The latest rumors about the next iPhone

2:01 PM Gaurav 0 Comments

Apple is moving ahead with building its next iPhone and is looking to launch the much-anticipated device by the end of September, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has ordered key iPhone components from manufacturers, the WSJ said, citing anonymous sources "familiar with the situation." That means Apple is ramping up production of the iPhone 5 -- or iPhone 4S, or whatever it will be called.



The next iPhone is expected to look similar to the current iPhone 4, but could be thinner and lighter, according to the WSJ. Another widely-reported rumor is that the new iPhone will have an 8 megapixel camera; the iPhone 4 has a 5 megapixel camera.



The iPhone 4 (pictured) was released in June 2010, but the iPhone 5 -- expected to have a similar design -- isn't expected until this fall.
Photo: Apple Inc. / SL
The new phone will certainly run Apple's iOS 5, which CEO Steve Jobs helped unveil last month at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The upcoming Apple mobile operating system -- also for the iPad and iPod Touch -- will include deep Twitter integration, tabbed browsing in Safari, a "reminders" feature, a "Newsstand" app for newspaper and magazine subscriptions, and free iOS-to-iOS text messaging.
Taking a cue from Microsoft's less-popular Zune media-player line, Apple has added wireless syncing to iOS 5, so that users don't have to plug their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into their computer to transfer files. The next iPhone also is expected to mesh with iCloud, a new online service that will allow people to stash documents, store photos and sync music over the Internet.
Apple departed from its recent history of launching a new iPhone every summer, opting this year to wait until autumn. At least, that is the rumor -- the only timing Apple has announced is that iOS 5 will be released this fall.
Possible reasons for the delay include component shortages due to the Japan earthquake, touch-screen manufacturing challenges and Apple's reported switch to different computer chips.


From Thursday's WSJ report:

Two people familiar with the situation cautioned the next iPhone could be delayed further if contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Co., which assembles the iPhone for Apple, couldn't improve its production yield rate.
Hon Hai Chairman Terry Guo said last month that the yield rate of Apple's touch-screen devices hasn't been satisfactory and has hurt its profitability.
"The touch-screen devices are so thin. It's really difficult to install so many components into the iPhones and iPads," Mr. Gou said. "We hope to raise the yield rate and volume in the second half, which will help improve our gross margin."

While not the most popular smart-phone platform in the U.S. (Google's Android operating system, across multiple devices, had an average market share of 38.1 percent from March to May, versus Apple's average 26.6 percent share, according to analysis firm comScore), the Apple iPhone is widely regarded as the most advanced and influential.


Sources - [ seattlepi ]