Every week the numerous blogs covering the machinations of the Apple empire float tons of unconfirmed rumors, futuristic speculation, and questionably-sourced reports on what the company might be unveiling in the near or distant future. Let's take a look back at what these Mac blogs were excited about this week, from September 11-16. Check out last week's Apple rumors here.
This Week In Apple Rumors: The Grey Lady On The iPhone 5!
iPhone 5 Announcement In Weeks, According To The New York Times!(01 of07)
The New York Times, the Grey Lady herself, has jumped right in to the iPhone 5 rumormongering party! Everyone say hello to the Times!
In their Bits blog, the New York Times wrote that Apple is "weeks away" from announcing the iPhone 5, according to an Apple employee who asked not to be named. Among the juicy tidbits from the Times write-up:
- The iPhone 5 will be "fairly different from the iPhone 4," in both appearance and on the inside, according to an anonymous Apple engineer.
- The iPhone 5 will come with an 8 megapixel camera and A5 processor.
- The iPhone 5 COULD include NFC capabilities for mobile payments. (In a nutshell, you hold your iPhone above an NFC reader, and the phone's info gets scanned like a credit card so that you can pay using your phone).
The blog did not include an actual release date for the iPhone 5 or any comment from Apple, just that the announcement was coming soon. However, 9to5Mac has some purported intel about a possible launch date. (credit:Macpost)
In their Bits blog, the New York Times wrote that Apple is "weeks away" from announcing the iPhone 5, according to an Apple employee who asked not to be named. Among the juicy tidbits from the Times write-up:
- The iPhone 5 will be "fairly different from the iPhone 4," in both appearance and on the inside, according to an anonymous Apple engineer.
- The iPhone 5 will come with an 8 megapixel camera and A5 processor.
- The iPhone 5 COULD include NFC capabilities for mobile payments. (In a nutshell, you hold your iPhone above an NFC reader, and the phone's info gets scanned like a credit card so that you can pay using your phone).
The blog did not include an actual release date for the iPhone 5 or any comment from Apple, just that the announcement was coming soon. However, 9to5Mac has some purported intel about a possible launch date. (credit:Macpost)
The iPhone 5 Might Be Delayed! But There Will Be A LOT Of iPhone 4s's!(02 of07)
So, 9to5Mac thinks there are going to be two iPhones announced this fall: One will be a cheaper version of the iPhone 4 called the iPhone 4s, and the other will be the top-of-the-line, more expensive flagship phone, the iPhone 5. According to 9to5Mac's sources, the iPhone 4s is right on schedule, and Apple is planning on manufacturing an incredible 10 million of those bad boys for an autumn release. The iPhone 5, on the other hand, is seeing production delays and could see either a delayed release or mass shortages through the winter and into 2012. Though this is unconfirmed, it would make sense that Apple's hardware manufacturers are having some difficulty, especially when you consider that... (credit:AP)
The iPhone 5 Will Have A Radical New Design, According To New Cases!(03 of07)
Case-Mate, "the leader in design of fashion-forward cases," briefly put up a page on its website advertising its new iPhone 5 cases, even though the iPhone 5 has not been announced yet nor does anyone really know what it looks like. Unfortunately, Case-Mate has since taken down the page, replacing it with a "Notify me when the iPhone 5 is out!" page. Check out pictures of the cases above, however, and draw the conclusions that you will; for what it's worth, Nick Bilton of The New York Times says that, given what he's heard of the iPhone 5, the cases were "potentially authentic."But why speculate on what the new Apple phone will look like based on what is supposedly a case for the iPhone 5, when we could speculate on what the new Apple phone will look like based on what is supposedly... (credit:Case-Mate, via Boy Genius Report)
A Screen Protector For The iPhone 5!(04 of07)
Screen protectors are the new cases, you guys. unwire.hk, a Chinese-language tech site based out of Hong Kong, has procured one for the iPhone 5. Laying the iPhone 4 flat against the protector, it appears that the iPhone 5 will be wider and taller; the most notable change, however, is the elongated home button, which stretches out and reclines down at the bottom of the front part of the phone, if the case design is legit. (Head over to unwire.hk for more photos.)
So, we maybe sort of kind of think we know what the iPhone 5 will look like--but what day will it finally hit stores? Well, one executive of a mobile giant may have just leaked the release date, as... (credit:unwire.hk)
So, we maybe sort of kind of think we know what the iPhone 5 will look like--but what day will it finally hit stores? Well, one executive of a mobile giant may have just leaked the release date, as... (credit:unwire.hk)
France Telecom CEO Says The iPhone Will Launch In France On October 15!(05 of07)
Did a French CEO just surrender the release date for the iPhone 5? (Sorry.) TechRadar reported that when speaking to the French media, the CEO of France Telecom said, and I quote:
"If we believe what we have been told, the iPhone 5 will be released on 15 October."October 15 is a Saturday (in both France and America), and that might mean that the U.S. release will come on October 14 (and not the October 7 launch that is widely accepted as the best guess). We still don't know for certain when the iPhone 5 is to be released, but we're pretty sure it's coming eventually. And guess who else thinks that it might be coming soon? A mobile phone company we Americans might be a little more familiar with... (credit:Flickr: marcberryreid)
White iPhone 4s Apparently Shows Up In AT&T System!(06 of07)
Our brothers at Engadget received what they called a "tasty morsel" from a "helpful tipster" of the screenshot above, which apparently shows a "iPhone 4s White" in the internal AT&T Customer Ticketing system. In addition...well, nothing. So, hey maybe a white iPhone 4s is coming at some point in the future! Maybe! Hooray!Look, we don't really know when the iPhone 5 (or 4s) is coming out, so let's not talk about it anymore this week. Instead, let's talk about another section of Apple hardware that just might be getting the holiday season unveiling treatment, as... (credit:Engadget)
Apple Might Update MacBook Pros AND iMacs Later This Year!(07 of07)
According to AppleInsider, Apple might release a "surprise" refresh to the MacBook Pro line by the end of this month. The new devices might get a more powerful Sandy Bridge processor. Exciting, right? Well, in other unconfirmed news, readers of 9to5Mac have pointed out that a support document from Apple made reference to an iMac refresh in "Late 2011." The document also referenced a "Mid 2011" iMac and said that both support two Thurderbolt displays. The problem, 9to5Mac writes, is this:
Until next time, this has been another edition of This Week In Apple Rumors! Check out last week's rumors, all of which are still unconfirmed (here). (credit:AP)
Apple released an EDU-only iMac in August which is sometimes called "Late 2011 iMac" but that device has no Thunderbolt so that wouldn't make sense. Apple last updated the iMacs in May to Sandy Bridge processors.So when exactly can we expect another iMac refresh? Is there also a MacBook Pro refresh coming? How many new devices will Apple introduce just in time for the holidays? Is Apple just going to hold one gigantic press conference in early October where they announce updates to every single piece of hardware they have ever made in its 35 years of existence? Stay tuned.
Until next time, this has been another edition of This Week In Apple Rumors! Check out last week's rumors, all of which are still unconfirmed (here). (credit:AP)
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