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Bloomberg: Intel will supply modem chips for the next iPhone
Bloomberg is reporting that Intel will replace Qualcomm as the supplier of modem hardware for some models in the next generation of iPhones. The news service believes that the move is down to Apple's desire to "diversify its supplier" base for the best-selling devices. Intel will provide the wireless hardware for the GSM version of the device, compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile in the US as well as most worldwide carriers. Qualcomm, meanwhile, will still provide the gear that goes into the Verizon/Sprint model, as well as for other mobile networks that use the CDMA protocol.
Samsung-made chips reportedly power Apple's next iPhone
Samsung will reportedly power the majority of the next-generation iPhone according to Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper. The report says that the Korean company will claim 75 percent of processor chip production for Apple's next smartphone: Samsung one of a few companies that have the scale to provide high-end processors in the numbers that Apple needs for its iPhones. The Korean company was the one responsible for crafting the A7 SoC powering the iPhone 5S two years ago, although an apparent exclusive deal with TSMC meant that wasn't involved in Apple's two new phones in 2014. It's unlikely that Samsung and Apple are all-of-a-sudden BFFs, but, well, business is business. We've reached out to both companies for a response.
Nano-SIM for next iPhone makes appearance ahead of launch?
First we saw a supposed leak of the next iPhone's nano-SIM tray, and now we're seeing alleged photos of the nano-SIM itself. iFun posted an image of what it says is a new T-Mobile nano-SIM that has just started arriving at the German carrier. The package apparently came with a message telling carriers that these SIMs are for smartphones about to go on the market, and that they're not to be given to customers -- yet. Cupertino, of course, tweaked its nano-SIM design earlier this year, and this photo does come ahead of an Apple announcement event rumored for next week.
Gartner: worldwide mobile phone sales dipped 2.3 percent while users wait for next iPhone
Gartner is reporting that worldwide mobile phone sales this quarter dropped 2.3 percent as buyers postponed upgrades and held out for the next big thing. Of the 419 million units sold in the last three months, Samsung, Nokia and Apple unsurprisingly took the lion's share of the sales, while ZTE and LG rounded out the top five. Overall, Android's the most popular phone operating system, running 64.1 percent of all new handsets, while iOS phones came in second with 18.8 percent. If you feel like you need some more spreadsheets in your life, then read on for the full breakdown.
Next iPhone's motherboard possibly spotted with a dash of extra wireless
We may well have seen the next iPhone's back shell, front panel, SIM tray and even its cabling. Why not round it out with what might be the motherboard? A WeiPhone forum goer who slipped out the iPhone 4S' board last year is back with the 2012 update's potential new heart. While the tipster hasn't been courteous enough to do a side-by-side with the older component, repair shop iDeviceGuys notes to 9to5 Mac that the newer part isn't just a carbon copy; that smaller SIM slot (what you see in the middle) is one of the bigger giveaways. The real treat may be the extra wireless antenna connections. They aren't any surefire signs of 4G, but the antenna links suggest Apple isn't content with what the iPhone 4S has to offer. We're mostly left wondering about what's under that shielding -- it's a mystery as to whether or not the next iPhone's processor speed bump is a mountain or a molehill. Barring one more peek, we could get the full scoop next month.
Sharp's president says new iPhone screens will ship this month
Speaking at a press event after announcing its quarterly earnings, Sharp president Takashi Okuda said then company was preparing to ship displays for the new iPhone. Reuters quotes Okuda as saying, "Shipments will start in August." He did not provide any additional details on the phone or the technology behind the display. Apple is rumored to be working on a new, thinner display that'll feature in-cell technology. Rumors also suggest the Cupertino company will unveil the next iPhone at a September 12 event. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
WSJ: iPhone future includes thinner screen, other details cloudy
Today's Wall Street Journal includes an interesting story about a screen technology that may make an appearance in the next iPhone. Based on sources in the supply chain and "people familiar with the matter," the WSJ says that LCD panel makers Sharp and LG, plus a new Japanese consortium called Display Inc., are all busy manufacturing screens for the next iPhone that feature "in-cell technology" to support touch sensitivity. Companies that have traditionally supplied the touch panels, like Taiwan's Wintek, are supposedly out in the cold with next-gen orders. The key advantage of in-cell, which integrates the touch sensors directly into the LCD panel (hence the name -- contrast "on-cell," the separate touch layer used in current iPhones) is that it removes a bit of thickness. Screens made this way are about one-half millimeter thinner than their on-cell counterparts, which may not sound like that much; however, the iPhone 4S is only 9.3 mm thick in total. Every little bit counts. When this rumor first floated in April of this year, MacRumors noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's thickness count; the screen itself could be 15% thinner with the new approach, and the phone overall could be made thinner still (or reserve room for a bulkier, LTE-friendly battery). The new screens are said to be "challenging" to manufacture for the suppliers, which can only mean one thing: more frequent flier miles for Tim Cook and his operations team. The WSJ's Digits blog also posted a companion story today with the slightly unfortunate original headline "Apple's Upcoming iPhone 5: What We Know." I say "unfortunate" because it was subsequently changed to omit the "5" -- although you can still see the original slug in your browser title bar -- since among the post's list of things known/unknown about this device is whether or not it will actually be called the iPhone 5. Aside from the link to the screen technology story, the list summarizes to "We fully expect that at some point between now and the end of 2012 there will, in fact, be a new iPhone model running iOS 6. Said iPhone will be popular." It's a cruel summer. Photo by Rob Marquardt | @someToast
Apple's WWDC kicks off on June 7th this year
Sure, you might hear the words "Worldwide Developers Conference" and start to yawn, but in Apple parlance we're looking at a likely announcement of a new iPhone (the 3GS was shown at last year's event) and maybe a sneak peak at a new version of OS X. Whatever else Apple might have in store for all of us is anyone's guess, but suffice it to say that we expect to be bringing you the meat from the opening keynote just like always, though specifics on that keynote have yet to be announced. PR is after the break, full of non-revelatory software development topics that will be covered at the conference.
Apple's next iPhone: what we know (and what we don't)
The iPhone 4G? iPhone 4? iPhone HD? Simply "iPhone"? There's plenty we still don't know about Apple's upcoming handset, like the name for instance, but thanks to an unprecedented leak and a whole bunch of peripheral rumors, we've got just about the most info you could hope for going into a major Apple launch. Follow along after the break as we parse through what we know, what we've heard, and what we hope for in the next iPhone.
