1. SEGA has announced that Brick People for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store. You will build brick steps and structures to help the hungry Brick People reach a collection of delicious snacks. Brick People utilizes the Multi-Touch capabilities of iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, enabling quick brick stacking and allowing players to race against each other to become the best bricklayer. Use Bluetooth® to compete against friends in multiplayer match-ups, or use iPad to compete head-to-head on a single device. Players can also compete with others around the world when posting high scores on the Game Center leaderboards. Get on iTunes

2. CustomEgo has announced Carma 1.0.556, a new app that allows the user to report other drivers for good and bad behavior on the road using their tag numbers. Drivers gain and lose points based on reports against them from others. This gives bored passengers a form of entertainment, gives angry drivers an outlet for their road rage, and gives all motorists a score and achievements system to strive for by driving more safely. Get on iTunes

3. Independent software developers Francesco Chessari and Nicola Pacini today announced Stamp Art Fever 10.0.0, an update to their simulation game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. In Stamp Art Fever you trade and collect artistic stamps, manage your Gallery, compete against players the world over for the most valuable collection. Version 10.0.0 features a new “Hall of Fame” gaming mode as well as an additional 45 new stamps to collect. Get on iTunes

4. Carl Jones announces the release of ZombieGP 4.0, for iOS devices. When there’s no more room in hell, the dead shall race on earth. You will race your zombie in both day and night around 7 varying courses and against CPU players on this new release for iOS devices. Simply race around the track, avoid obstacles in a bid to earn your freedom. Zombie GP is easy to pick-up-and-play by all ages. Get on iTunes

5. XIMAD has announced the release of Bubble Birds 2.0. for iO - new design, levels and characters will make the game more fun and cool. As usual, you have to match three or more birds of the same color to remove them from the field and score as many points as possible. In addition, on each level you can shoot down the bubbles with coins, and then spend them on another attempt, open more levels, different birds. Get on iTunes

6. Developed by Realore Studios, Jane’s Hotel is a casual time management game that was originally released on PC but due to its success was ported to a number of platforms, including PSP, Nintendo DS, Android and iPhone. Now it finally came to the Mac App Store. In Jane’s Hotel the players are given a chance to help the series’ main protagonist Jane run her own hotel empire. The player controls Jane and a chambermaid in order to keep the guests comfortable by providing them with everything a traveler needs to relax. Get on iTunes

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

Invitations for Apple’s Oct. 4 media event say “Let’s talk iPhone,” but missing is a mention of its original flagship product, the iPod. While the iPod will celebrate 10 years of existence on Oct. 24, it seems the company wants to retire the old click wheel once and for all.

If the reports are true, the iPod Touch and iPod Nano will be the only two remaining iPod models. The Nano will be the lowest-end iPod option, while the Touch will remain Apple’s premium iPod.

Apple’s first-ever iPod was developed in less than a year, on Steve Jobs’ orders. Unveiled on Oct. 23, 2001, Jobs advertised his 5 GB Mac-compatible digital music player as “1,000 songs in your pocket.”

The original iPod “Classic” model has evolved six different times over its lifetime. The famous click wheel for navigation eventually evolved into an anodized aluminum front plate with touch sensors, and stuffy black and white menus were eventually given full color and the ability to browse through album covers. The largest capacity for the first model was 10 GB; the current model’s greatest capacity is 160 GB.

Apple will also reportedly shift away from the iPod Shuffle, which was first introduced to Apple’s iPod line-up on Jan. 11, 2005. The first model looked like a stick and featured no screen; in four generations, the Shuffle assumed a clip design with aluminum casing, and was made available in several vibrant colors. The Shuffle also added a VoiceOver feature, which could tell you the song title, playlist name, or battery status with a click of a button.

Unfortunately, sales of these products have been in perpetual decline since the introduction of the iPhone. And simply put, they’re not making enough money for the company. In the fourth quarter of 2010, Apple reported that iPod sales made up just 8 percent of the company’s total revenue.

