With the new media announcement about the iPhone 5 up and running, tech writers and ordinary consumers are anticipating quite the “show and tell” with the Apple Corporation this Wednesday as the sixth-generation iPhone is revealed. With all the excitement surrounding the surprise and all the attention that the company has on its shoulders, I thought now would be an excellent time to cover the rumors that have been circulating and point out the rumors I think will be the most realistic with regard to Wednesday’s presentation. The significant rumors surrounding the new gadget are listed below:
- IPhone 5 pre-order and official selling dates
- 4G LTE connectivity
- Thinner body
- Larger screen display (greater than 3.5 inches)
- Multiple screen display manufacturers
- A5X processor chip
- Chomp application in iOS6
- ITunes makeover
- Smaller pin dock connector
- Touchscreen and liquid crystal display (LCD) combo
- Nano SIM card
- Other surprises
The iPhone 5 looks to be available for pre-order on September 12 from the first moment Apple makes the iPhone 5 available for media viewing. This past June at the WWDC, Apple made iOS6 (the alpha version) as well as the MacBook Pro with retina display available to its iOS developers. On September 12, the iPhone 5 will have the same treatment (I believe) as Apple’s other products have: developers will be given first “dibs.” While Apple will not release the iPhone 5 to the public (the media only), I can see Apple making the iPhone 5 available for pre-order on this date. After all, the Cupertino company cannot hide the cherished new item from Apple fans forever. The official selling date of the iPhone 5 looks to be September 21, 2012. If Apple fans can wait nine days beyond the announcement, they can expect to find the product at their favorite stores (Best Buy, Apple Store, etc.).
4G LTE connectivity is another feature of the sixth-generation iPhone that you can expect when the new iPhone is announced. It makes sense for Apple to bring 4G to its five-year legacy item, particularly when you consider that so many other manufacturers (such as Samsung) have provided 4G LTE within their new smartphones already. The Samsung Galaxy S3, one of the hottest phones of the year, contains 4G LTE. Samsung has been busy since the advent of its S3, producing other phones that also contain 4G LTE connectivity. With other competitors such as HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and others unfolding 4G, Apple would make a huge mistake by withholding 4G LTE for the iPhone 6. It is as certain as the sun will rise that 4G will emerge in Wednesday’s announcement.
Do you not like the size of your current iPhone 4S? Have no worries: the iPhone 5 will take care of that! Apple pays attention to its customers and the company has seen the demand for a thinner and smaller phone, one that is not too big to hold in your hands or pockets. The iPhone 5 looks to be taller than the previous iPhone 4S but thinner than the 4S model as well. This will allow the new iPhone to be a pocket favorite while providing a wider screen for viewing movies and playing games. If Apple makes the screen taller, you have more viewing space when you turn your iPhone to “landscape” mode. The thinner iPhone 5 will also have a “nano” SIM card to accommodate the smaller-size iPhone. The new nano SIM is a practical and necessary accessory with the new Apple gadget.
A larger screen display is another iPhone 5 rumor that you can expect to see with the new iPhone 5 on Wednesday. As it is with 4G LTE, Apple is forced to enlarge its screen display. Samsung, for example, produced a 4.8-inch screen in its stellar Galaxy S3. The S2 was 4.3 inches wide, and the Samsung Galaxy Note (smartphone) was approximately 5.5 inches wide while Apple’s current iPhone 4S is only 3.5 inches wide. When you consider that companies such as Samsung and HTC are producing larger screens that measure at 4 inches and up, Apple must produce a wider screen in order to compete with Samsung, its top Android competitor. Look for wider screens for Apple’s iPhones in the future.
Multiple manufacturers will produce Apple’s new iPhone 5 screen displays. Business Insider reports that Sharp and LG (two of the manufacturers) will produce iPhone 5 screens. There are other manufacturers that will make iPhone 5 screens as well. Among the multiple manufacturers the company hopes to put to work is Samsung. TechCrunch reports that Samsung will manufacture screens and chips for both Apple’s iPhones and iPads—including the new ones set to emerge this Fall 2012. Samsung will donate $4 billion to this effort; no company donates $4 billion to a cause in which it will not participate. At the same time, however, what is noticeable about the multiple manufacturers is that Samsung will not produce the same amount of screens and chips that it once did. CNET claims that Apple has cut its demand for Samsung through its partnerships with other manufacturers “as it tries to reduce its dependence on its legal foe and competitor, according to industry sources.” John Paczkowski of All Things D reported that relying on sources outside of Samsung prevents the company from lagging behind on production when natural disaster such as tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and landslides take place. Other sources such as Reuters claims that Apple wants to become a cooperative partner in the smartphone market industry as a whole, but Apple has clearly said (in the words of Tim Cook) that “Apple does not want to become the developer for the world.” If the company does not want to become a world developer, why is it trying to incorporate the world in its list of manufacturers?
