iPhone 5 Specs: Thinner, Larger 3.7-Inch Screen, Home Button With Gesture Area & More

Joshua Topolsky, former Engadget Editor has just revealed some interesting information about Apple's next generation iPhone – iPhone5, which is rumored to be released in September.

According to Topolsky who writes at This is my next, the 5th generation iPhone will be completely redesigned and it will look like iPod Touch 4G rather than iPhone 4.

Topolopsy reports that according to their sources, iPhone 5 will be thinner than the iPhone 4, and have a "teardrop" shape, which goes from thick to thin like MacBook Air.

He has revealed that the home button will be enlarged and will double up as the home button and also a gesture area:

this falls in line with testing we've seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether.

He also confirms that iPhone 5 will come with a larger 3.7 inch screen (compared to the 3.5 inch screen), which will occupy nearly the entire front of the phone while keeping the same resolution.

The sketch supplied to them by a source indicates some form of inductive or touch charging but their sources have not been able to confirm it.

You can also checkout the mockup of what the next generation iPhone will look like based on information they've received.

We really like the idea of the home button doubling up as a gesture area and though we like the design of iPhone 4, will love to see a completely redesigned iPhone, which is thinner and comes with a larger Retina display.

What about you? Please share your views in the comments section below.

Dueling iPhone 5 Release Rumors; It's Like Daisy Petal Picking

It's coming in June; it's coming in June – not; it's coming in…..

Appleinsider's Neil Hughes says that rumors of a later-than-usual iPhone model revision for 2011 are being fueled by notoriously secretive Apple being even more secretive than usual in its dealings with overseas suppliers subcontracting to build the devices and their various components as regards the iPhone 5.

Hughes cites a note to investors by Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White, who is on a tech company visit sweep through Taiwan and China, commenting last Friday that "Apple is keeping its iPhone 5 cards extra close to the vest on this launch to avoid a falloff in iPhone 4 demand ahead of a refresh, especially given the February launch of the CDMA iPhone 4 with Verizon." However, White guesses there's still room for the iPhone 5 to still launch in June or July, consistent with Apple's usual calendar envelope for major iPhone announcements and revisions, and noting that there's really no solid evidence supporting either that postulate or a later iPhone 5 release in the fall.

TheStreet's James Rogers agrees with White, suggesting that with iPhone 5 rumors "ping-ponging" back and forth, the chatter, and in some instance angst, over a significant iPhone 5 release delay may be getting overblown.

On the other hand, Rogers notes — as I too have here previously — that Apple's press release for the June Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC), which in recent years has been a venue for iPhone revision announcements, made no reference to new hardware, a seemingly pointed omission, and affirmed instead that this year's WWDC will be focused on unveiling the future of iOS and Mac OS. Of course, we can't discount the possibility of a Steve Jobsian "one more thing" surprise announcement of the iPhone 5 at the keynote climax, whether or not the ailing (and we hope mending) Mr. Jobs is there to deliver it.

My takeaway is that while Apple's new and revised product releases are at least roughly predictable more often than not, attempting to pin them down to a precise time frame is a mug's game and an exercise in frustration and futility, compounded by the fact that from the moment the iPhone5 (launch of which is inevitable at some point in the not too distant future) is announced, new speculation will ramp up focusing on iPhone 6. Indeed, the iPad 2 announcement was still weeks in the future when prognostications about an iPhone 3 began circulating.

Waiting out anticipated product announcements can be frustrating, or part of the fun, depending on how you choose to look at it, but the upside is that current iPhone 4 is an excellent device that will do a fine job for you if you really need to make a purchase in the short term.

News Of Dual-Network iPhone 5 Benefits Verizon More Than AT&T

Verizon's recent gaffe confirms that the iPhone5 will indeed be a dual-network device that will work with both CDMA and GSM. While the notion of a dual-network iPhone 5 isn't much of a revelation, the news helps Verizon more than AT&T. Here's why:

Another slip of the tongue has confirmed yet another detail about the upcoming iPhone 5.

Less than three weeks after Sony CEO Howard Stringer tacitly admitted that the next iPhone 5 camera would be of the 8 megapixel variety, Verizon's Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo seems to have now confirmed that the iPhone 5 will indeed be a dual-network device, supporting both AT&T's GSM and Verizon's CDMA technologies. Venturebeat reports that "in an attempt to deflect an analyst probing for details on Apple's next phone, Verizon inadvertently mentioned that [the iPhone 5] will be a 'global device'."

While the iPhone community is always happy to have virtually any detail about the iPhone 5 confirmed or corroborated (except, perhaps, for the recent report of a late September release), news of a dual-network iPhone 5 should not come as an earth-shattering revelation to those who have followed the it over the past six month of so. It is true that Apple had to fashion an alternate CDMA-equipped iPhone 4 to work on the Verizon network, creating two network variants with very slight design differences between the two.

But the production of the CDMA model was a work-around for Apple; obviously, a deal with Verizon had not been solidified by the time the iPhone 4 was launched in the summer of 2010, meaning that the initial AT&T model had no CDMA capabilities. And as we all know, there was no way that Apple could have clandestinely outfitted the original AT&T iPhone to run on CDMA — too many iPhone geeks out there pop open their new iPhones to look under the hood. Any stealth move to equip the iPhone 4 for both networks would have been discovered. This time around, however, it makes good business sense to make sure that the iPhone 5 works on both networks; it will keep production costs down and make shipping and inventory far easier.

An interesting question to consider, however, is whether or not a dual-network iPhone 5 benefits either carrier, or is it just a wash?

I would argue that, while the dual-channel iPhone 5 revelation isn't going to be any kind of groundbreaking game-changer for either mobile carrier, it is Verizon that may have the most to gain from the notion that both companies will share the same iPhone design.

More than any other iPhone 5 topic on this blog, the subject of AT&T versus Verizon has inspired more angst, vitriol, and hurt feelings. We wrote an article about it a while back, and people weighed in on the issue with gusto, defending their mobile network providers with bravado. It's a fact: iPhone users are passionate about their carriers. AT&T and Verizon are like political parties around here. (I guess Sprint customers are the Independents.)

Thus, I know that I am stepping into a minefield with Verizon customers when I reluctantly state that CDMA is generally considered to be the slower of the two mobile technologies, disallowing the kind of multi-tasking that AT&T iPhone users typically enjoy. Whether or not this is true, however, is not the issue: the fact remains that this is the prevailing belief about Verizon.

With this is mind, one can imagine that it can only benefit Verizon for prospective iPhone 5 customers to see that the device works on both networks. Unlike the iPhone 4, which has two variants for GSM and CDMA, the iPhone is the same phone, same specs, same technology. AT&T will no longer be able to infer that they have the "better iPhone" model.

Sameness is the name of the game for Verizon this time around, as they will finally have a chance to compete with AT&T right out of the gate with the iPhone 5. The game plan will be the same for both carriers: AT&T will tout speed and versatility, and Verizon will roll out their maps. It should be a real hoot.

A5 iPhone 5 prototype released in earnest, but you can't have one (yet)

Here's a bizarre move which will only up the ante when it comes to the up-in-the-air release date of the iPhone 5: Apple is already circulating an A5-equipped iPhone 5 prototype in an iPhone 4 body to trusted app developers for the sake of ensuring said apps are able to take full advantage of the more powerful A5 architecture by the time the iPhone 5 launches. It all makes one wonder just how near or far away the iPhone 5 really is, and whether the developer model being circulated is merely retaining the iPhone 4 body type in order to keep the appearance of the iPhone 5 a secret, or whether the iPhone 5 will in fact look just like the iPhone 4 from the outside after all. Either way, one thing's for sure: you can't have one. Yet.

