Journalists have been invited to a “Let’s talk iPhone” event at its California campus due to start at 10:00 PDT (18:00 BST).

Doubts surround how different the iPhone 5 will be to its predecessor though some do expect big changes.

The launch will be hosted by Tim Cook, now Apple’s full time boss following Steve Jobs’ retirement in August.

As ever with Apple launches, exact details of product features will not be known until the event. Expert opinion is divided with some expecting significant changes.

“We’re expecting a flagship, high tier product to cement the iPhone’s position as the must-have device,” said Ben Wood, director of research at analysts CCS Insight.

Gadget site Gizmodo took a different line and said there was only a 10% chance of seeing a new iPhone. Instead, it said, the iPhone 4S will be the new model and it will be cheaper than its predecessor.

Others say the cheaper model will be aimed at Asia, one of the few places where the smartphone has room for growth.

Rumours are also circulating that Steve Jobs will make a cameo appearance even though Mr Cook is expected to be the launch compere.

The event is the first since Mr Cook became official head of Apple. Before now he was an interim boss who oversaw day-to-day running of the company when Mr Jobs was on sick leave.

History lesson

The iPhone 4 debuted 15 months ago and the hiatus between that launch and today marks one of the longest periods without a new model in the history of the device. All previous versions, bar the first, have been unveiled in June.

Mr Wood said this might reflect the complexity of the task Apple set itself when getting the iPhone working the iCloud service. This acts as a network-based backup and synchronisation system for Apple’s smartphones and tablets.

“The announcement is definitely more about the holy trinity of device, software and applications, and services to which iCloud adds a completely new dimension,” he said.

The use of iCloud would help Apple stay one step ahead of rivals, especially HTC and Samsung, who were fast getting their own hardware to match the capabilities of the iPhone, said Mr Wood.

Apple will also be keen to put behind it the troubles that dogged the iPhone 4. Incorporating the phone’s antenna into its case was blamed for causing a loss of reception. The problem led to the company offering free cases to owners to combat the reception loss.

The launch of the phone is important to Apple which is keen to capitalise on its growing share of the smartphone market. It faces strong challenges from Google’s Android mobile phone operating system which, figures suggest, has become the most popular among new phone buyers in the US.

The ability of the phone to be activated and updated without connecting to a PC would help this push, said Mr Wood.

One strong competitor for the smartphone market is South Korean electronics firm Samsung. It produces phones that use Android as well as models that use its own operating system called Bada.

Apple and Samsung are locked in litigation around the world over who owns the rights to use many technologies found in both smartphones and tablets.

The court room clashes have led to a ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany and a ban on the sales of some Galaxy smartphones in the Netherlands.

In Australia, the row meant a delay to the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. In the most recent development in that row, Apple has reportedly rejected Samsung’s offer of a deal to settle the case.

[Thanks: http://www.bbc.co.uk]

AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and reportedly Sprint each stand to grab a healthy slice of the market demand for the new iPhone. But each carrier brings something different to the table, making it difficult to predict which one might benefit the most, says ComScore.

AT&T holds the dominant share of existing iPhone customers. As of July, 81.9 percent of iPhone subscribers were with AT&T, leaving only 15.1 percent for Verizon, according to the report.

Following the launch of the new phone, all current iPhone carriers will likely continue to offer the iPhone 4 at a discount. AT&T could pick up even more customers by also continuing to sell the iPhone 3GS cheap. But that advantage may be short-lived since at some point, the older model iPhone will cease production, especially if Apple launches a low-cost iPhone 4.

Though Verizon’s percentage of iPhone users may be low, its satisfaction rates continue to be high. In July, ComScore found that more than 76 percent of Verizon smartphone customers graded the carrier with a score of 8 or higher out of 10, compared with 68 percent for other carriers. Among existing iPhone users, 23 percent said that they will switch or are seriously thinking of switching to another provider, opening the door for more business to come Verizon’s way.

