You’ve got to wonder, because with the switch in the naming convention with the iPad, now the iPhone is the only product line left that carries a moniker to denote its generation. We have several generations of iPod nano, but they’re all called the iPod nano. We have several generations of MacBook Pros, but they’re all just called the MacBook Pro.

Each model name for the iPhone has denoted something. The iPhone 3G was the first iPhone with 3G. The iPhone 3GS is like the iPhone 3G, but with extra “S”peed. The iPhone 4 is the fourth iPhone. Following this convention, it wouldn’t make sense for the next iPhone to be called the iPhone 5, because it’s really the sixth iPhone. So, Apple might finally switch things over and simply call it the iPhone. Maybe.

I had this exact conversation with a friend over the weekend and he asserts that Apple will continue to add a suffix to the iPhone with each generation, denoting what is “new” or “special” about that model. That’s possible, but when you consider how Apple names all of its other products, you’ve got to wonder how much longer the iPhone will be the only odd one out.

[Source]

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At the same time, we have to realize that carrier testing with an LTE-friendly iPhone does not mean that the feature necessarily makes it to the production model. It does indicate, though, that Apple is seriously considering the possibility. I imagine that the testing has to do not only with signal and speed, but also to do with battery life. After all, Apple’s M.O. has always been to keep it slim and thin.

First, we thought Apple would keep up with its usual June release window for the new iPhone. Then, we thought it’d be in time for the September back to school rush. The latest rumors are pointing toward an October release now, but as I’ve said before, until Steve crosses that stage, we really don’t know anything.

[Giz via BGR]

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The date has been set. Apple will be hosting its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) from June 6 to June 10 in San Francisco. That’s what we know. What we don’t know is whether or not the Steve Jobs team will be showing off the iPhone 5 at the event.

On the one hand, we have tradition. Every year since the first iPhone was announced so many moons ago, Apple has shown off a new version of its touchscreen mobile phone every June. Without fail. Given this and the June timing of WWDC, it only makes sense that the next iPhone (whether its an iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, or whatever name they give it) would be unveiled this June too.

On the other hand, the iPhone 4 only recently hit the CDMA waves via Verizon, so it’s not as unlikely that they would already get a refresh so soon. It’s also important to note that the tagline for WWDC2011 demonstrates a focus on “the future of iOS and Mac OS X.” If they’re focusing on the respective operating systems, how much time do they have to show off a new iPhone? Just because they might be showing iOS5 doesn’t mean they’ll have an iPhone 5.

In this way, it’s quite possible that the next iPhone won’t be unveiled until some time this fall, just in time for the holiday shopping season. They might be waiting for the expansion of 4G by both Verizon and AT&T too; that way, the iPhone 5 can be an iPhone 4G. In any case, the rumors are still holding firm: 4-inch screen, metal back, A5 processor.

[D]

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Tomorrow’s announcement is expected to end a 4 year exclusivity clause between AT&T and Apple for the iPhone. Rival Verizon Wireless will be the first carrier outside AT&T to carry the iPhone. According to WSJ, other carriers like Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA will begin offering an iPhone as well.  It’s unsure which version they will carry, or if a new version will come out in the spring.

The estimated release date for the device is set for February 8th; precisely four weeks from tomorrows announcement. The gaining pressure from Google’s Android OS which was made evident at CES, has pushed Apple to make a move to other carriers in hopes of increasing lost market share to Android.

New devices like the Motorola Atrix 4G and the Samsung 4G LTE will be among the main competitors of the CDMA iPhone. Verizon’s press event in New York City on Tuesday asked reporters to “Join us as we share the latest news,” but obviously did not indicate an iPhone release. With Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications making an appearance, it’s got to be big news.

An iPhone 4G on Verizon is possible, would definitely make many customers happy, but isn’t likely to happen.  We’re more likely to see a plain CDMA variant of the iPhone, a 4G version would be an entirely new product that Apple themselves would wan’t the thunder for releasing, not to mention battery and other performance issues that may occur when making a 4G iPhone.

