Is Apple making a smaller, CDMA-compatible “world phone” for Verizon, and readying it for Q3, 2010? Maybe. And TiPb’s sure this “report” coming out on Droid Day is purely coincidental, given Google and Verizon’s moment in the sun. AppleInsider, however, claims a new report, with the prerequisite “sources in Taiwan” (SiT) say it’s so:
Qualcomm’s new hybrid CDMA/WCDMA chip offers the potential for a single, global iPhone that users can take to any major carrier, solving the network fractionalization problem. It also solves other issues that had served as roadblocks, including the issue of user confusion that would result from Apple selling separate CDMA and GSM/UMTS versions of the iPhone.
And that it will have a smaller 2.8 inch screen to go with it. (We make fun in the concept picture above, because we had such lingering hopes for a 480p iPhone HD…) With the Android Droid, Windows Mobile HD2, and even the BlackBerry Storm2 going for bigger screens and pixels, however, we’re hoping Apple doesn’t trend completely the other way…
Since it’s only a rumor, however, and a suspiciously timed one at that, we recommend you take it with a full iPhone-sized grain of salt… but let us know what you think!
Boy Genius has heard some rumblings that AT&T is ready to launch an 8GB iPhone 3GS in preparation of Verizon releasing the highly anticipated Motorola Droid. While this is not confirmed this would be a good way for Apple to pick up quite a bit more sales just in time for the holiday season, especially in the $99 price range. Black Friday anyone?
Back in August rumors were flying that Rogers was about to release their own iPhone 8GB 3GS but that has yet to take place. This will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
What are you thoughts on the release of an 8GB iPhone 3GS? Fact or fiction?
[Via BGR]
This, according to China Ontrade, is the 4th generation iPhone midboard. Having accurately leaked part of the iPhone 3GS assembly in May 2009, weeks before Phil Schiller showed the launch device off at WWDC in June, they’ve gained some measure of credibility. However, this isn’t May 2010 and its hard to see ever-prototyping, last-minute-camera-ditching Apple setting anything in stone (or aluminum or plastic) this early in the cycle.
iPhones get introduced in June/July, after all, according to the same Phil Schiller. That’s their product cycle, and that’s what Apple has done for the first three versions. Could they be planning an early surprise? Gizmodo thinks pressure from Android (technically Android hardware manufacturers like HTC and Motorola in this case, we suppose) might get them to ramp up faster. However, a great iPhone 3.2 (which we’ve still not seen beta nor screenshot of) could relieve pressure on the OS side.
So is it real? Perhaps, and could well represent the current state of the art of 4th generation iPhone prototyping. Is it what we’ll see when the actual iPhone (insert new brand name here) ships? Eh, it’s just a midboard so it’s hard to get terribly excited unless/until some hardware whizzes figure out the dimensions must mean a 16:9 display, or it’s 8 feet high or something…
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
MediaMemo is hearing that Apple Internet exec, Eddy Cue, has been tasked with exploring a $30/month iTunes TV Show subscription service:
A so-called “over the top” service could theoretically rival the ones most consumers already buy from cable TV operators — if Apple is able to get enough buy-in from broadcast and cable TV programmers.
Disney, with Steve Jobs its largest shareholder, pops up as among the first to potentially get on board.
Unlimited TV on your iPhone, Mac/PC, Apple TV, and maybe… iTablet with one monthly fee. You want?
(Re: iTablet, sure would make a nifty announcement to go along with the iTablet, like movie rentals did at Macworld 2008 for Apple TV Take 2….)
According to Business Insider, the mythical iTablet is imminent due to the unnamed, unverified, unspecified travel of someone at Apple who does… something:
a source tells us a system integration engineer friend of his at Apple has been ramping up his travels back and forth between China lately, broadcasting word of his travels over the Internet.
A friend of a friend — no names! — asked TiPb what will end up being more ridiculous, iPhone rumors or iTablet rumors. We answered — yes!
Anyone have an iTablet case (with or without camera hole!) they want to leak our way?
Could this be the first peek of the 2010 iPhone 4G… the SIM card tray?! If not, could it be for the iTablet? Engadget says:
procured from Foxconn (the rumored Apple tablet manufacturer) and available for $14.05 starting October 23rd for the 4th generation iPhone / iTablet… whatever the mythical host device might ultimately be named.
