Category: News

A report from BGR today claims that Apple is testing LTE-compatible iPhones on at least one of its mobile carrier partner’s networks. BGR’s evidence comes in the form of a reference to LTE usage buried inside a property list file (.plist) from an internal iOS firmware build used by one of Apple’s carrier partners. The reference can be seen below.

Does this mean that an LTE-compatible iPhone 5 is coming soon? Unlikely, as Apple is probably just testing LTE technology to keep abreast of its performance with current (or next-gen) iPhone hardware. But Apple is unlikely to include 4G LTE connectivity in the iPhone 5 or anytime soon mainly due to the fact that LTE is a battery hog. In April 2011, Apple exec Tim Cook had this to say about LTE technology:

….I think you can see this in the [LTE phones] that have been shipped, is that the first generation of LTE chipsets force a lot of design compromises with the handset, and some of those, we are just not willing to make.

The design compromises are likely the larger size of LTE chipsets, which require two antennas to function, and LTE’s capacity to consume more power. For example, SlashGear recently reviewed the LTE-compatible HTC Thunderbolt phone and found that, when connected to an LTE network, the phone’s battery lasted just 3 hours.

Want an iPhone 5 right now? Head to a phone shop in China, because someone there will sell you one. The device may even look how the rumored next-gen phone is supposed to look, but just don’t expect it to work like one.

Chinese news site Hexun recently did some undercover work at a local phone shop in China to expose the new “fake iPhone 5” black market. Posing as a customer, their reporter asked whether the store had received the latest model of the iPhone, you know, the one that was supposed to be “cheaper.” Taking the hint, the store’s sales clerk reached underneath the counter to present not one but two iPhone 5s, complete with Apple logos on their backs but labeled on the front as the Q5 and the i5. The sales clerk quickly admitted that the phones were merely “high imitations” of the iPhone 5 and not the real deal.

Commenting on the quality of the fakes, the reporter noted that many of the superficial design elements were spot on, like perfect imitations of the iPhone’s buttons, ports, and frame. But the knockoffs also get many of the important details wrong. For example, the Q5 phone runs an unfamiliar JAVA-based OS, has only 8 GB of memory despite advertising itself as having 32 GB, and generally has a sluggish response to finger input.

The fakes also use a resistive touchscreen—official iPhones use capacitive touchscreens—the difference being that resistive screens are cheaper to manufacture but don’t support multitouch.

iPhone 5 Chinese knockoff, rotated to show the phone right-side up.

The cost of these fake iPhone 5s? A mere 450 yuan, or $70 in US dollars. The sales clerk noted that the cost of these types of phones were mostly determined by the type of touchscreen, with the more-expensive-to-manufacture capacitive screen usually adding around $20 to the price.

Sales of the knockoffs are slow, the clerk admits, with the shop only selling one or two a day. The reason being, the clerk claims, is because the phones just came out in August and customers do not know about them yet.

*Update* Added a video showing off one of the supposed Chinese iPhone 5 knockoffs.

These images of iPhone 5 “spyshots” come from website iPhone Release, who has not been a reliable source for anything in the past. While these images are likely fake, there are a few interesting details to take note of.

First, the missing moved mute switch (see photo below) seems to match the leaked iPhone 5 case diagrams from a few weeks ago. Second, the screen goes edge-to-edge and appears to match the rumored 4-inch size for the iPhone 5. Third, the entire frame of the phone seems to be made out of raw aluminum, again matching some previous rumors.

Would Apple release an iPhone framed by ugly unpolished aluminum? Not likely. The metal looks something you’d build cheap camping equipment out of.

This is likely not the iPhone 5, but could it be the cheaper prepaid iPhone, ie, the iPhone 4S? It looks rugged enough to be marketed to third-world markets. Is this the iPhone that’s going to be sold in tiny Somalian phone shops, filled with $10 in voice credits, and passed around by villagers for a quick game of Infinity Blade? Probably not.

Rumors of an inexpensive version of the iPhone destined for prepaid markets have been floating around since February. Even Apple exec Tim Cook hinted at so much several times this year. Now come these dubious images from Chinese website iPhoneRelease.com that purport to show “iPhone Nano” prototypes.

According to the site, these iPhone Nanos will be as cheap as $200 without contract and have the following hardware:

• A smaller 3.2-inch
• VGA-resolution touch-screen (640 x 480)
• 5-megapixel rear camera
• LED flash
• Front-facing camera
• Support for EDGE

Let us be clear, we don’t think this is the iPhone Nano, but the shape of these knockoff phones is interesting in that it’s similar to what has been floating around for the iPhone 5.

Other reasons why these aren’t real iPhone “Nanos”? Apple will not go smaller than 3.7-inches for an iPhone screen. EDGE-network support? Come on. And the red iPhone looks like crap from the front. No way Steve Jobs would approve something that looks like that.

What do you think, would you buy a $200 unlocked iPhone like this with a 3.2-inch screen for use on a prepaid network like Cricket?

