IPhone 5 rumours

In recent times, there have been a lot of iPhone 5 rumors as everyone is speculating about the upgrades to expect with this new device. Perhaps the biggest rumor to date would be about the release date. Some of the timelines in the reports are for somewhere between June to October, according to production time and the availability of several parts.

Here are some of the most likely features of iPhone 5:

The popular white models are anticipated to be available with this new device. Similar to the instantaneous availability of the iPad 2 Review, this new device should have the white models ready from the first day.

Users can also expect to have even more internal memory storage, which includes the likelihood of a model with 64 GB.

It is believed that Verizon users will get this new device simultaneously with AT&T users. One cannot really think of a good reason why this would not be the case.

The general opinion of the techies is that iPhone5 is going to have a similar design like the iPhone 4 model. It might be a bit slimmer with a greater screen, but the general form will stay the same.

There are also rumors about improved recording for camera and video, plus a much faster processor. The HDMI Output is expected to much better. Besides that, an integrated NFC technology could deliver mobile payments straight to the iPhone 5. Note that this can be a dangerous thing for shoppers!

The following are some of the maybes:

All the internal memory storage will be in a virtual iTunes cloud, obtainable by a 3G/4G or wireless network, which could be a cool concept. There is still an ongoing debate about whether or not iPhone 5g is going to work on 4G /LTE network. This would mean much faster connectivity and internet speeds.

If the rumors are true, users can forget about the home button as it would be substituted for a sensitive touch area. Most users are anticipating that the new design is what they have been looking forward to, such as one that is similar to iPad 2 with the same appearance and feel.

Avid users of iPhone normally drain the battery life much faster. As a result, most users are looking forward to a battery life that can last for much longer.

Finally, with all the IPhone 5 rumors around one can only dream of getting all the improved features and functions that they desire. It is said that Apple has recently obtained a patent for the 3-D screen technology, which means that the 3-D effect will be available on screen.

iPhone 5 rumors: relocated flash, Sprint & T-mobile compatibility

The latest rumors about Apple's next-generation iPhone suggest that Apple might move the location of the LED flash for improved indoor and nighttime photos. A unified baseband processor could also mean Sprint and T-mobile users could get official iPhone support. We took a look at the thin evidence supporting these claims, coming away hopeful but not entirely convinced.

The number one source for random Chinese-made iPhone cases, Alibaba.com, has a new product claiming to be a "crystal case" for an "iPhone 5g." The case appears to use a photochop of an iPhone with a 4″ screen, though what we know about iOS development leads us to believe the next iPhone won't have a larger screen. However, the rear of the case shows the rear-facing camera on the left in its usual position, and the LED flash moved far to the right.

Most camera-equipped mobile devices have the LED flash attached to the camera module, and so it is always located right next to the camera lens. This arrangement, while convenient for manufacturing, often results in less-than-optimal image results. Light can leak into the lens, causing flare and interfering with auto-exposure. The close proximity to the lens axis also causes red eye and flat, unflattering lighting. This is the reason that compact cameras orient the flash to a far corner of the device, and why SLR users use brackets, tilting flash heads, and other light modifiers—to keep the flash as far from the lens as possible.

It was rumored that part of the reason behind the embarrassingly long delay of the white iPhone 4 was due to issues with the flash and camera not working well with the white casing. The camera module supposedly had to be redesigned for the white iPhone 4, so it certainly seems plausible that Apple might move the flash further away from the camera lens. Besides reducing flare and possible autoexposure problems, it would also have the benefit of reducing red eye.

It's important to remember, though, that Chinese-made case manufacturers often produce designs based on leaked information in order to try and get a jump on competitors. Such early designs have often been wrong about certain details, so they're not exactly a reliable barometer.

Asian website Apple.pro offers an image of alleged iPhone 5 camera modules that lack an integrated LED as further evidence that Apple plans to move the flash away from the camera module. We've outlined why it would be a good idea for Apple to consider such a design change, but the image of the iPhone parts released by Apple.pro is far from definitive proof.

