iPhone 5 rumours

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What are the hot rumours for the next iPhone(iPhone 5)?

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Updated: New iPhone 5 release date, specs, features and more


As it happened, there was no iPhone 5 after all, but the company did announce the iPhone 4S.

However, the iPhone 5 is still on the cards - we're expecting it to debut in mid 2012. You can check out the latest rumours about iPhone 5 below.



iPhone 5 release date

UPDATE: For the latest on new iPhone 5's release date, check out our regularly updated article iPhone 5 release date.

Given the pattern Apple's iPhone launches, we're expecting the next-gen iPhone 5 to debut in mid to late 2012. We reckon it's most likely to be shown off at Apple's Worldwide Developer Event (WWDC) which usually takes place in early June.

Rumours that we reported on on 18 October claim an iPhone 5 release date of Summer 2012. Analyst Ashok Kumar claimed that the absent iPhone 5 was meant to be the big announcement at the recent event where the iPhone 4S was launched.

iPhone 5 form factor

Unlike the iPhone 4S, it'll be a completely new design from what has gone before, so that means an entirely new casing as we saw with the iPhone 3G and, later, the iPhone 4.

Interestingly, someone who claimed to have seen a larger-screened iPhone 5 prototype said in November 2011 that Steve Jobs canned the new handset and opted for the iPhone 4S because of the larger screen size of the new device. According to Business Insider it was feared that a new size would create a two-tier iPhone ecosystem.

Beatweek also claimed in November 2011 that the 5-inch was scrapped "because Apple wouldn't be able to do it properly" this year.

iPhone 5 specs

Based on the roadmap of mobile chip design specialist ARM (of which Apple is a licensee), we'll see a quad-core processor debut in the iPhone 5 - probably called the Apple A6. We know that we'll see other quad core handsets debut in 2012, so it's not too much of a stretch to say that the iPhone 5 will be the same.

iPhone 5 will have 4G/LTE support

With many 4G handsets already announced in the US, it can't be long before the iPhone supports 4G technologies - even if we won't even have a UK spectrum auction until 2012.

4G mobile broadband and LTE explained

Cnet.com quotes Will Strauss from analyst firm Forward Concepts, who says that the next iPhone will feature LTE technologies."They're saving iPhone 5 for the LTEversion and that won't be out until next spring," said Strauss.

Steve Jobs' iPhone 5 legacy

Many sites have reported that Steve Jobs was working hard on the iPhone 5 project, which will apparently be a "radicalredesign". We shall see...

11-11

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[sparkyscott21]

Just in case you weren’t already getting tired of 4-inch display rumors for the iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple decides to call the 2012 iPhone), here’s Macotara:

According to Asian source, Hitachi Displays, Ltd. and Sony Mobile Display Corporation started to ship 4-inch LCD for new iOS device and LCD for iPad 3. These 2 companies will be merged their business with Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd., as “Japan Display” in 2012 spring.

If Apple does indeed go from the current 3.5-inch screens to a larger 4-inch screen size, in order to prevent fragmentation of their development ecosystem, they’d have to keep the same 940×640 resolution. That would reduce the pixel density, which would get the internet up in arms over “Retina display” labels. However, retina display is a function of both density and distance, so a) the density could remain good enough for Apple to stick with the marketing term, or b) the distance a slightly larger device is held at could render the practical result the same (see the iPad for an example of how far a 9.7-inch display can be comfortably held).

Again, the only other alternative is to box old apps, the way iPhone apps are boxed on the iPad, which would maintain compatibility with old apps, but would still fragment new apps — larger resolutions wouldn’t play nicely on older devices.

Along with LTE radios, however, larger screens are one of the few hardware features Apple competitors use as differentiators. We’ve heard plenty of LTE iPhone rumors, so it’s no wonder the 4-inch rumors are hot on their heels.

Macotara also said a new display technology was in the works for iPad 4.

11-27-11

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[sparkyscott21]

Despite case-leaks to the contrary, TiPb heard fairly consistently that we shouldn’t expect a redesigned iPhone this year, and it turns out we heard right. Business Insider, however, is saying that there was a redesigned iPhone on tap but Apple pulled the plug months before.


Steve Jobs was unhappy with the bigger screen because it “fragmented” iPhones, Apple’s big argument against Android is the way all the different phones from different manufacturers fragment that operating system.

Which is odd, because screen size doesn’t “fragment” phones, iPhone or Android. It’s screen resolution that does that. A 3.5-inch iPhone at 960×640 pixels is pretty much the same to develop for as a 4-inch iPhone at 960×640. It’s only if that 4-inch iPhone jumps to something like 1280×720 that developers have a problem.

Apple has several prototypes per generation and I’d be shocked if they hadn’t and aren’t still testing devices with different screen sizes. If Apple does ever choose to pull the trigger on a bigger iPhone screen, they’ll no doubt have a plan for it, whether it’s slightly reducing the density or boxing the content (like iPad does with iPhone apps) to maintain the pixel count.

Even if Apple stays with 3.5-inches, believing it to be ideal for single-handed ease of use, they can’t change the resolution arbitrarily without causing massive issues with pixels falling off the grid.

BI‘s source goes on to say this iPhone prototype had an aluminum back, like the iPad, would eventually use liquid metal in “nano-chromatic” colors, and had a wide, capacitive Home button.

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iPhone 4 (3.5″) top vs Galaxy S (4″) bottom via Engadget


Macotakara claims that Hitatchi Displays and Sony Mobile Display Corporation have begun shipping 4-inch LCDs for a new iOS device:

According to Asian source, Hitachi Displays, Ltd. and Sony Mobile Display Corporation started to ship 4-inch LCD for new iOS device and LCD for iPad 3. These 2 companies will be merged their business with Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd., as “Japan Display” in 2012 spring.