Those waiting for an iPhone 5 may have to wait a little longer. All Things Digital is reporting today that the iPhone 5 will be launched sometime in October and not September as recent reports have indicated. A source speaking to the website said the rumors of a September launch are simply wrong.

While some reports have claimed that AT&T is blacking out employee vacations for a release of the device during the last two weeks of September, All Things Digital’s source says those reports are “misinformed.”

“I don’t know why AT&T’s calling for all hands on deck those weeks, but it’s not for an iPhone launch,” the source said.

While a specific launch date was not provided, a separate insider speaking to All Things Digital said to expect Apple’s next phone in late October.

Previous reports have placed the launch of the iPhone 5 everywhere from late August to late September. Apple has previously launched a new model of the iPhone once a year in the summer, but this year saw a break in the cycle.

While most cite the need for Apple to finalize their upcoming iOS 5’s cloud services and its accompanying infrastructure as the reason behind the delay, other rumors have said Apple was having trouble with its internal hardware, specifically, overheating for the A5 processor. In 2010, Apple had to delay the release of the white iPhone 4 for several months, reportedly because of problems with discoloration of the white plastic home button caused by heat.

9to5Mac has published purported spy shots of an iPhone 5 sent in by a tipster who claims to have caught the device being fiddled with by a likely Apple employee on the way home from work in San Francisco. The tipster says that despite his grainy photo, he himself got a “very good look” at the device and said the photo “didn’t do it justice,” claiming the phone would fit perfectly into the supposed iPhone 5 cases that are making the rumor rounds.

The photo seems to show a glossy black Apple device with a chrome Apple logo on its back. It’s thinner than any current iPhone, but it does indeed appear to be a phone and not an iPod touch because of the ringer switch. However, the location of the ringer switch above the volume buttons would mean that the phone would not fit into the rumored iPhone 5 case from yesterday. The purported iPhone 5 cases show that the ringer switch has been moved to the opposite side of the iPhone, as seen in the photo below:

Via 9to5Mac:

“Almost EVO-like” in screen size, this iPhone also appears thinner than the current iPhone 4 but also wider. The edges are rounded metal like the edges of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 but could still function as an antenna. The back is a curved/tapered glass or plastic. He couldn’t tell but if he had to guess he’d say glass. He said it looked too amazing to be built by anyone besides Apple (fanboy!).

A similar story of spotting an iPhone 5 in the wild was recounted just last month by tech broadcaster Leo Laporte on his MacBreak Weekly show. That story, which can be viewed in the YouTube video below beginning around 48 min 33 sec in, described a device with similar styling spotted in Silicon Valley:

We have major doubts on this one, as it’s hard to believe an Apple employee wouldn’t disguise the phone with a case or at least cover up the Apple logo. Even the infamous iPhone 4 prototype found in a California bar and sold to blog Gizmodo was hidden inside a casing that made it look like an iPhone 3G. Now some Apple employee is waving around an iPhone 5 prototype like some teenager in his daddy’s Porsche? Come on.

And grainy images of anything these days is generally suspicious. Pixelated? Yes. Grainy? No.

Following reports yesterday of a leaked iPhone 5 case diagram, website 9to5Mac today published photos of what it claims to be an actual iPhone 5 case. The case’s shape suggests that the new iPhone will get a complete visual revamp, becoming thinner with a flat back that is edged with tapered curves similar in style to the iPad 2.

According to 9to5Mac, the images come from a Chinese manufacturer who previously leaked accurate images of iPad 2 case molds before the iPad 2 was released.

The images of the iPhone 5 case also indicate that the location of the iPhone’s ringer/mute switch will be switched to the opposite side of the phone from its current position of just above the iPhone’s volume buttons.

A second image published by 9to5Mac shows the case from the front:

9to5Mac claims that multiple Asian iPhone case manufacturers are actively shopping new iPhone 5 cases to potential retail outlets.

Today’s photos follow on the heels of reports yesterday that revealed blueprints for an iPhone 5 case that were leaked by Chinese case manufacturers. Website MobileFun made headlines by publishing the diagram, seen below.

That report from MobileFun included an image of a manufactured iPhone 5 case that resembles today’s leak, right down to the relocated ringer/mute switch:

The leaked iPhone 5 case blueprints show a large band aid-shaped cutout for the iPhone’s home button, indicating a radical change to that area. This seems to match previous reports that the iPhone 5’s home button will be replaced with an elongated touch-sensitive strip. While some have speculated that this meant Apple was removing the home button altogether, we believe the touch strip will work in tandem with a slightly different tactile home button, and the touch strip will simply add new functionality, like the ability to swipe through home screens.

Earlier reports from this year had also hinted that the iPhone 5 would get a major visual overhaul similar to what is being shown today. A concept of the iPhone 5 created by Japanese website Macotakara in March, which were in turn based on reports out of China, shows the iPhone with a flat back with round tapered edges similar to what the leaked iPhone 5 cases show today. That concept image is shown below.

In April, This Is My Next reported that Apple was testing a redesigned iPhone 5 with a teardrop shape that goes from thick to thin. Their mock-up photo, however, does not resemble what the photos published today indicate.