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]

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]

Since January, bits and pieces about the next-generation smartphone have been making the rounds on the Internet, with different rumored specifications and concept images offered by various Web sites and blogs.

Apple is a couple of days away from announcing the arrival of the most anticipated iPhone to enter the U.S. smartphone market. The company has issued invites for an event Tuesday that will showcase the fifth-generation iPhone.

The iPhone5 is expected to run on the latest iOS5, which will come with 200 new features, including an improved notifications system, as well as the Newsstand and iMessage applications. In addition, the iPhone5 is expected to feature the new iCloud service for operating iTunes, enabling wireless remote access of purchased and personally collected music from all computers and mobile devices.

The iPhone5 will likely support HSPA+ networks that will provide faster Internet speeds compared with its predecessors, Japanese blog Macotakara reported, citing a China Unicom executive’s presentation at Macworld Asia.

The arrival of the iPhone5 will trigger a smartphone battle in the U.S. market as its strongest rivals — the Samsung GalaxyS2 and Motorola Droid Bionic — have come to this market after several design changes.

Samsung’s GalaxyS2 continues its strong march in the smartphone race, giving stiff competition to Apple’s iPhone4 as well as the upcoming iPhone5.

The GalaxyS2, which runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and sports Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, comes with an 8-megapixel camera with flash and can record high-definition video in 1080p, offering the richest video content on a smartphone. The phone also has a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chat.

The device, which was recently launched in the United States, sold a whopping 10 million units since its launch in late April 2011, not including sales from the U.S., the largest market for smartphones.

On the other hand, Apple sold 20 million iPhones in the third quarter. Though the Galaxy S2’s sales lag behind iPhone sales, it implies that the Samsung Galaxy S2 is the toughest rival Apple will face for its iPhone 5, which is expected to be launched in October.

Meanwhile, the Motorola Droid Bionic has undergone several design changes. At the beginning of this year, this smartphone looked like the Motorola Atrix, but now it looks very similar to the Motorola Droid 3, one of the latest high-end phones. However, the Motorola Droid 3 has a slider QWERTY, unlike the Droid Bionic, which is just a touchscreen phone.

Other changes in the Droid Bionic include higher RAM capacity, a change in chipset from the Tegra 2 AP20H to the TI OMAP4430 and, surprisingly, less battery capacity compared with the battery capacity introduced in previous iterations of the phone.

So the heated battle will begin with the arrival of the Apple iPhone 5. All the three smartphones are right up there in the hype cloud, and hopefully they will live up to it.

Meanwhile, Samsung has announced a press event on Oct. 11, exactly one week after Apple’s “Let’s talk iPhone” program on Oct. 4. It is expected that Nexus Prime, the flagship smartphone for the Google Android platform, will be officially presented at the Samsung event.

Samsung’s Nexus Prime will be the first smartphone with an Android 4.0 operating system, codenamed “Ice Cream Sandwich,” which is designed to provide strong competition to Apple’s iPhone 5.

[Thanks: http://www.ibtimes.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]

The carrier revealed the information in a presentation given at this week’s Macworld Asia. A slide shown by the carrier, spotted by Macotakara, displays the evolution of the iPhone, from the first-generation model in 2007 onward.

Included in the slide is a blank spot for Apple’s so-called “iPhone 5,” which the company will officially unveil at an event next Tuesday. No photo or details on the iPhone 5 are provided, except for a mention that it will access HSPA+ networks, which have theoretical maximum download speeds of 21Mbps.

That compares to the 7.2Mbps maximum theoretical speed the WCDMA radio has provided in the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G. The first-generation iPhone featured EDGE data connections for 480Kbps.

In the U.S., AT&T and T-Mobile have their own HSPA+ networks which the carriers advertise as having “4G” speeds, even though they aren’t true fourth-generation technology. AT&T is currently rolling out a true LTE 4G network in the U.S., and the carrier’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile would give it more spectrum to expand its coverage.

Rumors have maintained that this year’s iPhone upgrade will not feature a true 4G LTE radio. The China Unicom slide does indicate, however, that the next iPhone will feature an improved modem.

