9to5Mac is claiming some giant news about the next iPhone. The specs aren’t shocking: a generous 1 GB of RAM and the iPad 2’s A5 processor. But what Apple’s going to push hardest is Assistant: your iPhone talks to you. More »
The walls of tyrannical exclusivity may soon come crashing down in Japan. According to Nikkei, “officials” in the know have indicated that KDDI is gearing up to release the iPhone 5 on its network, thus ending competitor SoftBank’s reign as the iconic device’s sole provider in the Land of the Rising Sun. As we’ve come to expect in the days leading up to official Apple announcements, the details are incredibly scant. SoftBank, the third-largest carrier in the country, has been inching closer and closer to second-place KDDI with very little breathing room left; it’s understandable, then, that the latter would be eagerly awaiting the end of iPhone exclusivity to make an agreement with Apple and boost its subscriber count. As it’s all hearsay for the time being, we’ll just have to wait a little while longer before we know every detail on the mystery device(s).
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
KDDI may get iPhone 5, putting an end to Softbank’s exclusivity in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The white iPhone 4 will soon be joined by new members of the iPhone family. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Key insight on the timing of Apple’s next iPhone release appeared today, and this time it’s no rumor. The news came straight from the mouth of an Apple insider.
Former United States Vice President and sitting Apple boardmember Al Gore made specific reference to the release of one or more new iPhone products in October while speaking at a conference on Wednesday, according to an attendant of the conference.
“He was talking quite passionately about global warming, Moore’s Law and its effect on computing,” said Toby Shapshak, an editor at Stuff Magazine who was at the conference, in an interview with Wired.com. “Specifically about transistors, when he said ‘Not to mention the new iPhones coming out next month.’ Then he quickly added ‘That was a plug.’”
That’s iPhones, plural.
This is the first time someone with any specific ties to Apple has commented on the much-anticipated iPhone 5. Based on Gore’s statement, it’s possible that we’ll be seeing multiple iPhone models. An iPhone 5 and an iPhone 4S, perhaps? Or was he just referring to the usual 16GB and 32 GB flavors?
It’s also entirely possible that Vice President Gore elided his syllables, or could be speaking more generally about the release of millions of one specific model of phone. It’s unclear, but if it’s an Apple PR stunt, the company has certainly gotten its message across.
According to AllthingsD sources, we’re looking at an October 4 launch date with new CEO Tim Cook at the helm, while other reports speculate at least two different iPhone model debuts. One of the two iPhones is purported to be a budget model (akin to Apple’s past 3GS model). The other, the iPhone 5, is purported to include an A5 processor and a significantly redesigned look, including a larger display, an elongated home button and a thinner, tapered shape. Sprint is also rumored to be the latest carrier to start offering the iPhone, as well.
Only a few more weeks, and all this madness will be over. At least for a while.
[via The Next Web]
October 4. That’s when Apple’s announcing the iPhone 5, according to All Things D. A little later than most of us expected, or hoped. And it’s probably more than just the iPhone 5. iOS 5. iPods. iCloud’s big launch. More »
Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to present the iPhone 5 launch event. Photo credit Apple
Waiting for the iPhone 5? Then you might want to put Tuesday, October 4th in your diary. According to All Things D, this is the date Apple has scheduled for the new iPhone’s launch. The event, revealed to All Things D by “sources close to the situation,” will be presided over by Apple’s new CEO Tim Cook.
It makes sense. The rumors have long pegged a late September or early October date for the announcement of the iPhone 4’s successor, and iOS 5 — which will doubtless come pre-installed on the new phone — is due in the fall, which starts right about now.
The news that Tim Cook will be headlining is slightly more surprising. Cook was always more of a behind-the-scenes executive, and some expected that he’d remain so as CEO, letting Steve Jobs’ long-time stage companion Phil Schiller or iOS chief Scott Forstall become the public faces of Apple. If All Things D’s sources are correct, then it looks like Cook is set to fully embrace all of Jobs’ old roles at the company.
