Questionable iPhone 5 SIM card tray leaks

We know you paid for the whole seat, but we’re going to force you to use only the edge: an iPhone part supplier has what they claim to be the SIM card tray slot for the iPhone 5. Sure, the iPhone 4S might be the fifth-generation iPhone, and the part might bear a striking resemblance to the current SIM card tray, but there are some (extremely) minor differences to be seen.

The tray, if it is intended for a new iPhone, would suggest a similar form factor to the current iPhone 4/4S, with a flat side edge instead of a tapered edge as has been alluded to in the past. As for the actual SIM tray, there are some minor differences between this part and the current 4/4S tray. Compare it to a photo we just snapped:

The design of the new tray actually seems to be quite rough around the edges, with unnecessary curves as the metal reaches the right edge. This new tray actually seems to have more SIM card space too: while there’s the corner dent intended for a microSIM, there’s an additional layer of metal underneath that seems quite out of place. Those subtle (yet sloppy) differences makes us wonder if this is really an iPhone part, or something designed for a knock-off.

Current rumors indicate that the next iPhone would house a larger screen, and possibly be made of Liquidmetal. LTE connectivity is also tipped, and there’s even the possibility of Qualcomm’s new 28nm chips being used.

[via Cydiablog]

Article source: http://www.slashgear.com/questionable-iphone-5-sim-card-tray-leaks-02225612/

Samsung Galaxy S III vs iPhone 5: pre-release battle

The next-generation iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III will be the two biggest and baddest smartphones on the market this summer. There’s no denying that. Unless you’re HTC and you’ve got the HTC One series with the HTC One X on ATT and the HTC One S on T-Mobile, then you’ve got something to back up your claim that you’ve got anything to say to either Samsung or Apple. Thusly here is my challenge to you, Apple and Samsung – I dare you to make a more perfectly tuned smartphone than HTC has offered up here at the start of 2012. I dare you to take this game to the next level.

The Samsung Galaxy S line has been the best selling line of Android phones in the short history of Android itself. The same is true of the iPhone, except since it’s the only device like it running iOS in the iPhone style, you can rack up the success against the rest of the smartphone world – there’s no other smartphone that’s been in essentially one form factor that’s sold as well as the iPhone has. You can see the reverberations of the iPhone and the Galaxy S lineup in every single other smartphone on the market – BlackBerry and Windows Phones included.

Now what HTC has done is to create a hero phone line called “HTC One” that contains a selection of elements that clearly shows how they’ve payed attention to the whole smartphone experience. Samsung has not been so clear, and the iPhone has always had this sort of situation going on. Apple’s vertical integration between their iTunes app store, iTunes for music and movies, software created by developers specifically for their phone, and the hardware which can be fixed by them in their own store – all of that makes the iPhone what it is today, super successful.

HTC doesn’t offer that, but they have created a line of phones with a perfectly well-tuned set of elements that make them more than a competitor for the iPhone and the Galaxy S line. What they lack is something that Samsung is getting better at every day: good advertising. Samsung has a big enough name that they’re able to promote their Galaxy S lineup with advertisements during the Superbowl. They’ve got enough cash for that, I should say. They’ve also got brand trust from their customers wishing to get the best out of their Android experience.

Now what the Galaxy S III launch this week needs to have in it are several elements. These elements are not the same as what they’ll have to continue to have for the phone to sell well – these are different things – keep that in mind.

1. A solid internet connection at the launch event.

2. No live feed for viewers at home.

3. Plenty of hands-on time allotted for all attendees.

4. Good lighting for press photography.

5. Engineers of the phone on-hand to show off the devices – not temporary hires that don’t know what they’re talking about. I mean Philip Berne, not some no-name.

Samsung needs to treat this event as a press event primarily and give the press their fair share of coverage so that they might take it to the underground before they make their big showing worldwide. To attract the general audience they need to sell massive amounts of smartphones, Samsung needs to keep it simple. Bring on some all-black or all-white screens and fly the Galaxy S III across the center with the words “Android Perfected.”

Samsung needs to show that they have the only phone anyone could ever want. They need to stop touting the details as the best bits of information about the phone and start saying “This is what you want.” Just like Apple does. Samsung has the ability to make an awesome device, now they just need to assure the public that they’ve got that ability.

