5′er and iPhone 5 News Blog commenter extraordinaire Andres deftly points out, regardless of what Apple brands the next iPhone as, it will be the fifth iPhone design — thus, the true iPhone 5.
But there’s more to the iPhone 5 than the name and series number: iPhone users have an expectation for what the iPhone 5 will be. While there is no agreement on what features or functions the iPhone 5 will need to have in order to deserve the “iPhone 5″ moniker, the general consensus is that the iPhone 5 will need to be a game-changer in the smartphone market — a true product leader that puts Apple well ahead of Android in the smartphone race.
It would seem that Apple understands what’s at stake with the iPhone 5 as much as we do — after all, it is us, the consumers, who have set the stakes for the iPhone 5, not Apple. Because of this, the plan may be to cash in on the success of the iPhone 4 franchise once again, especially since Apple is unable or unwilling to chock the next iPhone full ‘o new gadgets and gizmos that will dwarf even the resounding success of the iPhone 4.
But the success of the iPhone 4 may in fact be what compels Apple to stay stuck on “4″ for their 2011 iPhone.
There is no question that the iPhone 4 is by far the most successful iPhone product ever released by Apple. Whether its meandering release schedule was something that Apple anticipated from the beginning or something that they half-improvised along the way, Apple learned how to extend the lifecycle of its sole smartphone well beyond the arc of any of its predecessors. In this way, the iPhone 4 has managed to stay mainstream and relevant throughout 2010 and 2011, in spite of the fact that it gets more and more outmoded with every passing day and every new Android release.
What insulates the iPhone 4 franchise against a multiplicitous Android competitor is the iPhone’s eternal coolness factor; a marketing intangible that Apple alone has managed to forge with all of its products. The mainstream consumer would be shocked to learn that the iPhone is not the top-selling mobile phone in the world.
All of this being said, Apple stands to lose its cool with its faithful customers in the wake of an ignominious iPhone 4s release. Apple may think that it’s a no-brainer — a lay-up, even — to simply affix an “s” to its spiffy “4″ and sell another 40+ million units before getting an iPhone 5 in the Summer of 2012. But the thing is, iPhone users patently do not want the iPhone 4s!
Do they want all of the purported features of the iPhone 4s — namely, iOS 5, A5 chip, 8 megapixel camera, iCloud, etc? Yes. But they want all those things, plus next-generation technologies, like real 4G, NFC, and mind-blowing new features akin to the front-facing camera of the iPhone 4.
And they want it to be called “iPhone 5.”

If the rumors turn out to be true and the 2011 iPhone is the iPhone 4, why do you think that the iPhone is afraid to turn 5? Let us know!

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Rumor Out Of The Far East: New iPhone Coming As Early As September, But It Won’t Be iPhone 5

Japanese Apple-watcher site Macotakara Kanteidan says that according to an anonymous source, the next iPhone release will be an upgraded model retaining the iPhone 4 on same form factor with an ARM Cortex-A9 chip as CPU, but it hasn’t been confirmed whether it will be single or dual-core.
Other changes with this iPhone 4S are reportedly an 8 megapixel rear camera, and that it will be SIM-less in order to integrate AT&T with Verizon Wireless, and improved internal antennas
As for the iPhone 5, Macotakara thinks the best guess is for a spring 2012 release.
The blog refers to a May 18 report by Yenting Chen, and Adam Hwang of the Taiwan-based IT trade journal Digitimes, whose sources told them that production of iPhone 4S is slated to begin in August with the earliest launch window being in September, and will have 3G and CDMA chips supplied by Qualcomm and the new 8-megapixel camera lens kits to be sourced from OmniVision Technologies, while Taiwan-based Largan Precision will supply image sensors.
Obviously, none of these predictions have been confirmed by Apple, which will say nothing publicly until it schedules a formal announcement, although there many be some clues prior to that if Apple releases iOS 5 before the next phone hardware, which still seems realistically possible for the June World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC).
Appleinsider notes that Macotakara has a decent track record for accurate predictions, having correctly reported that the iPad 2 would have a smaller bezel, a flat back panel, and a larger speaker and the March date of its announcement.
In other recent speculation, U.K. based thenextweb.com’s Matt Brian on the weekend posted an outline discussion of what he thinks the most likely new features of the iPhone 5 will be, including a dual-core A5 processor, Near Field Communications (NFC) payments, improved notifications, Voice Control, an Aluminium unibody form factor, and iCloud support.

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Who Does iPhone 5 News The Best?

