iPhone 5 Coming in September, Similar to iPhone 4

According to a report from Reuters, Apple is scheduled to begin production of the iPhone 5 in July/August with a September release. This news coincides with other reports that Apple will push back the next generation iPhone's launch to a later fall date.

It is unclear as to why Apple is not following the usual summer release schedule for the iPhone, but all signs point to a different roadmap for 2011. The iPhone 5 is reported to have a faster processor and look very similar to the current iPhone 4.Reuters,

"Apple Inc suppliers will begin production of its next-generation iPhone in July this year, with the finished product likely to begin shipping in September, three people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The new smartphone will have a faster processor but will look largely similar to the current iPhone 4, one of the people said. They declined to be identified because the plans were not yet public."

Apple's focus will be on software at WWDC this summer. iOS 5 will be previewed, and the iPhone 5 will most likely ship with the new OS. If the iPhone 5 does closely resemble the iPhone 4, iOS 5 could be what sets the new device apart from the iPhone 4.

We've heard that the iPhone 5 will be a significant redesign of the iPhone 4, but there have also been multiple reports claiming that the device will be similar to the current design.

A recent analyst report speculated that the iPhone 5 will have an A5 processor with a 8 MP camera. While the device could remain similar to the iPhone 4, it will definitely have some significant hardware upgrades to set it apart form its predecessor. For a comprehensive look at what to expect from the iPhone 5, check out this infographic.

The white iPhone 4 will supposedly be released at the end of this month, which would give Apple enough time to profit off its sales before introducing the iPhone 5 in the fall.

What do you think about this iPhone 5 news? Are you ok with waiting till the fall for its release, or will you be picking up another smartphone (Android?) this summer?

Even More Evidence Pointing At A Late iPhone 5

In the last week, many reports have been popping up with clues pointing at a later than usual iPhone 5 release. Historically, iPhone's have been announced during Apple's annual WWDC that occurs every June, but a new report suggests that the iPhone5 will be announced in September 2011.

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Ming-Chi Kuo, an analysts with Concord Securities reported earlier today that he checked with manufacturers that are involved in the making of iPhones and has concluded a few things based on what they've had to say.

Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the iPhone 5 will not feature a brand-new design, but will instead feature "slight modifications" from the current iPhone 4. He also goes on to state that the iPhone 5 will feature a faster A5 processor that was included in much acclaimed iPad 2, along with an 8 megapixel camera that we reported on a few weeks ago.

Kuo states that his conversations with the Apple supply chain also suggest that the iPhone 5 will go into production in August with an anticipated September announcement.

He also offers a very accurate estimations that Apple hopes to reach a production of 28-32 million iPhone 5′s this year that, according to him, will be ready on time for a late September/early October release of the iPhone 5.

Strangely enough, Kuo still believes that Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 at their annual Worldwide Developers Conference (where they've unveiled previous iPhones), regardless of his belief that it'll be release 3-4 months after that. We believe that it is quite unlikely that Apple would present the iPhone 5 that early as it would definitely lose a lot of the buzz it would be generating at the time of its announcement.

Also, in what is sure to be one of the first semi-legitimate predictions about the iPhone 6 (yes, you read that correctly), Kuo claims that the sixth-generation iPhone will be completely revamped in every way and will be release earlier than usual.

That means that there might be two generations of iPhones released within a year, which would not be too smart of a decision on Apple's part should the speculation be true but might be necessary to compete with upcoming Android phones.

He does make some bold claims, but many of them seem to be very plausible given current speculations on the iPhone 5′s release date. In the past, he's made some accurate predication about the white iPhone 4′s release date and the iPad 2′s screen size, which definitely adds some credibility to what he says.

White iPhone 4 now available for sale internationally

The elusive white iPhone 4 is elusive no more. It's already gone on sale internationally; this included screenshot is from Vodafone in New Zealand. The white iPhone 4 is expected to see release in several international markets over the course of the day, with release in the US likely to come within the next few hours.

The white iPhone 4 still hasn't shown up on Apple's own store site yet as of this writing, not even in countries where the handset has already been available from carriers' stores for several hours, but it should be available at the company's US brick-and-mortar stores when they open later today.

If you've been waiting this long for the white iPhone 4 to come out, the good news is your wait is now over. The bad news? The iPhone 5 is probably coming out sometime in the next six months, so if you're the kind of person who has to have the latest and greatest gear, your wait might not be over after all.

iPhone 5 Sporting a 4 inch Display Visualised

Ah the never-ending speculation that is the next generation iPhone, namely the iPhone 5. Thus far we have heard that the iPhone 5 may turn into a QWERTY sporting iPhone, may have a bigger camera, and even be a mini iPhone 5. Well apparently the latest is that the next generation iOS handset may appear packing a 4-inch display, and thanks to the guys over at 9to5 Mac, and by way of Twitter user Arnold Kim we have a visualisation of what a 4-inch display would look like on the iPhone 5.

In the image the new larger display placed on the same size iPhone as the current iPhone 4 would fit edge to edge apparently, which apparently no mobile phone can do at the moment so if true perhaps the Apple geniuses have found a way.

Personally I'm not too sure if I would like an edge to edge display and it would make handling the handset a tad difficult I would have thought because as soon as you pick it up wouldn't your flesh activate something by touching the display immediately, I know I do this even on my Samsung Galaxy S at times.

So what do our reader's think about an iPhone 5 with an edge-to-edge display, do you think it's a plausible idea or not?

Concept case would turn your iPhone into a Leica

OK, so yes, this Leica i9 case for the iPhone 4 is still just a concept. You can't actually buy a case yet that fits around your iPhone and turns it into a Leica camera (though you can buy some nice lenses or an audio tape case). But this idea is just too cool to pass up. Outside of the standard retro charm of having a Leica attached to the back of your iPhone, the idea here is that you can use the iPhone's dock port to attach a high-quality premium camera to the back of your high-quality premium smartphone, enabling some really excellent mobile photography.

There's probably some technical magic that has to be worked here as well

– I don't know how feasible it is to have the dock hook up to and even control a high quality camera lens like this, especially with that design and size. But heck, if we can get the iCade made into a real product, this is certainly possible, right?

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.

Thanks to iPhone, Apple now beats Microsoft in most metrics, including profits

When Apple was chasing Microsoft last year in market capitalization, a lot of people were pointing out that the software maker would continue beating the Cupertino company in terms of profitability. Well, Microsoft just posted their quarterly earnings yesterday. Despite record first-quarter numbers, their profits were significantly below the nearly $6 billion in net quarterly profit Apple posted. More precise, Microsoft reported $5.23 billion profit versus $5.99 billion for Apple.

In terms of revenue, Microsoft reported $16.43 billion versus $24.67 billion for Apple. Apple's annualized revenue makes them a $100 billion company while Microsoft is yet to join this club. The only area where Microsoft is ahead of Apple are profit margins. Considering net profit as a percentage of revenue, Microsoft's 32 percent margin beats Apple's 24 percent. Of course, Windows maker makes most of its revenue selling highly profitable software products that yield high margins.

This significant milestone comes as Apple surpassed Microsoft in market valuation nearly a year ago, in May of 2010.

A few months later, in the third quarter of 2010, Apple went on to surpass Microsoft revenue-wise and now it beats them in profits as well. Apple's meteoric rise stems from their highly lucrative iPhone business.

Depending on who you ask, the average selling price of the iPhone is an estimated north of $600 per unit. Apple sold an astounding 18.65 million iPhones in the last quarter and the handset now accounts for half of their revenues.