If the iPhone 5 looks to have a faster speed than the iPhone 4S with 4G LTE connectivity, it cannot work without the faster A5X processor chip. The A5X has been used in Apple’s latest iPad 3 (called “the new iPad”) that comes with retina display, but it will become acquainted with the iPhone 5 this Wednesday. The new processor chip will provide faster speeds for games, surfing the web, and other leisure activities that unleash the power of Apple’s popular electronic tablet. Steve Kovach of Business Insider says that the new iPhone 5 may have an A6 chip instead of the iPad 3’s A5. It seems more likely that the new iPhone will have an A5X chip to match the latest iPad. The A6 chip will come with the iPhone 6 and the iPad 4.
Apple’s current collection of iPhones and iPads (from iPhones 1 to 4S and iPads 1 to 3) have been marvelous; nevertheless, developers barely make enough to keep their projects going to develop more improved games for iOS users because few Apple customers know how to find developer game apps at the App Store. With iOS6 (that’s right: a new iOS!), Apple hopes to solve this problem by way of an application known as “Chomp.” Chomp will allow Apple users to find the applications they need faster—despite the 600,000 or more applications located in the App Store. IOS6 will be a welcome surprise for iOS users, since it offers over 200 new features to users, including the following:
- Notification Center
- Siri across all devices (Mac PC, laptop, iPhones, iPads)
- Facebook Integration
As I said, there are over 200 new features in iOS6, and you will have lots of time to find all the new features contained within the new iOS6 update. While there are many good updates to enjoy, I am excited about acquiring Siri on my iPad 3.
The iPhone has always had a touchscreen that works with user touch responses. The iPhone 5 will do the same, but with a twist: it will feature a combination of touchscreen and liquid crystal display (LCD) where the touchscreen will be built within the LCD. This will maintain the iPhone 5’s thinness while providing a more “seamless” experience in surfing the web with the new iPhone. The new screen will be made by way of the company Toshiba, and would be as huge of a technological addition as OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology. Samsung makes its Galaxy S phones with OLED technology; the S3 is one of the company’s phones that comes with a “super AMOLED” (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen display. What makes the new LCD/touchscreen combo so dangerous is that, since the LCD and touchscreen will merge rather than remain separate, you have one less layer of protection for your iPhone. If you drop your iPhone, the screen may crack easier because what once served as two layers (LCD layer and the touchscreen layer) has now merged into one (LCD + touchscreen). Additionally, the touch capacity becomes vulnerable, should you damage your phone. This will make your phone less reparable than others—and, depending on the damage, you may end up with an inoperable iPhone 5.
Lastly, the new iPhone 5 looks to have a 9-pin dock connector instead of the traditional 30-pin dock connector that the 4S had. This means that Apple fans will have to purchase the new dock connector and throw away the old one (unless you intend to keep the old 4S). If you choose to recycle your iPhone 4S model, you can receive an Apple gift card of $345 towards the purchase of the iPhone 5 or iPhone 5 accessories (or older iPhone 4 or 4S accessories, if you remain with older iPhones and refrain from the iPhone 5 purchase).
Despite all the hype, there are rumored features that will not appear in the iPhone 5, according to tech experts:
- Near Field Communication (NFC)
- Liquipel, or waterproof coating
- Holographic display
- Rubberband technology
- Fingerprint scanning
Near Field Communication allows two phones in proximity to transfer information or “beam” (to use an Android term) information from one phone to another. The new iPhone 5 will not have NFC, so you cannot use Google Wallet on your iPhone 5 to purchase food, clothing, gas, and other conveniences. There will be no Liquipel coating or waterproof coating at all. This was a rumor that kindled a lot of fire earlier this Spring (2012), but has died down since before this past summer. Liquipel coating will cost you anywhere from $65-$75 per phone, and you can send your phone to Liquipel and request the waterproof coating work for your iPhone if you prefer. Fingerprint scanning has become a possibility for the iPhone, but chances are, this technology is too novel for Apple to place in its iPhone 5. After all, Apple just acquired the fingerprint company AuthenTec a few weeks ago—so it looks as though it will take a few months before Apple is comfortable with releasing the new fingerprint technology. Some tech experts seem to think that the acquisition of AuthenTec to Apple is nothing more than Apple striking back at Samsung (AuthenTec was a company Samsung hired for a few of its services). I place fingerprint scanning in the same category as voice demand: while it is an excellent piece of technology, it needs more time to develop. Fingerprint scanning will certainly exist with the iPhone 6, however.
This Wednesday will be quite a surprise, as Apple reveals its newest tech gadget. At the same time, however, it is fun to read of the rumors and meditate on what is to come.
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