If you’re reading this iPhone 5 News Blog Sunday Coffee article, then chances are you’re what I call an iPhone 5′er. Just as adding ‘er to the end of conspiracy theories has become the fad in American vernacular — truthers, birthers, etc. — so too does the iPhone 5 conspiracy theory movement deserve such a moniker.
I’m proud to be an iPhone 5′er.
So, if in fact you’re an iPhone 5′er, how did you come upon the iPhone 5 News Blog? Or, to be more Echumenical, how did you come upon any of the iPhone 5 niche news blogs that you frequent daily (you’re breaking my heart, by the way, if you’re cheating on us)? Don’t answer, because I already know how: most of you probably simply typed “iPhone 5” into the little Google search box on your browser, and our blog was one of the first news sources you saw in the results.
The reason why I know this is the case for many of you faithful readers is that this blog has — up until recently — dominated the iPhone 5 keyword. That’s because we were the first blog on the scene to start covering the news, rumors, and opinions about the iPhone 5 (we started “way back” in early August of 2010), and like any other market sector, being first to market usually yields good results.
Ten months ago, less than 10,000 people were searching “iPhone 5″ monthly worldwide. Today, more than 4 million searches are performed monthly for “iPhone 5.”
Because of this, the first page of Google results for “iPhone 5″ has become incredibly competitive, with new iPhone 5 niche news blogs — much younger than this site — using all kinds of shady online marketing and SEO practices to springboard ahead of the iPhone 5 News Blog. (We don’t believe in using subversive techniques to bolster our search result rankings — just good old fashioned writing). You see, for the average Google’r (another “er” delimitation), searching and clicking is just a means to an end. But for others, that little keyword is a big business, and people will do whatever they have to — legal and illegal alike — to get to the top of the rankings.
That being said, you, the avid iPhone 5′er, now have a myriad of iPhone 5 news sources to choose from. Given this wide array of iPhone 5-related media, who do you trust the most?
iPhone 5 News Breakers and News Fakers
Someday, when the iPhone 5 is actually released, there will be real news about it: there will be a press conference — that’ll be real news — and a release date, and then the release, and then all of the reported problems and issues, and then sales expectations, sales numbers, and a glut of iPhone 5 case reviews. Until then, however, all of the iPhone 5 “news” out there is comprised of rumors only.
In this way, iPhone 5 niche blogs like the iPhone 5 News Blog don’t typically break news at this point – we collect it, process it, opine on it, scrutinize it, and engage informed readers like you in discussion about it. By definition, all of the tech news sites that break iPhone 5 news aren’t really in a position to scrutinize it, since, by releasing it, they are complicitly affirming that they think the news to be both reliable and accurate. How often, for example, have you ever heard a breaking iPhone 5 news story read like, “Our own reliable sources say that the iPhone 5 will have x, y, and z, but we just don’t believe it.”
Thus, iPhone 5 niche blogs serve a purpose in the iPhone 5 media chain.
So, my question to you on this Sunday morning is, who do you look to most for processing iPhone 5 news? Do you read the breaking news stories on their original sites the most, or do you come to the iPhone 5 News Blog in order to get both the news, the opinion, and the forum for commenting on it?
Let us know!

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Ten Reasons Why The iOS Is Better Than Android, And Will Toshiba’s New 4″ Display Show Up In iPhone 5?

Read Charles Moore’s new report on how Apple may be putting Toshiba’s new 4″ screen into the iPhone 5, plus 10 reasons why iOS still rules over Android.
Perhaps you’re one of a growing number of prospective smartphone buyers or upgraders who’s considering going with an Android handset instead of waiting for the iPhone 5. If so, you might thank yourself for taking a look at a new column by LifeHacker‘s Adam Dachis, entitled “Top 10 Ways iOS Outdoes Android,” before making the leap.
Adam isn’t an Android-basher or Apple partisan, declaring that he loves both of these mobile operating systems and their corresponding hardware, and affirming that both operating systems have their respective strengths and weaknesses, but that in some areas he’s convinced that the iOS outdoes Android. Worth checking to see whether they’re ones that resonate with your needs and tastes.
In summary they are:
10. The iTunes Media Store
9. AirPlay
8. Find My iPhone
7. A Better Support System
6. Better Battery Life and Management
5. iTunes and Tethered Syncing
4. No Crapware
3. A Bigger and Better Variety of Apps
2. A Well-Designed, Intuitive User Interface
1. Consistency
If these ten reason why iOS still outshines Android sound like advantages that would be important to you, check out the complete discussion and explanation of why they are included on this list here, and let us know what you think.
Will Toshiba’s New 4″ Smartphone Display Find Its Way Into The iPhone 5?
At the 2011 Society for Information Display (SID) conference held in in Los Angeles last week, Toshiba unveiled new high-resolution LTPS (Low Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon) smartphone displays, featuring up to 367ppi (pixels per inch) resolution density, in physical sizes ranging from 3.3-inch to 4.0-inch diagonal and supporting resolution formats ranging from Wide VGA (480 x 864) to HD (720 x 1280). Additionally, these displays will demonstrate advanced technologies such as high-contrast (up to 1,500:1), high-color (up to 92% NTSC), and wide viewing angle (up to H/V 176/176).
Toshiba’s SID announcements of course beg the question of whether these new display technologies and particularly 4″-sized screens might find their way into a future iPhone version — perhaps even the iPhone 5, although it’s highly doubtful the rumored iPhone 4S, if that turns out to be the next iPhone release later this year, will get a 4″ display.

