The iPhone 5 News Blog

Apple is currently offering three iPhone models — the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and legacy model iPhone 3GS. But with the 2012 iPhone 5 possibly on tap in less than a year, how long will the iPhone 3GS & 4 remain available?

During the iPhone 5 rumor mill doldrums of the past summer, rumors of a dual-release iPhone 4S and iPhone never seemed all that plausible: how, after all, would Apple successfully sell an iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 4 all at the same time? But in spite of the fact that Apple held off on releasing the iPhone 5, we now find ourselves with three iPhone models being offered at the same time: Apple is still offering the 3GS via AT&T for $0 dollars (an early rumor that in fact came true!)

Because the iPhone 3GS is so “legacy” at this point, it doesn’t cause the “three’s a crowd” consumer confusion problem that the 5, 4S, and 4 would have together caused. That being said, when the iPhone 5 is released in 2012, will the iPhone 4S and 4 both still be available?

It’s safe to assume that the iPhone 3GS will drop from the ranks sooner rather than later, since production no longer exists for that model. According to AT&T’s website, the iPhone 3GS is now out of stock, meaning that Apple is simply selling off the last few that remain in their own warehouses. I’d be surprised if the 3GS stock even makes it to Christmas.

As for the iPhone 4, there doesn’t appear to be any information out there at present that suggests if it remains in production, and if not, what its shelf life may be from a supply standpoint. Granted, given the fact that the iPhone 4 and 4S both share many of the same parts, it is easier for Apple to keep it in production — it must be considerably less expensive to manufacture at this juncture, compared to the iPhone 4S.

The only shred of information I’ve been able to glean about the shelf life of the iPhone is from Sprint’s homepage, which has a link to their iPhone 4 product page that says, “while supplies last.”

Why would Sprint use the term “while supplies last” for a brand-new product like the iPhone 4? After all, Sprint just got the iPhone 4. It is highly likely that the iPhone 4 is currently winding down as well, and that Apple plans on phasing out the iPhone 4 in time for the announcement of the iPhone 5 is 2012, so that they can avoid having the iPhone 5, 4S, and 4 all being offered simultaneously.

I also think it suggests that the iPhone 5 could be released sooner than a year from now — such as at the WWDC.

This is just speculation on my part, but I would suggest that Apple will not keep the iPhone 4 in production once the iPhone 5 goes into mainstream production; even if the iPhone 4S and 4 share similar components, it is unlikely that Apple would stretch production demands like that. In this way, we can imagine that, once we hear that iPhone 4 has wined down, we can see this as a cue that iPhone 5 production may be beginning.

And if Sprint is already hinting of a slowdown in iPhone 4 production, then it isn’t unrealistic to assume that the iPhone 5 production schedule could get going in early 2012.

 By Michael Nace

Because so many iPhone users were expecting a redesigned iPhone, the disappointment of the iPhone 4S’s form factor — a reappropriation of the iPhone 4 — and the lack of the larger screen has disillusioned and diminished the excitement for the new iPhone in some circles. But Steve Jobs famously said this about design: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

That’s an important quote to consider while contemplating the coolness of the iPhone 4S — particularly when it comes to Siri.

Now, the early criticism of Siri is that it is little more than a catch-up to what Android has already featured with its voice recognition technology. But it’s important to note that, while Android’s ability to accurately recognize and display the words you speak — for instance, if you are composing a hands-free text message — is quite good, the ability to control an Android smartphone with voice command doesn’t even come close to the early glimpses of Siri.

I would argue that, from what I am seeing, Siri is the stuff that the future is made of.

It was not too many years ago that gesture control was a groundbreaking idea, and Jobs’ commitment to using our digits in stead of a stylus seemed like the wave of the future, when he proclaimed, “We’re going to use the best pointing device in the world. We’re going to use a pointing device that we’re all born with – born with ten of them. We’re going to use our fingers. We’re going to touch this with our fingers.” At that time, our fingers were the best pointing options. Who would have thought that, in 2011, we’d be pointing our iPhones in the right direction with our voice. This is a truly “futuristic” mobile technology.

And unlike Android’s voice command, Siri seems to have a similarly intuitive, artificial intelligence to Google’s own search algorithm, where it can discern your meaning — “catch your drift,” if you will. Google’s technology, known as Latent Semantic Indexing, or LSI, is able to crawl and index web pages so that it understands the meaning and crux of the page’s content. Siri operates in the same manner with what you say: you don’t have to make a perfect match of keyword phrases in order to successfully operate it.