However, Sprint also stands to do well if it gets custody of the new iPhone as it would be the only carrier to still offer an unlimited data plan. That benefit alone could scoop up new customers and prompt current data-slurpping users to switch carriers to grab the lower-price plan. However, questions have been raised as to how long Sprint could retain its unlimited plan, especially given a flood of iPhone users gobbling up data that the network might having trouble supporting.

No matter how the carriers fare with the new iPhone, the one company certain to come out ahead is Apple, ComScore said.

“Putting the operators aside, the one clear winner so far would appear to be Apple, which stands to gain market share from the additional market sectors penetrated by Sprint and providing another device option for customers of AT&T and Verizon,” the report noted. “As the Android platform continues to grow in popularity, it will be interesting to see the role the iPhone 5 plays in the platform share race and how this will ultimately impact the operator industry.”

[Thanks: http://news.cnet.com]

But the latest, and perhaps even most luminous, rumor about what Apple will announce on Tuesday might leave some feeling a little deflated.

Gizmodo Brazil has managed to infiltrate Apple’s security at the Foxconn factory in Brazil, or so it claims, and says it has managed to secure images of a new iPhone.

You will want to rush over there now. You will want to wake your friends from their pallid stupor and tell them Christmas has arrived two days early.

So it might look something like this.
(Credit: CC Yutaka Tsutano/Flickr)

But just before you do, might I tell you that this new iPhone is allegedly an iPhone 4? And it looks just like, well, an iPhone 4.

However, the rapid conclusion that is reached–without taking breath–about these startling new images is that Apple must, just must, be announcing a new, cheaper iPhone 4 that looks like an iPhone 4.

This might well be true. After all, Al Gore did let slip not so long ago that there would be more than one new iPhone.

And, Gizmodo says, this particular iPhone 4 has a new model number: N90A, a number that has already been linked with a new iPhone.

However, it is also just possible that this alleged new iPhone 4 (dubbed iPhone 4S) might mean that the new iPhone 5 won’t be such an exciting development–hence the need to release more than one iPhone to create a little more (as if it were needed) news.

That’s the thing with excitement. It always seems more enjoyable when what happens is something you don’t expect, rather than something that seems, well, not that exciting at all.

[Thanks: http://news.cnet.com]

Cases for both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 have appeared in AT&T stores. In addition, screenshots of AT&T’s inventory system showed iPhone 5 cases, as well, and from the major manufacturer Case-Mate, which lends credence to the existence of an iPhone 5 (we wouldn’t expect them to screw up, in other words).

With all these evidence, we’ve believed for some time of the existence of both models.

The latest evidence of an iPhone 4S comes from 9to5mac, which has found references to the iPhone 4S in the latest iTunes for Mac Beta (10.5 beta 9). In addition, the reference indicates that the iPhone 4S will be a dual-mode CDMA / GSM phone. It also clearly indicates that the iPhone 4S will be the N94 that has been referenced for months and believed to be the next-generation iPhone.

9to5mac believes this means that the iPhone 5 does not exist, saying “Today, rumors of a re-design can essentially be put to rest.”

We don’t necessarily agree.

Just because there’s a reference to the N94 linked to the iPhone 4S does not mean there is no iPhone 5. In fact, our own source, who formerly worked for Apple and still has close ties to relatively loose-lipped Apple employees, says the iPhone 4S has always existed. Apple just decided after the Verizon iPhone launch that a summer iPhone launch (with the iPhone 4S) was too near the Verizon launch and would upset too many people.

At the same time, our source says he’s see both models. It was, he noted, unclear if the iPhone 5 was complete, but upper management had been pushing engineers to finish the iPhone 5 in time for this October launch.
Meanwhile, if the iPhone 4S is still launched, it won’t have an upgraded A5 processor. Instead, it will have tweaks, such as a dual-mode CDMA / GSM model so that it can be sold without having to manufacture two models for Verizon / Sprint and one for AT&T. It will also have the Verizon antenna system, to reduce the chance of a “holding it wrong” moment.

The iPhone 5, he says, is as described (teardrop shaped, slimmer, 8MP camera, A5 processor, and more) in many places. The only possibility is that despite pushing engineers to get it done early than originally planned, it may not be ready. A second source says Apple is having problems with the beveled edge of the screen.