The kicker, of course, is that Apple is being awfully trusting of third parties, considering that last year an iPhone 4 prototype ended up being sold to the highest bidder and paraded around on the internet as a trophy. Apple's hopes of keeping the original iPhone 4 design a secret were dashed, houses were raided, and the expectation was that the already secretive and paranoid Apple would become even more so after the incident, heading into the iPhone 5 release. And yet here's Apple distributing a quasi-next generation iPhone before its unveiling. It's assumable that at least one of the prototypes will be lost, stolen, photographed, or otherwise before it's all said and done. And while it may look just like an iPhone 4 from the outside, there have to be details inside which, if torn apart, would reveal more information than Apple wants – or maybe not.

In fact the term "iPhone 5″ is something that we outsiders have made up to describe what we suspect Apple's fifth generation iPhone will be, without any knowledge of what the product will be or even whether it will carry that name. The fifth generation iPhone could be a complete external overhaul from the iPhone 4, or it could in fact be the developer prototype being circulated. Either way the move raises more questions than it answers. All it tells us for sure is that the next iPhone will have an A5 processor in it. But then again, on the heels of the A5 iPad 2, that was one of the few iPhone 5 details which was already assumable. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

News Of Dual-Network iPhone 5 Benefits Verizon More Than AT&T

Verizon's recent gaffe confirms that the iPhone5 will indeed be a dual-network device that will work with both CDMA and GSM. While the notion of a dual-network iPhone 5 isn't much of a revelation, the news helps Verizon more than AT&T. Here's why:

Another slip of the tongue has confirmed yet another detail about the upcoming iPhone 5.

Less than three weeks after Sony CEO Howard Stringer tacitly admitted that the next iPhone 5 camera would be of the 8 megapixel variety, Verizon's Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo seems to have now confirmed that the iPhone 5 will indeed be a dual-network device, supporting both AT&T's GSM and Verizon's CDMA technologies. Venturebeat reports that "in an attempt to deflect an analyst probing for details on Apple's next phone, Verizon inadvertently mentioned that [the iPhone 5] will be a 'global device'."

While the iPhone community is always happy to have virtually any detail about the iPhone 5 confirmed or corroborated (except, perhaps, for the recent report of a late September release), news of a dual-network iPhone 5 should not come as an earth-shattering revelation to those who have followed the it over the past six month of so. It is true that Apple had to fashion an alternate CDMA-equipped iPhone 4 to work on the Verizon network, creating two network variants with very slight design differences between the two.

But the production of the CDMA model was a work-around for Apple; obviously, a deal with Verizon had not been solidified by the time the iPhone 4 was launched in the summer of 2010, meaning that the initial AT&T model had no CDMA capabilities. And as we all know, there was no way that Apple could have clandestinely outfitted the original AT&T iPhone to run on CDMA — too many iPhone geeks out there pop open their new iPhones to look under the hood. Any stealth move to equip the iPhone 4 for both networks would have been discovered. This time around, however, it makes good business sense to make sure that the iPhone 5 works on both networks; it will keep production costs down and make shipping and inventory far easier.

An interesting question to consider, however, is whether or not a dual-network iPhone 5 benefits either carrier, or is it just a wash?

I would argue that, while the dual-channel iPhone 5 revelation isn't going to be any kind of groundbreaking game-changer for either mobile carrier, it is Verizon that may have the most to gain from the notion that both companies will share the same iPhone design.

More than any other iPhone 5 topic on this blog, the subject of AT&T versus Verizon has inspired more angst, vitriol, and hurt feelings. We wrote an article about it a while back, and people weighed in on the issue with gusto, defending their mobile network providers with bravado. It's a fact: iPhone users are passionate about their carriers. AT&T and Verizon are like political parties around here. (I guess Sprint customers are the Independents.)

Thus, I know that I am stepping into a minefield with Verizon customers when I reluctantly state that CDMA is generally considered to be the slower of the two mobile technologies, disallowing the kind of multi-tasking that AT&T iPhone users typically enjoy. Whether or not this is true, however, is not the issue: the fact remains that this is the prevailing belief about Verizon.

With this is mind, one can imagine that it can only benefit Verizon for prospective iPhone 5 customers to see that the device works on both networks. Unlike the iPhone 4, which has two variants for GSM and CDMA, the iPhone is the same phone, same specs, same technology. AT&T will no longer be able to infer that they have the "better iPhone" model.

Sameness is the name of the game for Verizon this time around, as they will finally have a chance to compete with AT&T right out of the gate with the iPhone 5. The game plan will be the same for both carriers: AT&T will tout speed and versatility, and Verizon will roll out their maps. It should be a real hoot.

Reuters Joins the iPhone 5 News Blog In Predicting September iPhone 5 Release

Skeptics of a late-summer iPhone 5 release have balked at suggestions that Apple would depart from its usual June iPhone release. But new, well-sourced reports corroborate what the iPhone 5 News Blog has reported since January — that the iPhone 5 will ship in September.

It appears that the mainstream tech media has begun to embrace what the iPhone 5 News Blog has reported all along: that the iPhone 5 will be released at the end of the summer.

The news wires were abuzz Wednesday morning as Reuters and others reported that the iPhone5 is set to begin mass production in July, with a release planned for September. The Reuters report indicates that the iPhone 5 "will have a faster processor and will begin shipping in September, three people with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain said."

While the mainstream press has searched out reliable sources for months that could corroborate the theory of a late-summer release for the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5 News Blog predicted an August or September launch of the iPhone 5 on January 8th, 2011 on the heels of the Verizon iPhone announcement in this article, Verizon iPhone Announcement Clears Path For Future iPhone 5 Release.

From the outset of the Verizon iPhone release, it has been apparent to us that Verizon's deal with Apple would stipulate ample time to sell their version of the iPhone 4 without the disruption of a June iPhone 5 announcement to squelch spring sales. Just as AT&T enjoyed six months of uncontested iPhone 4 sales before the Verizon announcement, it stood to reason that Verizon too would expect a six-month sales window for the Verizon iPhone 4.

It now appears that well-placed sources are confirming this rationale for the iPhone 5.

The Reuters piece also reveals some other interesting details about the iPhone 5 as well, including some details about how it will look. The iPhone 5 is purported to look similar to the iPhone 4 in size and dimension. If the dimensions of the iPhone 5 remain true to the iPhone 4, then this would suggest that the only prospect of a larger screen would be if the iPhone 5 sports an edge-to-edge screen, maximizing the dimensions of the current chassis.

There's no word on the metal back rumor, however, which would indeed change the cosmetic look of the iPhone 5.

To be sure, even rumors that come from supposed well-placed sources "with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain" can never be completely trusted, especially considering that an audacious iPhone tip — whether true or not — most likely commands a great deal of money. However, another piece of this rumor, which reveals that Wintek, Foxconn, and Largan are producing the components for the iPhone 5, lends more credibility to the voracity of the claim, since Wall Street is responding positively. Reuters reports that "Largan's Taipei-listed shares ended up 3.7 percent, Hon Hai rose 4.3 percent and Foxconn rose 6.6 percent, outpacing the benchmark TAIEX share index's 2 percent advance."

The fact that top investors are staking their financial resources on these suppliers indicates that Wall Street is satisfied with this report on the iPhone 5′s release month.

While the tech community may not be completely convinced of a September iPhone 5 release until the WWDC has come and gone with no new iPhone announcement, this new Reuters report should begin to put to rest any lingering rumors of a June release.

iPhone 5: iPod touch back, 3.7 inch display, gesture-based home button? (updated)

Update: MacRumors and people in the know who we have spoken to are having their doubts about this one.

This is my next drops a bombshell, claiming that the next-generation iPhone will not be a minimal departure from the iPhone 4, like others are saying, but will be a completely re-designed phone, as Engadget reported earlier this year. The iPhone 5 that the report describes is said to be a prototype in testing – we know that Apple tests many products before going to market – that features a body akin to that of the one found on the fourth-generation iPod touch. This design is said to also be "teardrop" like the late 2010 MacBook Air's design – thicker to thinner fr om top to bottom.

