The iPhone 5 News Blog

The Chinese language Commercial Times ‘s Jia-Xi Liu reports that Apple has quietly begun a trial production run of the iPhone 5S, which is projected to ship in volume in the first quarter of 2013, along with new versions of the iPad and iTV, also noting that “new low-priced products” are also expected to debut, with Apple apparently planning to throw its one-upgrade-per-year coinciding with an operating system version upgrade precedent overboard.

Digitimes has posted an English-language summary report.

The Commercial Times article says the new iPhone 5S update will officially commence trial production in December with an estimated 5 to 10 million unit initial run, with a number of Taiwanese and Japanese manufacturers to become major suppliers of iPhone components.
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While iOS 6 beta and new MacBooks are a foregone conclusion for this year’s WWDC, the tech intelligentsia say nay to an iPhone 5 announcement. But enthusiasts are holding out hope. How will the WWDC go down? Will we have a “One More Thing” moment this year? Do you foresee another surprise hardware announcement for the WWDC other than the iPhone 5? Post your complete WWDC predictions here.

So, this is it — again. For the second year in a row, the WWDC has rolled around, and for the second time, there is some anticipation that the iPhone 5 could make a surprise announcement. Granted, you’re not likely to find many voices in the press raising that specter of possibility — remember: all those guys were burned last year, when there was decidedly more optimism and enthusiasm in the rumor mill that the iPhone 5 would be announced at WWDC 2011.

I guess that the second time around, nobody wants to get let down again. What a sorry, broken-hearted lot they are.

As we have laid out on this blog previously, there are plenty of pros and cons to the possibility of the iPhone 5 announcement at this year’s WWDC. Admittedly, the pros are a lot more capricious and driven by hope-filled and rumor-fueled flights of fancy, while the cons are based on stoic, sober, and conservative analyses. But what cannot be denied is this: these past few weeks leading up to the WWDC have been remarkably similar to the three weeks ahead of the iPad 3 announcement: with the iPad 3, we saw leaked parts that for the most part foreshadowed its release, and the rumored features all but came true.

We’ve seen a similar set of rumors and photos for the iPhone 5 recently. The only difference is that the sources who are releasing the photos and rumors are telling us “September” or “October.” If the photos of the new iPhone 5 parts are real, then it’s hard to reconcile such a long wait at this point — 3 or 4 months?

Because there are so many rumors and theories out there, I thought it would be fun to post an article here on the iPhone 5 News Blog today to serve as a forum for all of the readers and commenters of this blog to predict what we’re going to see at the WWDC come tomorrow. What will iOS 6 look like? Will we see the iPhone 5 after all? What do you expect from the new MacBooks? And if not an iPhone 5, could one of the other exciting, rumored Apple products get a surprise announcement? All of these questions are still floating around some 24 hours before the start of the conference. Read More

The banners have gone up at the WWDC depicting the new iOS 6 logo and tagline that appears to be much less cryptic than last year’s. Why is Apple doing less to hype the new iOS?

Every year before the WWDC, some of the top tech media outlets do a little snooping around the Moscone Center to get a glimpse at what Apple is doing with their banner ads ahead of the conference’s official launch. The appearance of iOS banners is never big news in and of itself — a new iOS is always expected at the WWDC. But the design of the banner, logo, and tagline — always imbued by Apple’s marketing and PR department with clues to the up-coming release — are always the focus of fun analysis and banter on the part of Apple enthusiasts.

This year, the iOS 6 banner features a different icon for the number, and as I suggested over on the iOS 6 News Blog, I think it looks conspicuously “Facebook blue,” which could foreshadow the deep Facebook integration with iOS 6 that many believe to be coming.

There’s not much else to parse, except for the tagline: “The world’s most advanced operating system.” That’s a bold, easy statement to make — and also the kind of statement that you’d better be able to back up. In my recent iOS 6 blog article, I imagined the debut of a radically smarter Siri — for all we know, it’ll be giving Tim Cook marital advice up on stage. We’ve seen in recent star-studded Siri ads a depiction of a wittier, more intuitive Siri. Perhaps this is what Apple will use to substantiate such claims.

But the reason I wanted to post something here on the iPhone 5 News Blog about this banner for iOS 6 is because it is remarkably less cryptic than last year’s iOS 5 banner. Take a look: Read More

With the exception of Apple Maps and a fuller Siri, iOS 6 has been characterized early as a refresh, with only nominal user interface changes. But with what we’re hearing about possible integration innovations, iOS 6 might have more under the hood than meets the eye.