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iPhone 5 Not Necessarily Delayed Because Of Deadly Fire At Apple Components Supplier Factory

You may have heard in the iPhone 5 news this week about a deadly fire that broke out in one Apple’s top Chinese components suppliers’ factories, and how the loss of life and inventory would affect both the iPad 2 and iPhone 5. Blogs like Computerworld reported that the fire in Foxconn’s iPad 2 warehouse directly affected iPad 2 assembly, stating by way of collecting reports from across the blogosphere that: “This tragedy will have a great impact on the iPad 2 production line,” and that “two people were killed and 16 injured, 3 seriously.”
While at first glance this piece would seem to be a prime example of reliable journalism, a closer look at the piece’s title reveals how misleading and irresponsible the crux of this report truly is: “iPhone 5 release date delay, iPad 2 freeze: Foxconn factory fire.”
Huh? What’s this about the iPhone 5?
Folks, there is absolutely no solid evidence to support that this explosion will affect the release of the iPhone 5, or that Foxconn has even begun to manufacture iPhone 5 components. It is yet another way of reconstituting Apple-related news to make an impact on the iPhone 5 hype cycle.
Read the Computerworld article and all of the other corresponding reports: there is no actual reporting about the iPhone 5 being affected as a result of the explosion. All of the news on the Foxconn explosion and fire focuses on the causes of the explosion, the casualties, and its potential impact on the iPad 2.
Ascribing an impact to the iPhone 5 is beyond speculative — its presumptuous.
Just to make sure, I went back into the annals of Google News to find what I could on anything recent that points to active production of components for the iPhone 5. The last story to make its rounds was on March 18th, when a rumor surfaced via 9 to 5 Mac that a Foxconn staffer had leaked photos of prototypes, which results in a slew of new purported iPhone 5 photos and specs.
Prototypes are one thing — full-on production is another.
Aside from that rumor, there has been little else to suggest that there is any production activity going on at Foxconn. And given the arrest of several Foxconn staffers recently over leaking photos of the iPad 2 a year before its release, it is even doubtful that 9 to 5 Mac‘s Foxconn source would be brave enough to deliver a true photo of an iPhone prototype.
Is it possible that the recent Foxconn explosion could have affected the iPhone 5 production timetable in some way? Sure, it’s a possibility. It’s also possible that the tsunami in Japan affected it. Or a mosquito flapping its wings in Rhode Island that led to some improbable chain-reaction that could shift the release of the iPhone 5. But all in all, it is the iPad 2 that is likely to be impacted by the explosion and not some phantom, fabled iPhone — so why do tech news sources present it to us as breaking iPhone 5 news?
Oh yes, now I remember: it gets the iPhone community buzzing again.

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Moved Camera Flash Another “Fix” For the iPhone 5, or a 3D Camera?

Thanks to a purported leak of an iPhone 5 case, new rumors of the iPhone 5 featuring a repositioned camera flash could be the result of yet another flawed design on the iPhone 4. But could that other cut-out also be for a rumored 3D camera?
iPhone users eager for a sneak peak at the iPhone 5′s form factor have been abuzz in conjecture over a recently-discovered iPhone case being offered on the trade site alibaba.com that purports to be for the “iPhone 5G.” While the iPhone inside the photo is most definitely a mock-up, the case itself is possibly believed to be the product of a design leak from one of Apple’s China-based component manufacturers, giving the tech community a kind of “outline” of what the form factor of the iPhone 5 may end up being.
While many have focused on the sloped shoulders of the purported iPhone 5 case’s chassis and seemingly-edge-to-edge screen, new reports are taking notice of a considerable shift in the position of the rear-facing flash. As opposed to the positioning of the iPhone 4′s LED flash — which sits just to the side of the camera sensor — the mysterious iPhone 5 case features a cutout on the other side of the rear face of the design.
If this indeed is an inside peak at what the iPhone 5 will feature, what would a repositioned camera flash mean? Given some of the issues with the camera flash on the iPhone 4, would this not constitute yet another “fix” on the iPhone 5?
Or, could that circular cutout be for something revolutionary for the iPhone 5, such as a 3D camera?
iPhone 4 Camera Flash Issues: a History
Camera flash issues are nothing new for the iPhone 4. Early on in the release of the iPhone 4 in the Summer of 2010, there were numerous reports of the iPhone 4 taking yellowed photos. Heather Kelly at Macworld did a thorough investigation of the issue way back in July of 2010, most of which was inconclusive, stating: “Hopefully, this isn’t a hardware issue involving the camera’s lens, and Apple can fix the problem with an update to the iPhone 4′s firmware.”
It still remains to be seen what the culprit of the camera flash issues on some iPhone 4s are: while some believed that it was a software issue, others suggested it was a design flaw in the LED flash, or even an effect of shoddy, poorly-designed iPhone 4 cases.
More recently, Apple purportedly had to deal with similar problems with the white iPhone 4′s chassis. Cult of Mac, which predicted the release of the white iPhone 4 perfectly, indicated in a report from October of 2010 that the white plastic was letting too much light into the case, affecting the clarity of photos: “The handset’s semi-translucent glass case leaks light in, ruining pictures taken with the internal camera, especially when the built-in flash is used.” It was this flaw that caused the delay in the release of the white iPhone 4.
While Apple only made nominal changes to the positioning of camera components to compensate for the white iPhone 4, the iPhone 5 could feature a dramatic repositioning of the camera flash, particularly if it is looking to invest in an 8-megapixel camera and upping the ante on the iPhone being consider a serious picture-taker.

