In the past, any Apple release was guarded with such extreme secrecy that you felt that any information that you did receive, you’d have to swallow with a bit of doubt.
In the last couple of months several leaks have not only coincided in nature but the information from all corners seems to match. One has to wonder if Apple is now moving towards a less combative PR approach to its releases.
What do we know for certain?
We know for certain that the release for the new iPhone or the iPhone 5 is September 12, 2012. Apple may be following suit from its last few product releases and calling this the new iPhone rather the 5. We also know that the newest version will be slimmer, taller and have a 4 inch screen and hopefully will have a larger battery.
Other aesthetic features touted are that there will be a specialized back plate and casing. Whereas current models seem more fragile and more breakable, this new design will be met with great appreciation from anyone who has ever dropped this pricey device. Other design rumors include an aluminum case and two tone coloring that will be incorporated into both the white and the black color options.
This time around it seems as if Apple is playing catching up to some features that Android first introduced.
LTE connectivity seems to be a most wanted feature but there is a concern that the 4G capability will have a drawback by draining the battery life.
The rumored 4-inch larger screen will be the first of its kind to have a 16:9 aspect ratio. That along with the expected retina level resolution pretty much sets this release as enviable gadget. As mentioned earlier all these features are enabled by the taller and slimmer new iPhone design.
Earlier this year IOS 6 was released and will be included on this new version, and promises upgrades to several applications included Siri, mail etc.
It is still rather shaky whether or not mapping and passbook options will be included.
Apple will be introducing its own 3D mapping software to compete with Google Maps and Google Earth. The Passbook options seems up in the air but not out of reach. Those of you who know, Passbook would enable the traveler to use their iPhones as their passports while traveling.
Also unconfirmed, is NFC capability. This feature would allow users to wave their iPhone over swipe card terminals to pay for anything via wireless payments.
The most the shocking development so far is that a smaller dock calling for completely different connectors will be included. Making this iPhone incompatible with any older Apple adapters and hardware.
While a new adapter will be released it will cause a bit of a learning curve for users but surely same will be done to other Apple hardware releases this year namely the iPad. While the release date is set for September 12 – its likely that the new iPhone will not be available until 2 weeks after.
This seems customary for such releases and invariably in the
next few weeks pre-ordering options may open up at the Apple store.
This post was written by Julee Whalin. Julee is an avid crafter of prose on tech and gadget topics. She primarily writes for Consumer Priority Service, a company that provides extended warranties to retailers.