We haven’t discussed iOS 6 in great detail, leaving the heavy lifting to our sister website, the iOS 6 News Blog. However, we would be remiss if we didn’t open up a discussion about iOS 6 as we head into the final days before the WWDC. While the proud, few June iPhone 5 Truthers continue to make their case for a surprise announcement at the WWDC keynote, and still others anticipating a new round of MacBooks, the most certain release for this year’s Developer’s Conference is the beta version of iOS 6.

If you’re a hard core Apple geek, then you’ve probably already read scores of “iOS 6 wish lists” around the tech blogosphere. But if you’re an average Joe iPhone user who embarrassingly has little or no idea what the heck iOS even is, that’s perfectly ok: all you need to know is that iOS is Apple’s own mobile operating system — the program that runs the iPhone and iPad — and that this year’s version, iOS 6, is anticipated to have some cool, new features. Among them, the much-hyped Apple Maps.

When you think about it, it’s absurd that iPhone users have had to slum it with a stripped down version of Google Maps for their iPhone experience all these years, all while Android users have had access to the feature-rich version of Google’s Map, complete with turn-by-turn navigation. Well, Apple is finally launching its own version of Maps, and it is believed that not only will it have turn-by-turn navigation, but also will feature artsy, 3D maps renderings and the ability to integrate with your calendar and other data that deals with geolocation.

In fact, integration is fast becoming the buzz word for iOS 6 as we head into the WWDC. Read More

New evidence that iOS 6 beta is on its way to WWDC 2012.

Doubtless you’ve heard that iOS 6 beta is all but a lock for the WWDC this year, as reported by a bit of iCloud code recently unearthed by some folks over a 9to5Mac. For as much as the finding is pretty cool, I don’t think that this news should come as a surprise to anyone: Apple has kept the release of new iOS versions pretty consistent. Even last year, when the iPhone release cycle got a bit topsy-turvy, they still at least got the beta version of iOS 5 out for developers to test, all in anticipation for the fall-release iPhone 4S.

In previous years, developers got their hands on beta versions of the new iOS with ample time to test and peruse it so that the alpha version was ready for the WWDC. Thus, the new iPhone was able to ship with the new operating system. There has obviously been no public release of iOS 6 beta prior to the WWDC this year — no one has really seen it, apparently, since it most likely would have leaked — so, this means that the only way the iPhone 5 is coming in June is if ships in late June-early July with iOS 5.1, or maybe a 5.2 build.

The big question is: is that plausible? However you answer it determines whether a June-released iPhone 5 is possible or impossible. Read More

iOS 5.1 is purported to contain 4G LTE code, suggesting that the iPhone 5 could be announced in June, even if iOS 6 is still in beta production. But would Apple launch the iPhone 5 without iOS 6?

A few weeks back, CNET blogger Joe Aimonetti put together an interesting blog post, laying out a discovery made by iDownload Blog tipster Krishna Sagar that code within iOS 5.1 that would allow for 4G LTE connectivity. Aimonetti explains that “Using iFile on a jailbroken iPhone 4 (running iOS 5.1, of course) Sagar was able to find code strings indicating 4G connectivity actions during phone calls, including code that ends a 4G call when FaceTime is activated.” He hedges any absolute claims of the iPhone 5 will be 4G, saying that the discovery of this new code “doesn’t necessarily mean the next iPhone will be 4G LTE-ready,” but he does note that it appears the software side of “4G connectivity is already inserted into iOS and, if the hardware allows, can be implemented.” In other words, all we need at this point is the hardware.

The angle of this particular story is that Apple is indeed working on a 4G LTE iPhone 5 — a story line that is all but assumed at this point, thanks to the 4G connectivity of the iPad 3. For this reason, some may have passed over this iOS 5.1 4G code revelation as a mere retread of what we already know. What I find interesting about it, however, is that, if the current form of iOS 5.1 would enable a 4G LTE iPhone 5, could this mean that Apple will launch the iPhone 5 with iOS 5.1 (or maybe an iOS 5.2), giving them the opportunity to debut iOS 6 beta at the WWDC and releasing it in full sometime in the fall? Clearly, Apple could do this if iOS 5.1 contains all of the functionality needed to equip the iPhone 5 with 4G.

But would Apple release a new iPhone with a mere refresh of the current iOS?