And what about the iPhone 5? It will be amazing, will have more than just your average bunch of upgrades, and will be Apple’s next powerhouse. Think of the upgrades the iPhone 4S had over the iPhone 4. Then think of the upgrades the iPhone 4 had over the iPhone 3GS. These jumps signify what you’ll see here in 2012 for the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5 will be a revolutionary device not just because it will have a set of perfectly legitimately awesome features, but because Apple will say it’s the best. Because of that, it will be.

See you tomorrow for the big Samsung Galaxy S III event – we’ll be there live!

Article source: http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-vs-iphone-5-pre-release-battle-02225683/

Apple’s iPhone 5 release date will be…

By Jonny Evans

Great speculation clads the question: “When will Apple [AAPL] introduce the iPhone 5?” I’ve been gazing at the crystal ball, talking to astrologers, seeking the wisdom of soothsayers and looking at my iCal calendar to estimate the date: October 2, or October 16.

[ABOVE: Apple CEO, Tim Cook, introduces the iPhone 4S last October.]

Logical madness

There’s two schools of thought surrounding the next iPhone’s introduction: One group believes Apple will introduce it at or around WWDC in June; however the prevailing expectation is that it will ring in the smartphone changes in Fall, probably in or around October.

I favor a Fall, rather than mid-summer launch because:

• iOS 6 will deliver significant new features;
• The new iPhone is expected to offer significant design changes;
• Advanced components for the device will need to be manufactured;
• Apple and its partners will need to assemble new production lines;
• It’s extremely important the failure rate on the device is very small;
• It takes time to manufacture the millions of units Apple is expected to sell in the first few days.

Looking to history

There’s many who point to previous iPhone model introductions in order to add weight to their belief the device will debut at WWDC, so I’ve listed the dates below:

October 4 2011: iPhone 4S
June 10, 2010: iPhone 4
June 8, 2009: 3GS
June 9, 2008: iPhone 3
January 9, 2007: iPhone

With the exception of the most recent model and introduction of the original iPhone, every new launch has taken place in June.

Apple watchers also point to the device’s seeming decline in sales volume relative to Samsung’s and other vendor’s Android-powered devices, arguing the company needs to refresh its product to maintain momentum.

Never say never, but I’d counter that the iPhone 4S remains popular, accounting for 31 percent of US smartphone sales. I’d also point out the existing model’s going to be just eight months old in June, meaning Apple’s most loyal customers will need to buy their way out of their 12-month contracts to upgrade. That’s in addition to the reasons against an earlier launch listed above.

Make time for Macintosh

With Apple set to introduce new Macs over summer, I’d argue against a summer launch, which also leads us into Fall. August isn’t a good launch month as many potential Apple customers head off on summer vacation. As do many Apple staff.

September remains a possibility.Apple seems to like to upgrade its music devices just in time for the new student year. The challenge is that an iPhone launch at that point would seize the entire media focus, side-tracking attention away from these announcements, including the much-upgraded version of iTunes I’d like to see by then.

This leaves October and November.

November is a difficult month.

Just before Christmas, (an important season in some cultures) most consumers are already doing their sums and checking their finances are in order for the annual gift-purchasing season by November.

In the US, (previous error removed, ed) Thanksgiving also puts pressure on shopper’s wallets, and reduces the media attention given to anything launched late in that month.

Thanksgiving in the US takes place on November 22 this year, so it’s reasonable to expect a slow down in media reporting in the week before and after that event. Corporate announcements tend to dip around then (this is also an opportunity to scoop media attention, of course). However, it also limits the available spare cash consumers have to hand.

This leaves just the first two weeks in November to make a product introduction, but limits the time to bring it to market.

As winter falls

With September unlikely and November looking difficult, Apple would be most likely to ponder October as a suitable launch opportunity. It makes more sense for any firm engaged in making a product introduction to launch their offer in October.

That’s partly because it maximizes available publicity, and also because it gives consumers a few extra weeks to pool their cash to buy whatever is being offered to them. Success in this is part of what has driven iPod nano sales during Apple’s Christmas past, and delivered higher-than anticipated iPhone 4S sales last year.

Interestingly, October is also when the first devices runnig Windows 8 for mobile are expected to be out, with Samsung’s Galaxy S3 expected to appear in a Win 8 incarnation that month. 

