Analysts Believe Huge iPhone 5, iPad 3 Sales Will Be Driven by 4G LTE

For all of the excitement over retina displays, bigger screens, and new form factors, tech analysts now believe that 4G LTE will be the

upgraded feature on the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 that will drive massive sales in 2012.

With so much emphasis placed on the look and screen size of the upcoming iPhone 5, as well as the bumped-up display of the iPad 3, it

would seem that these feature upgrades are of the upmost importance to mobile users in 2012. Tech analysts, however, now believe that

it is the inclusion of 4G LTE technology on the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 that will drive big sales for Apple in 2012.

A recent report from Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu indicates that all signs definitively point to b0th the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 getting 4G

LTE treatment, based on “supply-side” information gained from industry insiders. In other words, 4G LTE components are being bought by

Apple and shipped to their assembly plants.

Inrumor is reporting on some of these findings, revealing how the market is perceiving the inclusion of 4G LTE on the iPad and iPhone, and

that the iPad 3 will be a crossover device that utilizes both 3G and 4G networks: “The report also speculated that the next iPad will revert

to 3G tech, which doesn’t carry LTE, before the end of 2013 when analysts expect that 80% of Americans will enjoy LTE. However, Wu

estimates that the technology will help boost sales.”

Wu sees this 4G flexibility as a major selling point: “We believe this significant refresh will likely help drive higher iPad sales and help further

differentiate from arguably the only real competitor in the market, Amazon’s Kindle Fire and not to mention the myriad of Android offerings

out there,” adding that “We are currently modeling 51 million iPad shipments for CY12 and believe this could turn out conservative.”

Wu adds that he fully expects the iPhone 5 to be 4G as well, and will benefit greatly from it: “We view the potential inclusion of 4G LTE for

iPad as a positive and a good indicator that the upcoming iPhone 5 refresh in the fall time frame will likely include this key feature as well,”

While I do not agree with the Fall timeframe for its release, I do agree that 4G on the iPhone 5 will make total sense, even if 4G LTE is not

anticipated to go mainstream until 2013. In this way, 2012's iPad 3 and iPhone 5 will be crossover devices that allow Apple to move into

further LTE implementations, having these two models already under their belts.

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Guessing the iPhone 5 Form Factor

From photoshopped mockups to purported leaked photos out of Foxconn, the tech world clamors for any visual media that gives them an inkling into what the iPhone 5 will look like — real or imagined.

Every time a new iPhone iteration comes around, a glut of mockups get dumped on the blogosphere and, as the perceived release date approaches, “mockups” transform into “sightings.” In the case of the iPhone 5, however, we’ve had several cycles of iPhone 5 mockups, thanks to unusually long wait for it.

iPhone 5 mockups began almost as early as this blog: we got started in August of 2010, and by that fall, iPhone 5 mockups were already making their rounds. Last Summer, there was a breathtaking number of mockups-turned-sightings, all of which were reported on the top tech rumor blog with the heading, “Is This The iPhone 5?!” Technically, all of those original so-called “sightings” are still possible, since we’re still twiddling thumbs, awaiting the ascendency of the iPhone 5 in all its glory.

For as much as these “sightings” are almost always cynical schemes run by blogs to garner heaps of web traffic (remember: for most blogs, more web traffic means more ad clicks, and more revenue), many of the more earnest attempts at simply “mocking up” an iPhone 5 design based on the rumors are actually rather intriguing. Granted, there is little chance that a graphic designer is going to guess Cupertino’s own iPhone 5 design perfectly, but at the very least there is an intrigue and entertainment value to appreciating them. And because designers take into account the rumored features, there is usually a modicum of realism to their designs.

(Usually, but not always.)

The other day, I went through some of the iPhone 5 mockups that I’ve collected through the year and a half I’ve been working on this blog, and thought I’d present some of the best ones to date that I think represent the rumors well.

The Best iPhone 5 Mockups

…or at least my opinion of the best iPhone 5 mockups. Here are the rumors about the iPhone 5's form factor that I believe could come true: it will have a metal back, it will see its screen expand to 3.7 inches but keep the current iPhone dimensions, it will be slimmer, it will feature a new home button design, and it will return to a more rounded design. Most importantly, Apple will work hard to make sure that it is not aesthetically derivative of completing Android designs.

This design has always interested me:

iphone 5 mockup 1

 

What I like about it is the juxoposition of the square and round edges, and the very sleek, clean lines that is definitively Apple. There has been a lot of debate about the lines of the iPhone 5, and whether they will stay with the iPhone 4/4S’s squarish shape, or return the sloping lines of the iPhone 3G/3GS. This design manages to do both, with a rounded top and bottom that still delivers hard edges on the corners.