Even more interesting is that the next-generation iPhone is said to gain a larger home button on the bottom portion of the device and… it's gesture sensitive. This is my next points out that this could easily work hand-in-hand with some of those funky new gestures Apple is testing in iOS 4.3 with iOS App Store developers. The report also backs up a report from the Wall Street Journal, and says the screen will cover most of the device's front and the new phone will likely lack a true bezel. Even cooler is that This is my next says Apple is exploring ways to hide the earpiece and the iPhone 4′s famous sensors behind the screen.

Speaking of screens… the report says that it's not your everyday iPhone 3.5 inch display, but it's 3.7 inches and the pixels are staying the same. This will cause a drop in pixel density of 13 pixels-per-inch – but this will still be above the magic Retina mark of 300 pixels per inch. The screen will likely look the same to the human eye, and developers will not need to adjust their graphics. Perhaps they will have the option in the iPhone SDK to to take full advantage of the extra screen real estate. This is my next is also saying that this all-new-phone could possibly sport some sort of wireless/inductive charging and/or NFC, but that is less confirmed – on their part – compared to the rest of the story.

Finally, This is my next closes by making it clear that the described iPhone5 may never hit the streets, but it's certainly being toyed with at Apple HQ:

Now, keep in mind that this info isn't fact — we're getting lots of threads from lots of places and trying to make sense of the noise. The versions of devices our sources are seeing could be design prototypes and not production-ready phones. Still, there are strong indications that Apple will surprise a public that's expecting a bump more along the lines of the 3G to 3GS — and this is some insight into where those designs might be headed. We're working on a couple of other intriguing pieces of information concerning future Apple products… so stay tuned for much, much more.

iPhone 5 Specs: Thinner, Larger 3.7-Inch Screen, Home Button With Gesture Area & More

Joshua Topolsky, former Engadget Editor has just revealed some interesting information about Apple's next generation iPhone – iPhone5, which is rumored to be released in September.

According to Topolsky who writes at This is my next, the 5th generation iPhone will be completely redesigned and it will look like iPod Touch 4G rather than iPhone 4.

Topolopsy reports that according to their sources, iPhone 5 will be thinner than the iPhone 4, and have a "teardrop" shape, which goes from thick to thin like MacBook Air.

He has revealed that the home button will be enlarged and will double up as the home button and also a gesture area:

this falls in line with testing we've seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether.

He also confirms that iPhone 5 will come with a larger 3.7 inch screen (compared to the 3.5 inch screen), which will occupy nearly the entire front of the phone while keeping the same resolution.

The sketch supplied to them by a source indicates some form of inductive or touch charging but their sources have not been able to confirm it.

You can also checkout the mockup of what the next generation iPhone will look like based on information they've received.

We really like the idea of the home button doubling up as a gesture area and though we like the design of iPhone 4, will love to see a completely redesigned iPhone, which is thinner and comes with a larger Retina display.

What about you? Please share your views in the comments section below.

Dueling iPhone 5 Release Rumors; It's Like Daisy Petal Picking

It's coming in June; it's coming in June – not; it's coming in…..

Appleinsider's Neil Hughes says that rumors of a later-than-usual iPhone model revision for 2011 are being fueled by notoriously secretive Apple being even more secretive than usual in its dealings with overseas suppliers subcontracting to build the devices and their various components as regards the iPhone 5.

Hughes cites a note to investors by Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White, who is on a tech company visit sweep through Taiwan and China, commenting last Friday that "Apple is keeping its iPhone 5 cards extra close to the vest on this launch to avoid a falloff in iPhone 4 demand ahead of a refresh, especially given the February launch of the CDMA iPhone 4 with Verizon." However, White guesses there's still room for the iPhone 5 to still launch in June or July, consistent with Apple's usual calendar envelope for major iPhone announcements and revisions, and noting that there's really no solid evidence supporting either that postulate or a later iPhone 5 release in the fall.

TheStreet's James Rogers agrees with White, suggesting that with iPhone 5 rumors "ping-ponging" back and forth, the chatter, and in some instance angst, over a significant iPhone 5 release delay may be getting overblown.

On the other hand, Rogers notes — as I too have here previously — that Apple's press release for the June Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC), which in recent years has been a venue for iPhone revision announcements, made no reference to new hardware, a seemingly pointed omission, and affirmed instead that this year's WWDC will be focused on unveiling the future of iOS and Mac OS. Of course, we can't discount the possibility of a Steve Jobsian "one more thing" surprise announcement of the iPhone 5 at the keynote climax, whether or not the ailing (and we hope mending) Mr. Jobs is there to deliver it.

My takeaway is that while Apple's new and revised product releases are at least roughly predictable more often than not, attempting to pin them down to a precise time frame is a mug's game and an exercise in frustration and futility, compounded by the fact that from the moment the iPhone5 (launch of which is inevitable at some point in the not too distant future) is announced, new speculation will ramp up focusing on iPhone 6. Indeed, the iPad 2 announcement was still weeks in the future when prognostications about an iPhone 3 began circulating.

Waiting out anticipated product announcements can be frustrating, or part of the fun, depending on how you choose to look at it, but the upside is that current iPhone 4 is an excellent device that will do a fine job for you if you really need to make a purchase in the short term.

iPhone 5 design secrets revealed by rounded, white, A5 iPad 2

The iPhone 5 come in white and employ the A5 processor, and it'll lose the bezel of the iPhone 4 and feature rounded edges throughout, unless the entire iPad 2 was merely one big head-fake. Those looking for the skinny on the design secrets of the forthcoming fifth generation iPhone ahead of its still-unknown release date are looking in the wrong places, if they're looking anywhere other than the second generation iPad as a starting point. When the first iPad launched back in early 2010, few realized at the time that it was a partial blueprint for what could be expected from the then-forthcoming iPhone 4. From the hefty brushed metal silver side bezel to the A4 processor inside, the iPad 2 gave generous hints that spring as to what could be expected from the next iPhone that summer. And now, thanks to the iPad 2, we now have a blueprint for the iPhone 5. So just what are we looking at?For starters, say goodbye to that fat perpendicular bezel. Apple's attempts at squaring off the iPhone and iPad resulted in the thin devices looking and feeling like they were thicker (and heavier) than they really were. Apple wisely dumped that particular design flair with the iPad 2, and while the new model is only fractionally thinner and lighter, the most common response among upgraders is that it looks and feels significantly thinner and lighter. In other words, by simply (re-)rounding off the iPhone's corners, Apple can get more public credit for making the iPhone 5 thin than it did for having shaved an actual twenty-four percent of the iPhone's thickness away with the iPhone 4. Perception trumps reality in these matters, and Apple has presumably learned its lesson: the appearance and illusion of thinness is just as important as actual thinness.
The iPad never came in white, so the inclusion of a white iPad 2 was gratuitous enough that Apple could easily have left it out of the company were trying to make consumers forget that the whole white iPhone 4 ever happened. Instead, by offering a white iPad 2, Apple is making clear that it wants consumer demand for white Apple products to remain in place, which is a hint that there will indeed be a white iPhone in the near future. The iPad 2′s use of an A5 processor means the iPhone 5 will certainly do the same. The intriguing part is whether the lone gaping chasm between the iPad 1 and the iPhone 4, namely the use of radically different materials for the rear surface, will resolve itself in 2011 with the iPhone 5 adopting the same brushed metal backside as the iPad 2. But them some details will merely need to be watched for. Here's more on the iPhone5. Here's more on the iPad 2.

A5 iPhone 5 prototype released in earnest, but you can't have one (yet)

Here's a bizarre move which will only up the ante when it comes to the up-in-the-air release date of the iPhone 5: Apple is already circulating an A5-equipped iPhone 5 prototype in an iPhone 4 body to trusted app developers for the sake of ensuring said apps are able to take full advantage of the more powerful A5 architecture by the time the iPhone 5 launches. It all makes one wonder just how near or far away the iPhone 5 really is, and whether the developer model being circulated is merely retaining the iPhone 4 body type in order to keep the appearance of the iPhone 5 a secret, or whether the iPhone 5 will in fact look just like the iPhone 4 from the outside after all. Either way, one thing's for sure: you can't have one. Yet.

