Josh OngMacRumors reported on Wednesday that AT&T customer care representatives claim to have heard directly from Apple that the launch of the next-generation iPhone will miss the company's usual early summer timeframe.
"Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe, though there will be a newer version in the future," the report noted the AT&T representative as saying. "Unfortunately, we have not been given a release time for the new phone. We will release this information on our website when it is available to us."
The representative made the comments after a reader allegedly called AT&T over concerns that his upgrade eligibility had been pushed back several months.
The rumor should, of course, be taken with a grain of salt. The report's author Eric Slivka warns that he is "always skeptical about such information shared by customer-facing representatives of Apple or associated companies."
However, Slivka add that "due to the specific nature of the claim and its presentation in a matter-of-fact manner expressly citing Apple as the source of the information, the tidbit is worth sharing."
Despite the dubious nature of the report, it does appear to track with a number of other sources. Last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo with Concord Securities told AppleInsider that supply chain sources indicated Apple's next handset would not begin production until September. Reuters also reported last month that sources claim the next iPhone won't arrive until September.
Apple has traditionally unveiled a new iPhone at the annual Worldwide Developer Conference in June. However, this year's WWDC, which takes place from June 6 to June 10 at San Francisco's Moscone West, is expected to be a software-centric event. In its announcement, Apple teased that this year's show will "unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS."
Reports have suggested that the so-called iPhone 5 will feature only minor upgrades to its form factor and features, though the device has been rumored to house an 8-megapixel camera and may feature a larger display.
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22 Comments
I don't know if you could say the lack of (or absence of) confirmation automatically means that it won't happen. Also keep in mind that AT&T isn't able to comment on, or say anything about unannounced Apple products.
I don't know if you could say the lack of (or absence of) confirmation automatically means that it won't happen. Also keep in mind that AT&T isn't able to comment on, or say anything about unannounced Apple products.
Indeed. Apple tells few and those that they do tell are under orders to keep it to themselves.
ATT never bumps up eligibilities until they know the release date. Until then they want to keep you on your current device for as long as they can milk you.
As for the whole supply chain, we don't know the specs but it is possible that all the parts are being used in current items so they just dont know that they are sending 100k whatevers for a phone and not the other thing.
as for the WWDC thing, I can buy that. THey want to get it back to the software focus it was created for. but that doesn't mean they couldn't do an on campus announcement that same week if they wanted to
pICS WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT ALREADY FROM CHINA....lol,,,
Sounds plausible enough to me. On the last earnings call I believe it was Tim Cook who made the comment that the first generation of LTE chipsets would have forced design compromises that Apple was unwilling to make. Very similar to what they said about the original iPhone. The big difference I can see today vs 4 years ago is that consumers and carriers alike both recognize the importance of a fast cell data network now, whereas in pre-iPhone 2006/2007, having a 3G radio didn't offer any major benefits because there were no applications or phones prevalent enough to require that faster network. Today though, both Verizon and very soon AT&T will be going full speed on LTE deployment, having now recognized the need for ever-faster data. The one who builds out more coverage, more quickly, will have a great advantage in the short term, enough to acquire a few customers and lock them in for two years. It would be somewhat foolhardy for Apple to ignore LTE in this next update, and if they are waiting for a 2nd gen chipset, then the delay to later in 2011 (or even early 2012?) makes sense.
Sounds plausible enough to me. On the last earnings call I believe it was Tim Cook who made the comment that the first generation of LTE chipsets would have forced design compromises that Apple was unwilling to make. Very similar to what they said about the original iPhone. The big difference I can see today vs 4 years ago is that consumers and carriers alike both recognize the importance of a fast cell data network now, whereas in pre-iPhone 2006/2007, having a 3G radio didn't offer any major benefits because there were no applications or phones prevalent enough to require that faster network. Today though, both Verizon and very soon AT&T will be going full speed on LTE deployment, having now recognized the need for ever-faster data. The one who builds out more coverage, more quickly, will have a great advantage in the short term, enough to acquire a few customers and lock them in for two years. It would be somewhat foolhardy for Apple to ignore LTE in this next update, and if they are waiting for a 2nd gen chipset, then the delay to later in 2011 (or even early 2012?) makes sense.
LTE can wait until next summer. LTE service won't be widespread for years. Verizon is practically the only carrier actively deploying LTE, being forced to since CDMA is at the end of the rope. It's only in a handful of markets now. AT&T likely won't begin rollout until end of next year. AT&T and other GSM carriers are upgrading to HSPA+ instead of jumping to straight to LTE. Apple will definitely bump up baseband to 14Mbs (or maybe 21Mbs) from current 7.2Mbs. It would be foolish to make sacrifices that would only appeal to maybe 5% of target market, if that.