Rumor: Leaked KDDI document claims 'iPhone 5S' pre-orders go live June 20, launch in July
A document reportedly meant for employees of Japanese telecom KDDI's "au" wireless service has been leaked, showing the carrier will begin taking preorders for Apple's iPhone 5S on June 20 ahead of a launch in July.
Obtained by French website Nowhereelse.fr., the supposed document looks to be meant for sales floor staff and carries pricing information as well as a few details regarding the as-yet-unannounced iPhone 5S.
While AppleInsider cannot vouch for the document's authenticity, the laminated paper is very similar to the current product and pricing "cheat sheets" referred to by many cell phone dealers and official carrier stores in Japan. It should be noted, however, that the cards can easily be reproduced as some are printed directly at point of sale from a PDF file, with the only distinguishing feature being a company logo.
Written and starred in red is information for the iPhone 5S "new product," which is scheduled for a pre-sale announcement date of June 20 with sales starting in July. Below the release dates is a notation for major feature changes from the iPhone 5, which in this case says the supposed 5S will carry a fingerprint reader, 13-megapixel camera and iOS 7.
The areas highlighted in green offer information regarding au's current monthly plans for the iPhone 5, including LTE flat rate plans and family calling subscription options, as well as a cash back bundle offer for users of the telecom's "hikari" home internet service.
While mere speculation, the information quoted in the purportedly leaked material does jibe with the timeline of Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, which is scheduled to take place from June 10 through 14. If the iPhone 5S were to be announced at the conference, it would be one week prior to the June 20 pre-sale date referred to in the supposed KDDI document.
Though enticing, the rumor may not be accurate as Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at product "surprises" for the fall quarter during the company's latest earnings call. Also, a recent research note from reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted upgrades to Apple's MacBook lineup will be the highlight of the WWDC, with no indication given as to a new iPhone model launch.
Obtained by French website Nowhereelse.fr., the supposed document looks to be meant for sales floor staff and carries pricing information as well as a few details regarding the as-yet-unannounced iPhone 5S.
While AppleInsider cannot vouch for the document's authenticity, the laminated paper is very similar to the current product and pricing "cheat sheets" referred to by many cell phone dealers and official carrier stores in Japan. It should be noted, however, that the cards can easily be reproduced as some are printed directly at point of sale from a PDF file, with the only distinguishing feature being a company logo.
Written and starred in red is information for the iPhone 5S "new product," which is scheduled for a pre-sale announcement date of June 20 with sales starting in July. Below the release dates is a notation for major feature changes from the iPhone 5, which in this case says the supposed 5S will carry a fingerprint reader, 13-megapixel camera and iOS 7.
The areas highlighted in green offer information regarding au's current monthly plans for the iPhone 5, including LTE flat rate plans and family calling subscription options, as well as a cash back bundle offer for users of the telecom's "hikari" home internet service.
While mere speculation, the information quoted in the purportedly leaked material does jibe with the timeline of Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, which is scheduled to take place from June 10 through 14. If the iPhone 5S were to be announced at the conference, it would be one week prior to the June 20 pre-sale date referred to in the supposed KDDI document.
Though enticing, the rumor may not be accurate as Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at product "surprises" for the fall quarter during the company's latest earnings call. Also, a recent research note from reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted upgrades to Apple's MacBook lineup will be the highlight of the WWDC, with no indication given as to a new iPhone model launch.
Comments
When the iOS 7 delay rumors start to hit, it could have been months after the fact. Ive took control of the team in November, and the delay could have been there. But July is barbely "fall" the way Tim Cook mentioned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer
They've been pulling off teams from OS X for months to accelerate iOS 7 maturation.
Any evidence to support this claim?
Surprised if IOS7 is dropped in June though.
2013 will be the year of biometric scanner on all apple products I think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer
They've been pulling off teams from OS X for months to accelerate iOS 7 maturation.
Are you a former apple engineer?
Just asking...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Realistic
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer
They've been pulling off teams from OS X for months to accelerate iOS 7 maturation.
Any evidence to support this claim?
I think that comes from Gruber:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/04/02/rumor-ios-7-to-see-significant-overhaul-but-behind-schedule
In the past, Apple has reportedly used the same method of yanking OSX teams into iOS to meet a deadline. Apple execs have explained it as liking to behave like a startup.
Others call it, "not hiring enough people". However, to be fair, they might just need termporary bodies to do mass tweaks to meet a late Jon Ive design change or something.
One of my followers in Japan posted this on twitter about 48 hours ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Selva Raj
Are you a former apple engineer?
Just asking...
Yeah, he is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Selva Raj
Are you a former apple engineer?
Just asking...
I'm not sure about Apple, but he worked for NeXT for quite some time. I don't recall him ever stirring things up just for the heck of it. He's one of the few guys I'd believe, even without citations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Realistic
Any evidence to support this claim?
Just the usual rumors and leaks that become facts without question. Otherwise no, no evidence at all.
Well, there have been no beta testing for iOS 7 at this point, and usually there is a few months of that, so I am guessing not June/July. If June announces iOS7, then the first public beta, then September for a launch.
What's with the
Quote:
iOS6 –> iOS7
at the bottom of the listing? Are they not saying that it will ship with iOS6 but be upgraded to iOS7 later?
If we are to believe this then that would tend to indicate no significant API changes because developers need time to support it. This does not mean it couldn't have new features (hardware). I would think that adding a finger print scanner, upgrading the camera, etc. would be something more likely for a iPhone 6 name. I would also be very surprised to see iOS 7 coming out without some major additions to the API -- this sounds more like iOS 6.5. I don't buy it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrunchinJelly
The iOS 7 thing gives it away as fake. No way is that out in July.
not like they are coding it from scratch
the OS, Siri and iCloud are working. you just have to code the extra features to make them better. the GUI is not that big a deal
Allegedly. And it doesn't mean they intend to release iOS 7 before the fall. Truth is that all that rumor might be about is a handful of folks being asked to review code and look for bugs so they don't repeat last years screw ups with the wifi etc