In terms of the iPhone 5, we believe it exists and will be delivered in the form rumored, despite our second source’s doubts. We feel the evidence, as well as moves by multiple companies (not just AT&T, but Case-Mate, Otterbox, and others) point in this direction. In addition, we don’t think Apple would make anxious iPhone fans wait 16 months for “just” a revamped iPhone 4S.

We’ll see if we’re wrong — or right — on Tuesday.

[Thanks: http://hothardware.com]

References to the much-used iPhone 4S moniker could be found in the Info.plist file of the MobileDevices bundle that was included with the ninth beta of iTune 10.5 released Friday. .

Specifically, device preferences for Item 7 and Item 8 in the Info.plist file describe a black and white iPhone 4S whose display icons (below) depict models that look identical to the existing black and white CDMA iPhone 4 introduced earlier this year.

The discovery can be seen as further evidence that Apple is gearing up to introduce iPhones next Tuesday, Oct. 4th that bundle an 8MP camera, 512MB of RAM, support for HSPA+ and the iPad 2’s A5 processor and dual graphics, but do so in a the current CMDA iPhone 4 design.

However, the new iPhone 4S is expected to be a dual-mode phone, meaning the same iPhone 4S can be used on either CDMA or GSM networks. Currently, Apple markets separate iPhone 4 models for CDMA and GSM networks.

Talk of Apple taking a dual-route strategy this year by releasing both an iPhone 4S and a more advanced iPhone 5 began to cool off this week, with leaked parts and casings all pointing to a product dubbed iPhone 4S.

In addition, insider Ming-Chi Kuo reported that his industry checks turned up no sign of a redesigned iPhone 5 in the pipeline. Instead, he told AppleInsider that Apple was manufacturing a model that looks largely the same as the current iPhone 4, only with an improved antenna design.

Dubbed “N94,” the new iPhone model will reportedly also use the same Gorilla glass for its back panel. Kuo also said it will be available in both black and white models at launch, and 60 percent of units assembled so far have been of the black variety.

Echoing a report from earlier this month, he also said that Foxconn will be responsible for manufacturing 85 percent of Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone units. The other 15 percent will reportedly be assembled by Pegatron.

Each will run iOS 5, which is rumored to bundle new voice recognition technology in the form of a new application dubbed Assistant, which will allow users to speak to their iPhone and accomplish a number of tasks through natural language, like sending text messages, looking up information, or scheduling an appointment.

The functionality is believed to stem from Siri, a “personal assistant” application for the iPhone that Apple purchased in April of 2010.

In all Apple is said to be building 30 million fifth-generation iPhone units by the end of calendar 2011. If Apple were to meet that goal and sell all of the handsets in the holiday quarter, it would easily best the record 20.34 million iPhones Apple sold in its June 2011 quarter.

[Thanks: http://www.appleinsider.com]

These images come via TUAW, and show placeholders for the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S. These screenshots do not show images of either device, but offer a look at the possible specs for Apple’s new iPhone.

Before you get too excited, these could just be placeholders put up by an expecting carrier — but even that is a telling sign. Just yesterday, we saw the Sprint iPhone 5 show up in Radio Shack’s inventory system.

You see, these screenshots appeared on the pre-paid pages of Cincinnati Bell. This is the first time we have heard about this carrier getting the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S.

The first screenshot shows the specs of an iPhone 5. This includes a larger 4″ display, up from 3.5″ on the current iPhone 4. We also see an 8MP camera listed, which is an improvement over the current 5MP iPhone 4 camera, and we also see 4G data speeds listed. While this might get your heart beating a big faster, calm down. This isn’t real 4G LTE, which delivers super fast downloads. Instead, this is HSPA+, which is only 4G in a fantasy world where marketers control definitions.

Are these the iPhone 5 Specs?

Next up, we see a screenshot of an iPhone 4S placeholder. This is the rumored low cost, tweaked iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S claims to have the current iPhone 4′s 3.5″ display and 5MP camera, but has an upgraded A5 processor. This device is notably cheaper at $99 after an instant $300 rebate.

