Apple's iPhone 5 a GSM-CDMA world phone, iPad 2 to have SD card slot - report

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Apple this year plans to release a completely redesigned dual GSM-CDMA iPhone, an iPad with a high-resolution screen and an SD card slot, and a new Apple TV with an A5 processor capable of outputting 1080p video, according to a new report.



Engadget on Friday published a number of rumors about Apple's upcoming product line for 2011, including the iPhone 5, iPad 2 and the second generation of the redesigned Apple TV. The report claims that the new iPad is on track for an April launch, and the 3G version will include both GSM and CDMA radios from Qualcomm.



"From what we've been told, the thinner, sleeker tablet will sport a new screen technology that is akin to (though not the same as) the iPhone 4's Retina Display and will be "super high resolution" (unlike reports to the contrary)," editor Joshua Topolsky wrote.



"The device will remain at 10 inches but will now feature both front and rear cameras (not a huge surprise), and... there's an SD slot. That's right -- our sources say with near certainty that the device will have a dedicated SD slot built in (with no traditional USB slot)."



The new iPhone 5 will also have GSM and CDMA radios from Qualcomm, allowing Apple to sell one phone that will be compatible with both AT&T and Verizon. The handset will reportedly not include a 4G LTE radio, however.



"Right now, the device is being tested discreetly by senior staff at Apple (strictly on campus only)," the report said. "We don't have much info on the phone at this point, but our understanding is that the new device will be a total rethink from a design standpoint and will be running atop Apple's new A5 CPU (a Cortex A9-based, multi-core chip)."







Finally, the A5 processor will reportedly also end up in the next Apple TV update, with the new hardware allegedly capable of running 1080p video "like running water." The current Apple TV, built on the iOS operating system, has a maximum resolution of 720p.



Last May, Engadget correctly reported that the new Apple TV would cost $99 and would concentrate on streaming content. It also said that the device would be based on iOS 4. The new Apple TV was announced in September.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    ... our understanding is that the new device will be a total rethink from a design standpoint ...



    I find this part extremely hard to believe and pretty much bad news if true.
  • Reply 2 of 117
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    I find this part extremely hard to believe and pretty much bad news if true.



    Here we go again... I think I hear someone blowing the troll-alert horn. I estimate they'll come out within ten postings preaching "WE TOLD YOU!!"



    Tens of millions of iPhone4's sold to-date in 7 months around the globe, not one peep of antennagate from valid sources, and now folks will spin this story out to be (once again) something it's not.



    Apple is in a catch-22 when it comes to tinfoil-hat-wearing trolls.



    Keep the current (and great) iP4 design, and that show's Apple is in denial about antennagate.



    Change the design, and trolls will dance under their bridges (or basement) and prove to the world that they did not have to wear tinfoil hats.



    Is there an option 3 that simply allows Apple to change / tweak designs for the sake of evolution?
  • Reply 3 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    I find this part extremely hard to believe and pretty much bad news if true.



    Won't happen.
  • Reply 4 of 117
    Well the Verizon iPhone rumors just stopped... just in time for the iPhone 5 rumors to spin out of control.

    I wonder how much business the rumors of a new iPhone world phone (set for release in June) will cost Verizon?
  • Reply 5 of 117
    recrec Posts: 217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "From what we've been told, the thinner, sleeker tablet will sport a new screen technology that is akin to (though not the same as) the iPhone 4's Retina Display and will be "super high resolution" (unlike reports to the contrary)," editor Joshua Topolsky wrote.



    "The device will remain at 10 inches but will now feature both front and rear cameras (not a huge surprise), and... there's an SD slot. That's right -- our sources say with near certainty that the device will have a dedicated SD slot built in (with no traditional USB slot)."



    The new iPhone 5 will also have GSM and CDMA radios from Qualcomm, allowing Apple to sell one phone that will be compatible with both AT&T and Verizon. The handset will reportedly not include a 4G LTE radio, however.



    "Right now, the device is being tested discreetly by senior staff at Apple (strictly on campus only)," the report said. "We don't have much info on the phone at this point, but our understanding is that the new device will be a total rethink from a design standpoint and will be running atop Apple's new A5 CPU (a Cortex A9-based, multi-core chip)."