Apple enthusiasts are always looking for discernible patterns in their products’ release schedules, in spite of the fact that Cupertino seems to go out of its way to explode expectations. One thing has been fairly consistent, however: the new iPhone has religiously debuted with an alpha version of a new iOS. Even last year, when the WWDC came around, revealing only the testing version of iOS 5, we didn’t get an iPhone 5 to go with it; it wasn’t until the fall, when iOS 5 was ready to roll that we got the 4S hardware to go with it. Using this model, we’d need to see iOS 6 beta introduced very soon in order for it to have a chance at debuting at the WWDC in June along with the iPhone 5.

If Apple were to run and ship the iPhone 5 with iOS 5.1 or 5.2 instead, it would most certainly break with tradition. It appears that the current operating system — or perhaps one more refresh of it — could handle the job of ushering in Apple’s first 4G smartphone, but would Apple really go this route?

The answer, in my opinion, depends heavily on marketing, not technology. Last year’s iOS 5 and iPhone 4S emphasized software innovations, not major hardware advancements. While there were some hardware upgrades, such as the camera sensor and A5 processor, Apple made iOS 5, iCloud, and Siri the centerpieces of its marketing campaign for the 4S. And it should come as no surprise: Apple has been very clear that they often seek to innovate on the software side of things first.

Whereas the iPhone 4S’s marketing strategy had to be predicated on software enhancements — since it didn’t get the form factor or larger screen upgrade that many were hoping for — the iPhone 5 is slated to be a big hardware overhaul. By all accounts, we are going to see a new form factor and a larger screen, along with a new processor, an even better camera sensor than what we’ve got on the 4S, and who knows what else.

If these features are going to be the major selling points for the iPhone 5, could Cupertino skate by with iOS 5.1? It isn’t an easy question to answer, since as recently as the iPad 3′s launch, we saw Apple utilizing all of the new apps and software updates to really highlight the new iPad’s Retina display. With that in mind, one can imagine that they will want to do the same with the iPhone 5, rolling out a ton of new software enhancements that will inevitably come with iOS 6.

But let’s not forget: shipping the iPhone 5 with iOS 5.1 or 5.2 and not the brand-new iOS 6 will not be a deal-breaker for the average user. While geekdom will wring its hands over a move like that, the vast majority of people who will come to own an iPhone 5 won’t even bat an eyelash; if it looks cool, they’ll buy it.

What we can take out of this, however, is that, even without iOS 6 ready to go at the WWDC, it appears that Apple may indeed have the software means to still release the iPhone 5 in June.

By Michael Nace

Mixed reports indicate that iOS 5.1 has delivered a definitive fix to the iPhone 4S’s battery drain issue for some users, while making the issue worse for others.

Among the new features and fixes included in iOS 5.1, nothing was more anticipated than the prospect of the latest version of iOS 5 finally improving the battery drain woes for iPhone 4S users. Ever since the 4S’s release last fall, users have complained of significantly diminished battery longevity as compared with previous iPhone models. iOS 5.1 was pegged as the update that would curtain the poor battery performance on the iPhone 4S by fixing and optimizing the way Apple’s mobile operating system runs apps and uses battery power. So, has iOS 5.1 delivered positive results in this respect?

The reports are middling at best.

Lance Whitney at CNET wrote an article about the issue last Friday that reveals conflicting evidence that iOS 5.1 has done anything substantial to the battery life of the 4S. Citing online comments and anecdotal reports, Whitney leads off by saying that “Apple’s new iOS 5.1 seems to be getting better grades at preserving battery life. But not everyone is happy,” revealing that there is now a subset of 4S users who are noticing even worse battery drain issues with iOS 5.1, compared to the earlier 5.0.1. Whitney concludes that “overall, the verdict isn’t quite in yet. The update seems to have helped many disgruntled iOS users but has left others with the same drain or one even worse.”

IBT is much more optimistic in its review of the battery fix on iOS 5.1. Citing Apple’s own admission that “the update contains a number of improvements and bug fixes that include the one affecting battery life on devices running iOS 5,” IBT‘s own audit of comments on Twitter, Reddit, and its own website reveal a plurality of 4S users who have detected better battery performance. The IBT article also lists all of the fixes and upgrades in iOS 5.1, so it is definitely worth checking out.

Planet Insane‘s take on the issue, however, is far less optimistic on iOS 5.1′s battery boosting benefits. Planet Insane notes that “It appears that the same battery drain problem is still affecting a number of users of iOS devices despite the latest iOS 5.1 of Apple.”