Is that a repositioned camera flash, or another 3D camera sensor?

Of course, if this is the case, it will be yet another “fix” for an iPhone 4 flaw: first the antenna, now the camera flash. As we’ve commented before, Apple cannot sell fixes like these as “new features,” and raise conjecture about the quality of the previous device.
Could Two Cutouts on the Purported iPhone 5 Case Be For a 3D Camera Array?
There is another more exciting possible feature that the two cutouts on the iPhone 5 case could suggest: t a 3D camera array. Rumors of a 3D camera have gained little traction over the past year, with most reports focusing on a relatively nondescript Apple patent, which outlines the schematics for taking 3D photos. Typically, patents such as there are years away from seeing mainstream introduction, but the purported iPhone 5 case design features several elements that conform to the schematics of the 3D camera patent.
Could that cutout be for a second camera sensor with integrated LED flash?

To achieve a 3D image, two offset photos would need to be taken to create a "stereo" image.

All accounts of the Apple 3D camera patent’s schematic show the placement of three sensors, whereas the purported iPhone 5 case only accounts for two. But other elements of the patent explain that Apple’s approach to achieving 3D would be accomplished not through software alone, but through hardware as well, as Neil Hughes at Apple Insider explains, noting that current 3D software “must ‘guess’ at how to perform stereo disparity compensation for 3D images. Those guesses, Apple said, can result in images with artifacts in a composed 3D image that would result in a poor quality photo. Apple’s method would instead employ a hardware-based approach with a ‘deterministic calculation for stereo disparity compensation.’”
The notion of a “stereo” image, together with an example photo from the patent, suggests that perhaps Apple has managed to capture 3D photo-taking technology with just two sensors.
there’s no doubt that 3D technology is a hot commodity right now, and even though we’ve written about how Apple Should Put the Brakes on 3D Photo Technology for the iPhone 5, 3D photo capabilities would be a mind-blowing new feature that would define the iPhone 5 not as a simple refresh, but rather as a next-generation device. It could also make up for the lack of 4G capabilities.
Chances are, 3D technology is still a way’s off for the iPhone, and a shady iPhone 5 case design isn’t nearly enough to put a 3D camera into the “probable” column for iPhone 5 features. But if that case is real, it’s time to start think out of the box for what else it could be

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iPhone 5 Release Date November 21st? – NFC Unlikely; Larger Display Maybe

New purported case design supposes the form factor of the iPhone 5?

The UK news site T3 Online reports that according to a sales rep. for Brit iPhone reseller Phones4U, the iPhone 5 is expected to be released across the UK on November 21st, the source cited commenting that “iPhone 5 has been delayed until November following an issue with the handset’s software.”
While he was at it, the chatty sales person also said that Apple’s next generation phone, will be pretty much the same as the iPhone 4 but with with new software (presumably the anticipated iOS 5). He’s still calling it iPhone 5, but if his information is accurate, my deduction would be that it lends more credence to the market analyst rumor we reported on last weekend that the next iPhone refresh will be called iPhone 4S, and it doesn’t sound promising for a 4 inch display on the fall release should it materialize (although see the report on a purported new iPhone 5 case design below for a possible contrarian argument).
Now note that the Brit source is calling for a November consumer release in the UK in November, which would not preclude the new model’s unveiling in September after production ramping up as early as July for a somewhat earlier consumer release in the U.S., since stateside customers frequently get first crack at new Apple hardware. Apple’s 2012 fiscal year also starts in October, which could tie into such a hypothetical timeline as well.
Another feature that’s unlikely to show on the new iPhone is probably an RFID near-field communications chip that would let the phone function as a sort of digital credit card. Appleinsider and Business Insider among others are reporting that based on highlights from a highlights from a Bloomberg news feed, Wall Street research firm Bernstein in a Monday note to investors is predicting that Apple will not be including an NFC chip in The iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, or what ever the next iPhone release ends up being called.