    Finally, the A5 processor will reportedly also end up in the next Apple TV update, with the new hardware allegedly capable of running 1080p video "like running water." The current Apple TV, built on the iOS operating system, has a maximum resolution of 720p.



    Last May, Engadget correctly reported that the new Apple TV would cost $99 and would concentrate on streaming content. It also said that the device would be based on iOS 4. The new Apple TV was announced in September.



    Holy crap. Just read this rumor on engadget, if it turns out to be true I'll be most impressed. I still don't think an SD slot is necessary or in Apple's interests, and I remain skeptical. But I welcome it nonetheless, if any of this turns out to be true.



    A multicore A5 cpu? Retina display for a 10" screen? Cameras and SD card slot? Seriously I wouldn't expect them to go much beyond the cameras for v2 and save the other stuff for another day.



    If they really do all of this THIS YEAR they truly will conquer the world.
  • Reply 6 of 117
    Good to know Apple is going to keep pace with the hardware specs announced for this year's devices.
  • Reply 7 of 117
    It makes no sense that Apple would mass produce a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 running CDMA only if they are planning on releasing the iPhone 5 with a GSM/CDMA chip in it. Why would they not wait the extra 4 months and release one unified product? That seems like it would be much more Apple's style.



    One big thing with such a chip is that Apple would possibly have to pay higher licensing to Qualcomm per unit sold (which would make no sense since GSM will always sell way more than CDMA). Really the Verizon iPhone 4 seems like a stopgap - a temporary solution until Verizon is operating BOTH voice and data on LTE (currently data only).



    I guess we will see what happens, but it just doesn't make sense that Apple would not just announce Verizon compatibility when they announce the iPhone 5 if this was the case. I think most people know deep down that for at least awhile, GSM models will come out before CDMA ones do (CDMA will be relegated to the quick slide that says "CDMA late Fall" or something like that).



    I would like Apple to change their antenna supplier though. I don't think it is the sole cause of the issues people have been having with it by any means, but it is a chip that most manufacturers don't use stateside.



    The only way I see this happening is if it is a way for Apple to disguise the fact that until they go LTE there is not much they can say that is exciting about EVDO. They can upgrade them on GSM to HSPA+ - which coud offer a dramatic increase in speed in some cases, but until they go LTE with Verizon it will be same old same old minus the hardware changes. No speed bumps (which they have gone out of their way to showcase in each iPhone presentation), and the only way they get simultaneous voice and data is if Verizon goes VoRA - which would open it up to the same weaknesses that AT&T has with their 3G network where data congestion can impact voice performance. I highly doubt Verizon will go through the costly upgrade to do VoRA while they are so aggressively rolling out LTE.



    Long story short...for the iPhone 5 I am skeptical.



    Edit: also while thinking, Apple would be paying more per unit doing a CDMA/GSM chip - not just paying more for licensing. They already paying more for to make the CDMA iPhone, why would they spend even more per unit with the CDMA chip is worthless to the majority of the world (some people are in denial over this, but it is true). Long story short...at this point they wouldn't. Maybe with iPhone 6...?
  • Reply 8 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac.World View Post


    Well the Verizon iPhone rumors just stopped... just in time for the iPhone 5 rumors to spin out of control.

    I wonder how much business the rumors of a new iPhone world phone (set for release in June) will cost Verizon?



    About 5 years ago I would have said MILLIONS AND MILLIONS...but now we notice that every time a new apple product gets a release there are a slew of things that were on our "wish-list" that didn't make the cut. However, apple STILL continues to sell its products with incredible volume no matter what the disappoint is in the lack of features (or anticipation of an upcoming, more advanced product).