Alleged camera parts for the iPhone 5 compared to those used in the iPhone 4.

Apple.pro

Previous rumors have suggested that Apple is moving to an 8 megapixel sensor, possibly from long-time supplier OmniVision, or possibly a new design by Sony. But the purported rear-facing camera module in the image looks just like the fixed-focus, low-resolution front-facing camera modules. Whether Apple bumps the next iPhone to 8MP or sticks with 5MP, any such rear-facing camera module is going to be much larger than the part pictured. While we think relocating the LED flash could provide some improvements to iPhone camera's low-light results, the evidence offered so far isn't conclusive.

Whatever Apple does with the iPhone's 5 camera, though, analysts seem to be increasingly convinced the device will be compatible with all major US carriers when it is released in September. Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek believes, according to his latest research note, that Apple will move the next-gen iPhone to its dual-core A5 processor and, as we speculated earlier this year, the external design will be largely the same. However, major design work will largely be focused on the iPhone's cell radios.

Misek doesn't believe Apple is ready to include support for LTE 4G technology—next-generation chips may not be available in sufficient quantities in time, and LTE networks aren't yet ubiquitous. However, Misek expects Apple will leverage the full capability of the Qualcomm baseband used in the CDMA iPhone 4 to create a device that can work with both CDMA and GSM networks, including HSPA+ networks like those operated by AT&T and T-mobile. This will enable Apple to offer the iPhone5 via new carriers, including Sprint, T-mobile, and China Mobile, Misek said in his note.

We've said in the past that it makes business sense for Apple to build in support for both CDMA and GSM-type networks into the iPhone, and Qualcomm's baseband chips make that possible. Still, financial analysts are rarely the harbingers of accurate information on Apple's future plans, so consider us optimistic if not entirely convinced.

Further reading

• 'iPhone 5G' Case Design Shows Redesigned Camera Flash (macrumors.com)

iPhone 5 Confirmed GSM / CDMA World Phone by Verizon CFO

We say confirmed but really it should be revealed that the new Apple iPhone 5 would be a world phone aka global phone according to Verizon CFO (Chief Financial Officer) named Fran Shammo.

According to PCmag there was an interview with Reuters and the Verizon CFO revealed that the next Apple smartphone iPhone 5 also known as the iPhone 4S would be a world phone aka global iPhone, another words it will be both CDMA and GSM.

This mean that AT&T and many other network companies will have this world phone model, this will give all customers the chance to make calls on both CDMA and GSM. PCmag does report that the AT&T version might have both even though it would only need GSM to be considered a global phone.

The Verizon iPhone 4 is only CDMA, which means it will only work on CDMA networks and not GSM networks such as Africa, parts of Asia and most of Europe. The AT&T iPhone 4 only works on GSM networks, so if the iPhone5 is release on both GSM and CDMA this gives customers more of an option.

Apparently the iPhone 5g will be released on both AT&T and Verizon at the same time, specs on the next-generation iPhone are not known yet but it will be released in September 2011. Can Apple really develop a new iPhone to run on both networks giving customers a world phone?

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

September iPhone 5 release date: odds of 4G, redesign, white, colors

Don't expect the iPhone 5 to see a release date prior to September, as the recent arrival of the white iPhone 4 means Apple doesn't expect to have a new iPhone generation ready to go quite as soon as this summer. But the longer the iPhone 5 takes to arrive, the better the odds of certain features coming along for the ride. Here are the odds of various iPhone 5 potential features making the cut if September 2011 indeed ends up being the official release date.

4G: This is tricky because the two current iPhone carriers, Verizon and AT&T, both barely have any 4G rollout to speak of. For Apple to add 4G networking hardware to the iPhone 5, it would have to be confident that one or both carriers will have far more 4G LTE in place by the end of the iPhone 5 era than at the beginning of it. The odds of Apple including it are reasonable, but not great.