Monday October 8 is Columbus Day, a US public holiday. I’ve been watching Apple quite a long time and note the company rarely introduces new product in a week containing a public holiday. That’s partly because its staff (gasp) sometimes need time off, and also because public holidays tend to blunt the focus of audiences and media reportage.

This means the second week in October is out of the picture. Take a look at Apple’s previous iPhone introductions and you’ll see that the company seems to enjoy announcement of new models in the first or second week of the month.

October 2?

Logically this makes October 2 (a Tuesday, though under Tim Cook, Apple also seems quite keen on Thursday product launches) the most logical launch date for the iPhone 5. Should that prove unviable, then October 16 makes sense, with the product set to hit the US and other key international markets two weeks later at the end of the month, just before Halloween.

On that basis I’m estimating October 2 or October 16 as the most likely launch dates. Out of interest and courtesy of Astrolabe, here’s the astrology chart for October 2:

[ABOVE: If 'born' on October 2, Astrolabe tells us the new iPhone's rising sign would make it: "Extremely active by nature, you like to get around, meet people and do different things. Very restless, you just can't seem to stay put. You need to be involved in several projects at once in order to keep your mind stimulated. You like to read books and to write letters and to talk -- constantly. Seemingly ageless, you will always appear to be much younger than you really are. Very adaptable and inquisitive, you are always open to new ideas and experiences. A "jack-of-all-trades", you are lively and versatile."]

Defining doubt and uncertainty

Naturally, these estimates are subject to the following glaring areas of doubt and uncertainty. This speculation is not rubber-clad:

• Apple could surprise us all and launch the device earlier than expected.
• The company could surprise us even more and launch the device early next year, after watching how devices running Windows 8 (set to ship in Fall) perform in the market. A later launch could even make sense in terms of enabling 4G support in more countries.
• Apple executives could read my highly speculative report (if they ever read anything I write, of course) and see it as reason enough to scratch October 2 and 16 launches from their diaries. No one likes to be too predictable, Apple least of all.
• Apple could choose to abandon the iPod range with the exception of low cost players, introducing its new iPhone along with a new version of iTunes and (potentially) an Apple television at its now traditional-seeming music product launch event in September. I think this unlikely, but not impossible.

Summing up, for the present or until I hear fresh news offering more insight into Apple’s launch plans, I’m scheduling October 2 and 16 as potential dates for the company’s next big iPhone reveal. Are you with me?

Let me know in comments below.

What else can we expect from iPhone 5? Read:

• iPhone 5: Make or break for Apple vs. Samsung?
• 3 reasons Apple won’t reveal iPhone 5 in June
• Collected: Apple iPhone 5 to be under 8mm thin, ships Fall
• iPhone 5: Thinner, lighter, faster — and poured?
• Collected: Apple’s ‘unibody’ iPhone 5 ships fall, claims
• Collected: Apple iPhone 5 ships June and other crazy claims

Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I’d like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when these items are published here first on Computerworld.  

Article source: http://blogs.computerworld.com/20112/apples_iphone_5_release_date_will_be

Can BlackBerry 10 Alpha Smartphone Revive Fortunes Of RIM Against Apple iPhone 5?

As of now, RIM has the option to do what Apple is doing or has to look for option similar to what Android does. However, there is no assurance whether the plan may tick for the BlackBerry-maker. But RIM can do enough to pull in its lost loyal following who have shifted their bases to Android and Apple’s devices.

RIM distributed to developers the first smartphone that runs on company’s next-generation BlackBerry 10 mobile OS this week. The device’s fate is dependent on developers as the company expects the latter to build and improve BlackBerry 10 application so that their software will be ready when smartphone is launched later this year.

The newly showcased BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha smartphone reveals the details of what is expected to be the next flagship line of smartphones being readied by RIM. The features and specifications of the next device include BlackBerry 10 Developer Preview V 10.0.4.197, 4.2-inch 1280×768 HD LCD (356dpi) touch screen display, 16 GB of built-in storage, front-facing camera with no flash, rear-facing camera with flash, no LTE support, quad-band HSPA+ connectivity, non removable battery, mini HDMI out port, micro USB port, 3.5 mm standard headset jack and front facing notification LED. Also the inclusion of NFC support is likely as BlackBerry recently launched NFC-enabled new BlackBerry Music Gateway device which is a small music streamer with no battery, screen or any complicated settings.