    Verizon will sell millions of units. Make millions of dollars. And will do it all again in six months with the iPhone 5.
  • Reply 9 of 117
    pokepoke Posts: 506member
    I think the iPad 2 is likely to have a GSM/CDMA Qualcomm chip. That's been rumoured for a long time. Possibly the iPhone 5 too. I also think we're likely to see an 'A5' chip in the iPad 2 and iPhone 5. I'm very sceptical about the iPad 2 having a higher resolution display or the iPhone 4 being a complete redesign. iOS 5, on the other hand, I expect to to be a major overhaul.
  • Reply 10 of 117
    recrec Posts: 217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    Tens of millions of iPhone4's sold to-date in 7 months around the globe, not one peep of antennagate from valid sources, and now folks will spin this story out to be (once again) something it's not.



    Keep the current (and great) iP4 design, and that show's Apple is in denial about antennagate.



    Change the design, and trolls will dance under their bridges (or basement) and prove to the world that they did not have to wear tinfoil hats.



    Is there an option 3 that simply allows Apple to change / tweak designs for the sake of evolution?



    To me it feels like they *just* designed the iPhone 4. I think it would be very odd and unusual of them to ditch the new case design so soon.



    The last case design lasted them for a few years. There were tweaks here and there, but it was basically the same shape and footprint. I would at this point expect the equivalent of an iPhone4gs, not a whole new design. After 1 year? I don't think an entirely new design makes sense.



    I think people would feel a little ripped off too. It's dangerous of them to get in the habit of obsoleting cellular customers after 1 year. iPod nanos? Sure! Those cost $150 flat. Cell phones cost $2000 or more for the contract, I don't think its a good idea to piss people off when they're paying through the nose.
  • Reply 11 of 117
    adonissmuadonissmu Posts: 1,776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by buckdutter View Post


    It makes no sense that Apple would mass produce a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 running CDMA only if they are planning on releasing the iPhone 5 with a GSM/CDMA chip in it. Why would they not wait the extra 4 months and release one unified product? That seems like it would be much more Apple's style.



    One big thing with such a chip is that Apple would possibly have to pay higher licensing to Qualcomm per unit sold (which would make no sense since GSM will always sell way more than CDMA). Really the Verizon iPhone 4 seems like a stopgap - a temporary solution until Verizon is operating BOTH voice and data on LTE (currently data only).



    I guess we will see what happens, but it just doesn't make sense that Apple would not just announce Verizon compatibility when they announce the iPhone 5 if this was the case. I think most people know deep down that for at least awhile, GSM models will come out before CDMA ones do (CDMA will be relegated to the quick slide that says "CDMA late Fall" or something like that).



    I would like Apple to change their antenna supplier though. I don't think it is the sole cause of the issues people have been having with it by any means, but it is a chip that most manufacturers don't use stateside.



    The only way I see this happening is if it is a way for Apple to disguise the fact that until they go LTE there is not much they can say that is exciting about EVDO. They can upgrade them on GSM to HSPA+ - which coud offer a dramatic increase in speed in some cases, but until they go LTE with Verizon it will be same old same old minus the hardware changes. No speed bumps (which they have gone out of their way to showcase in each iPhone presentation), and the only way they get simultaneous voice and data is if Verizon goes VoRA - which would open it up to the same weaknesses that AT&T has with their 3G network where data congestion can impact voice performance. I highly doubt Verizon will go through the costly upgrade to do VoRA while they are so aggressively rolling out LTE.



    Long story short...for the iPhone 5 I am skeptical.



    ummm I'm not sure it could be more than paying for licensing two technologies from Qualcomm.
  • Reply 12 of 117
    adonissmuadonissmu Posts: 1,776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by REC View Post


    To me it feels like they *just* designed the iPhone 4. I think it would be very odd and unusual of them to ditch the new case design so soon.



    The last case design lasted them for a few years. There were tweaks here and there, but it was basically the same shape and footprint. I would at this point expect the equivalent of an iPhone4gs, not a whole new design. After 1 year? I don't think an entirely new design makes sense.



    I think people would feel a little ripped off too. It's dangerous of them to get in the habit of obsoleting cellular customers after 1 year. iPod nanos? Sure! Those cost $150 flat. Cell phones cost $2000 or more for the contract, I don't think its a good idea to piss people off when they're paying through the nose.



    Buy your phone outright so you don't have to be locked into a contract.
  • Reply 13 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by longliveapple View Post


    Won't happen.