Are these the iPhone 4S specs?

We are waiting for Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, to announce the new iPhone on October 4th at the company’s headquarters in California. We expect at least one new iPhone, but we may actually get two unique devices on Tuesday. If the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S are announced by Apple, we expect a release date of mid October on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon.

Apple is also expected to announce the iOS 5 release date. iOS 5 is a new version of the software that powers the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. This new version is rumored to bring voice control in the form of a new Assistant app, only available on the new iPhone, as well as over 200 new features to the iPhone 5 and older iPhones.

This leak gives us hope that Apple may go even broader with the launch and allow regional carriers that use Verizon, AT&T or Sprint towers to get in on the iPhone 5 game.

[Thanks: http://www.gottabemobile.com]

With Apple virtually certain to announce a release date for the next-generation iPhone next week, lots of current iPhone owners (always an excitable bunch) are no doubt counting down the minutes — and wondering what to do with their current phones.

While some retailers offer discounts for a trade-in (Radio Shack was offering $100 for some previous models when the iPhone 4 was released), Apple stores and their designated carriers generally don’t give back as much cash, or credit, as an owner might earn outside the store.

But a growing online resell market has emerged to give folks another option.

Between now and Monday, the day before Apple has scheduled an iPhone-related event, one of those sites, Nextworth, is offering $250 for 16GB and 32GB iPhone 4s that are in good shape.

The company, which also has trade-in programs at some retail stores, bills itself as a way to get value out of your aging electronics while keeping the products out of landfills, where they can cause environmental problems.

The services wipe all data from your phone as soon as they get it, they say.

Nextworth, and others like them, refurbish used electronics and resell them. In the case of items like the iPhone, they sell them in countries where the items are typically unavailable, presumably bringing a healthier price.

Gazelle.com is offering $250 for a 32GB iPhone 4 in “flawless” condition and $169 for one in good condition. Got a busted model? It’ll give you $85 for one even if it won’t turn on or is physically damaged.

Of course, there are always the direct-sale sites like eBay and Craigslist.

You might earn more in exchange for the hassle of posting, selling and delivering the phone yourself. Folks were selling 32GB iPhone 4s on eBay on Friday for prices ranging from $245 to $634. In Atlanta, people had listed 32GB iPhone 4s for prices ranging from $290 to $450.

(We’re using prices on that model because it’s the top of the line. Older phones, like the 3GS, and 16GB and 8GB models obviously have a market as well, generally at lower prices).

Of course, the low-effort way to deal with a phone upgrade is to buy the new one at full price and just hold on to your current model. Even retired, your current phone can be a music player or Internet-surfing device when you have a Wi-Fi connection.

[Thanks: http://edition.cnn.com]

Between now and Monday — the day before Apple announces the new iPhone — TheNextWorth says it is guaranteeing $250 for all AT&T iPhone 4s (16GB and 32GB). Traditionally, the least expensive iPhone 4 starts at $199, but that’s with a two-year contract. The unsubsidized list price of a 16GB iPhone in the U.S. is $649 (from Apple), and it’s even more expensive in other countries.

To qualify for the $250 trade-in, NextWorth says phones “must be in good working condition with no heavy scratches or cracks.”

You can learn more at NextWorth’s iPhone trade-in page. The company will lock in the price for 21 days.

Another site, Gazelle.com is offering good prices, too, with its standard 30-day price lock-in: $250 for a “flawless” AT&T iPhone 4 with 32 GB; $225 for a “flawless” AT&T 16 GB model. Verizon models of the iPhone 4 go for less — $201 for a “flawless” 32 GB model, and $180 for the 16 GB version.

A “flawless” phone, according to Gazelle, is one that has “no noticeable flaws, still in its package or looks like new,” has “zero scratches” and has “no dust under the glass.”

Why are the AT&T iPhone 4s getting top dollar over the Verizon versions?