This recent video illustrates what iPhone 4S users can expect from Siri:
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Mark Gurman over at 9to5Mac posted an interesting article yesterday that revealed a new apparition in Apple’s own inventory system. As we all know from past experiences, rumors and bits of evidence like this are usually easily questioned. But 9to5Mac seems to have come across a piece of iPhone 5 intel that seems c credible.

The article concerns the appearance of new iPhone and iPod Touch devices showing up in Apple’s inventory listing. Let’s leave aside the iPod Touch evidence (we’ll leave that to the iPod Touch rumor mill to parse), and just look at what Gurman and 9to5Mac have unearthed concerning the new iPhone.

According to their article, “Even more interesting are the two new iPhone SKUs that have showed up in the system. The catch is that these two SKUs are actually marked as tweaked iPhone 4s.” It’s important to note here that Gurman isn’t talking about the “iPhone 4S” — the rumored refresh model of the iPhone — but rather iPhone 4 in the plural sense. He goes on to explain that the new SKUs indicate an 8GB iPhone 4: “The new device’s codename is N90A and this represents very minor changes from the iPhone 4 – which is the N90. In fact, this may be an iPhone 4 – an 8GB version as previously rumored. It is very possible that the two SKUs mean black and white models, but that is unconfirmed.”

This is significant, because it points to Apple reducing the iPhone 4′s memory down to 8GB, much like what they have done in the past with legacy model iPhones, in a bid to cut the price way down as well and offer prospective iPhone users a value-priced entry model. If Mark Gurman’s article is true, then we seem to be witnessing Apple falling in lock-step with  what they normally do when a new iPhone comes out.

That’s iPhone — singular.

While it would be possible that Apple might feature a mid-priced, mid-featured iPhone 4S with more memory than the 8GB iPhone 4, it would stand to reason that, if Apple wanted to offer an iPhone 4 at higher storage capacity — even after the iPhone 5 is released — they would simply continue to offer the iPhone 4 as is. But this pattern is more in keeping with the status quo, as it shows that Apple wants to put a wide gap between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 both in price and features so that there is no overlap. If the models are too close to one another, prospective users may be more apt to purchase a cheap iPhone 4 and pass over the iPhone 5.

It’s worth noting that 9to5Mac also dispels any idea that these new Apple SKUs are for the iPhone 5: “We don’t think Apple’s next-generation iPhone – coming next week — would be labeled as an N90A – as it includes major internal hardware upgrades that would typically constitute a new codename. Additionally, the iPhone codename of N94 has appeared in the iOS SDK on numerous occasions.”

To be sure, it is still possible that the iPhone 4S and 5 could be on tap for the October 4th announcement, and all we’re seeing here is the dumbed down iPhone 4. But given this move by Apple, it’s still hard (for me, at least) to imagine Apple having three iPhone models at the same time, as it would seem to potentially cause product confusion.

By Michael Nace

Confused about distinctions differentiating the rumored iPhone 4S from the iPhone 5? Cult of Mac’s Buster Heine endeavors to shed some light on the conundrum, noting that while the next iPhone will be the product’s 5th generation version, that doesn’t necessarily mean its name will be “iPhone 5,” observing that the iPhone 4 has thus far been the only iPhone model with a name that matched its slot on the iPhone generational timeline.

Heine points out that the second generation got tagged iPhone 3G in recognition of its 3G wireless network support, while with the third generation, the iPhone (form factor carried over from the 2nd-gen 3G) got designated 3GS – the “S” signifying “speed” provided by a faster CPU, more RAM, and a camera upgrade.

Mindful of that precedent, Heine deduces that Apple will either stick with a sequential naming convention, a decision that would likely accompany a substantial form factor redesign, or alternatively go the same route they did with the iPhone 3GS if the 5th-gen Apple phone is more a speed bump and feature enhancement encased in a carried-over iPhone 4 form factor, in which case (no pun intended) iPhone 4S would be more logical and likely nomenclature.

So what to expect? Currently either way is speculation, with duelling and often contradictory rumors and purported insider intelligence duking it out in the blogosphere. Heine thinks that if the new iPhone arrives with an A5 processor, an aluminum back, larger screen, a capacitive home button, a thinner, tapered form factor and a higher-resolution camera, think “iPhone5.” Conversely, if the upgrade consists mainly of a dual-core A5 processor, plus a camera upgrade and redesigned antenna, and “world phone” GSM/ CDMA ambidexterity “iPhone 4S” is a stronger probability.

