• Apple iPhone 5 Features Speculation Roundup

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPhone, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors, Tech. No Responses

    There’s still a few weeks in which talk about what new features will drive the future iPhone 5. Here is a great collection by Jonny Evans who sums up a good amount of features and specifications rumored or said to be included in the upcoming iPhone 5.

    Poker face

    The fifth-generation iPhone (iPhone 5, or, possibly, the iPhone 4S) is a very important release. Not only will it be a major attempt by which Apple hopes to consolidate its lead on the smartphone biz, but it is also likely to spark renewed competitive peaks within that business.

    The game is Apple’s to lose: it now dominates both by revenue and model sales. With that in mind here’s the current speculation, roughly in order of likelihood:

    1Ghz Dual-core A5 processor

    There have been some reports that production has been delayed by problems with heat dissipation on the new models. It’s impossible to say if that’s true, but Apple does seem likely to pop its most recent A-series processor inside its new phone.

    What does this mean? It means the new iPhone will be blazingly fast — twice as fast as the previous version and with up to nine times the graphics processing power, if the iPad 2 improvements be seen as guide.

    iOS 5 inside

    Apple has been very busy working on iOS 5, which, among other things, will offer support for the new ‘Find My Mac’ feature I predicted last May. And will also integrate tightly with iCloud for a computing anywhere style experience.

    A better camera

    Omnivision made waves this week with news that it has produced camera modules that are 20 percent thinner than before. The new iPhone is expected to boast an 8-megapixel Omnivision camera with an improved LED flash system. The front camera is also expected to improve.

    Bigger screen

    Replacement of the mechanical Home button with a capacitive controller could enable Apple to equip the iPhone 5 with a bigger 3.7-inch (or, perhaps, 4-inch) display.

    Better speakers

    Apple continues to improve the speakers it places inside its mobile devices. You’ll be able to drown out those tinny phones the kids at the back of the bus use with these.

    World class

    The iPhone 5 is expected to host a combined hybrid GSM/CDMA radio possibly by qualcomm. This means you’ll be able to use one device on most available networks. This also means you can expect iPhone 5 to hit Verizon and AT&T simultaneously, and to reach CDMA networks (such as those in China) pretty soon after Apple’s manufacturers begin to meet US demand.

    Screen resolution, RAM, storage

    1,280-x-720px Retina Display, 367ppi. 512MB RAM and available in models equipped with up to 64GB storage

    Thinner, too

    That’s right, the new iPhone’s expected to be thinner — given Omnivision’s news and potential use of a Thunderbolt connector, it could be considerably thinner. (10 percent?)

    A teardrop phone

    All those purported leaked case designs suggest that the new iPhone will have a teardrop-style chassis, thicker at one end than another.

    Voice Control

    The new iPhone will boast voice control using an app called Assistant. This will let you speak your music requests, send texts and make Facetime calls. Based on Siri, it will also make simple requests, for example, “Where’s my nearest Starbuck’s?”.

    Wireless Sync

    This has been confirmed as a feature within iOS 5. You won’t need a computer in the post PC smartphone era.

    Available in September

    That’s the deal following news that Pegatron has secured orders to deliver 10 million units of iPhone 5, beginning in September.

    Bluetooth 4 and/or NFC support

    Apple has been working away at NFC for several years, but it is possible the company will instead choose to implement Bluetooth 4, which includes some specifications which could theoretically support secure payments.

    iPhone HD — TV on demand

    The iPhone 5 will support Full HD, just like the iPad. AirPlay movies to your Apple TV, or connect it to an HDTV for a high-res viewing experience. (And don’t get me started on those shiny new TV streaming services claims).

    No LTE 4G phone

    The sad truth here is that while LTE is much-discussed, it hasn’t really seen wide deployment globally at this time. This means that there isn’t yet a sufficiently wide market to justify the expense of including support for the standard in this edition of the phone.

    I’m predicting LTE in the next-generation, when networks in key markets (eg., the UK) have upgraded their infrastructure to support the new standard.

    A new antenna

    Apple will not repeat antenna-gate. Jobs was not happy — recall the subsequent resignation of Mr Papermaster? Be prepared for a metal, rather than a glass back to the new device.

    A nice price

    I’m expecting the new device to come in at approximately the same price as the current models, though this will be tempered by local taxation changes and any unpredictable scarcity in component supply.

    An iPhone nano?

    I’m the biggest proponent of this device. Apple’s gone enigmatic on the matter.