On a more positive note, there is a smidge of new evidence of a significant iPhone case redesign, although don’t bet the farm or anything else of value on its accuracy),in the form of a Guangdong, China based iPhone peripherals trading site called AliBaba posting images, specifications and prices for a product it claims is a new design crystal case for iPhone 5G.
This case, which will come in blue, green, yellow,r ed, black,and white, is pitched to wholesale customers, with the minimum order quantity being 1000 units, and the pictures (which are obviously art renderings and not photographs) suggest a larger, edge-to-edge touchscreen display, and the the flash moved from directly beside the rear camera lens to the corner on the other side, which could conceivably be in aid of diminishing the dreaded red-eye effect in snapshots, long known to be exacerbated by close proximity between a camera lens and its flash lens.
However, given the narrow breadth of the iPhone case, it would be unlikely to make a big difference, and the move may just be part of a positional shuffling of internal components.

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Next iPhone Release To Be Version “4S” In September; No 4G iPhone 5 Until 2012 Say Analysts

Forbes Tech Trade blogger Eric Savitz reported Friday that Jefferies & Co. analyst and Apple-watcher Peter Misek is predicting in a research note that the iPhone update he projects as coming in September will be a stopgap model designated iPhone 4S rather than iPhone 5.
According to Misek as interpreted by Savitz, at least one iPhone 5 holdup is failure to as yet achieve satisfactory performance with the new Qualcomm 4G LTE high speed wireless chipset Apple wants to use in iPhone 5. Apple COO and current acting CEO Tim Cook, has reportedly mused repeatedly that current generation 4G chipsets impose too many design compromises that Apple isn’t willing to make in an iPhone branded product.
Consequently, Mizak thinks that according to what he terms “industry checks,” Apple will bring na iPhone 4S to market, in September he suggests, with updates and enhancements to include “minor cosmetic changes,” an A5 dual-core processor, better cameras, and HSPA+ (faster than 3G but slower than real 4G) support, but no LTE and no 4G.
Supposing this prediction holds water, whether it would be good news or bad news depends on one’s point of view and personal circumstances vis a vis service contract renewal timing and such, and of course I suppose how much the iPhone 5 designation means. From a functional performance perspective, the big factor will be the A5 chip, at least based on iPad 1 vs. iPad 2 speed and liveliness, so if that’s what’s most important to you, an A5 iPhone 4S running iOS 5 should be an attractive proposition, and coming sooner than some of us have been lately expecting were Misek’s September release date pans out.
However, with some rumors predicting a four-inch display coming with the iPhone 5, others would not doubt opt to wait. And chafe at the ongoing delay.
Apple may itself be chafing to get more new iPhone product out the door, what with Peter Misek also reporting that iPhone 4 demand has gone “flat,” with the sales spike catalyzed by the white iPhone 4 release being offset by a sales slump at AT&T in the U.S. and Vodafone in Europe. Nevertheless, TheStreet commentator Scott Moritz says he’s holding to TheStreet’s previous prediction that a 4G LTE iPhone — that would be the iPhone 5 if Misek is correct — won’t be ready until 2012, and maintains that this will leave prospective buyers weighing whether to go with an Android 4G with a bigger display now or waiting for Apple’s 4G LTE iPhone 5.
Probably not the scenario a lot of folks are hoping for.

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That a New Android Nexus Phone Will Take On The iPhone 5

An old Nexus mockup. Will the iPhone 5 have its hands full with the new Nexus?

A recent press briefing with Google Android executives point to Google releasing a new Nexus device in direct response to the iPhone 5 sometime this year. Read why the iPhone 5′s technology and advancements will need to be next-generation enough to withstand Google’s gambit.
For the multitude of Android phones that have already been released in 2011, it looks like the big smartphone battle between Apple and Google in 2011 will come gladiator-style — mono e mono — between a new Google-branded Nexus device and the iPhone 5, according to a recent report from TechCrunch. In the article, writer MG Siegler outlines a recent presser with Google Android execs, wherein Android head Andy Rubin explained that, “I think the Nexus has been the thing we use to set the bar,” and that “the cycles are holidays and the summer time” in terms of the Nexus’ release schedule.
When you think about it, the Nexus release schedule seems well-positioned to take on the next release of the iPhone 5, which could launch anywhere between the end of the Summer and the Christmas holiday, according to a litany of reports and analyses.
It comes as no surprise: although Google has empowered a wide range of device manufacturers and service providers to sell Android-loaded phones, the Nexus line of smartphones — branded exclusively by Google as their flagship design — is the heir apparent and natural rival to the iPhone.
To be sure, the populous line of Android phones have managed to put up impressive numbers against the iPhone 4, even with its Verizon and White iterations helping sales. According to Life Of Android, “[analysts] Canalys estimates that of the total 101 million smartphones shipped during Q1 2011, 37.3 million were Android handsets. That compares with 18.65 million iPhone shipments during the same period.” Other reports based on Google’s own press releases indicate that over 100 million Android phones have been activated to date, versus just under 74 million for the iPhone since its launch in 2007, according to Wikipedia.
But for as much as Android has come into its own in the past couple years and eclipsed Apple in total market share, the Nexus class smartphone does not come close to matching the iPhone in sales. After the abortive launch of the Nexus One (which the iPhone destroyed in sales), the Nexus S has managed to become a somewhat more bona fide Android offering. However, based on what Andy Rubin recently said, Google’s goal to to make the next Nexus an equal to the iPhone 5 is an audacious project, considering the lackluster performance of the Nexus thus far.
What the iPhone 5 Will Have To Contend With On the Next Nexus:
In order for the next Nexus to combat the iPhone 5, it will have to do way better than its predecessors in terms of features and performance. TechCruch has commented that we’ll probably see “a Nexus running Ice Cream Sandwich (the next version of Android that will unify the tablet Honeycomb OS with Android phones)? Perhaps.” This kind of thing is something that looks to be a preemptive answer to iOS 5 and the overall iOS approach.
The other rumor is that the new Nexus will be 4G. Now, whether that means “real 4G” or “fake 4G” remains a question that transcends discussion of the Nexus, as we have already parsed in another article about the iPhone 5 being a possible 4G phone.
Despite the fact that Android is a chief concern and competitor for Apple, the Nexus in an of itself still remains in the iPhone’s rear-view mirror. But in spite of the fact that the Nexus has been a bit of a bust, Apple would be well-advised to design the iPhone 5 with the prospect of an impressive Nexus model being released right on its heels, sometime in the waning months of 2011.