So which will it be?

Heine thinks that for a time there was reason to deduce that Apple’s original intent was to make it “both” rather than “either/or,” with a redesigned iPhone 5 in the vanguard and an iPhone 4S filling the slot currently occupied by the iPhone 3GS. However, he says that the latest scuttlebutt about iPhone 5 production startup hiccups and delays is inclining him more to the school of thought that favors the scenario of the Fall 2011 iPhone release not featuring a form factor redesign. He allows that while the latter should not yet be entirely ruled-out, and an iPhone unveiled next month that looks different than the iPhone 4, it’s looking more and more improbable, and even if the appearance stays largely the same, Apple could still make a marketing decision to call it iPhone 5 based on it’s being the fifth generation (and also perhaps in recognition of iOS 5 being released concurrently.

However, he hedges that Apple could also go with “4S” on a redesigned enclosure product, so its still an imponderable, and the only think that we know for sure is that Apple has done spectacular job of keeping us in the dark.

Looking a bit farther into the future Tiernan Ray of Barrons’ Tech Trader Daily cites Wedbush Securities analyst Scott Sutherland predicting continued Apple dominance in connected devices and the release of two iphone models; an iPhone 4S sometime in the next few weeks and the a top-of-the-line iPhone 5 as replacement for the iPhone 4 plus a lower-priced model targeting emerging markets to come in January with LTE (4G) support and CDMA/GSM world phone connetivity.

Finally for blog entry, Appleinsider’s Kasper Jade reports that Apple is denying requests for employee vacations that would fall from from October 9th through 12th and October 14th through 15th. Jade projects a scenario shaping up with Apple first announcing its fifth-generation iPhone plans on October 4th, then releasing iOS 5 on Monday, October 10, and the Gen-5 iPhone availability starting October 15. Jade cites precedent for this sort of staged release in Apple’s first releasing iOS 4.0 on June 21 last year, then the iPhone 4 on June 24. and in 2009 releasing iOS 3.0 (AKA iPhone Software 3.0) on June 17 and the iPhone 3GS on June 21.

With the new iPhone, in whatever form it ultimately materializes, coming October 4 — according to Al Gore — current model iPhone 4 resale values can reasonably be expected to take a nosedive.

CNET’s Josh Lowensohn reports that many iPhone 4 owners are opting to sell them now to beat the anticipated price plunge that will follow the new model announcement(s), with http://www.gazelle.com/ third-party electronics trade-in service Gazelle telling him that people trying to flog their used iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 3GSs and iPhone 4s have spiked up 84% compared with two weeks ago.

“This launch has been so delayed and overdue, there’s definitely a lot more of a hype,” Anthony Scarsella, Gazelle’s “chief gadget officer” told Lowensohn in a phone interview. “For us, this is really an unprecedented behavior, as gadget owners always wait–usually until a new product is announced — to trade in.”

THe tricky part of getting a jump on the price crash is of course what to do for a handset in the interval between selling and getting one’s hands on the new model (which may be announced before it’s actually available, although Apple is rumored to be building stock this time prior to the announcement in order to prevent a replay of what happened with the iPad 2 last spring), at least for folks who don’t have more than one phone.

Anyway, Lowensohn says Gazelle is offering a 30-day price lock, guaranteeing the price even if it goes down during the time lag between making the provisional transaction and the device reaching Gazelle for inspection.

Selling Your Old iPhone

AppleHeadlines’ Brian offers some tips on getting top dollar for your old iPhone, including:

• Stay jailbroken

• Wait till Apple signals a forthcoming announcement and then act act quickly, which would mean soon if Gore was correct, although you might need a tide-you-over cheapo phone for a few weeks

• Craigslist, not eBay, based on Brian’s personal experience

He also has some interesting analysis of pricing.

Speaking of which, this graph from NextWorth, another consumer electronics trade-in service, shows how trade-in values will likely start to drop rapidly prior to, and after, the new iPhone announcement.

To help consumers make an informed decision about when to trade in their current model, NextWorth looked at what happened after last year’s iPhone 4 announcement and the subsequent decline in trade-in values of the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

The data show that trade-in values of previous phone models begin to drop even before the actual announcement of the new version (now, in this instance).

Noting the potential difficulties associated with trading without the new model available for purchase, NextWorth will lock in a trade-in value for 21 days, so users can start trading now in anticipation and not be without a phone, or at least be without it for a shorter time.

