iPhone 5 To Get Aluminum Back, A5 Dual-Core CPU, And Internal Antenna Says Taiwanese Industry Watcher Report – iOS 4.3 Release Previews Some Anticipated iOS 5 Features

While we can expect the iPhone 5 to incorporate some innovative new features, industry-watcher sources in the Far East are reporting that Apple will also be backing away from some of the avant-garde engineering concepts introduced with the iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4′s glass back, while sleek and swish looking, has not been an unqualified success, having proved easily scratched and somewhat fragile, especially if the iPhone is dropped. It’s also been rumored that issues with painting the glass back white have been the white iPhone holdup.
Consequently, it’s now rumored that Apple will switch back to an aluminum back for the iPhone 5.
Last week, the Japanese Apple news watcher site Macotakara’s danbo translated a report from the Chinese-language Taiwan Economic Daily News , projecting, based on “comprehensive talks with the Chinese sources,” that a likely date for iPhone 5 production to commence is July 6, and that Apple is considering a reversion to the aluminum back for the new model.
Moreover, the report suggests that Apple wil drop the infamously problematical steel outer frame with antenna of the iPhone 4, and have an iPad-style internal antenna sending and receiving cellular and Wi-Fi signal through the Apple logo on the back.
Finally, the article expresses “no doubt that the iPhone 5 will come with the same A5 processor chip as in the recently announced iPad 2.
iPhone 5 To Have iOs 5
Meanwhile, in other news, as I post this blog entry, the iOS 4.3 update, announced at the iPad 2 unveiling event on March 2, is expected to be released any time, perhaps by the time you read this, although the official release date announced was March 11, coinciding with the iPad 2 release. iOS 4.3 introduces some of the features that will be in iOS 5 which is expected along with the iPhone 5 release later this year.
New features in iOS 4.3 include faster Safari mobile browsing performance with the Nitro JavaScript engine; iTunes Home Sharing; enhancements to AirPlay; the choice of using the iPad side switch to either lock the screen rotation or mute the audio; and the Personal Hotspot feature for sharing an iPhone 4 cellular data connection over Wi-Fi.
The Nitro JavaScript engine that Apple pioneered on the desktop is now built into WebKit, the browser engine that underlies Safari, and is claimed by Apple to more than double the performance of JavaScript execution using just-in-time compilation, providing a better mobile browser experience by working faster to support the interactivity of complex sites you visit on a daily basis.
Also new in version 4.3 is iTunes Home Sharing that allows iOS 4.3 users to play music, movies and TV shows on an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch from their iTunes library on a Mac or PC over a local Wi-Fi network, with access to all the media in your iTunes library wherever you are in your home a screen-tap away. For example, you’ll be able to stream a movie from your Mac in one room to your iPad in another, or an iTunes mix to your iPod touch from the office to the kitchen.
Enhancements have also been made to to AirPlay, the wireless technology that allows streaming of music, photos and video to Apple TV. With iOS 4.3 you’ll be able to stream additional content including video from third party apps and web sites, videos from the Photos app and previews from the iTunes app to your TV, export slide shows to a TV screen, or shoot a video on iOS device and stream it directly from the Photos app to Apple TV.
A new Personal Hotspot feature in iOS 4.3 enables taking Wi-Fi with you anywhere you go, by allowing you to share an iPhone 4 cellular data connection with up to five devices in a combination of up to three Wi-Fi, three Bluetooth and one USB device. Once Personal Hotspot is enabled, a status bar will display how many devices are currently connected. Every Personal Hotspot connection is password protected and when not in use Personal Hotspot turns itself off to save battery life. Note that additional network charges may apply. Check with your service provider.
iOS 4.3 will be available to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users as a free software update, and is compatible with iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (GSM model), plus third and fourth generation iPod touch. iPhone 3G and the second-generation iPod touch are not supported.

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QWERTY keyword on the iPhone 5

