iPhone 5 Release Date: Tech Experts Tell What to Expect at Apple iPhone Event
Mouths have been salivating for months in anticipation of Tuesday's Apple event, in which the awe-inspiring computer company is expected to reveal the fifth-generation iPhone, as well as other goodies. Here is a round up of what some of the top tech blogs and websites say Apple fans should expect.
The tech blog says Apple fans can most definitely expect Tim Cook, Apple's new CEO, (read: Steve Jobs Steps Down) to unveil a new operating system. "Prepare your iPhones, because the final iOS 5 is coming for sure... but perhaps not yet. Most probably it will not be available for download tomorrow... Still, if there's no download, there will be a release date and a full tour of the complete operating system," writes Jesus Diaz.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Diaz adds that the so-called "cheaper" version of the iPhone, a revved up iPhone 4, will actually be the new iPhone. He writes, "The rumor is that it is a cheaper version of the iPhone. I think this is the new iPhone, period. It has appeared in the latest iOS 5 beta and has also been leaked on Germany Vodafone's site. An updated iPhone 4 with new A5 processor and more RAM, maybe a better camera, but with the same design."
Wired, unlike Gizmodo, predicts that the new iPhone 5 will actually be a fifth-generation iPhone, and not a souped-up fourth generation device. Apple's Cook is likely to unveil two new iPhones, writer Christina Bonnington insists. "We were initially skeptical that Apple would release two iPhones this fall, a new iPhone and an incrementally updated or budget 'iPhone 4S.' But hints from different sources suggest that a budget 'iPhone 4S' could very likely make an appearance at Apple’s iPhone event."
A second "prediction" made by Bonnington is that a new carrier for the iPhone will not be T-Mobile, but Sprint. "In an effort to gain ground among the growing legion of Android users, Apple may introduce the iPhone to a third carrier — namely, Sprint — in addition to its existing relationships with AT&T and Verizon."
Mashable's Lance Ulanoff echoes Gizmodo's Bonnington when it comes to more than one new iPhone being unveiled at Apple's campus on Oct. 4. "Sure, there’s a tiny chance Apple will not unveil the iPhone 5 at tomorrow's Cupertino launch event, but it’s highly unlikely Apple would invite the press to its campus for a relatively insignificant upgrade like an iPhone 4S. Apple’s going to roll out the big guns. And the features of the new phone are entirely up in the air," Ulanoff writes.
The focus of Ulanoff's post, however, is to field some of the hot features Mashable readers wish Apple would announce for the iPhone 5, such as a bigger screen, an 8 megapixel camera, and availability on the Sprint network. According to popular consensus, it is quite possibly readers will see all three of those wishes come true Tuesday.
CNET:
CNET's Josh Lowensohn apparently does not want to put all of his chips into one pot, leaving it up to readers to decided exactly what kind of iPhone 5 reporters will be learning about Oct. 4. "The iPhone 4 was a big step up from its predecessor, the 3GS, which itself was basically the iPhone 3G with a better camera and speedier insides. The iPhone 4 did the camera and speed tricks again, while changing up the outside and adding a considerably sharper screen. Will the iPhone 5 represent a tuning of an already tried-and-true device? Or will the longer wait result in something that's noticeably new?"
One feature not mentioned in detail on other blogs and websites is the possibility of a new iPod.
Lowensohn writes, "Along with a new phone, there have been murmurs of Apple adding a white option to the iPod Touch line. ... The iPod Touch is effectively an iPhone without the phone, and Apple has traditionally released it a few months after the new iPhone. This time around, the iPhone event seems to be taking the place of the company's annual iPod event, suggesting that the unveiling of the iPod product line may, in fact, be included in tomorrow's announcements, but that the iPod will take a backseat to the company's star product."
The biggest report coming from MacRumors centers on speculation on whether former CEO Steve Jobs might actually be in attendance at tomorrow's event — wearing his trademark black turtleneck and stonewashed jeans.
What is the verdict? According to Eric Slivka, no one seems to know.
Last week, Apple issued media invitations for an iPhone event scheduled for Tuesday at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. The event, called "Let's Talk iPhone," is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. EDT. Unfortunately for fans, the event will not be live-streamed as with previous Apple events.