Redesign: Here's where the odds get better. Apple has used the current iPhone 4 body styling three times: first with the original iPhone 4, then with the Verizon iPhone 4, and now with the white iPhone 4. Sure, it's all been less than a year in the making. But Apple has used the styling one too many times (arguably two too many times) to be using it yet again, particularly at a time when many or most are expecting a full revamp for the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 white : The iPhone 4 will stick around as the bargain bin model in the iPhone 5 era. The fact that Apple has released a white iPhone 5 at all means that both the black and white iPhone 4 models are likely to stick around in the iPhone 5 era. And while Apple could blow up the blueprint with an exposed brushed metal iPhone 5 design or some such, it's difficult to picture there being a white iPhone 4 but not a white iPhone 5. So the odds are strong, to say the least, that there will be a white iPhone 5.

Colors: The more colors Apple adds to the iPhone lineup, the more retail SKUs there are to deal with and the more inventory snafus (witness the current eighteen iPad 2 models, and that's for just two colors). But if the iPhone 5g is indeed to be a hybrid device which works on both carriers, that would mean a mere four SKUs total: 16 and 32 GB models in a choice of black or white. That would give Apple room to add colors to the mix, as a way to differentiate the iPhone5 both from the cheaper iPhone 4 and from competitors who have over-fixated on the color white. Here's more on the iPhone 5 news.

iPhone 5 wait still preferable to white iPhone 4, say defiant holdouts

The iPhone 5 is worth the wait despite the arrival of the white iPhone 4 and the fact that said arrival means the iPhone 5 going to take longer to arrive than many waiters had expected. But despite our declaration that it's okay to stop waiting and go ahead and take the white iPhone 4 plunge, some defiant holdouts have spoken very loudly about the reasons that they've decided to go ahead and wait for the iPhone 5 after all.

First, there's the disappointment in the fact that things are playing out as they are:

"I'm sick that they even introduced the [white] iPhone 4 with the iPhone 5 hanging over our Verizon heads.  I've waited this long what choice do I have?"

Then of course there's the (we think) sarcastic take:

"Get an iPhone 4 and upgrade to iOS 5 when it's release … you'll only be missing the 8 mp camera, the A5 processor, and the bigger screen honestly, nothing major you know? "

At least one Beatweek reader is waiting until the iPhone 5 arrives, but may ultimately buy an iPhone 4 at that time:

"All valid points, although, for me a) white/black isn't an issue, b) not especially concerned about 4G capability either, and c) the reason I skipped the iPhone 4 is not really liking the design; the 3GS is just more comfortable to hold and talk on. I'm waiting to see if I prefer the iPhone 5 design; if so, I'll get the 5, if not I'll settle on the 4. But in that circumstance there will be one key advantage to 'holding out' – the almost certain price cut on the older model."

And then there are those still asking the same question they were asking before the white iPhone 4 launch:

"So do I upgrade from my slow 3G to a 4 now? Or keep holding on and wait for the 5…"

Here's more on the iPhone5.

Cloud Storage on the iPhone 5 Could Worsen Data Usage Abuse by AT&T, Verizon

A recent report outlines how AT&T is overcharging iPhone and iPad users on their data usage. Will "iCloud" on the iPhone 5 give mobile carriers like AT&T and Verizon yet another channel for overcharging their customers for data?

few monthly bills cause more stress and consternation than that of a mobile phone bill. With the exception of people who take out the most expensive, flat-rate "Cadillac" plans, phone and data usage is in constant flux for iPhone users, and a lingering fear of being over one's data allotment usually leads to hefty bills that no one likes to pay.

A recent report, however, has shown that AT&T is consistently overcharging all of its iPhone and iPad customers on data usage, suggesting that iUsers are getting fleeced on a regular basis.

The Daily Mail in the UK is reporting today that "AT&T are 'systematically overcharging' up to 20 million Americans who use their iPhone or iPad 2 review to access data on the go, an investigation has uncovered." This investigation has led to a lawsuit against the mobile carrier, "alleg[ing] the phone giant routinely over charges customers between 7 and 14 per cent, and in some cases up to 300 per cent."