Meanwhile, the specs details of Apple’s iPhone 5 are not clear as there are quite a number of rumors regarding the design of the new iPhone. iPhone 5, which is expected to sport a different design, is likely to come with 8mm thickness and a larger battery. When it comes to display, Apple follows the rule of the thumb reaching all corners of the display maintaining a 3.5-inch frame but with increasing trend of 4-inch smartphones being liked by consumers, Apple will mostly change its stand when it comes to display. 

LTE connectivity for Apple iPhone 5 is in the cards as Apple has lined in an LTE modem in the third generation iPad and this may force Apple to bring out thicker iPhone 5 as bigger battery also may take its toll. In terms of processor, iPhone 5 may maintain the evolutionary leap of dual-core processor with quad-core graphic support. And the possibility of iPhone 5 running on iOS 6 operating system to be unveiled at the WWDC 2012 in June cannot be ruled out.

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Article source: http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/335958/20120502/blackberry-10-alpha-smartphone-apple-iphone-5.htm

iPhone 5 Liquid Metal design and photos look real

Even though the Apple iPhone 5 release could still be months away it doesn’t stop the huge amount of conjecture and rumor about this much-awaited device. We’ve been bringing you developments and rumors as we hear them and today we have news of a great iPhone 5 liquid metal design with photos that show how real it looks.

We’ve seen plenty of other stylish iPhone 5 concepts lately and today’s is no exception. We think if you take a look at the details and some of the available images you might agree with us that this is something that many would like to see for the genuine iPhone 5 when it arrives. One of the many rumors we’ve heard of recently for the iPhone 5 regards a liquid metal design and we already know that Apple has obtained a license to use a Liquidmetal alloy in devices. This concept takes that into account and quite literally has us drooling. It would certainly be a credible design for the next iPhone based on what we’ve heard so far.

News of the concept by French designer Antoine Brieux came to us from iDownloadBlog, sourced from NowhereElse. As you can see there’s no physical home button and we can tell you that this design has a 4.5-inch display. Although we’ve heard of a larger display for the iPhone 5 it’s unlikely that Apple would move to a display this large, especially when considering the difficulties this would cause for third-party apps.

A selection of images shows a tweaked bezel and a 3.5mm audio jack and designer Brieux also feels the internals would feature a quad-core A6 processor. If this is what a Liquidmetal iPhone 5 would look like then we can only imagine that many of us are thinking ‘bring on the liquidmetal!’ We’ve shown just a few of the impressive images so if you want to see more then head to the source link for more photos.

We’d like to hear your thoughts on this new design for the iPhone 5 featuring Liquidmetal. Would you like the Apple iPhone 5 to look like this? Do you have any ideas of your own that you would like to see implemented in the next iPhone design?

Article source: http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2012/05/02/iphone-5-liquid-metal-design-and-photos-look-real/

Claimed iPhone 5 SIM Card Tray Appears Identical to iPhone 4S

Following last week’s leak of home buttons claimed to be for the next-generation iPhone, parts vendor SW-BOX.com has just posted information on a claimed iPhone 5 SIM card tray fresh from one of its parts suppliers.

The tray appears essentially identical to the SIM card tray found in the iPhone 4S and 4, and if the part is indeed legitimate it suggests that Apple may retain a similar flat-edged form factor for the forthcoming device. Such a design would be opposed to a tapered or rounded-edge design that would likely require a somewhat curved exterior surface for the tray or at least a thinner tray profile as was seen in earlier iPhone models such as the 3G and 3GS.

Apple has been pushing for its own “nano-SIM” standard, but has so far been unable to win approval as competitors have objected to the proposal and offered their own designs for a smaller next-generation SIM card. Unsurprisingly, it appears that a smaller nano-SIM design will not be ready in time to be included in the next-generation iPhone.

Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPhone later this year, with many observers suggesting that Apple will once again target the September-October timeframe for the launch. Many users have been hoping for a significant redesign following Apple’s pattern of maintaining a similar form factor for two generations between major design overhauls, but part leaks that might reveal Apple’s plans have yet to begin surfacing.

(Thanks, CydiaBlog.com)

Article source: http://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/01/claimed-iphone-5-sim-card-tray-appears-identical-to-iphone-4s/