But the move makes sense for Apple. The company is clearly invested in touch screens and gesture technology, as evidenced by its iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and gesture-based platforms OS X Lion and iOS 5. Apple wants no part of an outdated technology like clicking.

If two iPod models are being dumped, however, there’s a possibility that one or two models will be introduced in its place. Several reports indicate Apple has already added two new iPhones and three new iPods into its internal inventory. These models could just be color variations, like a white iPod Touch, but there’s a remote possibility that Apple will reveal completely new iPod models entirely.

As Steve Jobs told Nike CEO Mark Parker back in 2006, “Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff.” It sounds like Apple is taking this notion to heart in consideration of its iPod Classic and iPod Touch, even if it means cutting ties with one of the products that started it all.

[Thanks: http://img.ibtimes.com]

In addition to existing Verizon and AT&T iPhone iterations, Sprint could join the club as well. Other new product categories, from the iPod touch 5 to the iPad 3, are on the table for the October Apple Event to varying degrees. Lacking a crystal ball but having observed Apple’s actions and motivations, here’s a rundown of our odds of various products and concepts coming to fruition at Apple’s October 4th event.

iPhone 5: 82%. The widespread assumption is that Apple’s “Let’s talk iPhone” tease is in reference to the iPhone 5, and that’s probably a correct one. However, it’s no guarantee. The “talk” part of the invite is in reference to Apple’s unannounced new Assistant feature of iOS 5, which allows you to control your iPhone in a human manner simply by speaking to it. Apple’s choice to focus on an iPhone software feature rather than new hardware aspects in its tease leaves the door open to the scenario in which Apple never was able to get past the component and/or manufacturing issues which dogged the iPhone 5 all summer, and are now instead coming to market with an iPhone 4S. That would push the iPhone 5 release date well into 2012, and would result in some unhappy customers. About that iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4S: 50%. There are two ways in which the 4S can play into Apple’s 2011 puzzle, one of them exciting and the other not so much. The first is the doomsday scenario in which the iPhone 5 isn’t ready and the 4S is a substitute. Put that at 18%, to counter our 82% odds of an iPhone 5. The other 32% comes from the scenario in which the iPhone 5 arrives with the iPhone 4S as a sidekick. The reasons are multiple: the current iPhone 4 won’t power Assistant, or so we hear, so the 4S will have the same A5 processor as the iPhone 5 and iPad 2. A single 4S unit would eliminate the separate Verizon and AT&T units, while adding Sprint compatibility.

Sprint iPhone: 67%. There’s at least twice as much evidence in favor of a Sprint iPhone 5 (and/or 4S) as there is against it. Sprint execs have teased it publicly without quite confirming it. Sprint employees have installed signal boosters around Apple Stores. Come to think of it, there’s really no concrete evidence to suggest it won’t happen.

T-Mobile iPhone: 0% T-Mobile itself has confirmed it won’t get the iPhone 5 this year. It didn’t say why, but the eight hundred pound elephant in the room is the ongoing merger talks with AT&T, which would seem to preclude T-Mobile from doing its own deal with Apple in the mean time.

iOS 5: 100%. The only sure bet is the iOS 5 operating system itself. Apple previewed many of its major features this summer, and will reveal the remainder of them next week. It’ll run on whatever new iPhone(s) Apple introduces, plus the iPhone 4 and 3GS (in limited capacity), and all iPads.

iPad 3: 2% If this were to be a co-headlining event in which the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 debuted together, the invitation would have reflected as much. If the iPad 3 were to get its own separate event, it would have happened before this one, not after; the holidays are too close at this point to have another event in November for a new iPad. If there is to be a new iPad this year, it’ll be something quieter like an iPad 2S.

iPod touch 5: 50% We give it equal odds as to whether Apple upgrades the iPod touch 5 with 3G or 4G networking and makes it a powerful device, or merely kills it off in recognition of the iPhone 5 working on most carriers. Would a contract-free iPhone surface to take the place of the iPod touch? That may be the more interesting question.

iPod nano, shuffle: does anyone care? Somewhere in the rundown will be the debut of the new traditional iPod lineup. Those models still sell well, but they’re inexpensive and considered commodities. We’ve lost count as to what generation the nano and shuffle are even on, let alone what new features they might gain in their next revision.