It remains to be seen, however, if what we’re seeing here s even physically possible — or possible at the manufacturing level. The two renderings have never seemed to be completely consistent with one another, making this mockup more of an optical illusion than a possible reality for the iPhone 5 form factor. The other problem for me is that it obviously sports a glass back, and I truly believe that Apple will move toward a metal back for the iPhone 5.

All in all, though, I like the lines of this mockup because, as I said, it just looks to me like something Apple could design.

Then there’s this one:

iphone 5 mockup 2The front screen, which appears to be edge-to-edge, as well as the monolithic presentation seems just minimalist enough for Apple to go for. Some have imagined that the iPhone 5 (or some future iPhone) would have a front comprised of nothing more than a full-coverage touch screen, perhaps supplied by a flexible AMOLED display. This design seems to get at that idea, making for a very provocative design, and one that would perhaps maximize a screen size increase without expanding the overall dimensions.

Another interesting feature of this iPhone 5 mockup is the back: its matte finish suggests black metal, and the corners are resoundingly rounded. It also represents a slimmer profile.

Similarly, I think this iPhone 5 mockup is worth posting as well:

iphone 5 mockup 3It’s safe to assume that if the iPhone 5 featured a front like the one in this mockup, iPhone users would be majorly disappointed, since it looks remarkably similar in size and design to the iPhone 4 and 4S. But what I like about this design is the metal back: I believe that the iPhone 5 will have a metal back like this one, similar to the iPad.

Finally, this mockup courtesy of MacRumors is an interesting one as well:

We don’t get a lot of information about the back in this particular photo, but what I like about it is the rendering of a new multi-touch home button and the edge-to-edge screen. Personally, I’m ready for the home button to disappear and be replaced with a touch surface home button — a design like that could allow apple to make the iPhone 5's front completely touch-capable. But since many iPhone users are quite attached to the satisfying click of a manual home button, I think that Apple could opt for a modified home button — and maybe a larger one like this that allows easier access in order to handle other functions.

In the end, only a chosen few know what the iPhone 5 will truly look like — the form factor really never seems to get out into the open until the final round of the assembly process. And considering that all of these mockups are based purely on rumor, speculation, and tech fantasy, there’s really nothing to confirm — other than peoples’ insatiable curiosity about what the iPhone 5 will look like.

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Photos of a Tapered, MacBook Air-Inspired iPad 3 Form Factor Emerge

Take a look at the newest round of purported iPad 3 photos coming out of mainland China. Are you buying any of these as the real thing?

Leaked photos of Apple form factors have never really come to fruition. It is for that reason that the iPhone 5 News Blog has reserved any excitement over recent purported photos of the iPad 3 — particularly because they show very little change from the previous two iPads. A new comparison photo today, however, is worth noting, since it does reveal an interesting deviation in the shape of the iPad 3's form factor that, should it prove to be true, could affect the prevailing notion that the next iPad will have essentially the same form factor.

The photo above shows tapered, beveled edges on the corners of the iPad 3, as compared to the iPad 1 and iPad 2. It could be said that the nuanced changes in this form factor are slightly reminiscent to the MacBook Air’s lines.

In addition, the purported iPad 3 form factor also reveals something to us not seen in the earlier leaked photos: a larger camera sensor hole. Tech bloggers are suggesting that the larger sensor may mean an upgrade to an 8MP camera.

For me, however, the presence of the larger camera makes me suspicious of these photos.

Unfortunately, the imposition of a larger camera lens like that smacks of a Photoshopping job, since it is so easy to do with a white-backed iPad image. Of all the rumoring going on about the iPad 3, the rear-facing camera has not been a hot topic — it is the front-facing camera that many believe will get an upgrade. Given the size and application of the iPad, its rear-facing camera has not proven to be nearly as convenient or useful as the rear-facing camera on the iPhone. Therefore, the appearance of this sensor on this set of photos makes me believe that it may have been doctored (along with the sloping sides).

You will recall that similar issues have arisen in the past with purported leaked photos about the iPhone 5. Last September, we were treated to photos from the Foxconn plant that purported to show larger iPhone 5 screens with elongated home buttons. Prior to that, there were the iPhone 5 case images that showed cutouts for two camera flashes, and other doctored shots of the 3D iPhone 5 prototype.

Given this past, it is safe to assume that no one will be able to claim confirmed photos of the iPad 3 prior to release. And I am still holding out hope that Apple will do something aesthetically different with the iPad 3's form factor, since for me it’s starting to get a bit old.

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