Should current iPhone users switch? Well, AT&T has gone under much scrutiny for their network performance and you may just want to get out of that arrangement with the carrier.   However, some are quite content with the speeds attained by using the present iPhone 4 on AT&T. Boy Genius Report’s Zach Epstein published a screenshot of his iPhone 4 speeds on AT&T today, he claims they are consistently between 3.5 and 5Mbps.

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If everything goes according to a WSJ report that surfaced yesterday, the Apple iPhone could be available from Verizon Wireless in early 2011. Reports indicate that Apple is making a new iPhone near the end of this year, although we’ve heard this story for the past 5 years, a Verizon iPhone is looking more clear according to new information.

The new iPhone will be similar to the current iPhone 4, only providing the “alternate wireless technology” (CDMA, LTE) to be used on Verizon’s network. LTE would be the only way I could see Apple allowing their device on Verizon’s network, it would be fast enough to handle both web and simultaneous use of the phone for voice calls and other video intensive applications, something CDMA can’t do. So a 4G-LTE iPhone would be the answer to that, and Verizon plans to offer coverage to 38 major cities before the year is out.

If it’s an exclusivity issue, well, according to WSJ those terms have been renegotiated and are set to expire this December, not 2011 as previously identified in court documents. Giving all the more reason for a Verizon iPhone.

A 4G iPhone announcement from Verizon should be expected at CES in early January. If we don’t hear anything by then, put this story back in the failed Verizon rumor line. How many of you on Verizon are waiting for an iPhone? And how many of you with an iPhone on AT&T are waiting for a switch?

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Apple iPhone 4 revealed

It’s been leaked, peaked, and sneaked, but now we have it for real, and its got just about everything we expected, with a bit of unsuspected tweaks; the iPhone 4 from Apple. This is Mobile’s definitive guide to the iPhone 4, we hope it helps you understand what is coming; it will change the very way we communicate.

Design
We had sneak peaks of the iPhone 4 (i4) ever since Gizmodo got their hands on the “lost” prototype from that southern California bar. It’s the same design as we saw, with black aluminosilicate glass on the front and back, with a stainless steel rim around the circumference, held in place by a couple shiny torx bolts. Apple is not taking any chances this time around, the problem that plagued early generation iPod nanos is a thing of the past. iPhone 4 uses the same type of glass used in helicopter windshields and high-speed trains. You know they mean business when they source industrial tried, tested and true technology. Aluminosilicate glass is “chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic,” ok so I guess that means we can drop it a bunch? Sweet.

Apple iPhone 4: Stainless Steel band

Stainless Steel Band
If you thought just plain old regular stainless steel was good, leave it to Apple to kick it up a notch. The band wrapping the iPhone 4 is made of their “own alloy”. How many smartphone makers out there can claim their own alloy is used on their devices? Apple knows how to market, and every aspect of this iPhone 4 seems to be “tweaked” to knock one at the big G. This customized alloy is five times stronger than standard steel and doubles as the antenna! We’ll see how much of an improvement that gives on reception. Volume buttons are also on the side band and have been separated.

Size and Weight
Only 9.3 millimeters thick, or thin, depending on how you see that glass. In American, it’s 0.36 inches. Supposedly the thinnest smartphone yet 25% thinner than the iPhone 3GS. That’s quite an improvement even though it does have that brickish, rectangular edged look.

Height: 4.5 inches (115.2 mm)
Width: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm)
Depth: 0.37 inch (9.3 mm)
Weight: 4.8 ounces (137 grams)

Hardware
What is powering the big Apple iPad is powering the new iPhone 4. The Apple A4 chip is a Cortex-A8 processor unit capable of utilizing iOS4’s multitasking features, giving you the ability to run more apps, processes and record, edit, play high-definition video. Dual low-power 128MB DDR SDram chips are the memory, followed by either 16GB or 32GB of storage space depending on your model.

Dual microphone son top add for noise-canceling, giving your calls clearer sounding voice. Canceling out background sounds like music and other peoples conversations.