iPhone 5 News Blogging: Where Should The Blogger’s Personal Opinion Fit?

Posted: 13 May 2011 04:00 AM PDT

Where is the line drawn on reporting on iPhone 5 news & rumors and commenting on it?

iPhone 5 News Blog lead columnist Charles Moore reflects on the difference between reporting on iPhone 5 rumors and commenting on it. Read his opinion on how bloggers should traverse the iPhone 5 rumor mill:
Responding to my recent iPhone 5 News Blog posting entitled: “Christmas-if-You’re-Lucky iPhone 5 Launch? – Say It Isn’t So, But
Apple Obviously Wants You To Buy A White iPhone 4 Now,” reader Braden comments:
“…you do these awesome blogs but you never out your personal opinion at
the bottom of them. Do you think we should wait for the iPhone 5 or wing
it and get the iPhone 4 and hope for the best?”
A good question that doesn’t lend itself to a simple answer. A key point here is that this site is called “The iPhone 5 News Blog,” and not “The iPhone 5 Op-Ed Blog” or some such. That doesn’t mean that it’s written in stone that our blog writers are to never express personal opinions — it’s also a blog as well as a news and rumors site — but in many, probably most, instances we are primarily reporting the news or latest scuttlebutt.
Personally, I don’t think it’s really possible to achieve complete objectivity in even straight news reportage, and I say that from the perspective of a sometime news reporter and newspaper editor. Even when writing straight news or technical pieces, I never attempt to hide or disguise my voice, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with expressing an opinion, so long as one does their best to be scrupulously fair, and doesn’t pretend to be merely an unbiased fly-on-the-wall. For all I know flies may indeed be unbiased, but humans aren’t, even when they think they are.
In his book “Saturday Night Lives: Selected Diaries,” John Fraser, former editor of the now defunct Saturday Night magazine, and who has a lot of cred on this topic, having been a reporter and foreign correspondent for the Globe and Mail for 17 years, delivers a withering critique of the journalistic objectivity cult — calling it “one of the vainest goals a humble craft ever set itself.”
“There is no such thing as a strictly objective story,” declares Fraser. “It isn’t possible. Everything — from the structure of an article to the choice of facts is filtered through a particular outlook and a prejudiced mind…. The most you can hope for… is relative honesty. And the very best (ie: the most honest) journalists always let their readers know their specific prejudices and the general nature of the intellectual equipment through which they distill their stories.”
Fraser goes on to say that two basic traits distinguishing good journalists are “curiosity and a desire to communicate,” — these channelled toward broad general knowledge, wide reading, and a few areas of specialization, and that reporting should the the “last safe redoubt of the generalist,” and that all claims to a higher calling are “bunk.”
However, interestingly, Braden seems to be asking for more rather than less journalistic advocacy and news editorializing, which in the old newspaper game we might’ve called a “man bites dog” story.
So, getting back to his main point of query: “Do you think we should wait for the iPhone 5 or wing it and get the iPhone 4 and hope for the best?,” I’m afraid that there’s no simple “one size fits all” answer because there are so many variables in play, such as what phone you’re using now or whether have one at all; individual financial circumstances; service provider contracts; varying personal tastes as to being an early adopter of the latest and greatest or a more cautious devotee of mature technology. Consequently, placing too much emphasis and advocacy on what I would do or am doing vis-a-vis the iPhone 4 now versus iPhone 5 matter would necessarily not be relevant to the needs, tastes, and individual circumstances of many readers.
Generally speaking, the timing of any tech product purchase or upgrade is always a bit of a roll of the dice. Whenever you take the plunge, it’s inevitable that six or eight or ten months hence, or even sooner, something even cooler, more powerful, and possibly cheaper will be sluicing down the product pipeline.
For a concrete example, my current workhorse production computer is a late 2008 unibody aluminum MacBook that I bought in March, 2009 — just four months before Apple released the 13″ MacBook Pro in the same form factor and at the same price, but with a faster processor, a FireWire port, and a SD Card slot, Did I experience some buyer’s remorse? You bet! However, the MacBook has been an excellent computer, totally reliable, adequately speedy for my needs, and while I could use the extra speed and especially the FireWire port on the subsequent and later models, I really have nothing to complain about.
I think that folks who decide to buy an iPhone 4 over the next few months will find themselves in a somewhat similar dynamic. The iPhone 5 will arrive eventually, and they’ll be somewhat committed to an older, mature and still very capable (especially with iOS 5 installed) but inevitably less powerful and cool-featured device unless they’re fortunate enough that money for frequent hardware upgrades is no object.
Personally, my own provisional deduction is that the strongest likelihood is that Apple will now hold off launching the iPhone 5 until after the beginning of its next fiscal year in October, and just in time for the Christmas season buying spike, while releasing the iOS 5 in the meantime, which should help make the waiting pass more agreeably for iPhone 4 users.
However, the operative disclaimer when discussing unreleased Apple products still applies, and my opinion is a somewhat well-informed guess at best.
Meanwhile, we’ll keep on blogging the iPhone 5 (and increasingly the iPhone 6) and relaying the latest information we have. Hope that helps a bit.

