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iPhone 5 / 4S: the rumor roundup
It's July, there is no new iPhone, and the analysts are restless. This time last year, Apple had already announced and begun shipping the iPhone 4 -- in fact, every single previous model has been announced in June, save for the first, which was unveiled in January 2007. So, now that the month has come and gone and WWDC with it, what are all of the tech publications out there to do? Make with the rumor stories, naturally -- and over the past few weeks, they've been coming fast and furious.DigiTimes has offered a fairly constant stream of sometimes dubious rumors surrounding the device from its stable of supplier contacts, and a recent article from The Wall Street Journal has reopened the floodgates. GigaOm has gone so far as to suggest that the latter may well be a controlled leak from Apple, and certainly it has reignited interest in the belated device.There's not a lot in the way consensus here, save for one key detail: Apple appears set to release a new iPhone. That much seems certain. After all, the iPhone remains the company's biggest money maker, even in this post-iPad world. Last year, of course, we had a slightly better guide ahead of the launch, but this time out, for better or worse, no one at Cupertino has been considerate enough to leave the upcoming handset at a Redwood City bar after a night of partying, so let's cut through the noise and and piece together a cohesive picture based on the wide assortment of rumors.
Analyst suggests Apple to release two iPhone models this September
In a recent research note, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore predicts Apple may unveil two iPhone models, an iPhone 4S and an iPhone 5, this fall. Whitmore argues that RIM and Nokia, two bastions of the mid-range mobile phone market, are struggling, and Apple could grab a huge chunk of their market share with an inexpensive iPhone. Whitmore believes Apple is producing an iPhone 4S that is unlocked and priced around $349. This lower-priced model, which has been rumored before, will include a pre-paid voice plan that will entice customers to jump on the Apple bandwagon. Along with this low-priced model, Whitmore also believes Apple will also introduce an iPhone 5, which is the next generation iPhone everyone is expecting.
UAE carrier Etisalat said 4G iPhone 5 will ship this year, now unsaid (Updated)
Update: Etisalat must have gotten some cranky calls from Apple's carrier relations team, because the company has officially denied any mention of an upcoming iPhone model. SaudiMac reports that a blog post from the carrier now insists "At no point did Etisalat confirm that any new iPhone device will be launched in 2011." Thanks to @mazmohad and @khaled for the heads-up. Dubai's Gulf News is reporting that United Arab Emirates-based carrier Etisalat is in talks with Apple to sell a 4G iPhone 5 later this year. Ali Al Ahmad, Chief Corporate Communication Officer of Etisalat told the Gulf News, "Yes, we are in talks with most smartphone manufacturers including Apple on the rollout of the 4G handset, iPhone 5 later this year. As the first telecom organization to roll out the 4G network, LTE, in the Middle East, we have already started talking to them for the handsets and chipsets in them." However, despite Ahmad's assertion on an LTE iPhone 5 later this year, readers should approach this news with caution. Right now there are no solid facts about the next iPhone. The next iPhone will be the fifth-generation iPhone, but no one can even agree on its name, let alone the telecommunications technology it will have. Some say the fifth generation iPhone will be called the "iPhone 4S," while others say it will be known as the "iPhone 5." However, regardless of the name, there are rumors that the iPhone won't see 4G LTE until the sixth generation iPhone (which could very well be called the "iPhone 5"). It's entirely possible that carrier executives like Ahmad could be confusing the version and name with associated telecommunications technology. But at the risk of fanning the flames, it's also possible that Apple could roll out a 4G LTE-equipped iPhone in the fall. The company is pushing back the new iPhone hardware launch later this year than in the past and the extra time could provide the wiggle room to wait until there are enough 4G chips ready in a slim enough form factor to fit the next generation iPhone without compromising its design -- something current 4G chips can't do.
iPad 2 supply constraints improved, next iPhone orders arriving 'several months later than usual'
According to AppleInsider, Shaw Wu with Sterne Agee issued a research note today stating that iPad 2 constraints have "significantly improved" this quarter thanks to "retooling and conversion of more overseas production lines." That's good news for those of you still waiting to get your hands on an iPad 2. A second report out today from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says that Apple's orders for new iPhone parts are "several months later than usual." Munster sees the delayed parts order as a sign that the rumors saying the next iPhone won't ship until September are correct. Munster has also assembled a chart indicating that there are, on average, 79 days between an iOS software event and the iPhone hardware announcement and 99 days between the iOS software event and the actual ship date of the new iPhone. According to those averages, based on the likelihood of iOS 5 being revealed on June 6 (at WWDC), the fifth-generation iPhone will be announced on August 24 and ship on September 13.
1080p camera sensor could be in the next iPhone, iPad, iPod touch
As Engadget reports, OmniVision Technologies, Apple's supplier of CMOS sensors for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, has unveiled a 5 MP camera sensor that is capable of recording 1080p video. The sensor, named OV5690, is thin enough to fit in the iPod touch and iPad -- unlike the current 5 MP OmniVision CMOS sensor, which will only fit in the iPhone 4's body. The OV5690 sensor would be a huge boon to the iPad and iPod touch, whose cameras are currently capped at less than 1 MP and shoot video in 720p. As for the next iPhone, the OV5690 sensor would definitely fit in it, but that would mean the iPhone's camera resolution would be limited to 5 MP -- the current resolution of the iPhone 4. There have been plenty of rumors floating around that the next iPhone will sport at least an 8 MP camera. But if Apple wanted to go more than 8 MP and offer users the ability to shoot in 1080p they could, as MacStories notes. In January OmniVision introduced a 10 MP camera sensor that shoots in 1080p and would fit in the iPhone 4's body.