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

Is Facebook’s long-awaited iPad app going to make its debut at Apple’s iPhone 5 unveiling event, which is expected to take place Oct. 4?

That’s the rumor, according to Ben Parr of Mashable, who says his unnamed sources have told him a Facebook iPad app will be announced at Apple’s iPhone 5 event along with a new Facebook iPhone app and maybe even an HTML5-based mobile app store.

Apple and Facebook officials weren’t available for comment on the report Monday, although Apple always declines to comment on speculation. And, so far, Apple has yet to confirm that the next-generation iPhone will be announced Oct. 4 or even be called the iPhone 5.

But the information, while exciting to those who have been waiting months for a Facebook app on the iPad, does have some odd aspects given that the event will no doubt be focused on the iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4S, or whatever name Apple gives its new iPhone).

The announcement of a Facebook iPad app and a new iPhone app would make sense at an Apple event if the apps were shown taking advantage of some new features in iOS 5, the latest version of Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad operating system, which will ship on the iPhone 5.

But it’s also worth keeping in mind that iOS 5 places Twitter front and center.

Twitter, not Facbeook, is the social network built into iOS 5 and integrating into the iPhone’s photos, contacts and Safari Web browser apps. It has been reported that Apple at one point wanted to integrate Facebook into iOS 5 before going with Twitter, but that obviously didn’t happen.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive and co-founder, showed off what his social network’s new Timeline-style profile pages would look like on an iPhone at the company’s F8 developer conference keynote last week and that would either have to be presented in a updated app or maybe an HTML5 version of Facebook.

The one bit of Parr’s information that seems to me to be unrealistic is that Facebook would launch an HTML5-built mobile app store of its own at the Apple iPhone 5 unveiling. Apple has built a major business on selling apps for its devices through its iTunes App Store and now its Mac App Store.

Why in the world would Apple want to let Facebook unveil an app store of its own that operated outside of the Apple ecosystem? Why would Apple give stage time to Facebook apps, and not iPhone or iPad apps, at an event announcing a new iPhone equipped with a new version of its own operating system?

However, if Parr’s sources are correct and Apple, the world’s most valuable tech company, and Facebook, the world’s most valuable and most popular social network, were to team up for an app store, it could be huge and a threat to both Google’s Android operating system and the Google+ social network.

We’ll all find out what’s what when Apple unveils its next iPhone.

[Thanks: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com]

The XSS bug is affecting the latest version of Skype for iOS, and works like that:

A Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability exists in the “Chat Message” window in Skype 3.0.1 and earlier versions for iPhone and iPod Touch devices.Skype uses a locally stored HTML file to display chat messages from other Skype users, but it fails to properly encode the incoming users “Full Name”, allowing an attacker to craft malicious JavaScript code that runs when the victim views the message.

The researcher informed Skype of the issue on 24 August, and was told that an update to fix it would be released early in September.

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

“Skype uses a locally stored HTML file to display chat messages from other Skype users, but it fails to properly encode the incoming user’s ‘Full Name,’ allowing an attacker to craft malicious JavaScript code that runs when the victim views the message,” Purviance wrote on his blog.

The heart of the problem, according to Purviance, is an improper definition within the Skype app that allows access to a user’s local file system. He says the threat is partially mitigated by protections within iOS itself, but the address book remains vulnerable.

Skype appears to be in no hurry to fix the problem. In a tweet, Purviance said he notified Skype of the vulnerability on August 24, and was told that an update addressing the issue would be released in early September.

A statement from Skype confirms that the company is aware of the issue and will fix it “in our next planned release, which we hope to roll out imminently.”

