Category Archives: Rumors
iPhone Nano Rumored to Launch Later This Year
The iPhone Nano rumors are back.
China Times claims that according to their unnamed source, a cheaper entry-level iPhone will be released this year alongside the next generation iPhone.
According to China Times (via BGR):
Apple is looking to expand expand its position in the low-end smartphone market according to China Times, and its $375 iPhone 3GS is too pricey to compete with entry-level Android smartphones.
The purported iPhone Nano would simply be a smaller version of its current counterpart, denoted by the latter part of the name that coordinates with Apple’s small iPod Nano. It would be priced accordingly without the need for a contract with any provider. Currently, the entry-level unlocked iPhone 3GS is available for $375.
Alleged Photos Of Next-Generation iPhone Home Button Surfaces
Following a report earlier this month claiming that production has already began on the next-generation iPhone, a new rumor suggests that it will be receiving a slightly redesigned Home button.
If you were anticipating a redesigned oval-shaped capacitive touch Home button, then prepare to be disappointed (again, bearing in mind just how often this rumor has been regurgitated time and time again). The new rumored home button seems to have little aesthetic difference from the existing home button on the 4S.
However, there is bizarrely a rounded square that surrounds the entire button – which is still circular – like a border. It is unclear what difference this will make to the user. Again, the actual button is still circular, it just appears to have this unusual rounded border.
Apple Could Reduce Thickness of Next Generation iPhone by 15%
Last week, we reported that Apple could use in-cell touch panels in the next generation iPhonethat could allow it to make it thinner than iPhone 4S.
So the question was how much thinner? Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo at KGI Securities has answered that question in his recent report. He believes that Apple could reduce the thickness of the next generation iPhone to under 8mm compared to iPhone 4S, which is 9.3mm thick.
Here’s an excerpt from his report via MacRumors:
Since Apple’s smartphone competitors have generally slimmed down their high-end offerings to 7-8mm, Apple needs to make a leap forward from 4S’ 9.3mm thickness. We believe Apple will aim at 8mm or below (at least 1.4mm slimmer) for iPhone 5, in a bid to ensure brisk sales through 2014, while peers will also continue to introduce increasingly slim models next year.
As such, all iPhone 4S components that account for thickness must be slimmer, specifically, touch panel, battery and casing. Moreover, a marginal amount of space is required between the three parts for the sakes of assembly tolerance and thermal expansion of components.
iPhone Nano In The Pipeline For Fall Release? [REPORT]
If a concept idea for Apple product seems to make legitimate sense, the chances are, the rumor will resurface again and again until – if ever – that idea reaches fruition.
Much like the news last week that the purported iPhone 5 device would have a Liquidmetal outer shell, the murmurs of an iPhone “Nano” device are not exactly original. In a year in which some seem adamant a smaller iPad will, for some reason, be on the fruit company’s to-do list, the talk of a more entry-level iPhone are once again gathering some momentum.
China Times seems to reckon Tim Cook’s Cupertino-based outfit is plotting a cheaper iPhone this year, and although no specific names were named, the report cites sources from within Apple’s supply chain. Despite already being the most sought-after smartphone on the planet, Apple apparently wants to assert more of an authority in the lower-end of the smartphone food chain. Its current system of retailing older devices is still out of the price range of many consumers in the tough economic climate. The 3-year-old iPhone 3GS can still be purchased brand new, but at $375, it’s just too much now for what is very aging technology, and the popular Apple brand can only do so much in reeling in new business.
Apple Will Replace Your Faulty White iPhone 4 With An iPhone 4S, If You’re Lucky Enough
According to 9to5Mac, Apple has notified those behind its iconic Genius Bars that, due to a current shortage in numbers of the older device, customers requiring a replacement or hardware upgrade of their white, 16GB iPhone 4 are to – until further notice – be issued an iPhone 4S instead.
With Apple dropping a new smartphone annually, constantly owning the latest model can be expensive indeed. Since carriers now also tend to tie customers in for 18-24 months, some iPhone 4 owners will undoubtedly have – by choice or by force – decided to skip the iPhone 4S. In an unexpected turn of events, though, some of those consumers wielding the older device could find themselves getting a free upgrade, courtesy of the Cupertino company.
It’s important to note that whilst all stores are believed to have been notified in what we presume is a company-wide message, some will naturally have higher levels of stock than others. Thus, whether you get an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S could depend on which store you visit. 9to5Mac’s sources also confirmed that the notification has been issued to Apple Stores in the US and Canada, and it is unknown as to whether the shortage – or the makeshift replacement system – affects any other countries.