

Apple Event for iPhone 5 announcement on October 4th - rogerjin
http://allthingsd.com/20110921/apple-to-hold-special-event-on-october-4/

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jemeshsu
Expected: A5 CPU, higher spec CMOS camera. Let's hope it has larger screen,
longer battery life, Bluetooth 4, faster 801n. Or maybe NFC chip for wallet
type application? I suspect Square people already has some insight.

Its more than iPhone 5 event: iOS 5, iCloud, new iPod touch, new iPod
refreshes or even new Apple TV.

Updated: Not sure why its voted down. I don't work for Apple.

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sonap
I would trade all of those features for a case design that didn't require me
to use a cover without shattering the screen and/or back. I had dropped my
3G/3GS dozens of times with just some scuffs- I've cracked the screen or back
on my iPhone 4 thrice :(

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vegashacker
I've dropped my caseless iPhone 4 on sidewalks and other hard surfaces a
handful of times. It's gotten dinged up, but nothing's cracked.

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thehodge
Still unconfirmed, I won't believe it until I see the invitations posted
everywhere... because they will be posted EVERYWHERE

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technoslut
Paczkowski is well-respected and is a reliable source. If he's saying it with
certainty then there's an extreme likelihood it is true.

It will be interesting to see how Cook performs since his style is very low-
key compared to Jobs. There is no doubt Schiller, Forstall, Ive and Cue will
be there to lend assistance.

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smackfu
It's extremely likely that there is a plan for an event on this date at this
time. But since it hasn't been announced, it's also quite possible the date
will slip, because they can let the date slip if they wish. So it can be both
a reliably sourced fact and something that might not happen. Fun!

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54mf
This is total speculation, and probably easily explainable by any number of
things, but: I bought the iPhone 4 the day it came out, subsidized price. I
just called *639# to check my upgrade status, and the message says I'm not
eligible for a full upgrade now, but "may qualify on 11/25/2011". That isn't
any sort of upgrade anniversary for me - at least, I don't think it is - so
that's an interesting date.

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joeminkie
Sometimes the upgrade date can be moved up if you pay a lot per month because
of a larger plan, unlimited sms/data, etc. You pay off your subsidization
quicker.

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brianwhitman
Yes-- i pay $250/mo on my plan (international data & etc) and also bought the
iPhone4 subsidized day 1, and my message says I am eligible for an upgrade
now.

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ansy
By most accounts the iPhone 5 will not have LTE. That's going to sting with
Verizon customers in the United States. While it will probably support HSPA+
on AT&T which is already decently fast, Verizon CDMA is direly slow.

It will be a hard sell to get Verizon customers to pass up LTE for the next
two years when there are already a few really good Android phones with LTE and
most major cities have LTE coverage right now. Not to mention the many more
cities will have LTE in just a few months.

I suppose that is just a sacrifice Apple will have to make. It will not matter
for AT&T or most of its other carriers around the world.

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mdasen
I agree with the sentiment, but to play devil's advocate:

Last quarter Verizon had a couple LTE Android handsets. They sold 1.2M LTE
devices (both handsets and modems) while they sold 2.3M iPhones. The iPhone 5
will be coming 1-2 quarters later, but a lack of LTE might not be as big a
deal for the majority of users as it is for, well, people who read this site.
Verizon should be posting third quarter numbers in a month so we'll see if LTE
has taken off in device sales since then.

Likewise, many users might appreciate the battery life of not having LTE. I
don't like not having the latest technology or the best processor. However, I
know that in my laptop my quality of using it would be better served by lower
temperatures than the faster processor that I have. Likewise, I know that I
would be better served by a longer battery life than faster web access on my
phone (again, a personal statement not necessarily applicable to you). Just as
it is a hard sell to get a phone that won't have the new technology and be
stuck with it for 2 years, it's also a hard sell to get a device with
significantly reduced battery life knowing that batteries will lose a good bit
of capacity over those two years. And which is going to be more meaningful to
your usage? It isn't a rhetorical question as users have different usage
patterns.

\--

Frankly, it's a little surprising to me that Apple has waited until October to
release an update. I understood why a June/July update wouldn't come with LTE.
The chipsets that would offer decent battery life were a good 6-9 months out.
However, the Qualcomm MDM9615 (which people have been thinking would be the
chipset for the first LTE iPhone) is going to be shipping in samples in "late
2011" and volume in early 2012. That makes the timing a bit harsh. Will this
iPhone have a lifespan of 6 months after the last one lasted 15 months? I
don't think Apple can wait until October 2012 for an LTE iPhone given that
better chipsets are coming soon.

You never know what Apple can pull off. With their cash on hand and chip
design abilities, it's possible that it will include LTE. While I don't think
the current Verizon LTE lineup offers the size/battery life that Apple would
demand to go LTE, the chipsets that would allow that are too close for Apple
to be releasing an iPhone that will last an entire year. I _can_ see a non-LTE
iPhone selling well through 1Q2012 and not costing Apple too much in terms of
marketshare. At the same time, I think a non-LTE iPhone would start becoming a
hard sell before the 4th quarter of 2012 (a year from this October).

It's why I'm surprised that Apple didn't release a new iPhone on its normal
schedule. A non-LTE iPhone then could have been replaced by an LTE iPhone in
the March-July 2012 period and not made those who bought the 2011 iPhone feel
like they didn't get at least close to a year before it was replaced.

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dentton
All of the Android LTE phones have user replaceable batteries. If the battery
loses capacity they can easily be replaced at decent prices which makes your
point moot.

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matwood
Actually replaceable batteries don't make the point moot at all. I certainly
don't want to have to carry around spare batteries just so I can use LTE. If
LTE is as hard on battery life as suggested, that makes it a very real problem
regardless if I can carry around spares.

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dr_
Personally, I feel product announcements should be made by the head of the
team that developed the product in the company. That's what Google does, for
example.

It gives some well deserved spotlight to that person for their hard work.

It also prevents the company from developing an image that it is entirely
dependent on one person for all it's product development, be it true or not.

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ceejayoz
> Personally, I feel product announcements should be made by the head of the
> team that developed the product in the company. That's what Google does, for
> example.

At Apple, the head of the team for any major product release is effectively
the CEO.

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achompas
Do you speak from experience? Or from what you've gathered from various media?
I ask b/c I've heard otherwise (especially during the last years of Jobs's
tenure as CEO).

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ceejayoz
I speak based on the fact that every profile of Steve Jobs has been consistent
on the fact that he was usually involved in even minor details on products
they release.

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joejohnson
AllThingsD has interesting points to make here; I wish they would write with
proper grammar.

Also, I hate when they say "according to sources". What sources?! At least
macrumors states exactly where they get their info from.

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sambeau
Cue the chorus of "Finally"…

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sambeau
Oh do lighten up folks :)

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Aloisius
Hopefully they'll ditch the external antennas so you can actually make a phone
call no matter how "incorrectly" you hold the phone.

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ceejayoz
You must've missed the videos of BlackBerry and HTC phones doing the same
thing.

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mhd
I'm still hoping for a new Performa… (like they say, hoping for a miracle, but
preparing for a Hackintosh)

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mhd
Why the downvotes? Am I the only one missing a somewhat expandable desktop Mac
without an integrated display, but below the requirements / costs of an Mac
Pro?