The kicker, of course, is that Apple is being awfully trusting of third parties, considering that last year an iPhone 4 prototype ended up being sold to the highest bidder and paraded around on the internet as a trophy. Apple's hopes of keeping the original iPhone 4 design a secret were dashed, houses were raided, and the expectation was that the already secretive and paranoid Apple would become even more so after the incident, heading into the iPhone 5 release. And yet here's Apple distributing a quasi-next generation iPhone before its unveiling. It's assumable that at least one of the prototypes will be lost, stolen, photographed, or otherwise before it's all said and done. And while it may look just like an iPhone 4 from the outside, there have to be details inside which, if torn apart, would reveal more information than Apple wants – or maybe not.

In fact the term "iPhone 5″ is something that we outsiders have made up to describe what we suspect Apple's fifth generation iPhone will be, without any knowledge of what the product will be or even whether it will carry that name. The fifth generation iPhone could be a complete external overhaul from the iPhone 4, or it could in fact be the developer prototype being circulated. Either way the move raises more questions than it answers. All it tells us for sure is that the next iPhone will have an A5 processor in it. But then again, on the heels of the A5 iPad 2, that was one of the few iPhone 5 details which was already assumable. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

Competing: iPhone 5, white iPhone 4 theories get release this week

Two competing theories regarding the nature of the iPhone5 having been running parallel amidst the vacuum of any official word about a release date, but there can only be one that's right – and that answer should arrive by default one way or the other this upcoming week. On the one hand there's the "white iPhone 4 is arriving this week" theory based on Apple exec Phil Schiller's public proclamation that there will be a white iPhone coming "this spring." The other theory says that the "white iPhone" in question is actually a white iPhone 5, and since Apple's WWDC keynote is in early June, which is technically still spring, we can still expect the iPhone 5 along the lines of Apple's traditional annual updates. Both theories are equally plausible, and both are justifiable interpretations of Schiller's words. But they can't both be right, and one of them is about to get struck down.

There's the popular scenario in which Apple pops out the long fabled white iPhone 4 this week. In that case you can firmly wave goodbye to the idea of seeing an iPhone 5 (or for that matter iOS 5) in June, as Apple isn't about to add a white model to the iPhone 4 lineup a mere month or so before it turns around and bargain-bins the entire iPhone 4 era in favor of an iPhone 5.

But then there's the other scenario in which the white iPhone 4 doesn't get launched. That would tell us two things. First, it would mean that the iPhone 5 must be just around the corner. And second, it would mean that the iPhone5 is sticking with a design which allows for a white model; in other words, so much for the notion of an all-brushed-metal iPhone 5 era.

Either interpretation holds water, but they can't both be right. The only thing Apple has has to say about the iPhone lately is that the iPhone sold 113% better in the first quarter of 2011 than it did in the first quarter of 2010, which says that the iPhone 4 era has been a successful one. The question now is whether it's nearly over in favor of the iPhone 5 era, or whether Apple has plans to extend it longer than usual by adding a white iPhone 4 to the mix. We'll get some answers this week about the iPhone 5, based on Apple's actions (or lack thereof) regarding the iPhone 4. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

[via beatweek]

Top 10 iPhone News You Might Have Missed This Week

This is a summary of the most popular articles published on iDB and our sister,ziPadBlog, this past week.

Please make sure to spread our iPhone wisdom by sharing our posts on Twitter and Facebook.

• iPhone 5 to Sport A5 Processor and 8 MP Camera?
• Jailbreak iOS 4.3.2 with RedSn0w
• White iPhone 4 Spotted Running Mysterious Version of iOS
• TinyUmbrella Updated to Support iOS 4.3.2 and iOS 4.2.7
• iPhone5 Coming in September, Will be Similar to iPhone 4
• Your iPhone Secretly Records Your Location Data
• Untrackerd Stops Your iPhone From Secretly Tracking Your Location
• Verizon CFO Says that iPhone 5 Will Be GSM + CDMA "Global Device"
• iPhone Won't Have 4G Until At Least 2012
• First White iPhone 4 Has Been Sold!

From our sister iPad Blog, ziPadBlog.com:

• Toys R' Us and Best Buy iPad 2 Promotion
  
• How to Jailbreak iPad 4.3.2 with RedSn0w
• FindOne Helps you Track Down iPad 2s
• NFL Finally Releases Official iPad Application
• The Ultimate iPad Stand
• 5 Lessons the iPad 2 Could Learn From the PlayBook

Competing: iPhone 5, white iPhone 4 theories get release this week

Two competing theories regarding the nature of the iPhone5 having been running parallel amidst the vacuum of any official word about a release date, but there can only be one that's right – and that answer should arrive by default one way or the other this upcoming week. On the one hand there's the "white iPhone 4 is arriving this week" theory based on Apple exec Phil Schiller's public proclamation that there will be a white iPhone coming "this spring." The other theory says that the "white iPhone" in question is actually a white iPhone 5, and since Apple's WWDC keynote is in early June, which is technically still spring, we can still expect the iPhone 5 along the lines of Apple's traditional annual updates. Both theories are equally plausible, and both are justifiable interpretations of Schiller's words. But they can't both be right, and one of them is about to get struck down.

There's the popular scenario in which Apple pops out the long fabled white iPhone 4 this week. In that case you can firmly wave goodbye to the idea of seeing an iPhone 5 (or for that matter iOS 5) in June, as Apple isn't about to add a white model to the iPhone 4 lineup a mere month or so before it turns around and bargain-bins the entire iPhone 4 era in favor of an iPhone 5.

But then there's the other scenario in which the white iPhone 4 doesn't get launched. That would tell us two things. First, it would mean that the iPhone 5 must be just around the corner. And second, it would mean that the iPhone5 is sticking with a design which allows for a white model; in other words, so much for the notion of an all-brushed-metal iPhone 5 era.

Either interpretation holds water, but they can't both be right. The only thing Apple has has to say about the iPhone lately is that the iPhone sold 113% better in the first quarter of 2011 than it did in the first quarter of 2010, which says that the iPhone 4 era has been a successful one. The question now is whether it's nearly over in favor of the iPhone 5 era, or whether Apple has plans to extend it longer than usual by adding a white iPhone 4 to the mix. We'll get some answers this week about the iPhone 5, based on Apple's actions (or lack thereof) regarding the iPhone 4. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

[via beatweek]

iPhone 5, white iPhone 4 theories get release this week

Two competing theories regarding the nature of the iPhone5 having been running parallel amidst the vacuum of any official word about a release date, but there can only be one that's right – and that answer should arrive by default one way or the other this upcoming week. On the one hand there's the "white iPhone 4 is arriving this week" theory based on Apple exec Phil Schiller's public proclamation that there will be a white iPhone coming "this spring." The other theory says that the "white iPhone" in question is actually a white iPhone 5, and since Apple's WWDC keynote is in early June, which is technically still spring, we can still expect the iPhone 5 along the lines of Apple's traditional annual updates. Both theories are equally plausible, and both are justifiable interpretations of Schiller's words. But they can't both be right, and one of them is about to get struck down.

There's the popular scenario in which Apple pops out the long fabled white iPhone 4 this week. In that case you can firmly wave goodbye to the idea of seeing an iPhone 5 (or for that matter iOS 5) in June, as Apple isn't about to add a white model to the iPhone 4 lineup a mere month or so before it turns around and bargain-bins the entire iPhone 4 era in favor of an iPhone 5.

