Hasta La Gadget!

Apple offered a hint of the name in its invitation to today’s event, but it looks like a slip-up on its own website may have now let the cat of the bag. Searching for “iphone-5” brings up a number of results for (as yet nonexistent) pages related to a device that seems to clearly be called the “iPhone 5.” What’s more, as 9 to 5 Mac notes, there are also references to a “new iPod touch with Retina Display” and a new iPod nano, as well as a similar indication that iTunes 11 is set to be released today.

Update: 9 to 5 Mac has also turned up another search result that would seem to confirm the presence of LTE in the new iPhone.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Software, Mobile

Apple search results turn up iPhone 5 name and LTE connectivity, indications of new iPod touch, iPod nano and iTunes 11 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You hear that? It’s the sound of tech journalists eagerly queueing up in San Francisco for tomorrow’s Apple event. This week is all about the latest iPhone, and while we’re still not quite sure what to call the thing, we can certainly attest to the fact that we’ll be saying it a lot for a while to come. As they did with last year’s iPhone event — and March’s iPad announcement — Tim and Darren will be bringing you a livestream from the streets of San Francisco both before and after the event. Keep locked on Engadget at around 10:30AM ET to get their full predictions. And while, as per usual, Apple’s not into letting third-parties broadcast from inside, you can still follow along with our liveblog at home.

Engadget will be broadcasting live outside of Apple’s iPhone event tomorrow! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re on the cusp of Apple’s sixth iPhone launch, and there’s very different expectations than there were last year. The 2011 rumor cycle left more than a few people burned: the later-than-usual October launch and repeated claims of a heavily-remade design led some to a disappointment when the iPhone 4S arrived, even though the final product had a slew of camera, speed and voice command upgrades. This year, the rumors have been grounded well before there was an event date in our hands.

There have been fewer instances of wild rumors. Instead, it’s been based more around pragmatism, using either tangible leaks or sources that have a solid track record. Think of the perennial leaks from the Wall Street Journal or the increasingly well-established sourcing from iMore and The Loop. Whether you’re conspiracy-minded or not, it’s been hard to ignore the sheer number of claims that have tamped down expectations rather than inflated them. It’s as though there’s a collective fear we’ll see a repeat of the 2011 hysteria and deal with fans (or detractors) complaining about missing features that were never promised in the first place.

Where last summer was full of uncertainty, this year there’s a mounting consensus as to what we’ll see, how we’ll get it, and when. Tracking everything that’s been mentioned may be a handful, however. With that in mind, we’ll dive in and gauge what’s likely to emerge from behind Apple’s curtain on September 12th — as well as what we can rule out from the get-go.

Continue reading iPhone 5: the rumor roundup

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

iPhone 5: the rumor roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The next iPhone’s unveiling date is safely locked down. Whether or not it arrives at every US carrier simultaneously is up in the air, however, and there’s signs that Sprint’s model might not ship as quickly as we’d like. Carrier training documents obtained by iSource, which we’ve since verified are real, would require that sales staff and technicians all be ready to offer “in-store Apple support” on October 15th, wrapping up their earliest training by the 30th — that’s up to a month after the introductory event, which would reduce the chances of a simultaneous launch if the first wave of iPhone availability is as close as the rumors would have you believe. Before you start plotting a carrier switch out of impatience, we’ll add that there’s a few disclaimers at play. First is simply that October 15th is a Monday, which is very out of step with Apple’s habit of launching iPhones on Fridays. We’d see that day as the target for training alone, and that’s assuming that Sprint needs everyone on the same page before the iPhone is in stores. More importantly, we know from our own tips that Sprint’s internal calendar is in flux: the provider may not have concrete plans until after Apple’s executives leave the event stage next week. As such, we’d treat the document leak more as a heads-up than a guarantee of trouble in Sprint’s schedule.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Sprint training docs cast doubt on 2012 iPhone launch timing, but don’t panic yet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile has been virtually screaming for an iPhone deal, but a memo leaked to TmoNews suggests Apple isn’t prepared to listen just yet. The note tells carrier staff they’ll get training material to learn “selling against the iPhone” from September 21st onwards. Why does that date sound familiar? Although we don’t know if T-Mobile has an inside track on Apple’s plans or is just making assumptions based on rumors, that’s not the language we would associate with a carrier that has a new agreement to sell the iPhone — not unless it’s using a loose definition of the word “against,” at least. As a consolation, T-Mobile is reportedly supplying updated micro-SIM kits on August 29th to emphasize its improving support for unlocked iPhones on refarmed 3G spectrum. Nothing’s official until Apple struts on stage, of course; you may nonetheless want to research alternatives if getting a cheaper contract phone on Magenta trumps having Cupertino’s latest and greatest.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

T-Mobile memo asks staff to sell ‘against the iPhone’ on September 21st originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 00:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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