No new iPhone hardware expected at Apple's software-centric WWDC - report

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  • Reply 21 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OmicronTurtle View Post


    Apart from the original iPhone, all iPhone's have been announced at WWDC and released within a few days or a few weeks.

    I expect iPhone 5 to be announced at WWDC as do most logical thinking people who have followed Apple in the last 10 years



    :Thumbsup



    By June, almost all other smartphone manufacturers would have multi-core phones dominating their product lineups, there's no way Apple could just lay low and wait till Sep to sell the iPhone 5. This is totally different from the case of iPad, Android is a lot more competitive in this space and if you ask me, I'd say Apple would actually introduce multiple smartphones at WWDC instead of nothing.
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  • Reply 22 of 75
    djintxdjintx Posts: 454member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by guch20 View Post


    Just a quick note:



    If Apple doesn't release a full-on iPhone 5 this year and instead opts to do a "4+" or whatever, then the next model after that would not be the iPhone 5; instead, it would be the iPhone 6, since the 4+ would be the fifth model released.



    I don't really care what it is called, as long as it is a good product. I hope that they do not get too predictable with the numbers personally, but as long as it's not the iPhone Turd I'm good.
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  • Reply 23 of 75
    d-ranged-range Posts: 396member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post


    But you are missing the genious of Apple's marketing.



    Just think of all the free publicity Apple has gotten from the predictable annual iPhone releases. People know the new iPhone will be released in the summer, so in the spring they hold off buying a new iPhone. This creates a backlog of demand so when the new model is released there are huge crowds lined up at the Apple Store waiting to buy the latest iPhone. Then Apple struggles mightily to ramp up production to meet demand, all the while the news coverage of poeple trying to get an iPhone gives Apple millions of dollars of free publicity and brainwashing of the iPhone being a "must-have" device.



    If Apple released more frequent updates, and especially if it was unpredicatble, each event would be much less of an "event" and the iPhone would be just another smartphone (ok, not really, but you get the point).



    Interesting logic. So you're basically saying that by being predictable you can make people line up for stuff and have them think they are buying a 'must-have' device? So, to re-phrase, Apple benefits from cannibalizing their own sales first by being predictable, then cannibalizing the same sales again by not being able to meet demand? All because they like seeing a lot of people line up in front of their stores and having to disappoint them by only having 25 units in store at launch day?



    On second thought: stupid logic, that doesn't make sense.



    The yearly updates have only one reason: to allow a time frame of exactly 1 year for the R&D that goes into their hardware updates. If they wait a lot longer, they will be overtaken by the competition. If they use much shorter update cycles, they can only make small jumps between versions. This last strategy might work well in the low-margin, high-volume market, but that's not where Apple is competing. There is no need for conspiracy theories to explain Apple's yearly update cycles, and Apple does not need to screw their own sales and customers over for some free PR, they get enough PR anyway, largely by simply making great products that appeal to a lot of people.



    It's funny how at first the iPhone was a hype, but now that this hype already lasts 4 years, suddenly it's not a hype anymore, but some sort of ingenuous PR mind control scheme that makes people think they need an iPhone, because Apple makes people line up at their stores by employing a yearly update cycle.



    Don't you think that's a little bit far-fetched yourself?
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  • Reply 24 of 75
    freddychfreddych Posts: 266member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    The hardware in the iDevices is pretty well up to date in my opinion. Unless they want to try put the A5 in an iPhone but not sure the thermals will allow that. It makes sense for them to concentrate on software at this point, until hardware is ready to make another leap. It's like Intel's tick-tock, alternating process and architecture, Apple almost needs to alternate hardware-software-hardware-software.



    Yeah, 3G, Single core, lack of NFC are all state-of-the art when it comes to high end smart phones.
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  • Reply 25 of 75
    djintxdjintx Posts: 454member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by drobforever View Post


    :Thumbsup



    By June, almost all other smartphone manufacturers would have multi-core phones dominating their product lineups, there's no way Apple could just lay low and wait till Sep to sell the iPhone 5. This is totally different from the case of iPad, Android is a lot more competitive in this space and if you ask me, I'd say Apple would actually introduce multiple smartphones at WWDC instead of nothing.