BGR’s Zach Epstein is reporting that Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair In a note to investors on Wednesday, says that manifold rumors to the contrary, the only new iPhone model Apple will be launching this this fall will be a modest upgrade closely resembling the current iPhone 4. Blair says Apple will hold a special event between September 28th and October 5th (October 4 is being widely pipped as der Tag as Michael reported here yesterday, at which several new devices (another likely prospect is a white iPod touch, and 3G support for either color touches) of but only one of them will be an iPhone, and in Blair’s estimation, it’ll more likely an incremental update as opposed to a clean slate redesign iPhone 5. Epstein cites Blair commenting in his note:

“We expect the focus of the new iPhone will be iOS 5, a speedier A5 processor and a higher resolution 8 MP camera with a small possibility of a larger 4 inch screen. We believe the casing will be largely similar to the iPhone with some particular modifications to the antennae [sic]. We don’t expect a second, dramatically different iPhone to accompany this as we don’t think Apple needs to have 3 models in the market to address the high end, mid-tier and low end since the iPhone 4 (with memory lowered to 8 GB) will drop to $99 and effectively attack those markets.”

Daniel Eran Dilger of Appleinsider, which also obtained a copy of Blair’s note to investors, says that notwithstanding anticipation that’s been building over the past few months regarding a redesigned iPhone 5, Blair thinks launching two new iPhone models wouldn’t make sense for Apple, reasoning – “Why would Apple bump up only the processor specs of the iPhone 4 in addition to a newly designed iPhone 5 if the goal is to sell it into the pre-paid market at a lower cost?… “a 4S would simply cost more and a 4S itself wouldn’t create a mid-tier market unless it was priced at $99 and the iPhone 4 went to $49 with the new iPhone at $199. We see this scenario as unlikely.”

Of course, Apple could end up calling an A5-hotrodded iPhone 4 with a few other tweaks the new iPhone 5, but the wisdom of that would seem dubious without a major hardware redesign.

Jonathan Ratner of Canada’s influential Financial Post reports today that J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz is predicting that Apple will launch two new iPhone models this fall — the much-anticipated iPhone 5 with a fresh form factor and also an “iPhone 4-plus” (possibly AKA “iPhone 4S”?) carrying over the current iPhone 4 and targeting the massive burgeoning smartphone market in China.

Indeed, in our brainstorming and speculation about Apple’s iPhone hardware roadmap, it should be taken into consideration that the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the antipodes are not the only markets in play, and China especially, with its 1.33 billion increasingly comsumer-oriented citizens, is destined to loom large in corporate IT product planning and decision-making. For some perspective, Jonathan Ratner’s article notes that Chinese service carriers China Mobile and China Telecom have approximately 600 million and 100 million subscribers, respectively, while Sprint and T-Mobile USA are at 52 million and 33 million subscribers respectively. The implications should be clear.

Ratner cites Moskowitz musing in his Monday note to J.P. Morgan clients that a device targeting China could add to Apple’s already robust super growth rates in Asia, noting that his firm’s research indicated that the iPhone 5 will be based on a lighter, thinner form factor ambidextrously GSM and CDMA capable — ergo: “world-mode” smartphone, but not to be looking for LTE/4G support this time around. Moskowitz also thinks the the iPhone 5 will have a larger retina display and the 8 megapixel camera with LED flash that many rumors have been predicting, a CPU based on the iPad 2′s A5 processor or even an A6 (the latter which I think highly unlikely unless the iPhone 5 is delayed again until early 2012 — see more on that below), 1GB of RAM, increased battery life due to more efficient battery and power management technologies.

[UPDATE: iPhone Arena's Daniel P. has posted some spy shots found on China's Weibo - a Twitter-esque social networking service, that may or may not be of the CPU that will power the iPhone 5 (and/or 4S), so take this one with a grain of salt, but comparison with iFixit's iPhone 4 teardown pictures make it interesting specualtion.]

The iPhone 4-plus would be based on the current iPhone and displace the $99 iPhone 3GS as Apple’s entry-level smartphone model, but while Moskowitz expects it to especially be promoted by Chinese service carriers, but it’s unlikely that Apple would limit it exclusively to Asian markets.

White iPhone 4S Allegedly Spotted In AT&T’s Inventory System, And Another iPhone 5 Delay Looming?