Representatives from both sites say that’s because the AT&T iPhone uses GSM technology, which is predominant worldwide, and best for re-selling the phones. Verizon uses CDMA technology, which is primarily used in the United States by Verizon and by Sprint. An unlocked AT&T iPhone could even be used in the U.S. on the T-Mobile network.

“The best time to trade an iPhone is between right now and the day the phone’s announced,” said Anthony Scarsella, Gazelle’s “chief gadget officer. “Once the phone’s announced, prices will start to drop a little.”

Another trade-in website to consider is BuyMyTronics.com.

Buyers appear to be eager for the new iPhone — when the next iPhone launches, it will have been about 16 months since the last one came out — and that may explain the trade-in fever Scarsella says his site has seen.

“Last year, we were getting 100 iPhone (trade-ins) a day pre-announcement of the new phone, and that spiked to 2,000 per day post-announcement,” he said. “This year, we’re looking at 700 trade-ins a day in the past few weeks, with a potential spike of 20,000 post-announcement.”

On Tuesday, when Apple announced it would “talk iPhone” Oct. 4, “someone was trading an iPhone every 10 seconds,” on Gazelle, he said.

“This behavior is very unprecedented,” he said. “Gadget owners usually wait until the announcement (of a new device) itself, but this year because of all the rumors and hype, people are locking in their prices and trades early.”

[Thanks: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com]

A “Mr. X,” as well as other sources in the iPhone manufacturing chain, told 9to5mac that the newest version of the iPhone will likely come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities.

Each version will be available in black and also in white.

The data about capacities could be related to the rumored iPhone 4S or the iPhone 5.

In fact, there’s been some suggestion that the rumored 4S will be a less expensive, 8GB version of the iconic smartphone. Deutsche Bank’s Chris Whitmore said over the summer that Apple was ripe for releasing a cheaper, unsubsidized iPhone that could work with prepaid mobile plans; however, those comments were informed but still speculative.

At any rate, the rumors will all come to a halt (at least for the next month or two) on October 4, next Tuesday. That’s when Apple has scheduled its announcement of whatever is coming next for the iPhone. Stay tuned; our correspondents will be on the ground in Cupertino to give you the scoop.

[Thanks: http://venturebeat.com]

In a study released yesterday, the mobile ad network discovered that 41 percent of mobile users in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada will buy the new iPhone, with 50 percent of those planning to pick one up within the first six months of the phone’s debut. If those numbers hold true, the iPhone 5 would become the most successful product launch yet from Apple, according to InMobi.

Apple has an iPhone event planned for next week, at which the tight-lipped company is widely expected to unveil the iPhone 5.

Further, the new iPhone could easily shake up the battle between Apple and Android by boosting the market share of iOS to 41 percent from its reported 27 percent in June, the study said. A small survey conducted in early August by Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster found similar results, prompting the analyst to forecast that the iPhone 5 could double Apple’s market share.

The iPhone 5 is also expected to steal business from other platforms as it’s being eyed by 51 percent of current iPhone users but 27 percent of Android owners and 52 percent of BlackBerry users. Some of the new features that consumers are hotly anticipating in the new iPhone include better battery life, faster performance, higher screen resolution, and stronger phone service, InMobi said.

(Credit: InMobi)

Though most people may be expecting Apple to unveil a totally new phone at next Tuesday’s event, past reports have claimed that the device will just be a revamped iPhone 4 with a few improvements but the same basic features. Even if such rumors prove true, a new “iPhone 4S” will scoop up business from 11 percent of current iPhone users, 11 percent of Android owners, and 28 percent of BlackBerry customers.

As a mobile ad network, InMobi has seen an increase in ad impressions for iOS, particularly in iPod Touch devices. Including all of its mobile devices, Apple currently holds the leading share of impressions on InMobi’s network at 29 percent.

Though demand for its mobile devices is still running hot, Apple’s iOS has seen its once dominant lead in the smartphone OS market overtaken this year by Android. InMobi points to iOS as the top dog on its network, but fellow mobile ad network Millennial Media has been tracking Android in first place since shooting past iOS early this year.

[Thanks: http://news.cnet.com]