At present, there is no scientific poll or survey to point to really get any kind of empirical evidence one way or another. The closest thing thus far is a study conducted by OS X Daily that gives iOS 5.1 high marks for fixing the battery issue, but it’s hard to reconcile their findings with so many iPhone 4S users still complaining about the issue.

My feeling on the matter from the outset has been that the iPhone 4S suffers from a hardware mismatch: Apple used the same battery pack from the iPhone 4, but replaced the A4 processor with a more high-performance A5. By definition, this increase in processing without matching it with a commensurate battery pack would seemingly lead to poorer battery life.

But I’m starting to question that rationale.

If the battery issue on the iPhone 4S was entirely the result of the A5 processor under-equipped with the iPhone 4′s battery, then the battery drain issues would be more uniform throughout the 4S community: iOS 5.1 would either fix the problem on a widespread level, or it wouldn’t. But with both the iOS 5.0.1 and 5.1 updates, we’ve seen a mix of wide-ranging feedback about what it has done to the battery issue: some report improvements, others a decline, while still others report no change. This might in fact speak more to a software issue, where the idiosyncratic choice of apps that individual users run on their iPhones are affecting performance. It would explain why each new iOS 5 iteration affects users differently.

By Michael Nace

Users were surprised to see the 4G icon appear on iPhone this week, in connection with the release of iOS 5.1. Unfortunately for iPhone users, iOS 5.1 doesn’t magically change their device from 3G to 4G.

The New iPad may be heralding in a new generation of soon-to-come Apple mobile devices that run on 4G LTE networks, but a misleading byproduct of the newly released iOS 5.1 operating system had many current iPhone users wondering if Apple had somehow managed to upgrade their current smartphones from 3G to 4G simply on the software side. Almost immediately after iOS 5.1 began running, readers here on the iPhone 5 News Blog commented optimistically that now it appeared that they were running on the 4G network.

Unfortunately, this was a 4G fake out, dished up by iOS 5.1 and the folks at Apple.

TG Daily brings us down to earth: “Apple has never launched a 4G device before. The new iPad, which goes on sale next week, will be the first. The new iPad will run iOS 5.1, the same software that iPhone 4S owners are updating to. So, the long and the short of it is most likely Apple changed the operating system’s display so that the 4G icon would start showing up, but somehow whatever algorithm it used to determine if a user is in a 4G zone is being triggered by iPhone 4S customers.”

Fortunately, this has only been an issue for AT&T customers — Verizon customers are still maintaining their customary 3G status.

In a strange twist, this is not the first “4G fake-out” that iPhone users have had to endure. You will recall that, last year, much was said about AT&T’s desire to stick the 4G label on the iPhone thanks to its HSPA+ network, which, at its peak, runs at speed that are within the guidelines of 4G LTE. While AT&T saw this loophole as a tactical marketing advantage — being able to claim having the only 4G iPhone — the suggestion was met with skepticism and criticism by the iPhone community.

By Michael Nace

As Gomer Pyle loved to say, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!”

Prior to announcing the “new iPad”, Apple revealed a brand new Apple TV as well as iOS 5.1. To much expectation, Apple furnished its hobby with true 1080p video. You will be able to view full HD quality videos from iCloud via the iTunes store as well as from YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr. To celebrate the better resolution, a new look was also added with buttons in place of text to navigate between Netflix, MLB, NHL, iTunes, Settings, and so forth. There was no mention of this new interface making an appearance to existing Apple TVs.

According to Apple’s spec sheet, there is no support for Bluetooth 4 as many had hopped. The standard silver infrared remote remains the way to navigate the dazzling HD screen right out of the box. You can still use the Apple Remote, a free download, from the App Store for your iOS device if desire as well. The A5 chip still powers the square hockey puck which was also believed needed to be updated to handle the 1080p capabilities. This will surly fuel debate why the current Apple TVs can not produce HD quality video in the coming weeks.

The updated Apple TV will remain at the low price of $99 and available March 16th, my birthday if anyone’s interesting in gifting one for me, with pre-orders being taken today.

Briefly mentioned, as if a black sheep, was the iOS 5.1 update. Tim Cook only stated that Siri now understands Japanese and that it would be available today. As of this writing, iTunes was unable to produce the update due to the error, “The iPhone software server could not be contacted”. This is most likely from the millions of people clicking “Check for Update” over and over awaiting the unknown feature set of iOS 5.1.