In April, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook indicated his company is in no rush to adopt true 4G LTE technology in its products. He admitted that Apple has explored LTE, but the company wasn’t ready to make the jump with the launch of a CDMA Verizon iPhone in February.

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

Next week Apple will be closing its huge Covent Garden store in London early, as they can host a press gathering to watch the press event that will be streamed from the California headquarters. The store will be closing early at 3:30pm to get ready for the media event that will start at 6:00pm. Its Covent Garden store normally stays open until 9:00pm on that day.

MacRumors are reporting that Apple notified staff about the event, but couldn’t go into details about what was going to be presented at the event. This was likely to prevent any leaks to the media ahead of the presentation.

Apple has launched press events in London before but they were mainly held away from its retail outlets. With the iPhone 4 that went on sale in June 2010 the company’s flagship store on Regent Street opened early at 7am to meet demand for the device.

There is likely to be many Apple fans trying to get a look inside to see what is going on during the keynote speech by Tim Cook. The store may blackout its windows though as the anticipation for the next handset grows. We told you earlier about a survey that found a big percentage of consumers are looking to get the iPhone 5.

Are you holding out for the iPhone 5?

[Thanks: http://www.product-reviews.net]

Most notable is that even as AT&T serves up discounts this week on dozens of smartphones from rivals like Samsung and HTC, not a penny has been shaved off the price of its iPhone 4. This kind of indifference has come to be expected from AT&T customers, who watched the carrier respond to its impending loss of iPhone exclusivity by eliminating popular unlimited data plans and not lifting a finger to compete with the Verizon iPhone 4 which arrived in the spring.

That leaves AT&T iPhone customers in the position of going carrier-shopping with the launch of the iPhone 5 (but not to T-Mobile, which admits it won’t have the iPhone this year), with various factors marking the pros and cons of doing so. For those iPhone 5 buyers who are looking at marking the occasion by moving to Verizon or Sprint, here’s a look the ups and downs of it.

The first factor is a financial one. Verizon’s plans cost roughly the same as that of AT&T, while Sprint offers pricing which is cheaper for most users in most instances. However, any AT&T customer who bought their last iPhone less than two years ago is looking at having to pay off the remaining portion of their early termination fee if they’re going to change carriers at the iPhone 5 launch. There are actually three groups here. The first are those whose current iPhone is more than two years old and are already post-contract: they can change carriers without regard for cost.

The second are those who are eligible for upgrade pricing (typically twelve or eighteen months after purchase) but aren’t yet out of their contract: it’s cheaper for them to remain with AT&T because the iPhone 5 will cost the same no matter who they get it from, and leaving AT&T will require an ETF payment. The third group faces a different fate: those who aren’t yet upgrade-eligible will find themselves facing a $200 surcharge for an AT&T iPhone 5, and may come out ahead by buying a Verizon or Sprint iPhone 5 at standard pricing and using the savings to pay off their AT&T ETF.

Network quality is a significant factor but one which is tricky to quantify on a local level. For those who aren’t globe trotters, less important are national network quality rankings and more important are signal strength at ones home, place or work, favorite hangouts, and routes in between. A longtime AT&T iPhone user could be living in the middle of a Verizon dead spot and not know it; switching to a Verizon iPhone 5 could then become a nightmare. The way around this is to invite friends with Sprint and Verizon phones to come visit, and then check their reception while they’re over.

Network speed is another beast entirely. Both Verizon and AT&T have embarked on 4G LTE nationwide networks, but Verizon is much further along in that regard; neither one is anywhere close to being nationwide as of yet. The iPhone 5 may or may not even support 4G LTE, which won’t be confirmed until the device launches. Sprint offers a 4G network which is nationwide, but it’s significantly slower than the 4G LTE being promised by the other two carriers. It’s not yet known whether the iPhone 5 will support Sprint’s 4G, either.