But then there's the other scenario in which the white iPhone 4 doesn't get launched. That would tell us two things. First, it would mean that the iPhone 5 must be just around the corner. And second, it would mean that the iPhone5 is sticking with a design which allows for a white model; in other words, so much for the notion of an all-brushed-metal iPhone 5 era.

Either interpretation holds water, but they can't both be right. The only thing Apple has has to say about the iPhone lately is that the iPhone sold 113% better in the first quarter of 2011 than it did in the first quarter of 2010, which says that the iPhone 4 era has been a successful one. The question now is whether it's nearly over in favor of the iPhone 5 era, or whether Apple has plans to extend it longer than usual by adding a white iPhone 4 to the mix. We'll get some answers this week about the iPhone 5, based on Apple's actions (or lack thereof) regarding the iPhone 4. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 on September 13th: five reasons release isn't worth waiting for

If the iPhone 5 really is to be a September baby, it'll be unveiled in September 13th. And that being the case, our official advice has changed: if you're sitting around waiting for more information on the iPhone5 in order to make a decision on whether to buy an iPhone 4 now or keep waiting, and it turns out the iPhone 5 really is coming in the fall instead of the summer, go ahead and take the plunge on the iPhone 4 now. Bear in mind that this advice is conditional upon the iPhone 5 being held back until the fall; if it does indeed arrive this June then you're best off simply waiting another six weeks. But Apple traditionally holds its fall press event on the second Tuesday of September, namely the 13th in 2011, and if that event is to be the first sign of the iPhone 5 along with the iPod models which will debut that day, don't bother waiting. Here's why.iPhone 4 rocks: Several members of the Beatweek staff have been using the iPhone 4 since last year, and while we'll likely all upgrade to the iPhone 5 as soon as it arrives, here's what we've learned about the iPhone 4 in the mean time. It's by far the most ideal smartphone on the market. It's faster, more versatile, thinner, and lighter than any previous iPhone model, and offers significantly more battery life with a much better screen. The supposed "iPhone 4 antenna issue" simply does not exist except in the minds of the deviants who concocted it. On its own merits, it's nearly the perfect smartphone; we'd be hard pressed to come with things we don't like about it.

4G pipedream: Even if the iPhone 5 does end up offering 4G networking, that'll only work in the scant areas in which Verizon and AT&T have actually built 4G networks. For the vast majority of iPhone 5 customers, it'll be the same 3G or even EDGE experience that they'd have gotten on the iPhone 4. Unless you live in one of a handful of big cities where 4G LTE will arrive early, this is not a reason to wait for the iPhone 5.

Verizon already has the iPhone: For those Verizon customers who wanted an iPhone but skipped the iPhone 4 because they thought the iPhone 5 was just around the corner, we'll ask you this: what exactly have you gained by waiting? A few more months of being stuck with your existing phone, which you clearly don't want? And now you're looking at another few more months of doing the same? You're not winning this battle.

Question marks: In other words, it's all we know about the iPhone 5. Will it offer better specs and features than the iPhone 4? Certainly. What will those specs and features be, and will any of them be relevant to you? No way of knowing. Waiting means you're gambling that the iPhone 5 will offer something over the iPhone 4 which will have justified your wait. Waiting does not equal playing it safe; it's just a different kind of gamble.

Have it both ways: The real clincher is that even if you buy an iPhone 4 now, you can still buy an iPhone 5 later. Sure, you'll end up paying $200 above sticker for the iPhone 5 because you'll have used up your upgrade cycle on the iPhone 4 purchase. But nothing says you can't turn around and sell your iPhone 4 in September (for more than you paid for it, thanks to the magic of unsubsidized pricing), and put that money toward paying your iPhone 5 ransom. You'll still end up having paid at least little bit for the privilege using an iPhone 4 between now and iPhone 5 launch day, but it won't preclude you from getting to experience both iPhone generations. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

Amazon.com Already Advertising For The iPhone 5 Online [UPDATED]

Whether you believe one source or another, the iPhone5 announcement is still most likely anywhere from 3 to 6 months away. And yet, we are beginning to see some top retailers focusing their online advertising efforts on the "iPhone 5″ keyword. Does this indicate that an iPhone 5 release could come sooner than even the most impatient rumors suggest?

As it currently stands, the tech world remains transfixed on the issue of when the iPhone 5 will make its way onto the scene. Week after week, tech sites like the iPhone 5 News Blog report and comment on breaking news stories from sources close to Apple, as well as people close to the scene in Korea and Japan who purport to have insider information on the component manufacturing for the next iPhone. One thing, however, is certain: no one is predicting an imminent release of the iPhone 5.

And yet, Amazon.com seems to already be advertising for the iPhone 5.

A simple search of the "iPhone 5″ keyword on Google reveals an eyebrow-raising ad, as seen in the screen shot to the left. Unlike AT&T, who has obviously bought an ad placement for the iPhone 5 but has not written their ad content to include the "iPhone 5″ keyword, the Amazon.com ad is clearly advertising for the iPhone 5.

What does this ad on Google possibly reveal about the release date of the iPhone 5? Could it be that Amazon, the top e-commerce website in the world today, knows something about the iPhone 5 release that has eluded even the most plugged-in Apple news breakers?

Probably not.

As I'm sure you can imagine, the "iPhone 5" keyword is becoming an increasingly popular search term on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other top search engines. This time last year, "iPhone 5″ received fewer than 1,000 searches per month worldwide. Currently, however, the "iPhone 5″ keyword is yielding 1.8 million searches a month worldwide, with 450,000 of them coming from the United States, according to Google's own AdWords keyword tool. And when you consider that "iPhone 4″ currently yields a search of almost 25 million world searches a month, with 5 million coming from the U.S., it's no wonder that Amazon would want to capitalize on the marketing potential of the keyword.

However, one has to wonder if the added traffic from putting up the first iPhone 5 keyword ad will stoke consumer anger, since there is currently no iPhone 5 on sale there. To be sure, large e-commerce websites are notorious for launching sprawling ad campaigns that encompass large swathes of keyword phrases — even if they don't carry the item you're searching for.

There is always the outside chance that Amazon is aware of an impeding surprise iPhone 5 announcement and are simply laying the groundwork for their own online advertising campaign. But the greater likelihood is that they are simply trying to funnel in more referral traffic. One thing is for sure, however: when large corporations like AT&T and Amazon begin to target the "iPhone 5″ keyword, it proves nothing less that iPhone 5 buzz has reached a fever pitch . . .

. . . and we still might be anywhere from 3 to 6 months from the iPhone 5 actually being released.

What do you think? Does it irk you when an online retailer puts up a "bait and switch" ad that doesn't deliver when you click on it? Let us know!

The phanton iPhone 5 ad by Amazon has been changed to read "iPhone 4." 

UPDATE — April 11, 2011

While no official word from Amazon has come over the phantom iPhone 5 ad, today it seems that the ad has changed from "iPhone 5″ to "iPhone 4." While there is no way to know exactly who implemented this change, it would be safe to assume that the widespread coverage of the iPhone 5 Amazon ad (which broke here on the iPhone 5 News Blog first) precipitated the change in the ad's content.

iPhone Won't Have 4G Until At Least 2012

Speculation has been that Apple could possibly introduce an LTE/4G iPhone in the coming year. Some even thought that Apple pushed back the iPhone5′s announcement to wait for LTE saturation in the U.S.

Will we see an iPhone 4G this September? According to both Apple and the LTE industry, it doesn't look hopeful…

 

The chips needed to equip the iPhone with 4G/LTE capability don't exist yet. And they won't exist until at least early 2012.

Forbes reports,

"Rumor has it the next-generation iPhone won't arrive until September. If so, it won't offer the crazy fast data speeds promised by next-generation 4G wireless networks.

That's because access to the turbo-charged networks that make Verizon's Thunderbolt handset crazy fast require a combination of chips Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said Wednesday Apple won't use."

Apple has previously shown interest in LTE, but Apple's own Tim Cook made no bones about Apple's current stance on LTE in yesterday's earnings call.

