“iPhone 5” rumours summary

Even before the latest iPhone was out of its wrappers, rumours of the next iPhone 5 [can we really call it that?] were floating around. Below [taken from a web site] is a summary of the rumours since the beginning of June. Yes there are plenty more prior to June! You have to wonder how many are true. Credit for Apple for doing nothing to deny or say yes to these rumours. Nice way to hype a product. Doesn’t cost a cent.

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July 23, 2012:  A smaller dock, once again.  Reuters reported that the new iPhone’s Dock connector port will indeed be smaller. Its current 30-pin port is expected to shrink down to a 19-pin connector. This will give more room on the bottom of the device for a headphone jack, which for now rests on the top of the iPhone.

July 22, 2012:  Production has started in Shanghai.  According to a Taipei-based report, the manufacturing company, Pegatron, has already started building the new iPhone. Based in Taiwan, the company has begun production in its Shanghai factory. It is also expected to produce the new version of the iPad, reported Digitimes.

July 19, 2012:  Wait for the fourth quarter.  During the company’s quarterly conference call, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo hinted at possible timing for the next iPhone with a vague reference that the carrier expects to launch a major phone in the fourth quarter.

July 18, 2012:  More new cases.  Possible new iPhone cases are showing up from Chinese sources. One comes complete with a rectangular cutout on the bottom, presumably where Apple’s reportedly tweaked dock connector will be.

July 17, 2012:  It’ll have a thinner screen. The Wall Street Journal reports that the new iPhone’s display will incorporate “in-cell technology.” Already manufactured by LCD screen makers including Sharp, LG Display, and Japan Display, in-cell technology enables a screen’s touch sensors and LCD be consolidated into one single layer. This would result in a thinner screen and a cheaper production price.   July 16, 2012  A stockpile of SIMs  The Financial Times reports that wireless carriers in Europe are stockpiling nano-SIM chips in anticipation of Apple including the new technology in the next iteration of the iPhone. Smaller than regular SIM cards, they could allow Apple to include a bigger battery in its next handset. The company started using nano-SIMs in 2010 in the first iPad.

July 15, 2012 : Taller phone with a center camera.  The Taiwan-based blog Apple.pro posts photos of an alleged iPhone frame that is as wide as the iPhone 4S, but taller. That would allow for a 4-inch display with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

It’s already in production.  Production of the next iPhone has already begun, a Japanese-language Apple blog claims. Macotakara blog cites listings for iPhone 5 cases on a Chinese site as proof of its claim and it says the back of the new iPhone has both glass and aluminum.

July 12, 2012:  Preorders now accepted.  Reuters reports that sellers on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao are taking preorders for the iPhone 5 for between 1,000 yuan ($160) and 6,999 yuan ($1,100). Reuters also says that sellers are listing the device’s specifications and showing mockup images in order to entice buyers.

July 10, 2012:  New engineering samples.  Tech site GottaBeMobile offers photos and speculation about a new iPhone and a smaller iPad of “a trusted source inside the Apple supply chain.” Though the iPhone mockup is nothing more than milled aluminum, the noteworthy changes are a taller screen and what appears to be a hole for a microphone between where the rear camera and LED flash have been on the iPhone 4 and 4S.

July 5, 2012  A quad-core A6 chip.  The not-always-reliable DigiTimes says that Apple’s next-generation iPhone will be powered by a quad-core ARM processor based on Samsung’s Exynos 4 architecture.

June 28, 2012: It’s probably going to be a huge success. In a report to investors, J.P. Morgan analyst, Mark Moskowitz, said that the next iPhone will dominate 2013. With its “hardware enhancements and software-driven services,” Moskowitz believes Apple’s newest phone will be the industry lead and will show strong sales.

June 25, 2012: It’ll have NFC capabilities. The coding from two iPhone 5 prototypes may hint at Near Field Communication capabilities, according to 9to5Mac. NFC chips have already been featured in Android devices for Google Wallet and Android Beam, so this may mean that Apple is joining the mobile payments industry. This will coincide nicely with its launch of Passbook, an iOS 6 feature that lets users store electronic versions of receipts, tickets, and other merchant information.

June 21, 2012: It’s a world phone. In addition to having a new design and a slightly larger screen, the next iPhone will support global LTE networks, making it a true world phone. And by keeping support for 3G networks, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu says that Apple will be able to support the Chinese market.

June 20, 2012: A smaller dock connector. TechCrunch reports that three independent manufacturers have affirmed that the next iPhone will have a smaller 19-pin port. According to earlier rumors, this type of connector is supposedly going to make its way into all of Apple’s future mobile devices. While the 30-pin connector is what the iPhone maker has been using for years, a smaller port will create more space in the internal structure of the device.

June 18, 2012: After WWDC 2012, more rumors spread about a bigger iPhone. Now that software developers are getting their hands on iOS 6, more hints about the new iPhone are emerging. Most notably, of a new Auto Layout feature that lets developers set parameters for certain UI elements. According to one developer that TechCrunch spoke to, Auto Layout is a necessity for Apple before it can launch devices with different resolutions — implying that perhaps the next generation may have a different resolution than the last.

June 14, 2012: You may be able to swap out the camera lens. In a move that sounds nothing like Apple, a published patent application suggests that the new iPhone’s back panel would be removable, allowing users to switch out the camera lens. This is highly unusual, since Apple has always shipped its handsets completely sealed.

June 7, 2012: The new generation will be gray, metal, and sleek all over. After several reported rumors about the iPhone’s new look, a worker from a parts reseller company called ETrade Supply has now provided a video. Though its authenticity is still up in the air, at face value, the video shows the iPhone 5 sporting a taller and thinner build, a relocated headphone jack (it’s at the bottom instead of the top), a smaller dock connecter, and an aluminum back plate.

June 6, 2012: It may have a 16:9 aspect ratio and HD front-facing camera. People who use the iPhone’s front-facing camera for vanity shots and Web chatting, rejoice. Mingchi Kuo, an analyst from KGI, believes the new iPhone will sport a 4.08-inch screen, a 16:9 aspect ratio, and a high-def front-facing camera. In his report, Kuo also says he believes the rear-facing camera will still retain its 8-megapixel spec, but its maximum aperture will jump from 2.4 to 2.2.

June 4, 2012: iPhone 5 may launch in September. In addition to the iPad Mini, an analyst from Topeka Capital Markets said that the iPhone 5 will likely launch in September. According to AppleInsider, the analyst, Brian White, cited sources from inside Apple’s supply chain in Taipei.