You can watch a demonstration of exactly how the exploit works in this video, created by Purviance:

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

iOS5, the next version of Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad operating system, is heading towards a release in the next two weeks, developers say - which means that a refreshed iPhone is almost certain to be announced in the same timeframe.

iOS developers were warned by Apple on Sunday that on Thursday 22 September “the iCloud backup data will be reset. Backing up to iCloud or restoring from an iCloud backup will be unavailable from 9am PDT-5pm PDT… After this reset, you will be unable to restore from any backup created prior to September 22. A full backup will happen automatically the next time your device backs up to iCloud.”

Why does this matter? Because iOS5 has been in beta since 6 June, when it was announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers’ Conference (WWDC). The expectation is that its final GM (”gold master”), working version will be released to the world this month - and what would x.0 Apple iOS release be if it didn’t bring a new phone with it too? According to the Wikipedia article on the timing of iOS releases, that would be unusual. So people are expecting the next iPhone at the same time.

Why though were developers told that their existing backups would be wiped? “Because the backup format has been finalised and old ones that aren’t in that format shouldn’t remain [in iCloud],” one developer told me. There’s that word - “finalised”.

Developers that I contacted say that iOS 5 seems to be ready for prime time: “[the most recent] iOS 5 beta 7 is two weeks old. I have faith that Apple has an internal build which fixes most of the outstanding issues. We’ve been told iCloud will be reset on 22 September, which seems to indicate something is happening,” said one. “My guess would be another beta on Friday (which may be the same as the GM), followed by an Apple event on [September] 28 or the following Wednesday where the GM will be released.”

So that gives you a couple of dates to mark on your calendar. Some aren’t waiting - the perhaps opportunistic businessmobiles.com is already faxing companies and people (I forbear to say “junk-faxing” - I’m sure some people are happy to receive them) with the fabulous chance to pre-order the iPhone 5: here’s the picture of the fax, via Matt Brian of The Next Web. (Unfortunately they haven’t actually got a picture of the iPhone 5. Now that would be news.)

When I phoned businessmobiles to ask where it was getting them from, and how soon, the answers were “don’t honestly know” (though obviously it will be a carrier) and “before Christmas”. OK, so that’s your backstop date. But the salesperson said that since the faxes started going out on Thursday he personally had taken 15 (individual) orders, and that interest was running higher than for the recently released range of BlackBerry phones (which you would expect would do better than iPhones, being usually thought of as a business phone).

Apple PR did not respond to a request for comment on the timing of the iOS 5 or next iPhone launch by time of publication.

So what should you expect from iOS 5 - which you’ll recall introduces Android-like notifications, BlackBerry Messenger-killer (or at least pain in right knee-er) iMessage, geofenced reminders, deep Twitter integration and various other things (such as being able to take a picture without unlocking the camera - though we can see that one going wrong).

Here’s the view from a mixture of developers who’ve been trying it.

How different does it look?
Developer comment:

“From a user’s front end, it’s probably not going to feel like a huge jump straight away, so I think you’ll find a lot of ‘huh? Is that it?’ comments. Visually, the core thing that changes is how the system deals with notifications from apps, which is now very Android-like.”

He adds:

“Some of the biggest changes come within what apps can do themselves (and so general users are unlikely to directly credit Apple with some of the changes coming).”

What’s the Twitter support like?
Developer:

Twitter support is baked in, although oddly you do need to download the free Twitter app to activate it. This may be a pre-launch requirement rather than an ongoing thing, of course. Once iOS devs can release code built on the v5 code, Twitter apps will be able to use any account info defined within Settings as well as use a special Twitter-friendly keyboard with @ and # available from the off (kind of like the email and URL special keyboards).

What about iCloud (which synchronises between your computer, tablet and phone)?

One dev says:

“The integration with iCloud is looking very smart, but I haven’t got any apps which need that functionality so I’m not too hot on how it works in reality compared with how the docs /say/ it will work… Similarly, I know of several magazine publishers who are waiting to release apps that integrate with the new Newsstand folder. Until they do, it’s just an undeletable icon that does nothing of use.”