Apple's COO, Tim Cook,

"The first generation of LTE chip-sets force a lot of design compromises with the handset, and some of those we are just not willing to make."

The chipset industry and U.S. network infrastructure just can't handle iPhone-level saturation when it comes to LTE. 4G devices in the U.S. market like the Verizon Thunderbolt rely on two chips to deliver lighting fast speeds and communication between Verizon's 4G and 3G signals.

Apple doesn't like the design compromises that would need to be made to accommodate two chips for 4G in the next iPhone. And the type of chips that would appease Apple won't be available to the market until at least next year.

"Those chips won't appear in handsets until next year, says Will Strauss, president of wireless chip tracker Forward Concepts. "They're right that there's nothing out there that fits the bill, and likely nothing will until the fourth quarter of this year," Strauss says when asked about Cook's remarks."

Don't hold your breath for an iPhone 4G this fall. The sixth generation iPhone will probably be LTE-capable, but September's device will most likely run on good old 3G.

What do you think? Is Apple just blowing smoke? Will we be surprised with an iPhone 4G this year?

Real Racing 2 HD with native 1080p output now available

As developer Firemint promised a month ago, racing game Real Racing 2 HD is now live on the App Store with support for real 1080p video output that lets you enjoy action on your big screen in native 1920-by-1080 pixel resolution, without upscaling. It's a first for iPad 2 and a testament to the power of the A5 chip. TouchArchade got a chance to test out this feature and they walked away impressed with the overall polish and frame rates. Check out a video demo right after the break…According to the publication, Real Racing 2 HD, a ten bucks download, runs at thirty frames per second in 1080p "without any borders". When you turn on the 1080p output mode, the game displays a track map and real-time racing telemetry on the device which also doubles as a steering wheel controller. This transition is seamless and automatic, meaning you can disconnect the device during play and it'll automatically change the video mode and allow you to continue playing right where you left off. I have a feeling this will be a pretty big selling point and a popular feature among gamers that will convince other developers to support 1080p video output in their titles.

Of course, in order to enjoy racing action on your big screen TV, you will need a $39 Apple Digital AV Adapter to connect your iPad 2 to your tube via HDMI.

iPhone Won't Have 4G Until At Least 2012

Speculation has been that Apple could possibly introduce an LTE/4G iPhone in the coming year. Some even thought that Apple pushed back the iPhone5′s announcement to wait for LTE saturation in the U.S.

Will we see an iPhone 4G this September? According to both Apple and the LTE industry, it doesn't look hopeful…

 

The chips needed to equip the iPhone with 4G/LTE capability don't exist yet. And they won't exist until at least early 2012.

Forbes reports,

"Rumor has it the next-generation iPhone won't arrive until September. If so, it won't offer the crazy fast data speeds promised by next-generation 4G wireless networks.

That's because access to the turbo-charged networks that make Verizon's Thunderbolt handset crazy fast require a combination of chips Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said Wednesday Apple won't use."

Apple has previously shown interest in LTE, but Apple's own Tim Cook made no bones about Apple's current stance on LTE in yesterday's earnings call.

Apple's COO, Tim Cook,

"The first generation of LTE chip-sets force a lot of design compromises with the handset, and some of those we are just not willing to make."

The chipset industry and U.S. network infrastructure just can't handle iPhone-level saturation when it comes to LTE. 4G devices in the U.S. market like the Verizon Thunderbolt rely on two chips to deliver lighting fast speeds and communication between Verizon's 4G and 3G signals.

Apple doesn't like the design compromises that would need to be made to accommodate two chips for 4G in the next iPhone. And the type of chips that would appease Apple won't be available to the market until at least next year.

"Those chips won't appear in handsets until next year, says Will Strauss, president of wireless chip tracker Forward Concepts. "They're right that there's nothing out there that fits the bill, and likely nothing will until the fourth quarter of this year," Strauss says when asked about Cook's remarks."

Don't hold your breath for an iPhone 4G this fall. The sixth generation iPhone will probably be LTE-capable, but September's device will most likely run on good old 3G.

What do you think? Is Apple just blowing smoke? Will we be surprised with an iPhone 4G this year?

A5 iPhone 5 prototype released in earnest, but you can't have one (yet)

Here's a bizarre move which will only up the ante when it comes to the up-in-the-air release date of the iPhone 5: Apple is already circulating an A5-equipped iPhone 5 prototype in an iPhone 4 body to trusted app developers for the sake of ensuring said apps are able to take full advantage of the more powerful A5 architecture by the time the iPhone 5 launches. It all makes one wonder just how near or far away the iPhone 5 really is, and whether the developer model being circulated is merely retaining the iPhone 4 body type in order to keep the appearance of the iPhone 5 a secret, or whether the iPhone 5 will in fact look just like the iPhone 4 from the outside after all. Either way, one thing's for sure: you can't have one. Yet.

The kicker, of course, is that Apple is being awfully trusting of third parties, considering that last year an iPhone 4 prototype ended up being sold to the highest bidder and paraded around on the internet as a trophy. Apple's hopes of keeping the original iPhone 4 design a secret were dashed, houses were raided, and the expectation was that the already secretive and paranoid Apple would become even more so after the incident, heading into the iPhone 5 release. And yet here's Apple distributing a quasi-next generation iPhone before its unveiling. It's assumable that at least one of the prototypes will be lost, stolen, photographed, or otherwise before it's all said and done. And while it may look just like an iPhone 4 from the outside, there have to be details inside which, if torn apart, would reveal more information than Apple wants – or maybe not.

In fact the term "iPhone 5″ is something that we outsiders have made up to describe what we suspect Apple's fifth generation iPhone will be, without any knowledge of what the product will be or even whether it will carry that name. The fifth generation iPhone could be a complete external overhaul from the iPhone 4, or it could in fact be the developer prototype being circulated. Either way the move raises more questions than it answers. All it tells us for sure is that the next iPhone will have an A5 processor in it. But then again, on the heels of the A5 iPad 2, that was one of the few iPhone 5 details which was already assumable. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

Top 10 iPhone News You Might Have Missed This Week

This is a summary of the most popular articles published on iDB and our sister,ziPadBlog, this past week.

Please make sure to spread our iPhone wisdom by sharing our posts on Twitter and Facebook.

• iPhone 5 to Sport A5 Processor and 8 MP Camera?
• Jailbreak iOS 4.3.2 with RedSn0w
• White iPhone 4 Spotted Running Mysterious Version of iOS
• TinyUmbrella Updated to Support iOS 4.3.2 and iOS 4.2.7
• iPhone5 Coming in September, Will be Similar to iPhone 4
• Your iPhone Secretly Records Your Location Data
• Untrackerd Stops Your iPhone From Secretly Tracking Your Location
• Verizon CFO Says that iPhone 5 Will Be GSM + CDMA "Global Device"
• iPhone Won't Have 4G Until At Least 2012
• First White iPhone 4 Has Been Sold!

From our sister iPad Blog, ziPadBlog.com:

• Toys R' Us and Best Buy iPad 2 Promotion
  
• How to Jailbreak iPad 4.3.2 with RedSn0w
• FindOne Helps you Track Down iPad 2s
• NFL Finally Releases Official iPad Application
• The Ultimate iPad Stand
• 5 Lessons the iPad 2 Could Learn From the PlayBook

The iPhone 5 Compendium: A Complete List Of Rumored iPhone 5 Features To Date

The tech community has been prognosticating about the features of the iPhone5 ever since the iPhone 4 made its debut in the summer of 2010. Here's a quick yet thorough list of purported features that very well may end up on the iPhone 5.

Do a quick review of the articles here on the iPhone 5 News Blog and you start to realize that there are a virtual myriad of new, possible features that could be coming to the iPhone 5. The list is staggering! For as much as we would like to see most of these features end up on the iPhone 5, that simply won't be the case: as the saying goes, you can please some of the people some of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but never all of the people all of the time.

