Back in February 2013, analysts had predicted a road map for Apple. Going back to the report, we can see all the predictions coming true. Now, AllThingsD have had a brilliant track record of suggesting dates for Apple events. This time around, they've predicted that Apple will hold an event to showcase the next generation of iPhones on September 10th, 2013. Going by their successful predictions, I've already marked my calendar before the official invitations are sent.
Going by the rumors surrounding the iPhone, Apple is slated to launch not one but two iPhones this year – iPhone 5C (the alleged lower cost iPhone) and iPhone 5S. The former has been creating quite a buzz on the internet as this will be something completely (well, sort of) new from Apple’s kitty and perhaps the first with no Steve Jobs influence.
As an effort to bring you the latest, I've compiled all the rumors doing the rounds on the internet about the iPhone 5C and the 5S.
iPhone 5C – Rumor roundup
1. Plastic Casing – This is probably the biggest hardware change that the low-cost iPhone 5C will witness. Unlike the iPhone 4/4S which had an all glass back and the iPhone 5 which has a combination of glass pieces and Aluminium, the iPhone 5C will rock a high end plastic casing just like the original iPhones up till the 3GS.
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| Low cost iPhone (Left) as compared to iPhone 5 Image courtesy MacRumors |
2. Colors – Apple seem to spice things up again by adding a dash of color to the 5C. They did it with the iPods and now plan to do the same with the low cost iPhone. A month and a half from now, you could probably see people holding colorful iPhones.
3. Internal Hardware – While the leaks have not been able to suggest much about what internals the 5C will be rocking, it is predicted that the phone will have almost the entire configuration of the iPhone 5. This means, it will support an 8 megapixel camera with flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple’s proprietary A6 dual core 1.3 GHz processor.
However, I’m extremely skeptical about this configuration of the iPhone 5C. If the above is to be true, it would eat the share of the iPhone 5 just like the iPad Mini did with the full sized iPad. Unless Apple drops the iPhone 5 from the list of products sold, which seems quite unlikely considering it is only a year old and considered Apple’s flagship device.
4. Screen Size – Leaks and renderings of the phone make it a no brainer that the screen size of the iPhone 5C will be 4 inches. This seems to be a good move as Apple would want lesser and lesser 3.5 inch devices in operation to avoid fragmentation and a reason for developers to rejoice.
iPhone 5S – Rumor roundup
Surprisingly, there have not been any significant leaks for the iPhone 5S this year. Maybe Tim Cook did “Double down on secrecy” this time around. However, nothing remains hidden from the internet world for too long and there have been a few leaks if not many. Here’s a compilation of the various leaks cited on forums and other websites.
1. Camera – It seems the iPhone 5S will now come with a dual flash for better low lighting imagery as suggested by the minimal 5S leaks. It is also believed that the camera will be upgraded from 8 megapixels to 12 megapixels.
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| Blurred image suggesting a Dual Flash (Click to Enlarge) |
2. Processor – As it has been the case with the ‘S’ models, the processor will mostly likely get a speed bump with the A7 series of processors.
3. RAM – Leaked image of the 5S logic board suggests that the RAM remains the same with 1 GB Elpida DRAM.
UPDATE: Latest rumors suggest that the A7 series of processor will be supported by a 1 GB LPDDR3 RAM chip.
4. Battery – The battery will now be able to carry more juice. After analyzing leaked images, it has been reported that the capacity has been increased from 5.45 Whr to 5.92 Whr.
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| Battery mentions a bump to 5.92 Whr |
5. Fingerprint Scanner – Ever since Apple bought Authentec last year, a fingerprint scanner for the iPhone 5S has been the most speculated feature going around the rumor mill. Apart from a snippet of code hidden deep inside the 4th beta version of the iOS 7, there has been no real evidence of a fingerprint scanner incorporated into the 5S. Of the late, there have been strong rumors of the scanner being consolidated into the home button that would be replaced by a sapphire covered convex button.
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| Code snippet suggesting how the fingerprint scanner will work |
UPDATE 1:
Latest rumors suggest that the 5S will be offered in a 'Gold/Champagne' version with 128 GB storage option. If this is to be true, Apple could drop the base 16 GB model as the Cupertino based tech giant has offered only three storage options of its flagship device.
Latest rumors suggest that the 5S will be offered in a 'Gold/Champagne' version with 128 GB storage option. If this is to be true, Apple could drop the base 16 GB model as the Cupertino based tech giant has offered only three storage options of its flagship device.
I am looking forward to both these devices later next month as I have been due for an upgrade. While I’m more excited about the premium iPhone 5S, I’m also looking forward as to how the low cost iPhone will fare in the Indian market that has been in a crying need for lower costs of an iPhone. While we may see a reduced price point of around $450 (~30,000) it may still a bit expensive for the average Indian. So, while Indians love the iPhone it still may remain a far-fetched option.
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| Rendering of sapphire covered home button | Image courtesy MacRumors |
UPDATE 2 (Post Apple event):
Touch ID - The fingerprint sensor will be called Touch ID and can be used to unlock the device and purchase content from the iTunes store.
As suggested by the rumors, the sensor is embedded in the home button that is now made of sapphire crystal. Further, to keep NSA related speculations at bay, Apple confirmed that the finger scans will be stored locally and not Apple servers or iCloud.
A7 processor - it is 2 times faster than the A6 and now supports 64 bit architecture. Apps can run 32 or 64 bit.
Champagne/Gold color - With iPhone 5S, a new color option called the Gold/Champagne will also be available. It seems Apple has also dropped the Black/Slate color for a "Space Grey".
Motion sensor (M7) - Along with the long list of already available motion detection sensor available in the phone (Gyroscope, Accelerometer, etc) the phone will have another sensor called the M7 that will treack each physical movement. This will come in handy for health and fitness apps.
As for the iPhone 5C it will support LTE and apart from that, all rumors are true and there was nothing that we didn't know already (courtesy the leaks).
PRICING - The iPhone 5 has been dropped from the list of devices Apple will sell. As for the others, here's the pricing (All with 2 years contract) -
All images/logos are the properties of their respective owners. Images have been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the images.
Touch ID - The fingerprint sensor will be called Touch ID and can be used to unlock the device and purchase content from the iTunes store.
As suggested by the rumors, the sensor is embedded in the home button that is now made of sapphire crystal. Further, to keep NSA related speculations at bay, Apple confirmed that the finger scans will be stored locally and not Apple servers or iCloud.
A7 processor - it is 2 times faster than the A6 and now supports 64 bit architecture. Apps can run 32 or 64 bit.
Champagne/Gold color - With iPhone 5S, a new color option called the Gold/Champagne will also be available. It seems Apple has also dropped the Black/Slate color for a "Space Grey".
Motion sensor (M7) - Along with the long list of already available motion detection sensor available in the phone (Gyroscope, Accelerometer, etc) the phone will have another sensor called the M7 that will treack each physical movement. This will come in handy for health and fitness apps.
As for the iPhone 5C it will support LTE and apart from that, all rumors are true and there was nothing that we didn't know already (courtesy the leaks).
PRICING - The iPhone 5 has been dropped from the list of devices Apple will sell. As for the others, here's the pricing (All with 2 years contract) -
- 8GB iPhone 4S - $99
- 16GB iPhone 5C - $99
- 32GB iPhone 5C - $199
- 16GB iPhone 5S - $199
- 32GB iPhone 5S - $299
- 64GB iPhone 5S - $399
All images/logos are the properties of their respective owners. Images have been used only for illustrative purposes and I do not claim ownership of the content of the images.
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