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Christmas-if-You’re-Lucky iPhone 5 Launch? – Say It Isn’t So, But Apple Obviously Wants You To Buy A White iPhone 4 Now

iPhone 5 News Blog lead columnist Charles Moore reports on prognostications of a very late 2011 iPhone 5 release, and how Apple’s strategy may be to squeeze as many iPhone 4 sales out of consumer as possible in fiscal year 2011.
U.K -based CNET Crave’s Andy Merrett reports via MacRumors that an unnamed AT&T customer care representative has purportedly leaked insider information that an iPhone 5 June or July launch is a no-go. Merrett himself thinks September is the likely U.S. market release month for the next-gen Apple phone (as do we), based on another rumor published by Reuters and attributed to another unnamed source with contacts in the iPhone supply chain.
However, Merrett wonders how long U.K. customers will have to wait after the iPhone 5 makes its U.S. retail debut, wistfully pondering the probabilities of Apple doing “the decent thing” and launching the iPhone 5 on both sides of the Atlantic simultaneously, and fretting about whether ongoing component supply shortages and extreme pent-up demand in America will relegate Brit customers to a “Christmas-if-you’re-lucky” iPhone 5 launch date across the pond.
Hope it’s not that long, either there or on this side of the Atlantic.
In the meantime, BeatWeek notes that those who skipped the iPhone 4 in 2010 or the Verizon iPhone in early 2011 in anticipation of being able to buy an iPhone 5 in June are now left scratching their heads, trying to figure out whether passing on the iPhone 4 was a mistake and if belatedly taking the plunge now would be a sensible, corrective move or just compound their original (possible) miscalculation. Beatweek observes that this sort of dilemma is characteristic to life as an Apple product user, since Apple typically refuses to discuss future unannounced products except in rare instances when it suits their greater purpose, and has no intention of letting on when the iPhone 5 will be rolled out, consequently leaving it up to the individual user to figure it out for him or her self.
Whenever the iPhone 5 launches, it is BeatWeek’s opinion that Apple wants you to buy an iPhone 4 right now instead of waiting, suggesting that’s why it pre-announced the white iPhone 4 release via Twitter. For that matter, a delay in bringing the iPhone 5 to market is almost certainly why Apple chose to release a white iPhone 4 at all after ten months delay, rather than just including a white variant in the iPhone 5 release. BeatWeek deduces that this is Apple’s way of signaling that the iPhone 5 is going to arrive later than expected, and with June and with the World Wide Developers Conference and the magic month of June just three and four weeks away respectively, they allow that anyone who imagines Apple’s released the white iPhone 4 now, only to have to turn around in a few weeks or a couple months and end-of-life it it that quickly, “is probably naive enough to end up on the wrong end of the buying spectrum one way or the other.” I made a similar observation in this blog several weeks back, to wit that it beggared both logic and credibility that Apple would go to all the trouble and expense of bringing production of the white iPhone online and building up distribution and retail inventories for a flash-in-the-pan production run of a few weeks for the cynical purpose of wringing a bit more money out of the iPhone 4 before putting it out to pasture.
June is surely off the table now. One might also observe that with the iPhone 4 “by far” the top selling device, and even older iPhone 3GSs reportedly still outselling individual competing units from Android handset makers at both AT&T and Verizon according to a new report by Canaccord Genuity technology analyst Michael Walkley, Apple has little incentive to be in a hurry shuffling the version 4 iPhone off into the sunset.
BeatWeek’s guess for the iPhone 5 launch is early September, but they hasten to add that it’s a purely deductive and speculative guess and not based on any hard evidence.
As for the iPhone 4, should you break down and buy one? Lots of people are, especially that sporty new white model, and I agree with BeatWeek that it boils down to whether you now figure you blew it by not buying an iPhone 4 earlier on, especially since reasons why some folks resisted an iPhone 4 purchase, such as the supposed antenna issue and supposed scratching issue turned out to be either grossly exaggerated or to have never existed in the first place, while real issues like the proximity sensor bug, were fixed with software updates, and objections to no Verizon or white iPhone 4s being originally available now moot with subsequent hardware releases. All very well, but are we past the threshold of an iPhone 4 (white or black) being a sensible purchase provided you already have a serviceable smartphone to tide you over for a few more months (hopefully not till Christmas, or as some have lugubriously suggested — even into 2012)?
If you do take the plunge at his late date, skipping the iPhone 5 altogether and waiting for iPhone 6 might turn out to be a logical plan, unless money for frequent phone hardware upgrades is no object

