The month after a lot of product releases always goes the same way with people immediately looking to what's next. In April, though, we may have had a lot of rumors, but we also had legal battles, security issues, and a clear path forward for 5G on the iPhone.
AT&T has started the rollout of its 5G mobile network, with the carrier making the low-band version of the technology available to use in ten markets across the United States - but it can currently only be used with one smartphone model.
Despite mounting risks in mainland China, Bank of America Securities upped its price target another 7% on shares of Apple this week, saying the international roll out of 5G should help the company sustain consistent sales of over 200M iPhones over the next few years.
Rosenblatt Securities said Monday it believes Apple is working on as many as six different "iPhone 12" models — including 'Plus' and 'Max' size variants of its 'Pro' series — but nonetheless reiterated its sell rating on the company's shares, predicting impending share losses in China that won't be helped by a so-called 'iPhone SE 2.'
A reduction in the size of an essential battery protection circuit for the iPhone could mean that Apple has room to include bigger batteries in the 2020 "iPhone 12" series.
T-Mobile launched its nationwide 5G network on Monday, one that covers more than 200 million people across the United States. But, customers expecting high-speed connections may be disappointed by the promotion of the carrier's 600MHz spectrum and nearly no mmWave rollout.
Apple will be launching four iPhone models with 5G in the second half of 2020, analysts from JP Morgan anticipate, with the group split into two pairs of smaller and larger models, but one pairing will include 3D sensing capabilities on the rear and support for the faster mmWave-based 5G connections.
An unconfirmed report in Digitimes claims that Apple is advising its suppliers that it will be producing in excess of 100 million of the next iPhone, a rise of around a fifth over 2019's estimates.
It's still chiefly a lower-speed version of the technology, but genuine 5G is shortly to reach 'tens of millions' of AT&T customers across the US. True full speed 5G for businesses is also expanding.
Apple's first 5G iPhones are expected to rip movies, emails and photos down from the cloud at record speeds but that won't come without a price — at least for Apple, where some components required to support the new spec may run a premium of up to 35%.
Apple has reportedly set lofty sales goals for the 2020 iPhone launch, and the company's market power could spur more and faster 5G rollouts.
New supply chain rumors appear to corroborate previous reports that Apple will add high-refresh rate ProMotion displays to the 2020 iPhone lineup.
The maker of Apple-designed A13 chip, TSMC, reports smartphone demand that is stronger than expected, and is investing up to $5 billion extra ahead of its new forecasts about 5G models.
Apple has reportedly set an aggressive 2022 deadline to develop an in-house cellular modem for use in iPhone and iPad, a project that could lead to baseband module integration in the company's system-on-chip designs by 2023.
Investors are being too conservative in their guesses of how much impact 5G will have on the iPhone's sales in the coming years, a Jefferies analyst suggests, with Wall Street apparently underestimating how many people will upgrade their devices to take advantage of the communications technology.
Apple's 2019 iPhone refresh will be disappointing, according to Nomura Instinet, with financial analysts cutting their estimates to below the Wall Street consensus with the added belief other takes on the 5G-equipped 2020 models are too optimistic.
While rumors and speculation suggest the 2019 iPhones may not necessarily be a worthwhile upgrade versus older models or worth buying prior to 5G, the vast majority of existing iPhone owners are still interested in upgrading to the 'iPhone 11.'
Verizon on Friday announced five new "unlimited" phone plans, four of which offer extended access to Apple Music. [Updated with elaborated throttling details]
Supply chain sources claim that Apple and other vendors are gearing up to launch a 5G MacBook Pro in 2020, with other vendors looking at production of cellular models utilizing the new network before the end of 2019.
Intel CEO Bob Swan in a Wednesday interview explained the reasoning behind selling his company's smartphone modem assets to Apple, saying the exclusive nature of its relationship with the iPhone maker made staying in the business unattractive.
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William Gallagher
Malcolm Owen
Mike Wuerthele
Amber Neely
Mikey Campbell
Mike Wuerthele and Malcolm Owen
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