UPDATE: Per the update notice upon downloading iOS 5.1, these are the added features and bug fixes:

- Japanese language support for Siri
- Photos can now be deleted from Photo Stream
- Camera shortcut now always visible on Lock Screen
- Camera face detection now highlights all detected faces
- Redesigned Camera app for iPad
- Genius Mixes and Genius playlists for iTunes Match subscribers
- Audio for TV show and movies on iPad optimized to sound louder and clearer
- Podcast controls for playback speed and a 30 second rewind of iPad
- Updated AT&T network indicator
- Addresses bugs affecting battery life
- Fixes an issue that occasionally caused audio to drop for out going calls

Microsoft, for years known for frequently releasing new versions of Windows that would force users to upgrade in order to run hundreds of new applications and games incompatible with the old version, has now accused Apple of doing essentially the same thing with its new versions of iOS and the iPhone.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on how “New Microsoft mobile head Terry Myerson says that Apple’s habit of releasing software updates for current iPhones is really just a way to sell more hardware,” quoting him as saying, “I think Apple — you’re right, you can download iOS 5 for iPhone 3G, and it won’t be usable, but it’s possible to install …. It’s a great hardware sales tool as far as I can tell. Install this OS which makes your hardware unusably slow, so then you feel compelled to go back to the store and buy a new piece of hardware.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Terry Myerson doesn’t have a Wikipedia page yet, so I cannot readily access the year he was born. But looking at his photo, something tells me that Microsoft’s new Mobile czar is old enough to remember the days of rapidly released Microsoft Windows iterations of their illustrious past. Each time Microsoft released a new one, it put the Windows user in a tough spot: there would a rush of new games and applications that would only run on, for example, Windows 3.1. So, you’d go and buy Windows 3.1. Back in the day, the Windows updates weren’t cheap.

Can I get a witness?

Microsoft used this nifty little revenue model for all the years in the 80s and 90s that they dominated the world of desktop computing.

Apple, on the other hand, has managed to extend the lifecycle on the iPhone 3GS well beyond its years. Let us now forget, oh smartphone users, that the iPhone 3GS was released on June 19th, 2009 — it is mere months away from its three-year anniversary. And while Mr. Myerson’s claim that iOS 5 does not run optimally on the 3GS is true, there are plenty of anecdotal reports claiming that 3GS users are satisfactorily happy with its performance, in spite of the limitations.

In Adam Mills’ feisty article entitled “Hey! Terry Myerson! iOS 5 Works Pretty Good on My iPhone 3GS” on Gotta Be Mobile, he testifies with vigor on the merits of the iPhone 3GS running iOS 5: “I am an iPhone 3GS owner. I passed on the iPhone 4. And after much debate, I passed on the iPhone 4S as well. I own a Galaxy Nexus which currently is my number two device. My number one smartphone is my iPhone 3GS. Guess why. Do it. Because iOS 5 runs absolutely phenomenally on it. I have access to all of the new features. My battery life is still as good as it ever was. And I have access to the same apps that other iPhone owners have access to. My hardware is not unusably slow. I am not compelled to go to a store to pick up new hardware.”

Amen!

There’s plenty of testimony just like Mr. Mills’ above-quoted statement to refute Myseron’s claims about Apple cynically building iOSs that mothball old iPhones. So, let’s read between the lines and tease out what’s going on here with Microsoft.

This is actually the second time in as many months that a Microsoft executive has taken a swipe at their competition. You’ll recall not that long ago that we reported on Meg Whitman’s comments that Google could soon make the Android operating system closed-source. It’s also worth noting that Terry Myerson took a shot at Android as well, stating, “Statistically speaking, no Android phones get upgraded, none, ever. They have big bugs, they don’t even get patched. That’s what we’re seeing statistically out there.” Well, he’s actually right about that, but still. It is a concerted effort on the part of Microsoft to try to carve out a bigger piece of the market share pie for Windows smartphones.

And in a bid to perhaps undo the wrongdoings of their past, Microsoft is promising that Windows 8 will actually jive well with apps from Windows 7. The San Francisco Chronicle concludes: “Myerson promised that most current Windows Phone apps would still work on the next version, with no further work necessary from developers. (He promised “binary compatibility,” meaning they won’t have to be recompiled, as opposed to “source compatibility”.) This points to some kind of emulator in Windows 8 that will allow compatibility with legacy apps. (Personally, I think that emulators, as a rule, suck.)

One thing is clear: Microsoft’s new PR strategy is come out swinging, and try to suppress the buzz surrounding the iPhone and wide-cast net of Android smartphones. But it will take more than just acting like pricks to get people to take notice of Windows smartphones over the iPhone or Android. They’ve got a long way to go.

By Michael Nace