*Rumour Update* April 11th, 2011 Business Insider: Apple's new iPhone 5 should go into production in September says Avian Securities in a note this morning. This suggests the iPhone won't be on the market until the end of this year, or even early next year possibly, says Avian. Apple could also be developing a lower price/lower spec iPhone model, says Avian. The report is based on conversations with a "key component supplier" to Apple. Here's the full note: "Supporting out comments over the last month, conversations with yet another key component supplier indicates that production for iPhone-5 will begin in September. This is consistent with Avian findings in the supply chain in recent months and we believe the consensus view is moving towards this scenario. In addition, our conversations also indicate the existence of a lower- spec/lower-priced iPhone in Apple's roadmap. However they do not yet have insight into specs or production timing. This leads us to believe that any launch is likely a very late 2011 or more likely a 2012 event. As a reminder, Avian has uncovered several data-points in recent months pointing to the existence of a lower-spec/lower-price iPhone. A lower- spec/lower-price iPhone has also been speculated in the press and gadget blogs, though we do not believe consensus currently discounts the existence of such a model."
I'm kind of doubting this. Apple is usually pretty solid with their release schedules -- give or take a month. iPhone in late spring/early summer, iPod in late summer/early fall, Macs (and possibly secondary additions to other product lines, like the release of the G1 32GB Touch in February of 2008) in January/February. Schedules can slip a month or two depending on circumstances, but I've never seen them slip that far.
I think the first is much more likely than the second if they do decide to go with a 4" screen. The 326 dpi isn't some magic number; It's just twice the dpi of the previous generations. And like people have said, decreasing the dpi isn't going to be a huge deal and it's not like the current retina display actually has indistinguishable pixels at a 12" viewing distance or whatever they claim.
April 20th, 2011 PC World: The oft-rumored iPhone 5 will hit store shelves in September with a faster processor and a similar look to the iPhone 4, according to reports. The new Apple rumors contradict previous assertions the so-called iPhone 5 wouldn't start production until September for a launch during the holidays or early 2012. Instead, the next iteration of Apple's iPhone would go into production in the summer around June or July to get ready for the big launch in the fall, according to three anonymous sources who spoke to Reuters. It's not clear what kind of a faster processor the iPhone 5 would have, but most observers expect Apple to use the dual-core A5 chip that debuted in the iPad 2. Since the iPhone first launched in 2007, Apple has introduced a new version every year in June during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. But most speculation suggests a 2011 iPhone launch would happen later than usual due, at least in part, to Apple's launch of a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 on Verizon in early 2011. Apple at WWDC 2011 plans to offer a preview of the next iterations of iOS and Mac OS X (Lion). Current rumors suggest a new iOS, dubbed iOS 5, would include cloud-based features such as online storage, free Mobile Me access for e-mail, calendar and contacts syncing, and possibly new location- based social features. Apple's iOS 5 may also have an improved graphics engine. There is also some debate about whether the iPhone 5 would have a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip. NFC technology would allow you to turn your phone into a virtual wallet that lets you pay at shops, restaurants and subway stations with just a wave of your phone in front of an NFC reader. The September Debate Apple typically uses September to launch new iPods and other music products, but the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch have made Apple's other multimedia devices increasingly irrelevant. There's only so much interest you can muster every year over a revamped iPod Nano or Shuffle and a new version of iTunes. Also, if Apple releases a new version of iOS in the summer and then waits for the fall for a new iPhone, it gives third-party developers more time to get their apps ready for the new device. Whatever the reason for Apple's rumored launch changeup, without a new iPhone coming in June it will be interesting to see if the company has any other surprises cooking for this year's WWDC.
I'm pretty sure the jump to iPhone 5 is going to be significantly smaller than the jump from 3GS to 4 was. It's a pattern that's been pointed out several times with Apple products, they tend to focus on improvements to existing tech one year then new tech and features the next. iPhone 6 will probably be exciting
I've always thought it was the other way around. The 3rd generation was significantly faster than the 2nd generation. I also read in another thread that the jump from gen 2 to gen 3 was much, much more significant (in processing speed) than the 3rd to the 4th. Also, apps that required a faster device cut off the 2nd generation rather than the 3rd. Eh, I might be wrong, but I'm going to pick up the 5th generation either way.
I suppose it depends how you look at it. I said one year focused on improving existing tech, which would include performance as in the 2nd to 3rd gen change. Then the next year is new features with the extra camera, retina display, etc. I just consider adding new things on more of a jump than internal upgrades.
