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Tag: iPhone rumors

  • iPhone 6 Battery Reportedly Leaked in New Photo

    Apple’s next iPhone is still months away from being announced but the rumor mill surrounding the device is, as always, going strong. This week tech blogs hit the jackpot as new details about the iPhone 6 and even photos of some of the device’s components were leaked online.

    Earlier this week a photo leaked through China’s Weibo platform seemed to confirm that the next iPhone will be significantly larger than even the iPhone 5S. The image purportedly shows the iPhone 6’s 4.7-inch screen in comparison with an iPhone 5.

    Now another photo has surfaced showing what appears to be the battery for the iPhone 6. French website nowhereelse.fr today published a photo it claims comes from a Taiwanese website. The photo shows what appears to be batteries destined for the inside of iPhone 6 smartphones.

    iPhone 6 batteries

    Judging from the date of the battery photo leaks for last year’s iPhone 5S in relation to that smartphone’s announcement, nowherelese.fr estimates that Apple could be ready to announce the iPhone 6 in as little as three months. The publication also points out that the batteries in the photo are slightly different in design from those found in the iPhone 5S, which could signal a significant internal redesign of the iPhone 6 compared to previous iPhones.

    In addition to the new photo leaks, new hardware information about the iPhone 6 has also hit the web recently. Last week a KGI securities analyst revealed supply chain research showing that the iPhone 6 will have a 1334 x 750 “Retina” display, a newly-branded A8 processor, 1GB of memory, and a significantly slimmer bezel. Apple may also be including NFC in the device and could even offer a larger 5.5-inch version of the iPhone.

    Of course, all of this new tech could come at a price. A Jefferies & Co. analyst this week weighed in on the issue, estimating that Apple is looking to charge mobile providers $100 more for the iPhone 6 than the company charged for other yearly iPhone upgrades.

    Image via nowhereelse.fr

  • Apple Also Rumored to be Developing Curved Smartphone Displays

    In the past month, both Samsung and LG have unveiled smartphones with curved displays. The technology for such displays has been touted at trade shows for years, but is just now making its way into consumer devices.

    Samsung’s Galaxy Round is curved side-to-side, while LG’s G Flex is curved top-to-bottom. Both manufacturers have attempted to explain how these curved displays are better, with limited success.

    Now, it appears that even Apple might get in on the curved smartphone trend. A Bloomberg report has stated that Apple is currently designing future iPhone prototypes with curved displays, larger screen sizes, and “enhanced sensors.” Unlike the Samsung and LG models, the Apple curved displays would curve toward the back of the device at its edges, according to the report’s unnamed “person familiar with the plans.”

    The report states that screen size is now something that Apple with catch up with Android manufacturers on. The company is reportedly working on iPhones that could potentially have 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch screens. This complements a report from August that held that Apple could be developing a larger iPad model as well.

    As for the “enhanced sensors,” Bloomber’s source believes that such sensors would be used to tell the difference between “light” and “heavy” touches. This could work in conjunction with the rumored curved display, as consumers would have to hold such a device by the screen’s edges.

  • iPhone 5S Rumor: Production Slow Due to Fingerprint Sensors

    As with the launch of every new iPhone model, millions of people around the world will be clamoring to get their hands on the new device. This year, however, relatively few Apple fans will be able to get their hands on the iPhone 5S, if new production rumors out of Taiwan are to be believed.

    DigiTimes is reporting that only 3 to 4 million iPhone 5S units will be available during the smartphone’s launch quarter later this fall. The report cites unnamed “industry sources” as saying slow production of the fingerprint sensor equipment long rumored to be a part of the new iPhone will limit stock this year. Apple and its suppliers were reportedly preparing to have 10 million iPhone 5S units available during the third quarter of 2013.

    The report specifically states that the production is slow due to low yield rates of the sensors’ packaging, as well as “issues” integrating iOS 7 with the sensors. Apple and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the company manufacturing the sensors, have reportedly sent and engineering team to improve yields at the facility packaging the sensors.