Meanwhile, SlashGear’s Chris Davies reports that a reference to the iPhone 4S is rumored to have been spotted in AT&Ts internal inventory systems, with a leaked screenshot showing purported listing of a white iPhone 4S alongside existing iPhone 3G and four variants of the iPhone 4.

Davies observes that a iPhone 4S model is rumored to become Apple’s new entry-level device aimed at cost-conscious postpaid customers and offered with a prepay option as well, providing Apple with a market foil against low- and mid-price Android device competition.

However, somewhat ominously, Davies says scuttlebutt he’s been hearing suggests that rather than rolling out both the iPhone 4S and a clean slate iPhone 5 simultaneously, that due to rumored production difficulties and stock shortages that are rumored to be likely to last into early 2012 for iPhone 5 componentry, Apple may be forced to delay its debut and release the iPhone 4S on its own as a stopgap.

Purported Apple ‘iPhone 4S’ Parts Surface

Fueling iPhone 4S speculation and conjecture, Appleinsider’s Sam Oliver reports that new parts claimed to be for an upgraded iPhone 4 model have been sent to AppleInsider by iRepair India, sourced from the consumer electronics manufacturing metropolis if from Shenzhen in southern China, and claimed to be for a soon-to-be-released “iPhone 4S” model.

Oliver says the unnamed individual (identified as a senior iRepair India exec) who sent the components referred to the handset as an “iPhone 4GS,” which might be considered corroborative indication that the refreshed iPhone 4 model could be destined to displace the iPhone 3GS in Apple’s smartphone lineup.

The supplier insider also claimed there will be “no iPhone 5 this year,” which would jibe with what SlashGear’s Chris Davies is reporting related above, and that that sample parts of virtually all components of the purported “iPhone 4S” are available for purchase, including the battery, camera, home button, dock connector assembly, and display glass, and that they’re “really, really” sure the components are genuine (Oliver has posted photos with his Appleinsider report).

This saga isn’t over yet!

A new report indicates that Apple may be preparing to discontinue the bumper for the iPhone 4, suggesting the iPhone 5 may sport an aluminum or LiquidMetal back — or that we may indeed be getting two new models. But where would this leave the iPhone 4?

In 2010, Apple’s foray into the iPhone case game became more of a PR necessity than new revenue stream last summer, when the iPhone 4′s bumper was offered by Cupertino as a work-around to the antennagate issue. Now, it appears that Apple is set to phase out the bumper, which suggests that the next iPhone will feature a fix to any of the iPhone 4′s antenna problem.

According to 9to5Mac, “As Apple’s next-generation iPhone festivities come closer to reality, Apple appears set to discontinue their Bumper case – the controversial $30 accessory which Apple provided free of charge to users complaining about their iPhone 4 antenna connection.”

9to5Mac suggests that the phasing out of the iPhone 4 bumper may be an indication of an iPhone 5 will feature a new form factor, shape, and dimensions, seeing this possible development as more evidence that the next iPhone will diverse in design enough from the iPhone 4 that either a new Apple-branded case would need to be developed.

Of course, there are some other possibilities to consider as well.

For one, a discontinuation of the bumper could suggest that the next iPhone will indeed retain the iPhone 4′s form factor sans the glass back. It has been rumored for quite some time now that Apple would utilize either an aluminum or LiquidMetal back, which would in turn curtail the antenna issues. If this is the plan, then there would be little need for a bumper.

Second, it is also possible that this fairly innocuous rumor suggests the “two model” theory that 9to5Mac is rolling out today, which circumstantially connects with Case-Mate’s leaked iPhone 5 cases yesterday: “We’ve heard that there are indeed two different models of iPhone coming out next month (announced this month?)  We still think October 7th is the scheduled release date give or take any delays.  We’ve heard the low-end model, which is essentially an iPhone 4 look-alike (glass front and back), is rolling off the assembly line in big numbers right now.  Apple expects to have 10+ million of these things on hand for launch and full ramped production into the holiday shopping season.  These will be priced aggressively and be everywhere.”

The reason why the bumper phase-out might support this rumor is that, if Apple offers both the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5 in the last quarter of 2011, then maybe the iPhone 4 will be discontinued along with the 3Gs? We’ve talked on the Blog before about the possible difficulties of Apple offering three iPhone models, and how it could confuse customers and undercut Apple’s sales models for the U.S., much like how “Plus”-grade gasoline gets overlooked at the pump. Thus, making a clean break of the iPhone 3Gs and 4 would put both new models in the limelight.