I don't think you're wrong per se, it's just differing viewpoints. I personally consider the features like 3G and retina to be more significant than performance boosts, but others may not care as much about that kind of stuff and they may see something like the (likely) dual-core processor to be a big improvement.
April 27th, 2011 Yahoo News: What to expect. (Video) What new features and innovations will Apple roll out in the next iteration of the iPhone? A patent application here, a parts order there ... this week on Upgrade Your Life, Yahoo! News' Becky Worley puts together the clues plus some educated guesses, to bring us a preview of Apple's iPhone 5! What will it look like? Last year's model, the iPhone 4, had a glass backplate that could get scratched. It's possible that the iPhone 5 will have a brushed metal backplate, which would help keep it from scratching and make the phone lighter as well. There have been some recent rumors that the phone could get considerably thinner, even tapering toward the bottom. The square edges could round out, making it look a little more like an iPod touch. Besides that, we've heard that Steve Jobs isn't a fan of physical buttons; the iPhone 4 only has one, on its front. The iPhone 5 might turn that one physical home button into a virtual, on-screen home button, which would get out of the way while you're watching videos. This would give it a four-inch screen, half an inch bigger than the iPhone 4's. But another rumor has the display bumping up to only a 3.7-inch screen, and the home button getting slightly larger. Remember, none of this info is coming from Apple. It's all rumor, speculation and guessing, so take it with a grain of salt. What performance upgrades will it have? It'll have a faster, probably dual-core processor, plus more memory and an improved camera -- one that might be able to take 8 megapixel still pictures and record 1080p HD video. You'll be able to play more realistic games, switch between open apps more quickly, and keep more web pages open at once. Beyond that, you can bet that Apple doesn't want a repeat of "Antennagate," and will be paying special attention to the iPhone 5's antenna to make sure there are fewer connection issues. Will it have any new features? We already know what features the iPhone 5 won't have: A removable battery, a memory card slot, and support for Adobe Flash videos. These features are commonly seen on other phones, but are not what customers expect from Apple products. One feature that Apple recently filed a patent on is being called a "Smart Bezel" by rumor sites. These are areas just outside the screen that can light up and are touch sensitive. They could be game controls or battery indicators, or let you use new finger-swipe gestures to control your iPhone! Another feature they might add is called NFC, or Near-Field Communication. This is a technology that would let you pay for things by waving your iPhone near a sensor, sort of like what some 'wave-to-pay' credit cards can do today. NFC is already in widespread use in Japan, and is being tested in the United States. Apple may decide to hold off on it, though, until people are more comfortable using their phones to make payments. One other possibility is that the iPhone 5 will get induction charging. That's where you plug in a separate charging pad, and your iPhone recharges just by touching it. When will the iPhone 5 be announced? Our best guess is that it'll be sometime this fall -- they might choose to announce it at the yearly iPod event in September, for instance, which would mean that it'd be available in time for the holidays. The iPhone 4 was announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last June, though, so the iPhone 5 might debut at this year's WWDC ... or it might not appear until next year. Who knows? It's possible that Apple's next big iPhone announcement will be for a 4G Verizon iPhone, instead of the iPhone 5. Networks like Verizon are rolling out super-high speed, 4G wireless infrastructure, and competitors' phones are already taking advantage of it. Don't expect Apple to lag behind them for long! Are there any other new iPhones expected? One persistent rumor has been that of an "iPhone Nano," a tiny iPhone with a smaller screen and far less memory. Apple's been working on a way to let you access your iTunes library online, which might let you get to your music and apps without needing the expensive flash memory chips that a regular iPhone has. That would make the iPhone Nano cheaper as well as smaller. On the other hand, Apple normally just sells last year's model at a reduced price, for people who want a cheaper iPhone. Plus, screen resolution issues make a dramatically smaller iPhone unlikely ... so file this one under "maybe." Will there be any surprises? There usually are! We don't know what Apple's planning, so stay tuned to find out.
its amazing and beautiful, does anybody know when it's coming to market? Do I have to buy the iphone4 or have to wait for 5?
Meh...glass of iPhone 4 is perfect, no scratches for me even though I dont use any protection...3G's plastic back on the other hand nearly desintegrated completely in the 2 years I had it. and come on, metal less easy to scratch than iPhone 4 glass? iPad sure says no.
Well, I dropped my iPhone 4 today (really it was more like throwing it to the ground by accident!) and although it has a case on it (a thin leather Sena case), the edges of the glass got chipped on the top and on one side. I'm bummed. Fortunately the chips in the glass doesn't seem to be sharp, so I guess I can just live with it, but it doesn't look nor feel so great.