    Though production of the sensors was expected to begin in May, DigiTimes sources now put full production closer to the end of August. This is expected to propel shipments of the new iPhone into the tens of millions during the fourth quarter of 2013.

    (via DigiTimes)

  • iPhone 6 (Or 5S) May Get Fingerprint Sensor [Analyst]

    Last summer, rumors emerged that the iPhone 5 could come with a fingerprint-based security feature. That didn’t happen. When the device was launched last fall, the feature was nowhere to be seen.

    Matt Brian at TheNextWeb had put together a compelling argument as to why the device could have come with technology that would associate the user’s fingerprint with their identity for use with Passbook. Apple had acquired network security provider AuthenTec, and after digging through various documents and SEC filings, Brian was able to piece together a potential plan for Apple to include fingerprint hardware technology in an upcoming iPhone model.

    Since it didn’t happen with the iPhone 5, we’re now seeing speculation that it could come with what many believe will be called the iPhone 5S (some are still calling it the iPhone 6). This time, AppleInsider’s Neil Hughes reports:

    Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities expects Apple’s acquisition of AuthenTec to pay off this year with the so-called “iPhone 5S,” the company’s anticipated next-generation handset. He believes Apple will find a way to integrate the fingerprint sensor into the home button, allowing Apple to keep its “minimalist design.”

    In contrast, many Android and Windows Phone devices have more than one button below the display, and those buttons frequently lack the mechanical push of Apple’s home button. As a result, attempts to integrate fingerprint scanning on competing devices would be less intuitive, and could frustrate users, Kuo said.

    Clearly, it’s still only speculation, but this has been something that’s been expected for a while. It will be interesting to see if Apple goes in this direction, and how competitors respond.

    Google is already experimenting with some other innovative security scenarios, as in physical ‘keys’ to user accounts.

  • iPhone 5S to Have Multiple Colors, Screen Sizes [RUMOR]

    A new year inevitably means new iPhone rumors. The next iPhone model is already pegged as being the iPhone 5S, and is rumored to be coming as early as June 2013. It’s also being reported that Apple is looking to use Sharp’s IGZO display panels, which would increase the device’s resolution while lowering its power consumption.

    Today’s new rumors are even more spurious than usual, with BGR reporting that a Topeka Capital Markets analyst is suggesting the next iPhone will come in colors other than white and black. Specifically, he states that the new device will come in pink, yellow, blue, black, and white – the same colors Apple’s new iPod touch devices are offered in. Also, the analyst currently believes the 5S will have multiple screen sizes to choose from. His predictions are based on “checks” with Apple suppliers.

    Such a move by Apple would be an extreme break from its staunch tradition of one-size-fits-all iPhone production. If true, though, it could be an acknowledgement by the company that consumers are being lured by colorful Android or Windows Phone handsets.

    Apple hasn’t always had the black-and-white image it has tried to cultivate over the past decade. A return to the colorful palate of the original iMac could signal the first tentative steps the company is taking away from Steve Jobs’ original vision.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: Not Coming to T-Mobile

    Despite the lower prices the network offers for its plans and its soon-to-be unlimited data offerings, T-Mobile subscribers have always had to jump through hoops to get new iPhone models on the carrier’s network, if they could at all. Part of the reason for this is T-Mobile’s lack of a 4G LTE network, though the company is in the process of updating its infrastructure.

    Today, rumors began that the story will be no different for the iPhone 5, and that T-Mobile will not be getting the smartphone. TmoNews got hold of two screenshots of a field sales news memo meant for T-Mobile employees. The pictures insinuate that T-Mobile will not subsidize the iPhone 5 and that it might encourage customers with iPhones to switch.

    A section on employee training priorities for September includes a list of training beats for “Selling Against the iPhone.” The list includes the highlighted date September 21, which is very interesting considering that is the exact date currently rumored for the iPhone 5 release.