In any case, it would seem more and more likely that Apple will be altering the next iPhone (or iPhones) enough to make the bumper obsolete. For all we know, Apple will continue to innovate with covers, cases, and accessories, as they have done with the iPad 2′s Smart Cover. Perhaps we can expect a similar-styled protective accessory for the iPhone 5 as well.

By Michael Nace

Sprint Memo Suggests iPhone 5 To Launch Before October 15
Beta 7 Build Of iOS 5 Points To Imminent iPhone 5 Announcement
Longer iPhone 4 Ship Times Also Point To Imminent iPhone 5 Announcement
iPhone 4 Sales Remain “Robust” Notwithstanding iPhone 5 Enthusiast Hype

——–Sprint Memo Suggests iPhone 5 To Launch Before October 15

CNET Crave’s Joe Svetlik reports that the iPhone 5 will launch sometime before October 15 if a leaked internal Sprint memo reported by SprintFeed is accurate.

Svetlik cites the memo saying: “Due to the possibility of a major phone launch in October, we are blacking out September 30th through October 15th,” and putting the kibosh on staff holidays between those dates, also noting a Bloomberg report that Sprint will sell the iPhone 5 with an unlimited data plan.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/sprint-getting-the-iphone-with-unlimited-data-canceling-employee-vacations/4352?Znet’s James Kendrick also reports that Sprint is expected to be offering the new iPhone with an unlimited data plan and on the leaked memo rumor.

Beta 7 Build Of iOS 5 Points To Imminent iPhone 5 Announcement

Meanwhile, Beatweek’s Johnny Major notes that OS 5 is now in a record seventh round of beta testing, which he deduces as increasing the likelihood of an iPhone 5 announcement any day now.

Major observes that never before in iOS history have there been this many rounds of developer beta testing, or for that matter this much time elapsed between introductions of new iPhone models. Let’s all hope the delays mean Apple is taking the time to get it right out of the blocks, with no “antennagate” type hiccups. Major also suggests that primary holdup factor is that Apple wants to have stockpiled sufficient numbers of iPhone 5 to avoid the sort of constrained initial supply fiascos that plagued the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 launches, and that obliged many folks who waiting in line on the respective release days to end up leaving home handed, and having to wait weeks or even months to get their hands on the new hardware. I personally waited about two months between the time I decided to purchase an iPad 2 before my local Apple reseller had stock.

Consequently, Major says Apple evidently doesn’t want a repeat of that and is building up inventory before the product announcement as well as making sure that its service carrier partners have their logistical ducks on a row before pulling the release trigger.

Longer iPhone 4 Ship Times Also Point To Imminent iPhone 5 Announcement

AppleInsider Staff reported Friday that new U.S. iPhone 4 orders now take one to three business days to ship from the Apple Store as opposed to within 24 hours in normal times, taken as an indication that Apple is drawing down inventory prior to the iPhone 5 introduction. However, they note that Apple Stores outside the U.S were still advertising 24 hour ship times

iPhone 4 Sales Remain “Robust” Notwithstanding iPhone 5 Enthusiast Hype

Holding that thought, modmyl’s Michael Essany notes that while the Apple enthusiast community is abuzz with excitement in anticipation of a fifth generation iPhone release, iPhone 4, sales are still strong. Essany cites Wall Street analyst Analyst Shaw Wu, in a note to investors, relating that based on intelligence from sources in Apple’s global supply chain, demand for the iPhone 4 remains “ridiculously strong” despite it being well-known that an iPhone 5 refresh is forthcoming, with the iPhone 4 still the top-selling smartphone in the U.S. market despite the elapse of more than a year since its release, and that the fourth generation iPhone will be leaving the iPhone 5 big shoes to fill.

Essany also reports that after a shipping slowdown last week, iPhone 4 shipping times appeared to be improving improved and and at least temporarily returned the normal 24-hours, although how long this can be sustained is questionable given that iPhone 5 production is now monopolizing production activity.

The right blend of design and technology is critical to creating an exceptional user experience with both smartphones and traditional mobile handsets, and the iPhone occupies the top of the heap. So finds the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction StudySMVolume 2 and the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Wireless Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction StudySMVolume 2, both released Thursday.

The surveys note that overall satisfaction with smartphones and traditional mobile phones is considerably higher for devices that are a specific size and weight and are equipped with the latest technological advancements. The latter would include features like high-quality, high-resolution display screens, faster processing speeds, longer battery life and touch screen capabilities.

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