I’ve been remiss of not posting for a while. As I have a spare 15 minutes, I wanted to bring together all the information I’ve seen about the new iPhone 5 to date. I always like to do this before a launch, and then come back later and see how badly wrong I was!
When?
Looking at all the information out there, it seems that Apple will announce the new iPhone in September (the 7th to be precise as that’s when a mystery customer has booked the Yerba Buena Center in San Fran), with customers able to pre-order from September 30, and get their hands on the shiny new device from October 7. It seems that there have been some supply and manufacturing issues, so the October 7 date may push out to the 14th. This is for US customers, I can’t confirm other markets. However, an AT&T veep has confirmed this.
There are also rumours that a cheaper, more affordable iPhone might be released. To produce a cheaper unit, the majority of the storage memory would be removed and content would be stored in the cloud. I’ve heard a lot about this, but am doubtful. I think there’s a diminishing return in doing this – and the battery power required to keep pulling and pushing offline would make the phone unworkable in a few hours.
Technology
Obviously, no-one knows for sure. But here’s the theory:
- NFC (near field communications). I think this is a long shot – but the ability to make purchases simply by swiping the phone could be a possibility
- Better camera, possibly a 8 megapixel one. I hope the new version pushes the flash away from the lens a little as this causes picture problems – Apple might even look at adopting a dual flash. I also hope Apple look to do something with the lens cover. This gets badly scratched over time and leads to fuzzy pictures. You heard me Apple – fix it! Apple have placed a large order with Sony for a camera of this spec – so I think it’s certain.
- Flatter, thinner, larger screen – probably curvier rather than chiseled sides as per the iPhone 4
- Faster processor. The new A5 chip, dual processor – i.e. much faster
- A world phone, or a 4G phone. Apparently, this unit has been tested around the Bay Area on the 4G LTE network, also this equipment is being setup in Apple stores. It will have a dual GSM/CDMA chip that works on both Verizon and AT&T networks in ths US
- The new iPhone is also expected to have an improved antenna (no more “deathgrip” issues) design
- iOS5. Everyone know this new software is coming, and I’ve been using the beta for a while – which is a vast improvement. There’s lots to fix before general availability. However, I bet there will be more announcements around functionality before the release date – such as enhanced voice controls after Apple purchased Siri some time ago. The code name for the iOS5 release is Telluride, which will probably bring around 200 new features to the iPhone
- I’m going to put my neck on the line and say, you’ll be able to charge your iPhone 5 via inductive charging. i.e. not via a wire plugged into the device.
Looks
No one knows. Wild speculation as usual. It could be a small tweak on the iPhone 4. However, there are many articles that the big cheeses at Apple are tired of the iPhone 4 look and want something completely different. Someone recently spotted what could be an Apple tester on a local CalTrain using the iPhone 5. It doesn’t show much, but it seems the device is more rounded, and possibly tapered at the bottom of the device.
Another spot in the wild, looks similar.
Shape
The iPhone will be thinner and lighter – of course. It will probably look similar to the iPhone 4, but the edges will be tapered, and looking at pre-production cases, the screen will be wider. Also, something is funky with the traditional button area. Perhaps no button at all? Touch only? Some space either side of the button for extra swipe features?
Specifications
This is a best guess…
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As for the iPad 3
No big news there, apart from a launch date in early 2012 and will be faster with a slightly larger, retina display. The iPad 3 retina display will be similar to the iPhone 4, which shows images at 326 dpi (dots per inch). Any dpi of 300 or greater is said to be so dense that pixels are indistinguishable to the human eye at a distance of 10 to 12 inches.
Apple Inc. is working with component suppliers and its assembler in Asia for the trial production of its next generation iPad from October, people familiar with the situation say, as it looks to stay ahead of the competition in the fast-growing tablet computer market. The next generation iPad is expected to feature a high resolution display – 2048 by 1536 compared with 1024 by 768 in the iPad 2 – and Apple’s suppliers have already shipped small quantities of components for the sampling of the iPad 3. Suppliers said Apple has placed orders for a 9.7-inch screen device.
