iPhone 5 release date bypasses iPhone 4S with LTE, NFC, A6 alpha soup

October 28, 2011   by Bill Palmer  

by Bill Palmer

The iPhone 5 release date brings a host of new features which bypass the current iPhone 4S offerings, and for once, the new headlining features could consist primarily of the kind of alphanumeric soup which Apple typically leaves to its competitors. The 4S is headlined by the fun and easy Siri digital voice assistant, while the iPhone 4 before it was led by the equally fun and easy FaceTime video chat. But the list of expected features piling up thus far for the iPhone 5 reads quite differently. From 4G LTE to the A6 to NFC, the proposed iPhone 5 roadmap reads like a bunch of code-named nonsense to the typical user who doesn’t follow tech buzzwords. That’s the kind Apple has long sought to avoid. For instance, while the iPhone 4S includes a faster A5 processor, Apple isn’t running ads regarding the merits of the new low-power microprocessing architecture. But with the iPhone 5 looking to be a unique combination of style and brawn, a campaign which Apple explains its alpha-soup features to the public might be just what the doctor ordered…

Thus far ads for 4G LTE networking, mostly run by carriers who have pushed further with their LTE marketing than they have with the building out of their LTE networks, have focused on dry speed tests. They convey the sense that LTE phones are faster, but they don’t show real world ways in which having a faster data network matters (unless you count Verizon’s short-lived campaign which inexplicably showed a user praising a speedier data network while waiting for the fire department to get him out of a burning building). Ads for NFC don’t even exist yet, perhaps partly because the feature isn’t yet ready for prime time, or perhaps because it doesn’t even yet have a real name. Most viewers would mistake “NFC” for a pro football ad, rather than understanding that it’s a digital wallet system which allows you to swipe your phone instead of swiping your credit card. If Apple adds these features to the iPhone 5 it’ll have some explaining to do, as no one else has yet explained to mainstream consumers what these features should mean to them. Just as Apple is doing now with its iPhone 4S ads in which it attempts to show real world examples in which Siri could come in handy, as well as how easy it is to use for users of any technical skill level…

Part of Apple’s strategy is that it takes obtuse features like LTE and NFC and gives them an implementation which is practical and easily manageable. The other part is that it explains the benefits of these features to the public in real world terms as opposed to the geeky, gimmicky ways in which its competitors are still obtusely marketing their products. The iPhone 5 release date may mark the point at which Apple, rather than brushing aside alphanumeric soup features as usual, acts as ambassador by delivering these seemingly geek-leaning features to the public in a way in which they’ll finally embrace it. Here’s more on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.

Article source: http://www.beatweek.com/news/12187-iphone-5-release-date-bypasses-iphone-4s-with-lte-nfc-a6-alpha-soup/

iPhone 5 release date in spring 2012 competes with iPad 3 for calendar

October 29, 2011   by Bill Palmer  

by Bill Palmer

“Can the iPhone 5 really see its release date as soon as the spring of 2012?” asks one reader optimistically. The answer is a definite maybe, but Apple’s other flagship iProduct launch, the iPad 3, would pull calendar rank. Assuming the iPhone 5 was supposed to be ready this year and the iPhone 4S was a stand-in when Apple had to go to Plan B at the last minute, that means the iPhone 5 is probably ready to be launched at whatever point in 2012 Apple thinks it strategically ideal. The 4S will have to get its day in the sun for awhile. And the fact that it’s sold so well out of the gate certainly eliminates any possibility of the iPhone 5 being rushed out the door in, say, February. If the iPhone 4S keeps selling well, the iPhone 5 can more likely see a release date in the summer (in keeping with Apple’s longtime summer iPhone launch pattern) or in the fall (giving the 4S a full year) of 2012. But the spring 2012 scenario is still possible. Here’s what it would take…