    The part about having iPhone customers switch is a bit more complicated. Starting today, T-Mobile stores will have new “Monthly4G SIM kits” that includes a micro SIM kit capable of making the iPhone 4 and 4S compatible with T-Mobile’s network. It could be T-Mobile’s plan to encourage customers to buy a full-priced, unlocked iPhone at an Apple store, then bring the phone to T-Mobile for its lower-priced plans.

    So, T-Mobile subscribers will have to continue not getting Apple’s cutting edge devices. Still, there are plenty of nice Android phones to choose from, and a couple of them will probably rival the iPhone 5 in terms of both hardware and features.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: These Are The Insides Of Apple’s New Wonder Phone

    The iPhone 5 is surely to go down in history as the most leaked electronic device ever made. Every part from the front panel to the SIM card has been leaked by one party or another. Of course, all of those leaks were in the form of photographs. We now have video of these parts for a real comparison.

    Phone repair shop SmartPhone Medic got their hands on some iPhone 5 parts. They did what any responsible site would do by sharing live comparison videos with the world via YouTube. The video reveals the iPhone 5 screen, the flex cables and the dock connector port.

    As expected, the iPhone 5 changes up the hardware from previous iterations. Ports have been moved around on the flex cables. The guys at SmartPhone Medic point out that the headphone jack has been moved towards the bottom on the iPhone 5. They also show that parts like the proximity sensor have also been moved around on the flex cables.

    Interestingly enough, they do a comparison between the iPhone 5’s display and the Samsung Galaxy S III’s display. It shows that the iPhone 5’s display is definitely bigger compared to the iPhone 4S, but the Galaxy S III still has the larger display. The iPhone 5 does get points for having a much slimmer screen that will surely look glorious once it’s powered on.

    At this point, I think it’s safe to say that we know exactly what the iPhone 5 is going to look like. Apple won’t be able to surprise us with the hardware come September 5, but they could still wow us with some impressive new software. The iPhone got where it is today on the strength of its apps and the iPhone 5 is going to be judged on the same metrics.

    [h/t: Mac Rumors]

  • iPhone 5 Rumors Still Alive and Well Despite iPhone 4S

    There are a couple ways you could look at the announcement of the iPhone 4S, with regards to the lack of an iPhone 5 announcement.

    One way would be that this is the iPhone 5. It just has a different name. Another way would be that the iPhone 5 could still be on the way.

    Many news outlets and blogs have reported on iPhone 5 rumors for a long time now. Some were related to what Apple would announce on this past Tuesday, and some were about an as of yet unannounced product. Gawker has a post up looking at a handful of articles from various publications in the tech press indicating “how everyone got it wrong”.

    Sure, some were flat out wrong, but other rumors may just not be realized yet.

    For example, the first example in the Gawker piece points to the launch of a Facebook iPad app at the Apple event. This didn’t happen, but the app is still expected to be unveiled soon. Timing, yes, dead wrong. It also wasn’t the “iPhone 5” event, as indicated in the article in question. It turned out to be the “iPhone 4S and iPod Nano update” event.

    The list of stories about iPhone 5 rumors on the web is a whole lot bigger than the sampling offered by this Gawker article. We’ve certainly published our fair share, but have always been careful to note when a story is a rumor. People like to read about rumors, and get and idea of what to expect. Still, rumors are rumors, and they should always be taken with some amount of salt.

    All of that said, the unveiling of the 4S has done absolutely nothing to halt the iPhone 5 rumor mill. For example, they’re already talking about the release being delayed until Apple can implement LTE, as late as late 2012 or even 2013. But it’s a rumor. It’s entirely possible that Apple will never launch a phone called the “iPhone 5”.

    It’s a pretty safe bet that “iPhone 5” will continue to be used as the name for Apple phones in rumor pieces about the next such offering from Apple until either Apple says flat out that there will be no iPhone 5 or it becomes clear in some other fashion.

    In the meantime, the responsible reporters and bloggers talking about this stuff will call a rumor a rumor until it becomes fact.