Another says:

“The riskiest bit seems to be iCloud at the moment, specifically iTunes Match. In early beta’s the whole syncing/backup piece was a bit hit and miss - duplicating contacts, bookmarks and the like - but I’ve been testing across multiple Mac’s and iOS devices and those kinks seem to have been worked out. Since iTunes Match was released to developers, the Music app has became quite unstable - its slow and a bit unpredictable. Some songs won’t play, it starts playing randomly (this is a bit strange, seems to be tied to when I go from signal/no-signal areas).”

How does it compare to Android?
Developer:

“I’m probably biased… but in terms of user experience, iOS is still the best choice for consumers - its so easy to pick up and use. While Android has been making big strides over the past few years, it still feels more…. complicated than it needs to be. The App ecosystem is also fragmented and less consumer friendly.

“iOS 5 takes an already great platform and builds in more incentives to buy into the whole iOS/Mac ecosystem. iCloud/iMessage are great examples of this - and they are also things which separate it from Android. No Android device vendor can offer that fully integrated solution.

“For developers, iOS has always been the better choice in terms of tools and SDK - Android has always been a bit sparse in this area. With iOS 5, Apple has introduced a lot of new API’s and features which will make it easier to write apps.”

Another dev:

“The only real advantage for developers that Android [now] has, and it depends what kind of app you are writing, is that with Android there is no app store review/approval process.”

“The new functionality for the most part seems rock solid - Reminders, Notifications, Sync/Backup, Twitter, iMessage….

What’s new under the hood?
• Developer support for creating multi-touch gestures,
• CoreImage which allows developers to manipulate 2D images and apply photoshop-like effects and filters,
• ARC which I suspect is part of a much larger plan. ARC basically makes developing for iOS much more accessible, and negates the need for developers to do complicated memory management.
• Full support for UI automation and testing

Any problems?

One dev says:

“My biggest bugbear at the moment (on my lowly 3GS) is the number of times app quit due to memory shortages, or because they’ve taken too long to load. I’m hoping that the debugging code within the iOS core is partly to blame here, and once it reaches release the core’s footprint will shrink and things will run as smoothly as iOS 4.

If it doesn’t, and I have to get used to frequent app crashes on my 3GS, then I’ll be disappointed. Of course, I’ve had it so long that an upgrade to a 4 or (more likely) a 5 isn’t too far away, but I’d like my iPhone to remain functional but slow. It’s hard to type on an iPhone keyboard when you’re also crossing your fingers it won’t crash.

(Note that the 3GS is the oldest model that will be supported by iOS5.).

So the drums are beginning to beat.

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

Apple’s much-awaited iPhone is just weeks away from release and reports from various publications are already drifting in its favor. According to earlier reports, the company ordered over 56 million iPhones for this half of the year of which 25 million units are for the iPhone 5 production.

Apple’s main rival Samsung is sailing high after the introduction of Galaxy S2 smartphone, which is widely received around the world outperforming the iPhone 4. The Korean smartphone giant is launching tweaked versions of the eagerly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S2 in the US. The bigger versions featuring 4.5-inch display are available with Sprint while T-Mobile will have its own version. AT&T will showcase the widely popular 4.3-inch Galaxy S2. There is no word on the Verizon version although Samsung recently confirmed about a LTE version featuring 4.5-inch display.

Backed by huge production of the upcoming iPhone 5 and cheaper iPhone 4S, Apple has revealed its fear of Samsung phones as they continue to sue them for patent infringements. Apple and Samsung have taken their fight from the US to Germany, France, Japan, UK and now to Australia. As Apple went on suing Samsung for design patents, Samsung has turned around like a snake that no longer liked to be chased and has started by filing a countersuit in Australia while also appealing a key ruling in Germany.