Battery life
Apple said the iPhone 4 consumes less batter life than the 3GS due to the A4’s ability to switch on and off sub-components as they are needed, or no longer needed. The battery is also 16% bigger and combined with the A4’s new abilities will give you an estimated 40% increase in talk time.

Apples ratings: 10 hours of video, 7 hours of 3G talk time, and 6 hours of 3G browsing.

Retina Display
Apple has coined their own name for the iPhone 4 display, and it’s called the Retina Display (RD). Something out of a sci-fi flick, it sounds like this puppy can scan your eyeball, but in fact the RD is just so damn sharp the human eye can’t even see how good it is. So what’s the point? Well, I’m assuming we will be witnessing the smoothest, fluid and most crisp display on any mobile device with the i4. How else can they put one past the big G? The RD is a 3.5-inch multi-touch with a resolution of 960×640, backlit LCD, a pixel density of 326 ppi; “the highest resolution phone screen ever.” When Steve jobs wants to kick someones ass he doesn’t send his foot up there a couple inches, he sends it by miles.

This display theoretically should make the Nexus, Droid, and anything else we thought was the bomb, even Samsung’s AMOLED look like Gameboy. The contast ratio is 800:1, similar to the iPad, compared to the 3GS’ 200:1, that’s leaps and bounds in visual angle enhancement. Tired of fingerprints? They’ve gone and treated the glass with a fingerprint-resistant “oleophobic coating” on both the front and back, so half the day isn’t spent polishing as it’s intended to be much easier to clean.

Video output is capable at 1024×766 with a VGA dock connector. That will be roughly 576p and 480p with an Apple Component AV Cable, or 576i and 480i using the composite one.

Front Camera
On the front you have a simple VGA camera designed to be used for video-conferencing with Apple’s new FaceTime app. This app allows two-way video chatting only over Wi-Fi to other iPhone 4 devices. I’m sure once AT&T can get their bandwidth up it should be opened up on their 3G network.

Apple iPhone 4 HD Camera

Rear Camera
On the rear Apple has laid down the camera of all cameras for a mobile phone. A 5 megapixel sensor gives you high-resolution still snaps, and HD video at 720p and 30fps. One thing to note is that although the megapixels aren’t high, they have upgraded the glass. Ask any Nikon or Canon shooters how much big glass makes a difference, and you will understand Apple’s reasoning for going with bigger glass. Rather than 8 or 10 megapixels, you get 5, but a faster lens will perform way better in lower light conditions; this will result in way less blurred phone shots being sent around the web. Smart move in my eyes.

Photo and video geotagging, letting you lock in the coordinates to your pictures has also been added.

Gyroscope
The iPhone 4 has a gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass, giving you 6-axis of motion sensing technology. You will see many more apps coming out with high-precision features, able to track movement, pitch, roll and yaw; possibly some aviation tools coming. However lower flyers only, maximum operating altitude is still 10,000 feet (3000 m).

iPhone OS 4 (iOS4)
We knew it was coming, multitasking. The biggest slap to the face of Apple was their lack of said feature, now no longer playing catch-up, we can move on to other topics. The Retina Display plays a big role in iOS4, since this resolution is going to be much sharper, you would think that all apps would have to be remade to fit the new 960×640 resolution. Fret not, iOS4 will resample everything, and I mean everything. 2D, 3D, vector, type, all of it stays crisp thanks to resolution independence. Buttons and screen controls will have to be remade by developers though.

iBooks ships with the iPhone 4, taking another stab at the Kindle and others who compete in the eBook world. Apple’s new display is supposedly much better in terms of readability for books, but there’s still that whole backlight controversy about e-Ink being much easier on the eyes.

iMovie for iPhone will be the game changer. Not many people care to upload and edit their videos once they are taken on their device. This app will let you cut your video clips, add Ken Burns effects, music soundtracks from iTunes and export them to either 360p, 520p or 720p.

