“The iPhone 5” Have you heard of the iPhone 5? The iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 4S, as some are calling it) has rumours flying here and there already. What is this craze all about? Some information on the iPhone 5 is speculation. Apple has reportedly begun pushing up the amount of orders for the iPhone 5, preparing itself for what will be a massive fourth quarter for the company. According to Digi Times (a DIGITIMES daily IT news), the company has slightly cut its expected volumes for the iPhone 5 in the third quarter to 5.5 million (it was said to be at 7 million) but increased the amount of iPhones it is shipping in the fourth quarter to 20 million, which is up a massive 6 million. iPhone 5 release date has yet to be confirmed but it is estimated to be somewhere in the last quarter of this year. This years WWDC was about software, not hardware, with Apple focussing on iOS and Mac OS On 20 April 2011, it emerged that the iPhone 5 release date may be September 2011. On 6 May it was reported that Apple manufacturer Pegatron had reportedly been given a massive order by Jobs and co to produce 15 million handsets ready for the phones autumn launch. In July Apple seemingly confirmed the presence of a new iPhone in the market by the end of Q3, leading to yet more suggestions that the iPhone 5 will be launched in September. It is estimated that, the shipments are to be balanced out between the iPhone range, the iPhone 5 is set to take half of the total volume – which is said to be 56 million – while the iPhone 4 and 3GS will account for 20 million units in the third quarter. Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer was asked during an earnings call why he was suggesting a 12 per cent drop in revenues for the Q3 financial period – a traditionally robust time thanks to the scores of people buying the latest iPhone. He said that there is a lot going on in the fall with iOS 5 and iCloud but added there will be a future product transition that we will not talk about today. The iPhone 5 release date is still unknown, but most signs a pointing to a September launch – a time of the year which Apple usually sets aside for the new iPod range. This is particularly intended on capturing the end of year sales. Let us hope that, the looming USA and European economic meltdown will not negatively impact on the iPhone 5 release. Even though the iPhone 5 is not yet here, the iPhone 5 rumours certainly have not quieted down. From new cameras to bigger screens, more Storage and NFC here is your complete roundup of what you can expect from the iPhone 5. The device will include among others, 64GB storage, HDV Camera, 4G network, 8 mega-pixels, MicroSD Card slot, physical Keys but only to mention a few! (to be Cont’d) eddie@afrowebs.com