Digitimes: LTE iPhone in 2012, Apple lowering iPhone 4 orders
Digitimes reports that Apple has lowered its iPhone 4 shipment volume for calendar Q2 2011 in anticipation of slower sales as the company prepares to unveil a new iPhone in September. Digitimes says supply chain makers have confirmed Apple has lowered iPhone 4 shipments from 20 million units down to 17.5-18 million units. Of those, 16 million units will be the GSM version, while 1.5-2 million units will be the CDMA version. In a second report, Digitimes says Apple is unlikely to unveil an LTE-equipped iPhone before 2012. This isn't really new; there have been numerous reports that LTE chipsets aren't currently made small enough to fit in the iPhone's form factor, and even if they were, they aren't available in the quantity Apple would need to satiate consumer demand for the next iPhone.
Next-generation iPhone reportedly will not feature NFC payments
The past year has seen a flood of speculation about whether or not future iPhones would feature Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities. NFC technology would embed a special chip into your phone; waving the phone at a reader near a cash register would automatically pay for those items from one of your accounts. According to a Bernstein analysis that was quoted on Business Insider this morning, the next-generation iPhone (allegedly to be called the iPhone 4S) will not feature NFC. As the BI post points out, the lack of NFC won't be that much of a problem for Apple in the short run, as the technology isn't widely used in the US. However, the Bernstein report also notes that NFC could provide Apple with another US$4 - $9 billion in extra revenue based on the company's current share of the high-end smartphone market once (if) enabled. The Bernstein report echoes statements from UK mobile carriers in March of this year that NFC would not be an option on the next-generation iPhone. There have also been rumblings that Apple might be developing its own technology to enable payments. Whatever the Cupertino crew decides to do, it's obvious that we'll have to wait until at least 2012 to see it.
More evidence of camera flash changes in next iPhone
Earlier we reported on a rumored "iPhone 5" case which suggested that Apple has decided to move the iPhone's camera flash farther away from the camera lens. Now Asian Apple site Apple.pro has posted images comparing the iPhone 4's camera components with purported iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4S) camera components. The alleged iPhone 5 camera components show that the rear camera does not come with a flash attached as it does in the iPhone 4. These images in addition to the earlier iPhone 5 case suggests that the next iPhone will indeed sport minor hardware tweaks. Last week Apple.pro posted more images of a next-generation iPod nano with a rear camera and they were the first to post an image of a small touchscreen that later made its way into the sixth-generation iPod nano. [via 9to5 Mac]
Purported 'iPhone 5' case reveals minor changes in next iPhone
On Friday, a rumor broke that the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 4S and it will primarily retain the same form factor with a few minor cosmetic changes and some new interior parts. Now today, GadgetsDNA posted a photo of a case purportedly for the iPhone 5, which shows a re-located camera flash. Besides the camera flash, the case also shows a much thinner bezel. However as MacRumors points out, the manufacturers matching current case for the iPhone 4 also has a thin bezel, so that can't necessarily be taken as sign that the "iPhone 5" will have a thinner bezel. If this case is correct, its "iPhone 5" attribution is likely nothing more than a guess or easy identifier by the manufacturer. Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek claimed Friday that the fifth-generation iPhone that will debut this fall will be called the iPhone 4S. The image of the "iPhone 5" case showed up on Asian parts supplier site Alibaba. Other cases from manufacturers have shown up on the site purporting to be for future models of iOS devices and they have ended up being correct. Usually when a manufacturer is able to build proper cases for unannounced Apple products, they have gotten the dimensions and specs of the upcoming products from people at Asian manufacturers such as Foxconn. As always, there is no way of telling if this case represents the next iPhone Apple will launch, but it wouldn't be the first time case manufacturers stole a bit of Apple's thunder.
Rumor: 'iPhone 4S' to launch in September with T-Mobile and Sprint as added carriers
Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek issued a research note to clients today in which he claims the next iPhone will be branded the 'iPhone 4S' and will debut in September. The iPhone 4S will reportedly be a minor revamp of the iPhone including "minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support." The iPhone 4S however, would not feature an LTE 4G chipset. Misek writes that despite Apple's hopes that LTE chipsets would be available in sufficient quantities for the next iPhone, the Qualcomm LTE chipset Apple would have used "is currently not achieving yields sufficient for inclusion in the iPhone 5." Hence, Apple has prepared a version of the iPhone without LTE. iPhone fans may bemoan the lack of major new hardware features in the next iteration, but it seems that Apple is going to be relying on iOS as a major selling point for the new phone. Also, US users will be happy to learn that Misek is claiming that Apple is preparing to expand US carriers, adding Sprint and T-Mobile by the end of the year. Misek's assertions for the expanded carriers seem to match a post from BoyGeniusReport that Apple is testing T-Mobile-compatible iPhone 4s in the wild. While the existing iPhone 4 will work on T-Mobile's GSM network in the US, it is limited to EDGE speeds as the AT&T and T-Mobile systems use different frequencies to support 3G data. Misek also states that Apple is set to add China Mobile as a carrier in China by the end of 2011. [via Forbes]