The investigation reveals that much of the overcharging is being caused by data transfer that is occurring even when the user is not on the Internet or actively using their iPhone, likening the effect to a "rigged gas pump." This overcharging is apparently happening constantly for some 20 million Americans who use their iPhone on AT&T's network, with all of these incremental data overages adding up to 7%+ higher bills at the end of the month.

AT&T is trying to get out in front of this building scandal, suggesting that this data leakage is caused by apps and functions on the iPhone and iPad that engage in regular, automatic data useage in order to remain constantly updated.

Needless to say, this is an outrage for AT&T iPhone customers, who already pay higher rates for service compared to other mobile carriers, such as Sprint.

Who Is To Blame — AT&T or Apple?

The Daily Mail piece clearly places the blame for this "data leakage" on AT&T, which at this point must be a relief to Apple and Steve Jobs, who have recently been on the defensive over privacy and anti-green allegations. Because AT&T is the one overcharging for the extra data usage on the iPhone and iPad, they are bearing the brunt of criticism and, to our knowledge, Apple is not named as a defendant in the current lawsuit.

However, given the location tracking "bug" recently uncovered on the iPhone 4, it would stand to reason that iPhone users could also begin to ponder whether it is possible that this extra, erroneous data leakage, while being capitalized on by AT&T, might in fact be yet another software design flaw inherrent in the iPhone 4, causing it to transfer data even when not in use.

As this story develops, it is quite possible that Apple will have to issue yet another software update — either on iOS 4 or on the anticipated iOS 5, to further ensure that the data faucet is shut off tightly when users are not on their iPhone or iPad.

Undoubtedly, investigators will also now look at Verizon's data billing on iPhone 4 users, and conspiracy theorists are bound to ask the age-old question, What did Steve Jobs know, and when did he know it? — suggesting that the the data leak was less of a "design flaw" and more of a "malicious feature" meant to aid mobile partners in increasing revenues on data charging.

iPhone 5 and "iCloud" — Yet Another Data Transfer Billing Trap for Users?

The biggest question for the new iPhone 5 speculation society is how this revelation calls into question the well-developed "iCloud" rumor, and whether or not cloud storage on the iPhone5 will lead to yet more abuse of iPhone data usage. After all, if the iPhone 5g makes heavy use of cloud storage and computing, this would mean that users would be transferring data on the fly for a wide range of uses, such as listening to music, videos, photos, business-related documents, and other dynamic media. At present, all of that data remains on an iPhone's on-board storage.

If the next iPhone encourages more data to be stores in Apple's data center, one could speculate that there will be exponentially more opportunity for leaky data transfers to take place.

And as we now know, leaky data transfer is a lucrative leak for carriers like AT&T.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 verizon

Separated iPhone 5 LED Flash Rumor Makes Little Sense

Rumor has it that the iPhone 5 is due to get an upgrade on its rear-facing camera, bumping up to an 8-megapixel design. But new purported, leaked photos of iPhone 5 parts and cases show what looks like a LED flash on the other side of the device. Where's the logic in this new design?

The tech media is currently abuzz with newly-surfaced photos of cases and backplates that seem to show an LED flash that is positioned on the other side of the supposedly new iPhone 5 design. There is a great deal of excitement and anticipation surrounding this new development, with iPhone enthusiasts anticipating a dramatic shift in the iPhone 5′s rear-facing camera array, which is already purported to be getting an 8-megapixel upgrade.

While few are questioning the voracity and reliability of the photos and sources, even fewer are scrutinizing the logic of a separated LED camera flash, and what the basis would be for Apple to shift the iPhone's camera flash so dramatically far away from the sensor itself.

The few theories on why the iPhone5 could feature a separated LED flash are seemingly logical at first glance: we all know that there were light issues with the camera sensor on the white iPhone 4, and even flash and camera issues with lighting on the original iPhone 4 back in the Summer of 2010. It would be easy enough to assume that moving the LED flash to the other side of the iPhone 5 would somehow solve the problem.

But given the lights limitations of LED flashes, this seems doubtful at best.

