Stay with us as we go through all the rumors and updates on Apple’s iPhone 5.
iPhone 5 release date
This year’s WWDC was about software, not hardware, with Apple focussing on iOS and Mac OS
On 20 April 2011, it emerged that the iPhone 5 release date may be September 2011. This date was cited by three sources who spoke to Reuters.
On 6 May it was reported that Apple manufacturer Pegatron has reportedly been given a massive order by Jobs and co to produce 15 million handsets ready for the phone’s autumn launch.
On 19 July Apple seemingly confirmed the presence of a new iPhone in the market by the end of Q3, leading to yet more suggestions that the iPhone 5 will be landing in September.
Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer was asked during an earnings call why he was suggesting a 12 per cent drop in revenues for the Q3 financial period – a traditionally robust time thanks to the scores of people buying the latest iPhone.
He said that there is “a lot going on in the fall with iOS 5 and iCloud” but added there will be a “future product transition that we will not talk about today”.
T3 says Apple is also hiring more staff for September, while it’s also been reported that US network AT&T has slapped a holiday ban on staff for a possible launch. Some are even saying it could be 5 September.
Price cuts of the iPhone 4 in August also hint at a September release date for the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S.
iPhone 5 will be iCloud-based
Apple says it is “cutting the cable” with iOS 5 – just as well, as it claimed the iPad 2 was the first post-PC device earlier in the year. OS updates can be delivered over the air – you’ll just received what’s changed rather than the usual 600MB download – and devices can be activated without plugging them into iTunes.
You can also now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes too, so you really can devolve your device from your PC or Mac.
“You can activate on the device and you’re ready to go,” explained Apple’s Scott Forstall.
“Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug in to update your software. And they’re now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what’s changed,” he continued.
Will iPhone 5 actually be an iPhone 4S?
Of course, since the iPhone 3G was followed by the 3GS it’s possible the new iPhone won’t be a total refresh and we’ll see an iPhone 4S (or iPhone 4GS) before an iPhone 5.
An iPhone 4S looked more likely on 16 May 2011 after analyst Peter Misek wrote: “According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support.”
However, earlier reports from China backed up the larger-screened, metal chassis-sporting iPhone 5 rumours, so the redesign still seems firmly on the cards.
A cheaper, smaller iPhone 5 – an iPhone nano
A prototype version of a smaller iPhone is said to exist, built to ward off competition from cheap Android handsets.
Rumours around an iPhone nano picked up again on 13 February when the Wall Street Journal claimed that the so-called ‘iPhone nano’ exists and may even be on sale later this year.
Those iPhone nano rumours may hold little truth, though. As we reported on 18 February, the New York Times cites an anonymous source who says there will be no smaller iPhone from Apple. “The size of the device would not vary,” says the source.
A white iPhone 5
The Economic Daily News is reporting that white iPhone 5 glass is being shipped, with a supplier called Wintek being the sole touch panel vendor for the white iPhone.
iPhone 5 will support 1080p HD
It’s fairly likely – given that the iPad 2 supports Full HD – that the new iPhone will do the same.
iPhone 5 specs
The specs? A new antenna, 1.2GHz processor (possibly dual-core) and a larger screen: 3.7″ instead of 3.5″. The iPhone 5 may also be made from a new kind of alloy, or maybe meat.
According to the Chinese Economic Daily News (via AppleInsider), with the exception of Qualcomm chipsets – which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 – Apple’s sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5G components.
We’d expect the basics of the iPhone 5 specs to get a bump – more memory, faster processor, and more storage. The A5 dual-core ARM processor from the iPad 2 is extremely likely to be included.
iPhone 5 screen
The iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S will also get a massive graphical boost as it moves to a dual-core GPU – this could herald true 1080p output from the new device, according to our news story on 18 January.
In other rumours which surfaced on 15 February 2011, Digitimes is reporting on information supposedly leaked from component suppliers that claim the iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen. Digitimes quotes the source as saying that Apple is expanding the screen size “to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market.”
On 22 March 2011, China Times also reported that the iPhone 5 will feature a 4-inch display.
On 23 May, we reported on rumours that the iPhone 5 could feature a curved glass screen. These rumours also came from Digitimes, which said that Apple has purchased between 200 and 300 special glass cutting machines because they’re too costly for the manufacturers to invest in.
iPhone 5 camera
Speaking at a live Wall Street Journal event, Sony’s Sir Howard Stringer was talking about the company’s camera image sensor facility in Sendai, a town that was recently ravaged by the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
According to 9to5Mac, he said something along the lines of, “Our best sensor technology is built in one of the [tsunami] affected factories. Those go to Apple for their iPhones… or iPads. Isn’t that something? They buy our best sensors from us.”
Other sources have also said that the new iPhone could have an 8MP camera.
iPhone 5 price
If the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS then we’d expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price tag.