Rumors

Report: Next iPhone not coming until October?

Those who were expecting Apple to ship a follow-up to the iPhone 4 this summer may be in for a longer wait than usual.

A new report from Japanese Mac blog Macotakra says Apple is behind its usual schedule of ordering parts that go into the manufacturing process for the device. That change in pace could result in Apple shipping out a phone a few months later than the June time frame for the previous two models, and July for the iPhone 3G.

AppleInsider, which picked up on the report this morning, notes that the later timing would result in the next iPhone missing Apple's fiscal 2011, which concludes on September 24 this year.

Along with the timing news, Macotakra's report, which is based on its sources in China, notes that Apple has still not committed to changing the materials used on the back of the iPhone from glass to metal. Rumors of such a change had first cropped up in March, with a follow-up report a few weeks later by 9to5Mac that said Apple was indeed testing out prototypes of future iPhone designs with metal backs. … Read more

iPhone 5 rumors again claim NFC, A5, big screen

Another day, another iPhone 5 rumor. This time it comes from the China Times (translated), which is claiming that a prototype of Apple's next iPhone is already in the trial stages of production and will be packing a slightly larger screen, a Near Field Communications (NFC) chip, an A5 processor, and a tweaked antenna design that will combat attenuation when it arrives later this year.

The news, which was picked up by GadgetsDNA, comes following months of on-again, off-again news that Apple is exploring NFC in its products, with a larger goal of building out a payment network that … Read more

New York Times confirms future iPhones to get NFC payments

Though rumors about the next iPhone, expected to be released this summer, have consistently contained mentions of near field communication technology, The New York Times has confirmed that Apple has indeed been working on the feature, though how soon it may debut is still up for speculation.

The information comes to the paper from two people who say they have knowledge of the inner-workings of a future version of Apple's iPhone. Apparently, Qualcomm will produce an NFC chip to be included on the iPhone's processor, allowing people to simply scan their iPhone near a qualifying NFC reader … Read more

Report: No NFC chips in next iPhone

If you were hoping to start using the next iPhone as a mobile wallet, the wait might be a bit longer.

A report posted this morning by The Independent says that Apple does not plan to include a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip in the next version of the iPhone. The reasoning there, according to The Independent's sources at "several of the largest mobile operators in the UK," is that the current NFC standards landscape is fragmented, and Apple plans to introduce its own system, which could take well into next year to be readied.

NFC allows … Read more

Are these iPhone 5 engineering drawings?

The site iDealsChina is at it again, posting what it claims are CAD renderings of the next-generation iPhone, which many presume will be called the iPhone 5.

The site says the "mold engineering" drawings were created to help guide accessory manufacturers in the production of their protective cases. Some similar drawings leaked in advance of the iPad 2 launch and an iPad 2 mockup that was spotted at CES in January ended up looking very similar to the actual iPad 2, which went on sale today.

If the purported renderings are to be believed, the next iPhone will … Read more

iOS 4.3 code hints at A5 processor in next iPhone

Apple released the latest update to its iOS operating system just this morning, and already savvy coders have found signs that the company may be testing dual-core processors in the next version of the iPhone.

The iPad 2 is the first iOS device to ship with the A5, Apple's new dual-core processor that succeeds the A4. The A4 had been released first on the iPad before making its way to the iPhone 4, then later to the iPod Touch and Apple TV.

Riffing off the discovery of the A5 processor's code name within iOS 4.3's code by Chronic Dev group member Chronic, iOS developer Filippo Bigarella found mention of "N94AP," a code name that would signify a yet-to-be-released iPhone based on past device code names. The N94AP mention was then linked up with "S5L8940," the name for the A5 within the iOS code.

Is this a definitive sign the next iPhone will sport a dual-core processor? Certainly not, but it would jibe both with last year's processor refresh pattern of the iPad's chip trickling down to other iOS devices, and advanced notice of other Apple products from within development code. That was most recently the case with the Verizon iPhone, which was referenced in iOS 4 code back in August, some five months before it was officially announced.

(Via 9to5Mac) … Read more

iPhone 5 to look more like iPad 2?

With the iPad 2 launch in the rear-view mirror, we're back to the iPhone 5 rumors, and this week starts with one out of China by way of Taiwan's Economic Daily News and the Japanese blog Makotakara.

The gist of the talk is that Apple will be abandoning the glass back for an aluminum one, as well as ditching the external antenna, which has been a source of problems for Apple and forced the company to issue free "bumper" guards to prevent signal loss when the iPhone 4 was gripped very tightly.

The loose translation goes … Read more

More rumors of larger iPhone 5 screen

Here we go again with the rumors that the iPhone 5--or whatever Apple chooses to call its fifth-generation iPhone--will have a larger screen. This one comes out of China, where iDealsChina has posted what it claims is a photo of the front bezel or digitizer panel for the iPhone 5.

Here's the long caption that was posted along with the image, which was first noticed by 9to5Mac:

China's 1st iPhone 5 photo has surfaced! From this photo it seems that the screen size will be larger than iPhone 4. There has been a lot of speculation about a … Read more

Rumor: iPhone 5 to feature A5 processor, iPad 2 stays with A4

The oft-quoted DigiTimes, a Taiwanese tech industry favorite publication, has revealed that Apple is outsourcing the production of its A5 processor chip, which many expect will be based on the ARM Cortex A9 design and used in the forthcoming iPhone 5, to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

AppleInsider reports that Apple's A4 chip is currently produced by Samsung Electronics, but the move to Taiwan Semiconductor for production of the A5 chip is because of Samsung's inability to keep up with Apple's supply demands.

This rumor follows many regarding Apple's iPhone lineup, including a larger, 4-inch screen and … Read more

Report: Next iPhone to feature larger screen

On the heels of word that a smaller version of the iPhone is in the works, another report has emerged that says the fifth-generation smartphone will actually feature an expanded screen to take on Android devices' larger screens.

The new iPhone, which is expected to be released this summer, will feature a 4-inch screen and is already in testing, according to a Digitimes report that cited unnamed component suppliers.

The report of a larger screen is just one among many regarding the next iPhone that have materialized in the past couple of days.

Bloomberg reported Friday that Apple was working … Read more