Samsung has alleged that iPhone smartphones and the iPad 2 tablet computer violate multiple wireless technology patents it holds. By suing Samsung, Apple has actually taken away the public attention from the problems the company is facing, of late. After Samsung Galaxy S2 was received with rave reviews, it looks like Apple, which usually launches the iPhone versions in June failed to introduce their next iPhone.

As most predictions point towards two models being produced — iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 — it is becoming evidently clear that the iPhone 4S which should have been introduced earlier would have lost the appeal of its iPhone fans had it been released along side Galaxy S2. Hence, Apple’s rampant rumor that the iPhone 5 prototype was lost in a bar and suing Samsung paved the way to deflect the public curiosity from the company’s actual issues.

Apple introduced iOS 5 instead of the iPhone 5 showcasing the new features of the phone prominently found in Android to appease the Apple fan base. Noticing the most interesting features found in Android and BlackBerry, Apple perhaps wanted to catch up with the fast moving market. With more Android OS devices coming out with better designs and powerful software along with high quality apps, Apple started suing Samsung, HTC and Motorola accusing them of infringement to slow down their pace and increase the competition. Presently, Android OS devices hold almost double the market share compared to iOS devices.

From Germany Deutsche Telecom to France Telecom CEO of hinting at iPhone 5 releases, all the hype-building technique has attracted the fans who are eagerly expecting the iPhone 5’s release. All the rumors and hype seem to be a smart move from Apple, in fact, a great marketing strategy. Sprint’s unlimited data plan is also the way forward to advance this strategy.

There are many issues that are actually sideling the release of iPhone 5. Most recently, the 4-inch display smartphone has become the norm, hence, having a 4-inch model will surely boost Apple’s prospects. Also MacRumors reported that users testing Apple’s upcoming iOS 5 and iCloud have found juggling multiple IDs to be a major issue. And not many have noticed the decline of iPod’s sales and production. With NFC and 4G being found in Android phones, Apple had to do a lot of catching up rather than innovating their way into the market, which they usually do.

Speaking about the iOS 5, it is actually set to power the iPod touch 5 and has become the forgotten device amongst all. In the last four years, Apple had always held a press event in the first two weeks of September to introduce iPod touch model. As the event has not taken place until now, it indiscriminately shows that there is no new Apple’s iPod Touch 5 yet because the iPhone 5 is still being held up for reasons Apple will only know. This year the iPod sales were, of course, down 20 percent from the last year with “just” 7.54 million units sold – the fastest year-to-year decline for iPod yet.

Now the latest reports show that the iPhone 5 production could be behind schedule, it has been reported, with the tear-shaped design seemingly causing manufacturing issues. Another iPhone 5 case’s leak from a Chinese Vendor last week has taken a new turn as Stuff now claims to have some additional images of cases for the next-generation device originating from Essex-based Fonegadgets. According to certian reports, Apple is also expected to send the “golden master” of its upcoming iOS mobile operating system to its iPhone and iPod Touch manufacturing partners sometime in late September.

Meanwhile, Samsung is not leaving any stone unturned as their new smartphones — namely Samsung Stratosphere and Samsung Illusion — are expected in few weeks. Samsung has leaked the pictures of Illusion which was supposedly a new Android-powered smartphone headed to Verizon. Samsung has posted an official render of the Illusion on its Flickr account, thereby, effectively leaking the handset itself. Illusion is expected to feature 800 MHz to 1 GHz single-core processor, a 3.2-3.5-inch 480×320 touchscreen, and a 3 to 5 MP camera. It looks like a ploy to counter Apple iPhone 4 which has similar features. This smartphone will not be priced above $100 with a new two-year contract.

Samsung Stratosphere is a LTE 4G smartphone with rumored features like Super AMOLED Plus 480 x 800 pixels resolution display, 1GHz single-core processor, Android 2.3.4 preinstalled, 512MB of RAM, 1800mAh battery, 2GB internal storage and 5-megapixel rear along with 1.3-megapixel front cameras. In fact, the display size is not yet certain, but by looking at the leaked pictures, the phone appears to feature a 4-inch screen similar to Sprint’s Samsung Epic 4G, a QWERTY Slider from Samsung launched in September 2010.