Neither Verizon nor AT&T is offering unlimited data plans to new customers. Sprint is doing so, but reserves the right to revoke it down the road. Longtime AT&T iPhone users are still on an unlimited data plan if they’ve so chosen, and would lose this plan if they move to a Verizon iPhone 5. Then again, they could eventually lose the plan if AT&T revokes it later. Unlimited data plans mean you can surf the web as much as you like; those on limited data plans are in store for sizable overage fees if they go past their monthly limit.

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

According to reports, the CMO apparently said in a town hall meeting that “We are not going to get the iPhone 5 this year.”

It does, however, bring up the possibility that T-Mobile might get the iPhone 5 next year.

Still, Apple is keeping a tight lip as to the launch of its much awaited iPhone 5. However, various reports have chimed in on when the next-generation iPhone will arrive in stores.

One such report came recently from The New York Times. According to the Times, an Apple employee has told them that the iPhone 5 is “just weeks away”.

The particular statement is vague but it does add to the growing number of reports which say that the iPhone 5 will likely arrive by October.

Nonetheless, Apple is already late with its iPhone 5 release basing on the fact that it has released an iPhone every year by June or July since it launched the first iPhone in 2007.

[Thanks: http://socialbarrel.com]

Analyst Mark Moskowitz with JP Morgan said on Monday that the next “iPhone 5″ will be a “world phone” with both GSM and CDMA cellular support, but no support for 4G, and a “lighter, thinner form factor.”

He also indicated the iPhone 5 would be accompanied by another device aimed at downscaled markets.

“A second device based on the current iPhone 4 but with some minor improvements could target the midrange and focus on China,” Moskowitz told clients. “As for the current iPhone 4, we expect it to subsume 3GS as the lower-end offering.”

The “research” reignites debate as to whether the consumer electronics giant will launch a new flagship and use the current iPhone 4 as the low-end offering, and create a new device.

But for Moskowitz, a new, cheaper device makes sense, as it allows it to tap into the massive China market without the premium shock.

“If penetrated, China Mobile and China Telecom with approximately 600 million and 100 million subscribers, alongside Sprint and T-Mobile USA with 52 million and 33 million subscribers, stand to have an effect tantamount to the big increase in the number of carriers exhibited in the June quarter,” he said. “We would expect such a big bang if Apple introduces two new iPhones this fall and penetrates the untapped U.S. and China carriers.”

As for the rumored iPad 3, the analyst shot that down, echoing the course of others on Wall Street that say given the current dominance of the iPad 2, there would be little reason to upgrade now.

“The other tablet entrants have stumbled,” Moskowitz wrote. “Offerings by MMI and RIM have been the latest disappointments. Also, we had the opportunity to demo Sony’s tablet before its launch. We were not impressed.”

Indeed, the same analyst noted last week that Motorola Mobility’s “Xoom” tablet had “not exhibited much in the way of meaningful market penetration” and that Research in Motion said it shipped only 200,000 “PlayBook” tablets in the August-ending fiscal Q2, fewer than analysts were expecting.

In comparison, Apple shipped over nine million tablets, and is projected to command over 60 percent of the tablet market in 2012.

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

“If we believe what we have been told, the iPhone 5 will be released on 15 October,” said Stephane Richard, France Telecom chief.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has not released any specs on the iPhone 5 and is yet to even confirm its existence. However, analysts expect the device to have an A5 processor, an 8-megapixel camera and 1080p video capture capabilities.

Richard did not elaborate on who clued him in on the date, or whether he was referring to a launch specifically in France or worldwide, but his comment falls in place with other recent iPhone 5 rumors.

AppleCare workers say they have been told to expect an increase in calls related to iOS beginning on October 10, as Apple gears up to send out the final version of iOS 5 for carrier testing next week.

Richard’s predicted launch date of October 15 is a Saturday, and though Apple typically releases its high-profile products on weekdays, the company may look to benefit from the customer traffic a weekend will bring. People will likely show up for the device hours before its launch no matter what day the launch is, but releasing on a Saturday gives those who work an opportunity to get in line as well.

Along with its exact release date, the exact features of the iPhone 5 remain a mystery, leaving fans to take part in a painful waiting game. But if Richard is right, all will be unveiled by mid-October.

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