First, you’d have to see a slowdown in iPhone 4S sales. Strong holiday sales would appear to be a given at this point, considering the record breaking early sales levels thus far. But if we get to early 2012 and “We’ve seen this iPhone body style before” fatigue sets in, or if carriers like Verizon, ATT, and Sprint get around to building out more of their 4G LTE networks and the public finally begins caring about next-gen networking technology and begins to ask why the latest iPhone doesn’t offer it (right now, almost no one among the mainstream public cares about 4G LTE, regardless of what the pundits and tech enthusiasts might claim), then iPhone 4S sales could tail off and Apple might be motivated to release the iPhone 5 sooner than later. Part of whether or not that could happen in the spring, let’s say April so it’s not in the same month as the expected March 2012 release date for the iPad 3, depends on what Apple’s original iPhone plan was for this year…

If Apple’s 2011 blueprint always centered around the iPhone 4S and there was never going to be an iPhone 5 this year one way or the other, then that means Apple is more or less on track with its original plan (the unexplained four month delay of the iPhone 4S from its expected summer debut notwithstanding). That would mean Apple is in no hurry to launch an iPhone 5 which it never had pegged until mid 2012 anyway. But if the iPhone 4S was supposed to be the mere sidekick model, with the plan calling for the iPhone 5 to debut at the same time as the 2011 flagship model, that means Apple is off blueprint. It also means the iPhone 5 was almost ready to go this month, and burying it in favor of promoting the iPhone 4S to the new flagship model was never Apple’s goal. If that’s the case then it means the iPhone 5 should be ready to go at just about any time in 2012 Apple wants, and considering that it was supposed to have already been on the market by now, a first-half 2012 launch would be a surprise but not a total shock. But either way, much of it depends on how well the iPhone 4S performs in the interim. It’ll continue to get its day in the sun until that sun goes dim. Either way, expect the iPad 3 release date to arrive first. Here’s more on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.

Article source: http://www.beatweek.com/news/12189-iphone-5-release-date-in-spring-2012-competes-with-ipad-3-for-calendar/

iPhone 5 Said to Lead LTE Charge as Sprint Preps New 4G Network, Devices

Apple will be among a slew of manufacturers launching their first LTE-capable smartphones next year. Apple, RIM, Sony Ericsson and Nokia are all expected to “join the LTE club,” sources told Taiwan-based Digitimes this week.

Those same sources also spilled details on Sprint’s coming LTE network, which CEO Dan Hesse previously said would debut in a handful of markets in mid-2012 and reach 275 million people by 2014. America’s third-largest carrier will reportedly launch 15 LTE devices – a combination of smartphones, tablets, data cards, etc. – at the time or shortly after the network is up and running.

There are now 35 LTE networks around the world, and that number is expected to be in the triple-digits by the end of next year as carriers race to meet consumers’ needs for speed.

News that Apple will finally produce an LTE-capable iPhone next year can’t come as a big surprise, but it’s certainly something that fans of the device have been waiting for. Insiders have said that up until now, Apple hasn’t felt any urgent need to jump on the 4G bandwagon since a large percentage of smartphone owners either don’t know what it is or can’t define it. But the time seems right as Verizon Wireless will have the lion’s share of the U.S. covered with its LTE network next year, ATT’s will grow to reach tens of millions of potential customers, and Sprint’s will make its debut.

While Digitimes isn’t always on the mark with its long-term predictions, this forecast backs up what China Mobile’s chairman said in an interview with Reuters earlier this week. He said his company is in talks with Apple about an iPhone based on TD-LTE, China’s homegrown 4G technology.

So when we exactly will we see an LTE iPhone? Some analysts are already predicting it will be introduced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next June, but it’s simply too early to tell; however, odds on sometime in 2012 are looking pretty good.

Article source: http://www.channelpartnersonline.com/news/2011/10/iphone-5-said-to-lead-lte-charge-as-sprint-preps.aspx

Now With iPhone Sprint Has No More Excuses, Fourth Quarter Critical

Sprint reported mixed third quarter results on Wednesday, as solid earnings were overshadowed by disappointing postpaid subscriber additions and further details about the costly iPhone contract with Apple.

Fourth-quarter subscriber numbers will be very important for Sprint, as it is the first quarter in which the iPhone was available to the company’s subscribers.