Regardless of what you may read, the prospect of a slide-out keyboard on the iPhone 5 remains dubious at best, especially given Steve Jobs’ historically negative comments about slide-out smartphone keyboards. But if the rumors prove to be true, find out what Apple might be thinking.
Typically speaking, Apple and Steve Jobs rarely reverse themselves; usually when Jobs decides to malign a feature or technology found on a competing gadget, he’s already thought far enough ahead on how Apple can offer something better and more reliable. Because of this fact, it is surprising that the rumor of a slide-out keyboard on the iPhone 5 persists in the tech media.
Apple Insider reported a few weeks ago “that Apple has built three prototype models for its anticipated “iPhone 5,” and one of them has a “sliding cover” that conceals a keyboard.” The photo here supposes what a slide-out keyboard might look like on the iPhone 5.
Some have suggested that if Apple were to make this unprecedented shift in its deign of the iPhone 5, it would be a move to compete with other mainstream smartphones like the Palm Pre 3 or the T-Mobile G2. Others suggest that a slide-out keyboard would be little more than a workaround for perhaps not delivering on the 4-inch screen that many people feel is coming to the iPhone 5.
There is, however, another more philosophical possibility that transcends all of these explanations.
The fact is, mobile computing is fast-degrading the desktop PC market. In fact, many people believe that the desktop PC for home use could be obsolete within the next decade. In addition, even laptops and netbooks are seeing a decline in popularity, as many people are now opting for tablets over laptops. While this may seem like a whimsical change on the part of consumers, it has big implications for companies like Apple who are striving to lead the way on mobile technology.
If tablets and smartphones are going to be the next-generation laptops and desktops, then a QWERTY keyword on the iPhone 5 may be the first step in launching that changeover. A slide-out keyboard could be seen as a gesture of making the iPhone 5 more productivity-focused, giving the user an option of using the screen or thumb board to type e-mails and business content.
I’m not the only one hinting at this: other reports have surfaced suggesting a similar trend, with BeatWeek posting an opinion piece that the “iPhone 5 could have more in common with iPad 3 than iPhone 4.” It may very well be that the iPhone 5 and iPad 2 are on some kind of crash course that will result in a hybrid mobile computing device down the line — big enough to be used like a tablet and either small or sophisticated enough to still be your mobile phone.
Chances are, Steve Jobs is not going to give his detractors the pleasure of deriding him for putting a slide-out keyboard on the iPhone 5. But don’t be surprised if Apple rolls out something slide-out for the next iPhone iteration. Maybe even a slide-out secondary touch screen that would double as a keyboard?

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The iPhone 5 Will Need To Be Fast In Order To Keep Pace With Android

iPhone users are generally satisfied with the speed of loading web pages. But a recent report reveals that the iPhone 4′s speed pales in comparison to Android-powered smartphone like the Nexus S. Find out why the iPhone 5 will have to up the ante on speed — or risk losing their market share.
When it comes to mobile computing, speed might seem like a geeky obsession — something that the average smartphone, laptop, and tablet user isn’t too concerned about. Usually, the discussion of a smartphone’s speed at loading web pages is usually followed by a cavalcade of complex technical specs and cryptic geek-speak that the average Joe or Jane simply cannot relate to.
The fact is, however, that speed is important to all smartphone users — even if they don’t know it.
While tech-obsessed people might seek out faster technologies to show off to their other tech-obsessed friends, even the most clueless smartphone user has the expectation that, when they load a web page, it will load fast. Slow-loading pages, after all, don’t only frustrate the geeks of the world. In fact, the average smartphone user might even feel more inclined to throw their iPhone against the wall when it runs slow than does the techie, since average users usually don’t understand the technology behind what makes mobile devices fast or slow.
With this in mind, Canadian software company Blaze Software Inc. recently released a controversial report that purportedly reveals the Apple iPhone 4 to be a considerably slower-loading smartphone compared to the Google Nexus S, claiming that the Nexus S loaded 84% of websites faster than the iPhone, and that the Android-powered phone ”operated an average of 52 percent faster after more than 45,000 page loads from 1,000 websites.”
Apple was quick to rebuff this claim, as reported by CNET. Stephen Shankland reported in his blog article that:
“The problem arises because of Blaze didn’t use Safari, but rather a programming mechanism that’s a close relative. The company said it tested the Web sites with a custom application it created using an Apple technology called UIWebView that lets programmers embed Web content into an app. UIWebView, though, doesn’t benefit from some improvements that came to the standalone browser, Safari, with iOS 4.3.”
And Blaze Software capitulated as well, admitting after the fact that their reporting method was indeed flawed and may have led to skewed results.
Regardless of whether or not the iPhone 4 is considerably slower than the Nexus S, one thing is for sure: Apple needs to ensure that the iPhone 5 ups the ante on speed — just to remain at pace with the rest of the speedy smartphones out there.
We’ve already reported here on the iPhone 5 News Blog about how the iPhone is likely to get the A5 Dual-Core CPU, the same technology that has more recently supercharged the iPad 2. It most definitely will take beefing up the processing power of the iPhone 5 to make iPhone users feel as though they’re getting their money’s worth — and that they’re making the right choice in choosing the iPhone 5 over the next big thing in the Google Android market.
A speedy iPhone 5, after all, will be a critical feature for all types of iPhone users.
What do you think? Is the iPhone 4 really slower than Android phones, or was this study completely bogus and just a publicity stunt by Blaxe software?

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