    Agreed~ Maybe not with multiple phones, but they definitely do not want to let the competition get ahead. And even if they don't announce/unveil the new phone at WWDC doesn't mean they won't hold a special event a couple of weeks or so before. Since iOS4 is running very well, there is no need to rush iOS5 out the door. It can wait a bit. But the new phone can't wait unless they want to risk losing some people. It won't cause me to run to Android, but others will.
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  • Reply 26 of 75
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    IOS and Mac OS are a lot closer than you seem to gather or are aware of. IOS derived from Mac OS and the cross breeding has been going on ever since. The neat thing about iPhone is that it is basically UNIX in your pocket and probably that is why there is such a strong interest from hackers.



    Granted this version of UNIX doesn't have the GUI of Mac OS, but it doesn't have gnome or KDE either. Instead it has a GUI designed specifically for hand held devices. Underneath that GUI though iOS are extremely similar.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DanaCameron View Post


    Apple's hardware lines used to run different OSes, but Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5 seem to represent a convergence as has never been seen.



    It is pretty hard to converge when you are growing out of the same trunk. Seriously I don't know why this crap persists iOS is the child of Mac OS and ever since it's release there has been a back and forth flow of new technology. This is not something that is new.



    Beyond that a few simple GUI changes that derive from iOS doesn't imply that Mac IS will end up looking exactly like iOS. We have experienced user interface changes for years and the new features in Lion are not that special.

    Quote:

    The closer Mac OS X and iOS come to becoming a single, unified OS, the less need there is, from an OS standpoint, to stagger the various hardware releases. This could be part of Apple's motivation for reworking its product release schedule.



    I have a hard time believing there will be a unified OS, the reason is fairly clear and is why iOS exist in the first place - that which works on the desktop doesn't always work on a handheld device. I just don't see Apple throwing away what has become obvious to their success for an unneeded unification of the GUIs. In the end what you are really talking about here is the GUI as the lower level software is surprisingly similar.



    In any event I'm just not down with this blowing the idea of a few GUI changes up into a big to do about a unified OS. Think about it; much of the supplied software, the libraries and such, are already exactly alike or extremely similar and have been for years. It is amazing so many mis the idea that iOS puts Mac OS or UNIX if you will, into your pocket.
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  • Reply 27 of 75
    povilaspovilas Posts: 473member
    Great, it's time for everyone to calm down a bit. This race was getting dangerous.
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  • Reply 28 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by guch20 View Post


    Just a quick note:



    If Apple doesn't release a full-on iPhone 5 this year and instead opts to do a "4+" or whatever, then the next model after that would not be the iPhone 5; instead, it would be the iPhone 6, since the 4+ would be the fifth model released.



    Could well be,



    iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4, iPhone 4 CDMA....



    what's next,



    iPhone 4s, iPhone 4nfc



    then,



    iPhone 5



    who knows, but I think iPhone 5 sounds better as a next step, even if, as you point out, it will probably be the 6th gen model.
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  • Reply 29 of 75
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DJinTX View Post


    Agreed~ Maybe not with multiple phones, but they definitely do not want to let the competition get ahead. And even if they don't announce/unveil the new phone at WWDC doesn't mean they won't hold a special event a couple of weeks or so before.



    In the past we have seen new hardware release in the weeks leadin up to WWDC. As to iPhone I can see it being strung out past summer easy. It is all about chips. In that regard Apple will likely want LTE and a 32/28 mm A5. I was actually shocked to hear that iPads A5 wasn't at 32nm as this is pretty much required in a cell phone.
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  • Reply 30 of 75
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    If true, this wouldn't' surprise me. Apple uses the same engineers to code OSX as iOS. Since Lion is a major update to iOS, the engineers would have been busy with that. Since it is in the Beta stage now, those engineers probably are now back working on IOS.
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  • Reply 31 of 75
    shaun, ukshaun, uk Posts: 1,050member
    iPhone 4s will be released at a special media event on 3 May.