The report doesn’t specify which iOS device that the screens would be used for, but the most natural choice would be the next generation iPhone. Apple has been said to be exploring the use of a 4″ display for their upcoming iPhone. iLounge previously indicated that the 2012 iPhone would use a 4″ display.


So far, Apple has only used a 3.5″ display across its iPhone line, and there have been arguments that 3.5″ may be the ideal size for one-handed use.

11-27-11

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[sparkyscott21]

I’ve been wondering why Apple chose to make the iPhone 4′s screen 3.5-inches when other comparable phones with Android and Windows Phone 7 have larger, more inviting screens. When you first see a phone with a 4-inch or larger screen, it seems like a much better experience. I thought it was a technical decision, and it could be, but since switching to an Android phone — a Samsung Galaxy S II, the “best Android phone you can buy, anywhere” — 15 days ago, I have realized another huge downside of larger screens: when holding the phone with one hand, I can’t reach the other side of the screen with my thumb.

Touching the upper right corner of the screen on the Galaxy S II using one hand, with its 4.27-inch screen, while you’re walking down the street looking at Google Maps, is extremely difficult and frustrating. I pulled out my iPhone 4 to do a quick test, and it turns out that when you hold the iPhone in your left hand and articulate your thumb, you can reach almost exactly to the other side of the screen. This means it’s easy to touch any area of the screen while holding the phone in one hand, with your thumb. It is almost impossible to do this on the Galaxy S II.

This is an example of one of those design decisions that you don’t usually notice until you see someone doing it wrong. It’s one of the things that makes Apple products Apple products.

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[sparkyscott21]

Japanese Apple blog Macotakara reports that Hitachi and Sony have already begun shipping 4″ displays for a future iOS device, as well as panels for the iPad 3.



The report, pointed out by MacRumors, also suggests that Hitachi Displays and Sony Mobile Display Corporation will be merging with toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd. to form “Japan Display” in Spring of 2012.

While the report doesn’t indicate which iOS device the screens would be used for, the most obvious answer woud be the iPhone, as Apple has already reportedly been investigating 4″ displays for the next-gen iPhone.

11-28-11

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[sparkyscott21]

Nikkei Business is reporting that the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are both on their way with LTE 4G radios, set to debut on Japan’s NTT DoCoMo in summer and fall of 2012 respectively. Yes, we already suspect an iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are coming next year, and yes we already suspect they’ll both have LTE options on networks that support it, but it’s still nice to see the usual rumors popping up along the way.


Apple CEO Tim Cook is said to have met with NTT DoCoMo president Kiyoyuki Tsujimura and VP Takashi Yamada earlier this month to work out the details of the arrangement, and the companies have reportedly reached agreeable terms.

As to the timing, summer and fall Japanese launches don’t preclude spring and summer U.S. releases, but as we saw with the iPhone 4S this year, Apple isn’t afraid to move the timing around. Could iPad 3 take over the old iPhone WWDC spot in June 2012? We’ll have to wait and see…

11-30-11

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[Ailsa11]

I would believe the next iPhone will come the next Sep. 2012, as the new Apple TV goes before ;)

[sparkyscott21]

Apple's growth next year and beyond is expected to be driven by a redesigned iPhone, as well as a potential expansion of the iPad lineup into both lower and higher price points, according to a new analysis.

Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said in a note to investors on Wednesday that because Apple did not redesign any major hardware products in 2011, he believes significant changes could arrive in 2012. Chief among those would be a redesigned "iPhone 5," which he predicts will debut in mid-2012.

The launch of a so-called "iPhone 5" in 2012 would set the stage for outperformance in 2013, in Munster's eyes. He offered two scenarios for Apple's products in 2013: a "base case" and a "bull case."

In his base estimate, Munster sees Apple selling 142 million iPhone units, good for an 18 percent increase in revenue. In the bull case scenario, Apple sells 162 million iPhone units throughout 2013, amounting to a 35 percent increase in revenue.

Munster admitted his projected 14 percent total revenue growth for Apple in calendar 2013 is conservative. That would be a significant reduction from the 56 percent revenue growth he sees Apple earning in calendar 2011. The bull case sees Apple growing revenue 28 percent in calendar 2013.

Beyond the iPhone, Munster's model assumes Apple will just release one third-generation iPad to replace the current iPad 2. But if Apple decides to expand the iPad lineup beyond its current models and price points, he sees the company growing well beyond his current estimates.

Munster's calendar 2013 base estimate calls for 66 million iPads to be sold, representing an 11 percent increase in revenue from the estimates for 2012. But in his bull case, Apple would sell 77.5 million iPads and grow its revenue by 30 percent.

Apple could achieve those higher numbers if the company decides to expand the iPad lineup into both lower and higher price points, he believes. Currently, the iPad comes in three capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, with two different variations: Wi-Fi-only and 3G-capable.






Rumors and speculation of an expanded iPad lineup are not new, though Apple has yet to adjust its strategy. Last month, another analyst predicted that Apple will sell a third-generation iPad with a high-resolution Retina Display alongside a faster "iPad 2S" with the same screen resolution as the current iPad 2, but with a faster processor and Siri integration. He also predicted that Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 at a lower price, much like the company already does with the iPhone 3GS.

Finally, Munster also believes that Apple could drive growth in the Mac platform with new form factors and a broader range of prices in calendar years 2012 and 2013. Reports have suggested Apple plans to redesign its MacBook Pro lineup in 2012, and also expand the MacBook Air line with a new 15-inch model.

Munster's base forecast calls for Apple to sell 24 million Macs in calendar 2013, a 15 percent increase from his estimates for 2012. The bull case sees Apple selling another 2 million Macs to reach 26 million, good for 20 percent growth in revenue.

12-21-11

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