See our full analysis of Sprint’s stock here

Earnings Solid Financially but Operating Metrics Disappoint

Sprint’s Q3 earnings were generally good from a financial standpoint, as revenue and EBITDA grew 2% and 5% year-over-year, respectively, while the reported net loss improved from ($911 million) in Q3 2010 to ($301 million) this quarter.

The company’s capital expenditures have continued to escalate as it focuses on its network modernization project and improving data capacity in advance of the iPhone launch.

Most disappointing to investors, however, was the continued loss of postpaid subscribers, the customers who are on long-term contracts and therefore most highly valued. Management still expects a net gain for 2011, but given that the company has lost 259k net postpaid subscribers so far this year, management must be counting on the iPhone to reduce churn as well as bring in a significant number of new customers. ^[1]

We will be looking closely at the company’s Q4 results as a barometer of just how much of an impact the iPhone could have on its customer base and believe it will need to have a significant immediate effect in order to justify the massive upfront commitment that Sprint has made.

Clearwire Relationship Clarified

One key issue about which Sprint’s management has been reticent was the company’s LTE plan and, more specifically, its relationship with 4G partner Clearwire. Sprint had previously announced plans to roll out its own 4G network, which sent Clearwire’s stock plummeting.

That issue was clarified on Wednesday’s earnings call as CEO Dan Hesse announced that the company has come to an agreement with Clearwire to help roll out Clearwire’s own LTE network that Sprint’s subscribers will be able to use. ^[1] This led to a significant rally in Clearwire’s stock, but still leaves open the question of why Sprint has multiple LTE plans given its projected liquidity situation.

We have a $4.73 price estimate for Sprint’s stock, which is almost 80% higher than the market price. We are in the process of updating our numbers for earnings.

See how a company’s products impact its stock price at Trefis

Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/10/28/now-with-iphone-sprint-has-no-more-excuses-fourth-quarter-critical/

iPhone 4S staves off iPhone 5 as surrogate model steals best features

October 28, 2011   by Beatweek  

by Timmy Falcon

The iPhone 4S is, in more ways than one, a surrogate to the iPhone 5. The “real thing” wasn’t ready this year, either by design or by default – and whether Apple had originally been planning for the 5 to drop this year or not, the public was certainly expecting it. The “iPhone 5″ envisioned in the minds of the public generally consisted of a faster A5 processor and the new iOS 5 operating system, in whatever new body style each user might have cooked up in their own mind. As it turns out, the iPhone 4S has arrived fitting the general description of the iPhone 5 in terms of features, with the only letdown being that it retains the same old suspiciously familiar body style that’s been around since the summer of 2010. The initial backlash against the 4S, based primarily on that same-old body style and the fact that it didn’t have a “5″ in its name, was predictable. The swiftness with which the 4S backlash transformed into excitement and record-breaking sales in the millions may well have been predictable as well. After all, the iPhone 4S ultimately stole the thunder of the iPhone 5 by stealing its known feature set and adding some goodies in for good measure…

“We want an iPhone 5 on Sprint” was the rallying cry of those who had stuck with the smaller carrier even as ATT and more recently Verizon offered the iPhone to their respective customer bases. The iPhone 5 didn’t arrive on Sprint this year, but the iPhone 4S did. Problem solved. “We want the iOS 5 software features shown off at WWDC but we want them to run on suitably fast iPhone 5 hardware,” others insisted. Instead they got their iOS 5 on faster hardware; it merely didn’t look new. “We want a better iPhone camera with faster shutter speed,” yet another segment demanded. They got what they wanted as well. It merely turns out that it took a minute for each group to figure out that the iPhone 4S offered most of what they had been hoping for out of their proposed iPhone 5. The fact that Siri got thrown in with the 4S for good measure is merely a bonus. As such the iPhone 4S is indeed merely a surrogate attempting to channel what the public had been expecting from the iPhone 5 this year – but it’s a successful one at that.

Article source: http://www.beatweek.com/news/12188-iphone-4s-staves-off-iphone-5-as-surrogate-model-steals-best-features/