Besides, Steve Jobs and Apple will have to hold some of these goodies back to make the iPhone 6 something to get excited about.

But because news sites and blogs tend to report on rumored features for the iPhone 5 as they pop up, you rarely get anything more than a "roundup" of the hottest iPhone 5 topics. What we've done here is listed everything that we've heard about for the iPhone 5, and give our take on both the coolness factor (how much of a "wow" it will cause at the iPhone 5′s announcement) and the probability factor that a feature will end up on the iPhone 5.

Be sure to check out our new page on all of the rumored iPhone 5 Features, and be sure to let us know if we missed anything!

Reuters Joins the iPhone 5 News Blog In Predicting September iPhone 5 Release

Skeptics of a late-summer iPhone 5 release have balked at suggestions that Apple would depart from its usual June iPhone release. But new, well-sourced reports corroborate what the iPhone 5 News Blog has reported since January — that the iPhone 5 will ship in September.

It appears that the mainstream tech media has begun to embrace what the iPhone 5 News Blog has reported all along: that the iPhone 5 will be released at the end of the summer.

The news wires were abuzz Wednesday morning as Reuters and others reported that the iPhone5 is set to begin mass production in July, with a release planned for September. The Reuters report indicates that the iPhone 5 "will have a faster processor and will begin shipping in September, three people with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain said."

While the mainstream press has searched out reliable sources for months that could corroborate the theory of a late-summer release for the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5 News Blog predicted an August or September launch of the iPhone 5 on January 8th, 2011 on the heels of the Verizon iPhone announcement in this article, Verizon iPhone Announcement Clears Path For Future iPhone 5 Release.

From the outset of the Verizon iPhone release, it has been apparent to us that Verizon's deal with Apple would stipulate ample time to sell their version of the iPhone 4 without the disruption of a June iPhone 5 announcement to squelch spring sales. Just as AT&T enjoyed six months of uncontested iPhone 4 sales before the Verizon announcement, it stood to reason that Verizon too would expect a six-month sales window for the Verizon iPhone 4.

It now appears that well-placed sources are confirming this rationale for the iPhone 5.

The Reuters piece also reveals some other interesting details about the iPhone 5 as well, including some details about how it will look. The iPhone 5 is purported to look similar to the iPhone 4 in size and dimension. If the dimensions of the iPhone 5 remain true to the iPhone 4, then this would suggest that the only prospect of a larger screen would be if the iPhone 5 sports an edge-to-edge screen, maximizing the dimensions of the current chassis.

There's no word on the metal back rumor, however, which would indeed change the cosmetic look of the iPhone 5.

To be sure, even rumors that come from supposed well-placed sources "with direct knowledge of the company's supply chain" can never be completely trusted, especially considering that an audacious iPhone tip — whether true or not — most likely commands a great deal of money. However, another piece of this rumor, which reveals that Wintek, Foxconn, and Largan are producing the components for the iPhone 5, lends more credibility to the voracity of the claim, since Wall Street is responding positively. Reuters reports that "Largan's Taipei-listed shares ended up 3.7 percent, Hon Hai rose 4.3 percent and Foxconn rose 6.6 percent, outpacing the benchmark TAIEX share index's 2 percent advance."

The fact that top investors are staking their financial resources on these suppliers indicates that Wall Street is satisfied with this report on the iPhone 5′s release month.

While the tech community may not be completely convinced of a September iPhone 5 release until the WWDC has come and gone with no new iPhone announcement, this new Reuters report should begin to put to rest any lingering rumors of a June release.

iPhone 5 Specs: Thinner, Larger 3.7-Inch Screen, Home Button With Gesture Area & More

Joshua Topolsky, former Engadget Editor has just revealed some interesting information about Apple's next generation iPhone – iPhone5, which is rumored to be released in September.

According to Topolsky who writes at This is my next, the 5th generation iPhone will be completely redesigned and it will look like iPod Touch 4G rather than iPhone 4.

Topolopsy reports that according to their sources, iPhone 5 will be thinner than the iPhone 4, and have a "teardrop" shape, which goes from thick to thin like MacBook Air.

He has revealed that the home button will be enlarged and will double up as the home button and also a gesture area:

this falls in line with testing we've seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether.

He also confirms that iPhone 5 will come with a larger 3.7 inch screen (compared to the 3.5 inch screen), which will occupy nearly the entire front of the phone while keeping the same resolution.

The sketch supplied to them by a source indicates some form of inductive or touch charging but their sources have not been able to confirm it.

You can also checkout the mockup of what the next generation iPhone will look like based on information they've received.

We really like the idea of the home button doubling up as a gesture area and though we like the design of iPhone 4, will love to see a completely redesigned iPhone, which is thinner and comes with a larger Retina display.

What about you? Please share your views in the comments section below.

Why Apple Should Put The Brakes on 3D Technology For the iPhone 5

A recent Apple patent for a 3D camera and other rumors suggest that Apple might be toying with 3D technology for the iPhone5. Read why Apple and Steve Jobs should be careful about wading into the 3D waters with their next big iPhone.

You may have heard some faint rumors of 3D camera technology someday coming to the iPhone by way of some mind-blowing Apple patents that have surfaced over the past year or so. It's no wonder that Apple would be exploring 3D technology in its research and development efforts: we continue to see the application of next-generation 3D technology in motion pictures, such as James Cameron's Avatar, as well as the new Nintendo 3DS. In addition, television and computing sectors are beginning to invest vast resources into deploying 3D effects into a wide range of different media outlets.

A schematic in Apple's patent for a 3D camera. Could it end up on the iPhone 5?

 

Apple has two intriguing recent patents that focus on 3D: a 3D screen that would allow users to see the effect without 3D glasses, and a small 3D camera, which, by way of three separate camera sensors (see schematic to the left) would allow users to actually create and render 3D images themselves. Once deployed in a mobile device like an iPhone, this tandem of 3D inventions would most certainly turn mobile computing on its head: combined with gesture control as seen on the iPhone and iPad, it could even allow users to navigate their gadgets in a third dimension. That's some futuristic stuff!

Whether or not 3D technology could show up on the iPhone 5, however, remains to be seen.

I have postulated for the past few months that the iPhone 5 may in fact offer a groundbreaking new feature that few if any of us have even speculated on. Could this pairing of 3D technologies — the 3D screen and 3D rear-facing camera — be the hook that boosts the iPhone 5 into legendary status? After all, given Steve Job's ill health, for all we know, the iPhone 5 could be his swan song. He may be inclined to make the iPhone 5 a total game changer in mobile computing.

However, given the recent intelligence on the increasing possibility of an 8 megapixel camera for the iPhone 5 — served up by the folks at Sony — it would seem unlikely that Apple would be able to keep the lid on the additional components needed to construct a 3D camera. It could be possible that the iPhone 5 could debut its 3D screen without the pairing of a 3D camera — Nintendo 3DS already has a 3D interface, after all — but it should also be noted that, just because Apple has a patent for a 3D screen doesn't mean that the technology itself is imminent: it can take years for new ideas to become reality, as highlighted in this other article about a possible changeable topography touch screen for the iPhone 5.

And then there's also the possible dangers of 3D technology as a whole.

3D Technology Is A Possible Health Hazard

For as much as 3D technology seems like the wave of the future, Apple should be wary of deploying it in the iPhone 5. Ever since the debut of Avatar, 3D has been fraught with averse, well-documented side-effects that call into question whether man was meant for 3D technology. Remember: this isn't the 3D technology of old, complete with the funny-looking 3D glasses. Next-generation 3D technology renders images in holographic fashion by projecting images in staggered frames, so that each eye is processing images at different intervals, thus creating a three-dimensional image in the brain.