    That's what I think too but Topolosky is increasingly well-connected with Apple.



    I went and read his original article at Engadget afterwards anyway and what he says is a bit confused, so maybe what he heard is garbled or he doesn't understand what "total rethink from a design standpoint" actually means.



    Also it seems that both the original article and this one are changing as we speak and the exact wording I saw the first time on each is now gone. Probably just hyperbole, which of course is so rare on teh internets.
  • Reply 14 of 117
    recrec Posts: 217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AdonisSMU View Post


    Buy your phone outright so you don't have to be locked into a contract.



    That's not even the point. Just sayin relative to the length of time the last iPhone design was on the market, a completely new case design wouldn't make sense. I can believe just about everything else here, even the highly questionable SD card slot on iPad 2 rumor is more believable than this.



    You remember how much time Jobs spent talking about the case design? How great it was? They'd throw that out after 1 year? Really?
  • Reply 15 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AdonisSMU View Post


    ummm I'm not sure it could be more than paying for licensing two technologies from Qualcomm.



    I agree completely, I feel like it doesn't make sense for several reasons, but a cost standpoint is one of them. There are at least 3 times more users globally using UMTS/HSPA than there are using EVDO. No matter how entitled Verizon users feel, they will for awhile take a back seat to the rest of the world in Apples eyes...at least for awhile until they are able to offer a full LTE network that is not still using CDMA2000 for voice.



    Anyways, I think it is fairly obvious that Verizon will not be getting the iPhone 5 at the same time as the rest of the world.
  • Reply 16 of 117
    adonissmuadonissmu Posts: 1,776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by REC View Post


    That's not even the point. Just sayin relative to the length of time the last iPhone design was on the market, a completely new case design wouldn't make sense. I can believe just about everything else here, even the highly questionable SD card slot on iPad 2 rumor is more believable than this.



    You remember how much time Jobs spent talking about the case design? How great it was? They'd throw that out after 1 year? Really?



    Sure they would if there is something out there that's better. The case design was great but something came along that was better. Ya know... innovation.
  • Reply 17 of 117
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AdonisSMU View Post


    Buy your phone outright so you don't have to be locked into a contract.



    That's not really an option with the North American cell phone monopolies.



    They'll lock you into a contract just for the privilege of using an iPhone on their networks.



    The closest you can get right now is to buy an unlocked iPhone from an Apple store outside the US and then drop a T-Mobile SIM in it with a non-contract account.
  • Reply 18 of 117
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AdonisSMU View Post


    ummm I'm not sure it could be more than paying for licensing two technologies from Qualcomm.



    Sure it would. This isn?t a license the company pays per year, it?s a license they pay per unit. The whole reason W-CDMA (and then China?s home grown TD-SCDMA) was created was to limit the stranglehold on licensing Qualcomm was requiring for the use of their patent encumbered technologies.



    Unless Apple worked out some amazing deal with Qualcomm they will be paying more for licensing on the CDMA model than the GSM/UMTS model. If you make that a single model and only charge a single fee that is equal to the CDMA model Apple will pay a lot more money to Qualcomm for 10s of millions of iPhones and iPads that will never, ever be on a CDMA network.



    It?s said now that Apple pays Qualcomm 5% of GSM/UMTS iPhone?s price. Apple limits this charge by making Foxxconn sell them the iPhone at about half that rate, this way Foxconn pay?s Qualcomm 5% of that rate.
  • Reply 19 of 117
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    How can they have a total redesign ready so quickly? Unless "total redesign" does not refer to a new industrial design, but just the new CPU, GPU and comms chip, which I suppose could fairly be called a total internal redesign.
  • Reply 20 of 117
    mgl323mgl323 Posts: 247member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "Right now, the device is being tested discreetly by senior staff at Apple (strictly on campus only)," the report said. "We don't have much info on the phone at this point, but our understanding is that the new device will be a total rethink from a design standpoint and will be running atop Apple's new A5 CPU (a Cortex A9-based, multi-core chip)."



    There goes our chance on finding the new iPhone in a bar.
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