While LED flashes have become increasingly popular on smartphones, the light that they emit is still not as bright as other flash forms, such as a Xenon flash. As a result, the camera flash from a LED is sometimes not bright enough to fill the photo with ample light in low-lit conditions. This is why devices like the iPhone (and all other smartphones with rear-facing cameras) have positioned the LED flash in close proximity to the sensor; it's a way of maximizing the amount of light that ultimately enters the camera, as reflected off of the subject.

By definition, moving the camera flash away from the sensor on the iPhone 5 would put an already lesser-lit flash at a farther distance from the sensor — and at a greater angle to the subject being photographed. It's hard to believe that moving the LED flash could ultimately help in this regard — unless the new flash turned out to be something of the Xenon type.

Shifted LED Flash on the iPhone 5 To Eliminate Red Eye?

Another theory suggests that the moved LED flash on the iPhone 5 could be to counteract red eye. But this new design seems dubious as well.

the Nokia Astound's 8-megapixel camera sensor array with dual LED flashes.

It is true that red eye is caused by red light being bounced back off of the irises of people into the camera, which is often caused by on-camera flashes that are in close proximity to the sensor or shutter. But in order to truly eliminate red eye, the flash source would need to be sufficiently far from the optical axis of the camera, and it is doubtful that moving it a couple of inches to the right would do the trick. In order to reduce red eye, it would make more sense for Apple to further refine the use of a pre flash on the iPhone 5g, a technique that causes a person's irises to contract, thus minimizing the bounce-back of red light.

HTC's Evo 4G also has two LEDs in close proximity to the sensor.

Does An 8-Megapixel Camera Require That the LED Flash Be Farther Away?

Finally, perhaps the moved flash on the iPhone 5 has something to do with the addition of a 8-megapixel camera? That could be the case, however, to date, no other 8-megapixel smartphone sports a separated LED flash like the one that is purported in the photo. The Nokia Astound features not one, but two LED flashes right next to the sensor. The same goes for Nokia's N86.

But it isn't just Nokia that is using this camera and LED flash set-up. HTC is doing the same thing with their Evo iphone 5 4G. Like the Nokias, it features two LED flashes in close proximity to the camera sensor.

What is apparent from these other smartphones with 8-megapixel cameras is that the 8mp sensors need more light, and they need that light relatively close to the sensor in order to avoid grainy photos. If this is the case, then why would Apple continue to use just one LED flash for an 8-megapixel camera, and put it on the other end of the rear plate?

Newer iPhone 4 case designs account for the LED flash so as not to interfere with it . . .

Separated LED Flash Could Lead To a New Photo Discoloration Problem on the iPhone 5

As we have reported in another article, photo discoloration was an early problem on the iPhone 4, and more than a few theories abounded as to why this was the case. While some suggested that it was the result of a software issue in how the iPhone 4 processed yellow light, others postulated that many photo discoloration problems were caused by iPhone 4 case designs, which were too hastily retro-engineered from iPhone 3Gs designs and did not account for the LED flash. As a result, some of the cases came too close in contact with the LED flash and resulted in partially concealing the flash strobe.

Anyone who has ever accidentally had a part of their finger over the flash of a camera knows how it can discolor a photo.

This purported iPhone 5 case — and separated LED flash — might discolor photos.

Newer iPhone 4 cases have re-designed the camera lens cutouts around the iPhone 4′s sensor and flash so as not to conceal it. However, in the recent purported photo of the iPhone 5 case, the cutout for the LED flash would be closely cropped to the flash itself, lending to the theory that photos could easily become discolored. Another unknown is what the effect of having such a expanse of colored case between the sensor and flash would cause — could it lead to further discoloration?

It is possible that Apple has a new patent for an LED camera flash that will be bright enough to be positioned on the other side of the iPhone 5. But I have combed all of the Apple patents, and I can find nothing to suggest this. I remain skeptical of all purported "leaked" photos of the iPhone 5 — and these recent ones are no exception.

Photo enthusiasts: what do you think? Can you find any evidence out there to suggest how this new camera array would make any sense for the iPhone 5 apple? We'd love to hear from you, and start a discussion on whether or not these new photos make any real sense.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news.