When Avatar was released, the use of 3D imagery, together with the larger-than-life, computer-generated landscapes, drove a portion of viewers to experience a broad scope of side-effects, from short-term nausea and dizziness to more serious long-term side-effects like depression and suicidal thoughts. TechRadar has an article that documents the phenomenon, with writer Marc Chacksfield reporting on how the realism of the film, combined with the utopic landscape of Pandora, left many moviegoers feeling empty and depressed. This combination of realism with other-wordliness has been attributed to 3D imagery.

In short, James Cameron opened Pandora's Box.

Cameron and other filmmakers tried to shrug off the early criticism of the dangers of 3D technology, but newer news of the ill effects of 3D in Nintendo's 3DS has corroborated the claims that not enough is understood about the effects of 3D imagery on the brain. A recent article in the Sun reports on how sickening side-effects have plagued Nintendo's wondrous new portable game console, reporting on Nintendo's damage-control disclaimer that "the console is not safe for under-sevens and advised playing in 3D mode for less than 30 minutes."

Considering that the whole point of buying the 3DS is to play games in 3D, this development should give Apple pause if they were thinking of releasing the iPhone 5 with any kind of 3D technology.

The fact of the matter is, the research on the effects of 3D has not yet caught up with the actual technology. It is a temptation to think that as humans, if we can build it, then it must be safe. After all, there are plenty of human developments over the past century that are both groundbreaking and unwieldy (nuclear energy and that scary supercollider in Switzerland immediately come to mind). Apple is most likely looking to hit a home run with the iPhone 5, but they should be careful playing with 3D tech right now — it is an unknown quantity.

And if the iPhone 5 does end with a 3D screen and/or camera, my advice would be to consider waiting to see the effects on users first before buying it.

How to Downgrade iPhone iOS 4.3.2

With the release of iOS 4.3.2 this late last week, and the new iOS 4.3.2 redsn0w jailbreak still not completely stable, some of you might not want to wait any longer for a stable jailbreak, or maybe you're having additional issues with the new OS. Whatever the reason might be, you can downgrade from your current iOS version to an earlier version using your SHSH blobs on file.It is important you have your SHSH blobs on file for the iOS version you want to downgrade to. If you don't have your SHSH blobs on file for the iOS you want to downgrade to, you will not be able to downgrade. You can check which SHSH blobs on file you've got by launching Cydia and looking at the top of the Cydia homepage where it lists all your saved SHSH blobs. 

Follow the tutorial below to downgrade your iPhone on iOS 4.3.x, to iOS 4.3.1, 4.3, 4.2.1, or 4.1.

NOTE: This will not downgrade your iPhone baseband.

Downgrade iPhone 4.3.x to 4.x

Step 1: First, download the iOS version you want to downgrade to from our Downloads section here. Save it to your desktop.

Step 2: Now we must trick iTunes into thinking that it is watching Apple servers, while it is really going to change the address to Saurik's server (where your SHSH Blobs are saved). To do this (Windows users) go to:

C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc locate the"hosts" file and then open it with Notepad (make sure to right-click and select "Run as Administrator").

If you are Mac OSX user, navigate to GO -> Go to Folder and enter the path "/etc" and open the file "hosts" with TextEdit.

Now add the following hostname at the end of the file as shown in the screenshot below. Save the file:

74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com

Step 3: Next, put your iPhone in DFU mode

Step 4: When you've successfully entered your iPhone into DFU mode, iTunes will automatically launch and a pop-up will inform you that your iPhone is in DFU mode.

Now hold down the Shift key (Windows users) or the Option key (Mac OSX users) while clicking the Restore button in iTunes. A dialog box will pop up and you'll be able to choose the firmware you want to downgrade to, downloaded in Step 2.

Step 5: During the restore process, iTunes might give you error message 1004 or 1013, don't panic! This is completely normal. Simply click "ok".

Step 6: Your iPhone should now be stuck in recovery mode, showing the "connect to iTunes" logo. To get out of this, simply download (Windows) (Mac) this standalone .exe file to fix recovery on 4.3.1. Extract the file and double click on fixrecovery43.exe. A command prompt will open, and the program will go through the process. During this time, you will notice scrolling text on your iPhone 4. Your iPhone will reboot.

Congratulations! You've successfully downgraded your iPhone firmware.

A5 iPhone 5 prototype released in earnest, but you can't have one (yet)

Here's a bizarre move which will only up the ante when it comes to the up-in-the-air release date of the iPhone 5: Apple is already circulating an A5-equipped iPhone 5 prototype in an iPhone 4 body to trusted app developers for the sake of ensuring said apps are able to take full advantage of the more powerful A5 architecture by the time the iPhone 5 launches. It all makes one wonder just how near or far away the iPhone 5 really is, and whether the developer model being circulated is merely retaining the iPhone 4 body type in order to keep the appearance of the iPhone 5 a secret, or whether the iPhone 5 will in fact look just like the iPhone 4 from the outside after all. Either way, one thing's for sure: you can't have one. Yet.

The kicker, of course, is that Apple is being awfully trusting of third parties, considering that last year an iPhone 4 prototype ended up being sold to the highest bidder and paraded around on the internet as a trophy. Apple's hopes of keeping the original iPhone 4 design a secret were dashed, houses were raided, and the expectation was that the already secretive and paranoid Apple would become even more so after the incident, heading into the iPhone 5 release. And yet here's Apple distributing a quasi-next generation iPhone before its unveiling. It's assumable that at least one of the prototypes will be lost, stolen, photographed, or otherwise before it's all said and done. And while it may look just like an iPhone 4 from the outside, there have to be details inside which, if torn apart, would reveal more information than Apple wants – or maybe not.

In fact the term "iPhone 5″ is something that we outsiders have made up to describe what we suspect Apple's fifth generation iPhone will be, without any knowledge of what the product will be or even whether it will carry that name. The fifth generation iPhone could be a complete external overhaul from the iPhone 4, or it could in fact be the developer prototype being circulated. Either way the move raises more questions than it answers. All it tells us for sure is that the next iPhone will have an A5 processor in it. But then again, on the heels of the A5 iPad 2, that was one of the few iPhone 5 details which was already assumable. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 Unlikely To Support 4G LTE Network

It is widely speculated that Apple will delay the launch of iPhone5 to fall this year instead of unveiling it at WorldWide Developer Conference 2011.

Some industry experts felt that this could give Apple enough time to add support for 4G LTE networks. But it seems unlikely based on the comments made by Apple's Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook during the quarterly earning call on Wednesday.

Tim Cook had this to say when he was asked about what Apple thoughts about the maturity of 4G LTE networks and their plans to launch products that support for 4G LTE network:

The first generation of LTE chip-sets force a lot of design compromises with the handset, and some of those we are just not willing to make.

Will Strauss, President of wireless chip tracker Forward Concepts doesn't expect chip-sets to arrive in time for iPhone 5:

They're right that there's nothing out there that fits the bill, and likely nothing will until the fourth quarter of this year.

Strauss explains how Apple's competitors have managed to launch smartphones with 4G support:

The only 4G handset on the market in the United States, Verizon's Thunderbolt, currently relies on a pair of chips to work. One chip, from Samsung, communicates with Verizon's 4G networks, allowing the handset to achieve blazing data speeds of between 5 and 20 MBPS. Another chip, from Qualcomm, lets the handset talk to Verizon's 3G network.

That two chip solution is needed because Verizon's 4G network isn't widespread enough for the carriers to offer handsets that rely on 4G alone.

Strauss goes on to add that Apple is looking for a solution where chips support 4G and 3G on a single chip so that the 4G LTE iPhone is as thin or thinner than iPhone 4 and it doesn't consume too much battery life.

According to Strauss, chipmakers like Qualcomm, ST Ericcson and Intel will launch the next generation chips that support 4G and 3G on a single chip towards the end of this year, which means that 5th generation iPhone won't support 4G LTE network.

Will the lack of support for 4G LTE network be a deal breaker for you to buy or upgrade to iPhone 5?