Updated: New iPhone 5 release date, specs, features and more
As it happened, there was no iPhone-5 after all, but the company announced the iPhone 4S.
However, the iPhone 5 is still on the cards - we expect it to debut in mid 2012. You can download the latest rumors about the iPhone 5 below.
iPhone 5 release date
UPDATE: For the last five of the new iPhone release date, check out our regularly updated article 5 iPhone release date.
Given the pattern of the Apple iPhone's launch, we expect the next-gen iPhone 5 to debut in mid to late 2012. We consider it is most likely to be shown off at Apple's Worldwide Developer Event (WWDC), which usually takes place in early June.
Rumors that we reported on October 18 eligible for an iPhone 5 release date of summer 2012. Analyst Ashok Kumar claimed that the absentee iPhone 5 was designed around the big announcement at the recent event where the iPhone was launched 4S.
iPhone5 form factor
Unlike the iPhone 4S, it will be a completely new design from what was previously, so that means a whole new case as we saw with the iPhone 3G and, later, the iPhone 4.
Interestingly, someone who claimed to have seen more shielded 5 iPhone prototype in November 2011 said that Steve Jobs, the new handset, and canned 4S chose the iPhone because of the larger screen of the new device. According to Business Insider, it was feared that a new scale, a two-tier iPhone ecosystem to create.
Beat Week in November 2011 claimed that the 5-inch was scrapped "because Apple would not be able to do it" this year. However, the Daily Mail (make what you want) then suggested that a four-inch version was likely that Sony has already shipped Top Secret demo screens to Apple.
iPhone5 specs
Based on the roadmap of the mobile chip design expert ARM (which Apple is a licensee), we will debut a quad-core processor can be seen in the iPhone 5 - probably the Apple A6. We know we have another quad core handsets debut appeared in 2012, so it's not too much of a stretch to say that the iPhone 5 will be the same.
iPhone5 will support 4G/LTE
With lots of 4G handsets already announced in the U.S., it can not be long before the iPhone supports 4G technologies - even if we do not even have a British spectrum auction in 2012.
- 4G and LTE mobile broadband explained
Cnet.com Will Strauss of Forward Concepts quotes an analyst who says the next iPhone will have LTE technologies. "They save money for the LTE iPhone 5 version and that will not be until next spring," says Strauss.
iPhone5 Steve Jobs' legacy
Many sites have reported that Steve Jobs worked hard on the iPhone 5 project, which apparently is a "radical redesign". We'll see ...
Below are the rumors that we have the press conference ahead of the iPhone 4S.
iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4S, as some call it), rumors are flying thick and fast Mon
And now Apple has finally confirmed a press conference for Tuesday, October 4, where the company almost certainly will reveal the iPhone 5.
The invitation hints that it is a phone that was announced, probably to the iPhone 5 instead of the much-discussed iPhone 4S to be.
See what makes it Techradar hopes in the next iPhone, in our video wishlist:
And if you're in a hurry, we also have a handy iPhone-5 video showing the latest rumors on the release date, spec and got more - so check out for a quick solution of the next-gen Apple's fun:
Although we are still waiting for news of an iPhone 5 UK release date, we charge an iPhone 5 release in late October is likely. It is possible that the iPhone release date is November 5, but it is more likely in October.
In mid-September is the CEO of France Telecom (Orange's parent company) has specifically commented on the iPhone 5 release date, saying: "If we believe what we have said, the iPhone will be released on 5 October 15."
Price reduction of the iPhone 4 in August hinted at a fall release for the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S and Apple reportedly began pushing aware of orders for the handset.
In early September, Japanese site Macotakara reported that the iPhone had went into production in May, says that Foxconn and Pegatron had begun installation on the new handset. A few days later, DigiTimes reported that Foxconn was 150,000 units of the new iPhone a day.
Rumors of an Apple Store UK holiday ban emerged on September 26. It was also reported that Telefonica, which owns the O2 network, is set to begin scaling back iPhone stock in advance of "launching a new smartphone."
Can not all plain sailing for Apple, with rumors that Samsung will be a sales courtesy of an injunction to find - another piece of the increasingly mixed puzzle lawsuit between the couple.
The iPhone 5 will debut with iOS 5 and iCloud
Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer was asked during an earnings call why he suggests a 12 percent drop in revenue for Q3 fiscal year - a traditional robust time with the scores of people buying the latest iPhone.
He said there were "a lot going on in the fall with iOS 5 and icloud", but added there will be a "future product transition that we will not talk about today" are.
That is almost certainly the new iPhone 5. And iOS 5 is also next to icloud.