Still, we don’t have long to wait to find out. And if all goes well, the real star of the show will be the iPhone 5, whatever new goodies it brings.
Apple’s Next Event to Be Held on October 4, Starring Its New CEO [All Things D]
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We have yet to receive official word on this, but All Things Digital is reporting today that Apple’s next big media event will be held on October 4th, where freshly minted CEO Tim Cook is expected to unveil the iPhone 5. Sources close to the situation say Cook will be the main presenter at the event, with execs Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall and Eddy Cue playing supporting roles. This would mark the first time that Cook has actually led an Apple event, adding an extra wrinkle of significance to an already highly anticipated occasion. The site’s sources went on to say that the next-gen iPhone will be available for purchase “within a few weeks” of the announcement, though All Things Digital acknowledges that the exact date of its unveiling is still subject to change. As always, we’ll be sure to keep you posted as soon as we hear more.
Report: Apple to hold media event on October 4th, Tim Cook to unveil iPhone 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Will the iPhone be coming to T-Mobile? Not this year, it seems.
Update: This story was updated with comment from T-Mobile September 20, 2011 at 4:15 p.m. PST.
Sorry, T-Mobile customers: The outlook on Apple products coming to the wireless network soon is not so good.
“We are not going to get the iPhone 5 this year,” T-Mobile’s chief marketing officer Cole Brodman said in a town hall meeting on Monday.
Brodman’s statement could still be interpreted a number of ways. T-Mobile could get the iPhone early next year, or it might be an attempt to divert attention from possible signs that they may be getting the iPhone (something Sprint appears to be doing a terrible job of hiding). TmoNews speculates that it would also make sense for Apple to potentially hold off on porting a phone to T-Mobile’s network when it could possibly get swallowed up by AT&T in its proposed merger.
T-Mobile said in an official statement: “We don’t comment on rumors. We remain focused on expanding our portfolio of 4G smartphones. We look forward to sharing on Monday, news about our latest and greatest product lineup.”
For several years, AT&T was the exclusive carrier for the iPhone, until Verizon began selling the iPhone 4 for its CDMA network in February 2011. Rumors and analyst speculation have widely suggested that Sprint will be getting the iPhone 5 when it debuts (likely in October), which would leave T-Mobile as the lone major U.S. wireless carrier to be without an Apple phone.
Sprint has blocked out vacation days for its employees from September 30 to October 15 in order to prep for a “major phone launch.” Sprint staff have reportedly been briefed on the iPhone 4. And other reports suggest that Sprint will even offer an unlimited data plan for the iPhone.
Recent speculation also suggests that we may be getting an incrementally updated or cheaper iPhone this year, but we won’t see an iPhone 5 until 2012.
Of course, all of this is still speculation, so keep your grains of salt at the ready.
[Via T-Mo News]
T-Mobile CMO: no iPhone 5 on our network this year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Well, since Samsung couldn’t get an early peek at the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, the company has simply decided to take a page from Apple’s playbook. A senior exec told The Korea Times it plans to file a request to block the sale of the upcoming iOS handset in its Korean homeland the moment the device is announced. According to the Times, the anonymous exec said it would leverage its wireless technology patents and demand that Apple either remove the telecommunications features — turning the iPhone into an iPod touch — or simply be banished from the Korean market. The knock-down-drag-out war between the two companies has only seemed to escalate in recent weeks, as Sammy has taken a much more combative and offensive approach. We can only hope the two get tired of divvying up the globe and declare a draw in this game of patent Risk.
Samsung moves to block iPhone 5 in Korea, expands its anti-Apple offensive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Judging from the clandestine screenshot you see above, it most certainly seems like that’s the case. A helpful tipster sent us this tasty morsel, from AT&T’s internal system, listing the “iPhone 4s White” beneath a handful of already familiar Apple handsets. Could it be? Is Cupertino actually planning on bringing a white version of its next iPhone out at launch? We’re afraid only time will tell.
Did a white iPhone 4S just pop up in AT&T’s inventory system? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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