Apple had some terrific announcements in their WWDC 2011 keynote including Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud.
One of the biggest disappointments with the Steve Jobs keynote was the lack of mention of when the next iPhone – Apple iPhone 5 release date was.
This was a breakaway from the past tradition where Steve Jobs introduced the i Phone 5 at the yearly WWDC keynote. So, it is obvious that Apple has no intention of release iPhone 5 this summer.
Why the White iPhone 4 was a hint?
Apple just released the infamous white iPhone 4 on both Verizon and AT&T.
In fact, the recent release of the white iPhone 4 should have been a good indication that Apple won’t outdate that model within a couple of months by releasing another new generation of iPhone.
iPhone 5 release data Fall 2011 or Spring 2012?
There were a lot of rumors pointing to Fall as the supposed release date for iPhone 5. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why the release date could be either Fall 2011 or Spring 2012.
A recent Reuters tweeted with some iPhone 5 news
FLASH: Apple suppliers to start production of next-gen iPhone in July, Aug; begin shipping in Sept – sources.
The article went to say that production of the next gen iPhone to start in July/August and the new phone is to look largely similar to the iPhone 4 with a faster processor.
I can see this upgrade as a natural evolution from iPhone 4 just like how iPhone 3GS was an upgrade from iPhone 3G with the camera and the processor.
Another indication that the iPhone 5 could be coming in Fall 2011 is the release date of iOS 5. With the iOS 5 gaining so many long-awaited features, it would just work well to have the iOS 5 released couple of days ahead of the iPhone 5 launch date. But then, the next iPhone could be called the iPhone 4S instead of iPhone 5 or iPhone 5g.
Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray has looked through the days between iOS announcements and iPhone launch dates in the past and predicts that the iPhone 4S or i Phone 5 will be launched on September 13. He notes that on an average there are 79 days between iOS software events and iPhone hardware announcements. And 99 days between iOS events and iPhone launch date.
My correction to this prediction would be that Apple will do a launch only on a Friday so that makes the date move to either September 9 or September 16 2011.
Verizon & AT&T iPhone 5 Same Day Launch
Verizon CFO Fran Shammo has also revealed that the iPhone 5 will be a world iPhone meaning it would support both CDMA + GSM in the same model.
In fact, iFixit had found a Qualcomm Gobi chip capable of doing both CDMA and GSM in an iPhone 4! They were saying that the CDMA portion of the chip was just turned off and it could be put to use to enable even the iPhone 4 as a world phone. This fact seems to corroborate with the Verizon CFO’s statement.
iPhone 5 to Support AT&T 4G
Barron’s reported this rumor that the next iPhone 5 will have support for AT&T’s 4G network. In fact, AT&T is being a bit disingenuous since they have renamed their HSPA+ network as 4G. And they are not even close to deploying the actual 4G network which is the equivalent of LTE technology.
AT&T’s HSPA+ aka 4G network could give users download speeds of 5-10Mbps. Admittedly, HSPA+ is faster than the Verizon’s EVDO speeds.
With Verizon now having a nationwide LTE yet or anytime soon, it is unlikely that iPhone 5 will be supported on Verizon’s LTE network. Apple followed the same principle with AT&T 3G and didn’t offer it until the nationwide 3G deployment was at a decent stage.
Again, this could indicate that Apple might release a iPhone 4S with AT&T ‘intermediate’ 4G (HSPA+) support and no Verizon LTE support and save the actual LTE support for iPhone 5 released Summer 2012 or Fall 2012.
iPhone 5 New Features
- 8MP Camera – OmniVision camera maker was identified as the camera supplier for Apple and Sony’s CEO Howard Singer had also indicated that they were making 8MP camera for the next iPhone 5. { via Digitimes }
- A5 processor – this is a logical upgrade as this processor is already in Apple iPad 2.
- New Flash placement – leaked photos of supposedly iPhone 5 back case shows the placement of flash in the other corner from the camera. In iPhone 4, they are placed next to each other.
- Large curved glass – Digitimes also reports that Apple is looking at larger curved glass for iPhone 5. Steve Jobs himself said they are experts at working with curved glass.
So, if you have waited so far for a new iPhone 2011 or iPhone 5g, the rumors point to more of a iPhone 4S like handset that would be identical to the iPhone 4 model except for may be robust hardware specs – faster A5 CPU, 8MP camera, worldphone mode (GSM+CDMA), etc. If these features are important to you, then you could until September/October and buy this upgraded iPhone.
Comparing the other Android and Blackberry smartphones, Apple iPhone 4 still puts up a respectable fight in terms of a great package of features, amazing 5MP camera and with iOS 5 it is going feel like a brand new phone.
With Walmart slashing the price of iPhone 4 to $147, we can expect to see this trend continue and iPhone 4 price will drop across carriers. And it can’t be a better time to buy one of the best smartphones in the world for so cheap!
Finally, I welcome you to check out this cool iPhone 5 infographic that summarizes all the rumors out there so far.
So, what do you think it is gonna be – an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5?
Sources: Barrons, Digitimes, AppleInsider, RazorianFly
