Josh OngJapanese Mac site Macotakara cites a "Chinese source" as saying that the two OEM manufacturers have started assembling Apple's so-called iPhone 5, with Foxconn bearing 85 percent of the load and Pegatron taking on a 15 percent share.
However, the devices are reportedly being stocked without packaging because Apple is not ready to install iOS 5 on them.
The report inferred from its source that the iPhone 5 will be ready to launch by early October, adding that the handset would arrive in Asia in late October or early November.
The publication has a hit-or-miss track record with Apple predictions. For instance, in May, it reported that a SIM-less iPhone 5 would arrive by early August.
Mac Otakara's most recent information does however fall in line with a separate report from last month that claimed Pegatron would begin shipping the iPhone 5 in September. Earlier this year, it was claimed that Pegatron would supply 15 million next-generation iPhones, but that number has since been dropped down to 10 million. Assuming that Pegatron's 15 percent share of the iPhone production load is accurate, a 10 million unit order for the manufacturer would leave Foxconn with a 57 million unit order.
AppleInsider reported in August that Apple's long-time advertising agency TBWA/Chiat Day has begun work on a television spots for the smartphone, which will reportedly finish up in early October. Several other reports have also pointed to an October release.
Apple's next iPhone is expected to take advantage of the A5 processor and sport an 8-megapixel camera. The device is also rumored to be thinner and smaller with curved sides differing from those of the iPhone 4.
William Gallagher
Marko Zivkovic
Amber Neely
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
Malcolm Owen
74 Comments
C'mon Apple!! bring it!!
A5 Processor
More Ram so some apps don't crash out
Improved Front & Back Camera
Bigger Screen 4"+ screen
Longer lasting Home Button (iPhone 4 sucks and breaks down after months of use)
Fixed Antenna issues
iOS5 + iCloud Syncing
Longer Battery Life
....Then I'm sold and will upgrade my iPhone4 immediately
Oh and there's one more thing - If Steve could walk on that stage again and intro the iPhone 5 with his smoove delivery then it's Happy Days!
C'mon Apple!! bring it!!
Longer Battery Life
i had to disable multitasking to get amazing battery life and avoid breaking home button. Maybe if multitasking gestures are enabled, like on the ipad, then i'll use it.
but perhaps make it two or three finger swipe, since 4 is too hard to do on iphone.
I am looking forward to the new iCloud features for iOS Apps and iTunes, plus Airplay Mirroring of iPad 2 and AppleTV.
People don't realize yet the power of iOS Apps saving documents in the iCloud and automagically updating different devices. This will put iOS devices another 3 to 5 years ahead of the competition.
Time will tell.
Sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. My day one bought 3GS sells on eBay this evening. I was banking on the resale prices of 3GS crashing when Apple holds it's early September iOS event: which is missing in action. My iPad 2 and an old Samsung feature phone are poised to provide cover duty though.
C'mon Apple!! bring it!!
A5 Processor
The current A5 is too hot for a cell phone so I expect at the very least a process shrunk version. A Low Power A5 if you will. However the chip could be more than that, possibly an A6. In the end if Apple can deliver a 20nm chip it would be a solid step ahead for Apple.
RAM will help but bug fixes would help even more.
Bigger Screen 4"+ screen
The camera I don't care about. However a big screen would be very nice.
What are you doing with your iPhone that the button wears out? This is the first I've heard of an issue here.
It has been shown again and again that iPhone 4 has one of the best antenna systems of any cell phone. Just hold it right . In any event you do rrealize that all antennas interact with their environment, it is a reality of physics.
I'm hoping iCloud lives up to the hype. If not IOS5 will be very useful in it's own right, but it won't be as compelling.
Yeah another personal frustration! It is one of the reasons I'm hoping for a process shrunk version of A5.
Oh and there's one more thing - If Steve could walk on that stage again and intro the iPhone 5 with his smoove delivery then it's Happy Days!
I'd like to see Steve do that but I'm not sure it is realistic. Even if his health is good Steve and Apple need to show investors that a solid transition has taken place.