Pricing and Availability
Available June 24, and for pre-order on June 14, the Apple iPhone comes in White or Black, in 16GB or 32GB variations for the price of $199 and $299 respectively.
If you can’t wait to ditch your 3GS but are still locked in a plan, the upgrade will cost you $399 and $499, or $499 and $599 without a contract. Steep, but that’s the price you gotta pay for what seems to be best of the best right now.

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Apple iPhone 4 released today

With leaks coming from California bars to Taiwanese manufacturing plants, the newest iPhone 4 release by Apple will definitely go down in history as one of the worst kept secrets the company has ever had. Was it all marketing, or just carelessness? No one will ever know, but legal actions against Gizmodo for revealing the device ahead of schedule can only lead us to believe it wasn’t intended. At the WWDC today Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4 and it appears to be just as we thought it would. A front facing camera allows you two-way video communication over VoIP with other iPhone 4 users, this is done through a new app called FaceTime (see video below). HD video (720p / 30fps) can be recorded on the back side camera with the new iMovie app that will cost an extra $5. Still shots have been upgraded with a 5 megapixel sensor and 5x digital zoom from the rear which is accompanied by an LED flash. The best upgrade yet seems to be in the display, still at 3.5-inches but completely revamped offering 4x the pixel count over previous 3GS models. This is (960 x 640) rated at 326ppi which Steve calls “Retina Display,” meaning it’s much sharper than your eye can even see. Contrast ration is 800:1 and it’s an IPS similar to the iPad. That’s not all it has in common with it’s oversized counterpart, the A4 chip which powers this beast. Battery life is boosted to 40 hours of music playback, 10 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing, 10 hours of video, 7 hours of 3G talk time, and 6 hours of 3G browsing; of course this is the rating, we’ll see what real world use gives us.

Wireless is through the traditional GSM and UMTS, improving Wi-Fi to 802.11n. AT&T is still the carrier, no Sprint or Verizon, sorry folks. Software is running the iPhone OS 4, which has now been cleverly named iOS4. The “Core Motion” API gives the new gyroscope six axis of motion control between the gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass. Not sure how this will be used, but we can only suspect more advanced apps that allow for precision motion response.

Available in White or Black, with the 16GB model selling for $199 and 32GB for $299, you can expect them at your local AT&T shop for June 24th. Pre-orders for the USA, UK, France, Germany, and Japan start in one week. If this is all a bit too advanced for you, the 3GS model will drop to $99. You can also say goodbye to the 3G.

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Sprint rumored to get next-generation iPhone

Over the last year or so rumors have been running rampant over the release of a Verizon iPhone.  AT&T’s exclusivity contract with Apple is ending, several carriers are looking to get the world’s most popular smartphone in their stores and on their network.  While Verizon is still most likely to get the iPhone 4G (4th generation), another popular carrier also looks promising; Sprint.  This comes from a series of emails between a Best Buy Employee and The Tech Update. The email states that Best Buy will be carrying a Sprint iPhone beginning in June.  The source or store that the employee works at will obviously not reveal themselves, as they probably don’t want to end up losing their job and getting their house raided by big bro..er Apple.

While this is purely speculation, and there is a fair possibility that the employee in question is lying.  I personally think it’s very possible that a Sprint iPhone is going to happen.  It makes a ton of sense.  If Apple is no longer going to be exclusive to any one carrier, that it get on as many carriers as possible; even more so with recent reports of Android gaining momentum over the iPhone in the past months.  All we can do is wait for June to arrive and see if it gets released, if not I will run down the street with my pants down declaring my love for Android.

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White iPhone 4G spotted, nearing closer to launch date

In a follow up to the previous leak of the white iPhone 4G, new photos have surfaced showing more detail and features of the white model.

The new photo, compliments of Apple.pro (site currently down), has both the white and black iPhone 4G prototypes side by side.  The LCD and interface are similar to the infamous Gizmodo leak iPhone.  Seeing this version makes me think it will be released simultaneously with the black one.  Apple could open the color palate similar to iPods, but that’s highly unlikely.  Expect the Apple iPhone 4th generation/HD to be released in June of 2011.

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