    RBC Capital’s Mike Abramsky met with Apple this week, and writes, “Apple’s primary criterion for launching a lower-end iPhone is an innovative, category-killer experience.”

    That’s neither a yes or a no, and is a response which will keep competitors guessing, I suspect. Wait and see.

    Apple Maps?

    Perhaps next year. Or the C3 Technologies?

    And Smart Covers

    Will the iPhone 5 have its own set of Smart Covers?

  • A Purported iPhone 5 Gets Leaked

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Featured, iPhone, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors No Responses

    From the massive leaks back when the iPhone 4 was leaked totally before it debuted, we learned a lot, actually its becoming more easy to get our hands on whats Apple is preparing for us in the future. iPhone 5 as iPhone 4 before is being tested by different people and it might be hidden with iPhone 4 like case shell. We are over a month before launch, and Apple has acknowledged that they real world test this way in the past, think, Gray Powell, however. Last evening, a tipster sent the guys at 9to5mac a picture (above) of what he thinks is the iPhone 5.

    The tipster has an iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 and what he saw was like nothing he’s ever seen. He said it would fit perfectly into the case below.

    This iPhone appears thinner than the current iPhone 4 but also wider. The edges are rounded metal like the edges of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 but could still function as an antenna. The back is a curved/tapered glass or plastic.

    Tapered design and wider edge to edge screen were rumored a lot as well as a bigger home screen that could be capacitive and gestures-driven touch.

  • Apple Testing 2048×1536 Pixels Displays from Samsung and LG for the iPad 3

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPad, Rants & Raves, Rumors, Samsung No Responses

    Apple, reportedly, has begun quality testing LCD displays from Samsung and LG for the iPad 3, according to a report in the Korea Times. A source claims that the LCD displays currently being tested are QXGA with a resolution of 2048 x 1536.

    The resolution is double that in the current iPad display and taking the 9.7″ display would result in roughly 260 DPI. Although this is not above the supposed 300 DPI to be fit in Retina Display by taking into account that the iPad is normally held further away from the eyes than iPhone.

    Apple’s upcoming iPad 3 will feature an improved display to support quad extended graphics (QXGA), a display resolution of 2048×1536 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio to provide full high definition (HD) viewing experience, said a source close to the talks

    A new tidbit in the same manner comes from Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber who makes note of his speculations and referring to the large files found earlier which suggest a bigger resolution needed for a denser screens. He mentions that the iPad 3 will have a 2048×1536 Retina Display.

    These magazines and newspapers that render each “page” as a static 1024 × 768 image are going to look like utter ass on the iPad 3’s 2048 × 1536 retina display.

    Previous speculations pointed out the new iPad 3 (or iPad HD) will debut this fall.
    [iPad 3 Concept image by Guilherme Martins Schasiepen]

  • Apple Begins Test Production Of A6 Processor with TSMC

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPad, iPhone, Mobile, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors, Samsung, Tech. 1 Response

    Citing a source with knowledge of the matter, Apple and Taiwan-based TSMC have begun manufacturing test of Apple’s next-generation A6 processor. The fact that Apple is working with TSMC on this may serve as a sign that Apple is shifting from its traditional chip supplier, Samsung Electronics.

    Currently, Samsung is the sole supplier of the A5 chips used in the iPad 2, but Apple has hinted it is keen to diversify away from the Korean company. The two are battling a legal dispute over patents, and Samsung has also emerged as Apple’s toughest competitor in the smartphone and tablet market.

    It’s currently not finalized that TSMC will produce the new chip for Apple. but the test run is said to be authorized. It’s also expected that Samsung will lower prices and fight to retain Apple’s business in manufacturing the A6.

    “It has to redesign the chipset, which Samsung has been deeply involved from the beginning and has some intellectual property. Apple could try various suppliers but they (Samsung and Apple) need each other and the relationship will continue.”

    The A5 chip is designed by the California company and analysts say it is based on British chip designer ARM Holdings technology. Details of Apple’s technology are hard to come by though given its obsession with secrecy.

    The A6 will likely debut next year as part of 3rd generation iPad, as the current trend is for Apple to place new technology in the iPad first, then shrink and optimize it later for use in the iPhone.

    The A6 will reportedly use a new 28-nanometer process, making it smaller and more power efficient, and could be powerful enough to use inside future Macs, such as future models of the MacBook Air which is a strong possibility.