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Fancy A White iPhone Sooner Rather Than Later? Trade In Your Old iPhone 3 or Black iPhone 4 At NextWorth

iPhone 5 News Blog lead columnist Charles Moore gives you a great tip on how to leverage your old iPhone for a new, white iPhone 4 — while you wait for the iPhone 5!
Cool new products and version upgrades can make it tough to stick with a strict hardware replacement roadmap. For example, over the past 19 years I’ve attempted to keep my primary computer system upgrades spread out by at lest three years, but as often as not have failed to achieve that arbitrary target, and very seldom exceeded it. And the world of smartphones and other Steve Jobsian “post-computer era” devices is evolving faster than the PC sector does if anything (notwithstanding probable delays in getting the iPhone 5 to market. Service contract terms of course add another level of complexity to the mix.
Right now, the latest and greatest for iPhone aficionados is the white iPhone 4. I personally prefer white devices to black as a rule, and think that both the white iPhone and white iPad are the coolest lookers respectively. Given Apple’s ten-month lag in getting a white version of the iPhone 4 to market, I expect that even most users who share my partiality for white aren’t sorry they initially went with a black model, but especially with iPhone 5 apparently still four or five months off, are wishing there was a way to get a white iPhone now.
The harsh reality is that for most existing iPhone users, $499 is a high price to pay for a case color switch, but NextWorth, (www.NextWorth.com), specializing in consumer electronics upgrades and trade-ins, offers a potential solution to making such an upgrade more affordable by offering attractive trade-in values for black iPhone 4 models to help subsidize the cost of upgrading to a new white one. Using a trade-in value index, NextWorth can show the current NextWorth trade-in value as a percentage of the original retail value of a device.
Current trade-in values on NextWorth for iPhones in “Like New” condition include:
AT&T iPhone 4 16GB – $260
AT&T iPhone 4 32GB – $280
Verizon iPhone 4 16GB – $200
Verizon iPhone 4 32GB – $230
Among several ways it provides to upgrade, NextWorth is partnered with Target stores nationwide to offer an in-store trade-in option. At nearly 900 Target stores nationwide (with almost 500 new stores being added this summer), consumers either receive credit toward a purchase, or a prepaid Target card for the value of the trade-in. At NextWorth.com, customers have the choice of cash or a gift card when they trade in. NextWorth offers FREE, fully-insured UPS shipping service to all online customers. You can check www.Target.NextWorth.com to find the store location nearest you.
At NextWorth.com, customers have the choice of cash or a gift card when they trade in. NextWorth offers free, fully-insured UPS shipping service to online customers. Not only iPhones, but full range of Apple igadgets including iPads, as well as other branded phones and mobile electronics are accepted for trade-in, including cameras, e-readers, video games and DVDs.
To make use of NextWorth’s in-store programs, just visit any participating retail store with your old device and after executing a transaction you can walk out with the shiny new one you’ve been eying. The sales associate or customer service representative will value your device on the spot and give you a gift card or store credit.
There’s also an online alternative if one of the hundreds of participating retail stores isn’t handy, Essentially, you can get a quote online and a check, Paypal, gift card or e-gift card will be mailed to you.
Here’s how the online procedure works.
1. Start by finding your product and get an instant quote. (You can simply type the name of your item in the search box at the top of every page.) Type keywords slowly. The search results will be automatically refined to help you find what you’re looking for.
2. Print the pre-paid shipping label at the end of the transaction.
3. Carefully pack the items and apply the pre-paid shipping label to your package. Give it to your local postal carrier or drop it by a post office.
4. Once NextWorth receives the item, they will make sure that the item is in the condition you’ve described.
5. It takes approximately ten business days, from when NextWorth receives your trade-in item for inspection to when your payment is mailed out, so if you’re in a hurry for that white iPhone, the in-store option is definitely the path to pursue.
For more information, visit:
http://www.nextworth.com/trade_in/

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