You can also now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes too, so you really can devolve your device from your PC or Mac.
"You can activate on the device and you're ready to go," explained Apple's Scott Forstall.
"Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug in to update your software. And they're now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what's changed," he continued.
The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that: "Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those that are currently available… it was unclear how soon that version would be available to Verizon or other carriers."
This has since been backed up by reports from Engadget, which state the design will be a 'total rethink'.
Chinese case manufacturers have been sent design briefings of the new iPhone 5 chassis and apparently feature a return to the old days of iPhone design. But could iPhone 5 really have a curved back? We can't begin to tell you how sceptical we are over such a 'leak', given Apple's desperation to keep its forthcoming designs under wraps.
However, earlier reports from China backed up the larger-screened, metal chassis-sporting iPhone 5 rumours, so the redesign still seems firmly on the cards.
Interestingly, an Apple patent that we reported on on 7 April 2011 suggests that we could see the bezel put to good use on the new iPhone. The patent describes how visual indicators and touch-sensitive buttons could be incorporated to the space around the iPhone screen.
Will iPhone 5 actually be an iPhone 4S?
Of course, since the iPhone 3G was followed by the 3GS it's possible the new iPhone won't be a total refresh and we'll see an iPhone 4S (or iPhone 4GS) before an iPhone 5.
An iPhone 4S looked more likely on 16 May 2011 after analyst Peter Misek wrote: "According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support."
Rumours that we covered on 3 May 2011, suggest that there may even be two versions of the new iPhone: a 'standard' iPhone 5 and an iPhone 5 'pro'. Apparently, Apple is buying in components of differing quality, and those parts wouldn't be required for a single phone.
A white iPhone 5
The Economic Daily News is reporting that white iPhone 5 glass is being shipped, with a supplier called Wintek being the sole touch panel vendor for the white iPhone.
On 12 September 2011, a page which briefly popped up on Vodafone's site referenced the iPhone 5 in white as well as black.
iPhone 5 will support 1080p HD
It's fairly likely - given that the iPad 2 supports Full HD - that the new iPhone will do the same.
According to the Chinese Economic Daily News (via AppleInsider), with the exception of Qualcomm chipsets - which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 - Apple's sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5G components.
We'd expect the basics of the iPhone 5 specs to get a bump - more memory, faster processor, and more storage. The A5 dual-core ARM processor from the iPad 2 is extremely likely to be included.
The specs? A new antenna, 1.2GHz processor (possibly dual-core) and a larger screen: 3.7" instead of 3.5". The iPhone 5 may also be made from a new kind of alloy, or maybe meat.
On 12 September 2011, a page briefly appeared on the Vodafone site referencing the iPhone 5 in 16GB and 32GB storage, and in white as well as black. Other sources expect double the RAM of the iPhone 4, so that would be 1GB instead of 512MB.
On 20 September a bunch of internal iPhone 5 components were supposedly shown off.
iPhone 5 screen
Various sources claim the iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen. Digitimes quotes the source as saying that Apple is expanding the screen size "to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market."
On 23 May, we reported on rumours that the iPhone 5 could feature a curved glass screen. These rumours also came from Digitimes, which said that Apple has purchased between 200 and 300 special glass cutting machines because they're too costly for the manufacturers to invest in.
The iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S will also get a massive graphical boost as it moves to a dual-core GPU - this will herald true 1080p output from the new device.
iPhone 5 digital wallet - NFC
There's been some speculation that Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5G, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card. However, as Techeye.net notes, "Apple has looked into NFC before" so this might not be imminent.
However, with the tech being inside the Google Nexus S, the time for NFC may finally be here.
On 24 June it was reported that the Google Wallet mobile payment platform could feature on the new iPhone. Eric Schmidt admitted that Google is looking to port the software to other manufacturers.
iPhone 5 camera
Speaking at a live Wall Street Journal event, Sony's Sir Howard Stringer was talking about the company's camera image sensor facility in Sendai, a town that was recently ravaged by the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
According to 9to5Mac, he said something along the lines of, "Our best sensor technology is built in one of the [tsunami] affected factories. Those go to Apple for their iPhones… or iPads. Isn't that something? They buy our best sensors from us."
Other sources have also said that the new iPhone could have an 8MP camera.
On 8 September 2011 photo taken by an iPhone appeared on Flickr, but the EXIF data revealed that the camera is superior to that on the iPhone 4. Could this be the first pic snapped by the iPhone 5 in the wild?
iPhone 5 price
If the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS then we'd expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price tag.
0 comments