The details come from a research note from Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek, first reported on by Forbes. In the note, Misek asserts that the next iPhone will not support the next-generation 4G long-term evolution networks that offer higher speeds than the current 3G wireless technology.
Citing industry checks, he said the fifth-generation iPhone will arrive in September with "minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support." New carriers are expected to include Sprint, T-Mobile, and China Mobile.
Apple reportedly hoped to have LTE chips ready for its next iPhone, but the performance of current products is said to not meet Apple's standards. Instead, the company will rely on its backup plan phone, dubbed the "iPhone 4S."
Reports began to surface in March that Apple would not meet the usual June launch timeframe for this year's iPhone upgrade. Instead, the device is expected to debut during Apple's next fiscal year, which begins in late September.
Various reports and alleged prototypes have shown devices with a larger screen, utilizing a new edge-to-edge display that would keep the hardware itself the same size. And in April, a Verizon executive suggested that Apple's next iPhone would be a world phone capable of connecting to both GSM and CDMA wireless networks.
Friday's report echoes many details stated in April by Reuters, which claimed that the next iPhone would arrive in September and would boast a faster processor while looking "largely similar to the iPhone 4." Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also told AppleInsider that the next-generation iPhone would go into mass production in September, would sport the same A5 processor found in the iPad 2, and would have an upgraded 8-megapixel rear camera.
117 Comments
I wonder if there is any chance at all this would happen in July?
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Will this be in lieu of a proper iPhone 5, or will it replace the iPhone 4 when the 5 is released? Hmm...
Good, I can finally skip an upgrade. The bigger news will probably be at WWDC (3 weeks away).
There's no way Apple would break with their update cycle and replace a one year old complete refresh... New models come every other model at the very most. A larger screen and form-factor update seems more important/relevant than an even better camera a slight speed upgrade for an already lightning fast model... I feel the aesthetics are farther behind the times than the hardware, but Apple will of course release a 4S and give us the modern iPhone in 2012.
Will this be in lieu of a proper iPhone 5, or will it replace the iPhone 4 when the 5 is released? Hmm...
Sounds like it will be to iPhone 4 what iPhone 3GS was to iPhone 3G.
I would assume it will be incremental, and iPhone 5 will be next year and "revolutionary" or "magical", or whatever Jobs word of the day is!