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



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

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

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

A Few Good Black Friday Deals for iPhone 4S Cases

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

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

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

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

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

 
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