[Thanks: http://img.ibtimes.com]

After having been pushed back from a traditional summer launch, many have been expecting the iPhone 5 to surface at Apple’s early September press event as well, alongside the iOS 5 operating system which will power the new iPhone along with the iPod touch 5 if there is one in the pipeline. But with Labor Day coming and going, Apple has now passed up the opportunity to hold an event in the first week of September.

The clock now quickly ticks down for Apple’s chances to continue its multi-year streak of holding a press event within September’s first half. Press invites would need to be sent early this week for September 13th event; otherwise the company would be looking at a late September event and an October iPhone 5 launch. In 2006 Apple held an iPod nano launch event in early September quickly followed by a video iPod event in early October, with the latter arriving to market in time for the start of the holiday shopping season but without an assortment of third party accessories in tow. Now Apple faces an October launch for the iPhone 5, which would impact the device’s rollout in a number of ways…

One is the aforementioned lack of third party accessories which could result if Apple isn’t proactive. Typically Apple is so secretive about future products (for fear of designs being pre-copied by competing vendors) that accessory makers can’t begin manufacturing products such as cases until they get their hands on the specs. Apple can work around this in one of two ways. One is to offer its own iPhone 5 cases from the start, as it did with the iPhone 4 Bumpers last year and the iPad 2 Smart Covers this year. The other is for Apple to give iPhone 5 measurements to trusted accessory makers in advance, which it may have already done. But more than mere cases are on the line with an October iPhone 5 launch…

Apple must factor in marketing timeframes, retail arrivals, giving third parties time to flush out remaining inventory of the outgoing models, and more. In the mean time, the continued delay of the iPhone 5 now appears set to hold up the unveiling of other Apple products. iOS 5 won’t arrive until the iPhone 5 ships for marketing reasons, regardless of Apple’s vague claim that iOS 5 will arrive in the “fall.” There has been some level of interest in the iPod touch 5, although there’s sentiment that Apple could retire it in favor of a contract-free iPhone which would work as an iPod touch replacement.

Apple’s other iPod models, including the nano and shuffle, have become commoditized to the point that comparatively few appear to have much invested in the fate of the next generation, instead simply buying whichever generation happens to be on shelves. The most intriguing aspect of the iPod Classic is whether it’ll finally be discontinued. But even as Apple’s world isn’t about to stop spinning on its axis as a result of iPod delays, it’s worth noting that the continued iPhone 5 holdup is now in danger of impacting the rest of Apple’s product line if it doesn’t take quick steps this week in order to continue its streak of early September press events.

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

Italian blog MacityNet posted an extensive set of photos of a purported iPhone 5 case. The photographs show the current iPhone 4 as well as the fourth generation iPod touch in the new case.

Case makers are frequent sources for Apple rumors, but their track record is far from perfect. Case manufacturers often make prototypes of their best guesses for future Apple product dimensions. More often than not, those uninformed prototypes are what find their way to the press.

Still, looking at this case design in comparison to the current model is fascinating. This design indicates that the next iPhone would be styled more after the iPod touch than the iPhone 4. The tapered edges and curved back also align with the iPad 2.

Most interesting is the width of the device. It is wider and taller than its predecessor, which could mean that Apple is increasing its screen size for the next unit. The current iPhone 4 has a 3.5-inch screen. This is perfect for a pocket — especially if you are small in stature, like me — but the trend with smartphones in the past 18 months has been to release phones with larger and larger screens.

I’ll go on record as saying I still think a 4-inch screen is too large, and don’t even get me started on the 4.5-inch beasts. But perhaps Apple could compromise at 3.7-inch or 3.75-inch.

What do you think of these photos? Would you like a thinner, albeit wider, iPhone?

[Thanks: http://mashable.com]