And here we thought we’d have to wait until next year for rumors like this! Cue the case-maker leaks in 5… 4… 3..
UPDATED: Looks like Google is partnering with MySpace’s iLike and with Lala for their iTunes music competitor. TechCrunch again has the details:
From information we’ve gathered from sources, the new service will be integrated into Google search. Users will be able to stream songs directly from Google via partners iLike and LaLa. Additional information around the music query will be provided to users as well (presumably any relevant results from YouTube as well as information already available in Google’s existing music search – example). One source said that Google will organize music searches in a way very similar to the way they do public company stock searches today. Users will also be offered the opportunity to purchase songs for download, we’ve confirmed.
Original post after the break!
Read the rest of this entry »
According to Daring Fireball, Apple is set to introduce new products tomorrow morning, including:
Redesigned Plastic MacBooks, Redesigned (‘Impressive’) iMacs, Updated Minis (Including One That Ships With Mac OS X Server), the Multi-Touch Magic Mouse, and, as the Wildcard I’m-Not-Sure-I-Really-Believe-It-Myself Out-There Rumor, Maybe Even Some Sort of Mentioned-Nowhere-Else-But-in-This-Very-Headline Multi-Touch Trackpad Gadget for Desktop Macs
Last year, Apple held a special event, Spotlight Turns to Notebooks, to debut their last before-the-holidays offerings. Would they just dump so much new, and frankly interesting, products tomorrow morning without benefit of stage or keynote? Sure, but we’d be lying if we said we wouldn’t prefer the song and dance to go with them.
TiPb will cover whatever does get released, however it gets released, mainly as it pertains to anything that looks to have cross-over with iPhone technology like the “multi-touch trackpad” (why not just make an official Apple Mac trackpad app for the iPhone and iPod touch?)
Keep your eyes peeled for the Apple Online Store going down…
9to5Mac is reporting they’ve received a tip that Apple is developing an FM Radio app for the iPhone and iPod touch that will have background multi-tasking (like Apple’s Phone and iPod apps), and may be able to pause live programming like the new iPod nano radio feature.
It will either be provided as a stand alone app, or integrated into the iPod app, but it’s still a work in progress:
The holdup on this app is that Apple is trying to integrate the Mobile iTunes Store purchases into the functionality of the program. For instance, if you like a song you are listening to on the radio (and that station supports tagging and you are in the US), you will be able to push a button and see the song (and all of the information around it) in the iTunes Mobile store. With another click, you’ll be able to make a purchase. This is an extension of the Song Tagging feature used in the iPod Nanos. Perhaps they could even add some Shazam technology to help with those stations that don’t support tagging.
9to5Mac further claims that existing iPhones and iPod touches have been technically able, though not yet enabled, to receive FM Radio for a while now, and that the iPhone 3GS and iPod touch G3 can even broadcast FM Radio as part of the Nike+.
While rumors of FM Radio functionality, and radio tagging surfaced before the iPhone 3GS shipped, and the chipsets may have such technology as part of their overall package, it’s unknown how easily Apple could “flip the switch” on full FM Radio — the way they did for Bluetooth Stereo A2DP on the iPod touch G2.
Still, given the iPod nano’s radio feature, and under the cliche of better late than never, if Apple does indeed add Radio.app or just build in a Radio tab to iPod.app, were’ sure some users would be happy. Right?
[Small-print disclaimer: Image above represents iPod nano radio app composited onto the iPhone 3GS]
Foxconn is rumored to be producing 300,000 – 400,000 of the much hyped, still fabled Apple iTablet for introduction sometime in Q1 of 2010 says DigiTimes. This, of course, is the next stage of any good Apple rumor evolution, after specs and before random case leaks…
10.6 inch screen from Innolux Display, focus on digital print like e-books, good battery life, killer UI, etc. are all mentioned as well.
Now we just need Steve Jobs to say something dismissive like “people don’t read”… Oh, wait…
iPhone 4.0 SDK Sneak Preview event should be held March 2010. Might we have an earlier event to look forward to now as well, the iTablet Introduction?