    WWDC will focus on software development for OSX Lion and iOS 5.
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  • Reply 32 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    The hardware in the iDevices is pretty well up to date in my opinion. Unless they want to try put the A5 in an iPhone but not sure the thermals will allow that. It makes sense for them to concentrate on software at this point, until hardware is ready to make another leap. It's like Intel's tick-tock, alternating process and architecture, Apple almost needs to alternate hardware-software-hardware-software.



    I'm not so sure. I thought my iPhone 4 was just fine and plenty fast enough until 4.3 came out and now the UI is full of tiny pauses. They use the software update to cripple the current models a bit so that when the new slightly faster ones come out you will upgrade.



    I fully expect iPhone 5 to have almost no compelling new features or capabilities that I personally need, (best bet on the changes seems to be that it will be a "world phone" with NFC tech), but because of the above I also fully expect to be upgrading anyway.
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  • Reply 33 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


    iPhone 4s will be released at a special media event on 3 May. ...



    May is the zenith of the year in terms of the natural world, so this makes some kind of sense.
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  • Reply 34 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RedGeminiPA View Post


    I almost find this a little hard to believe. Apple, if anything, should release new devices a little faster than a year apart.



    I disagree. This is one time when Apple's strategy of simple product lines works in their favour.



    It's already hard enough to even supply the iPhone for the year that it's out and the majority of their missed sales are missed opportunities because of supply line problems. The iPhone 5 is predicted to sell a hundred million units, more than all the previous iPhones combined. If there wasn't a full year, or if there were multiple models it would be even harder.



    Also, if that curve continues, then iPhone 6 will be selling in the hundreds (plural) of millions, and iPhone 7 even more. Even if they were doing multiple models and release dates now, at some point they would have to drop back to supplying one model a year anyway. This is just my opinion of course, but it seems way easier to stick to the once a year, one new model a year thing.
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  • Reply 35 of 75
    djintxdjintx Posts: 454member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


    iPhone 4s will be released at a special media event on 3 May.



    WWDC will focus on software development for OSX Lion and iOS 5.



    To finish out your prediction... will this new 4s bring the A5 chip and improved graphics a la iPad2? Will it include a slightly tweaked enclosure eliminating the glass back panel, or will it be physically identical to iP4? I'm just curious about your vision.
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  • Reply 36 of 75
    boeyc15boeyc15 Posts: 986member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freddych View Post


    Yeah, 3G, Single core, lack of NFC are all state-of-the art when it comes to high end smart phones.



    To each their own, but IMO the changes to 4G and NFC are not quite 'game changing or a jump in capabilities' to the masses. Going to 3G, a camera, GPS etc was more so. 4G/LTE, NFC makes for good marketing PR though.



    Now, if they were to add thunderbolt, that would be huge. Syncing, transfering movies on and off the device, etc is a pain. NO WAY do I want to sync to cloud etc even with LTE... don't even go there. 3G ATT is plenty fast to down load music, apps, stream video etc.... .bleh... Im ranting, sorry.
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  • Reply 37 of 75
    juandljuandl Posts: 230member
    I called it a few months back.

    There is no reason for Apple to continue with their yearly release schedule.

    Other than everybody being so anxious to get their hands on the newest thing Apple.

    They have shown that they really don't have any REAL competition other than themselves.

    Sure we will have the new Android flavor of the month. But everybody is finally realizing

    that Google is no Apple. Sure they will have their 2 or 3 great Apps. But it is nowhere

    near the experience. Also, once the full benefits of the MobileMe (Data Farm) provisions start to show up. Also Apple's implementation of their Siri Butler services show up for voice commands, along with their new Map designed service. Any little advantages from Android will disappear.
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  • Reply 38 of 75
    whozownwhozown Posts: 128member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OmicronTurtle View Post


    Apart from the original iPhone, all iPhone's have been announced at WWDC and released within a few days or a few weeks.

    I expect iPhone 5 to be announced at WWDC as do most logical thinking people who have followed Apple in the last 10 years



    Here's hoping you're right. I've been waiting way to long to only be strung along for who knows how many more months.
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  • Reply 39 of 75
    pokepoke Posts: 506member
    Quote:

    A preview of the next version of iOS is typically shown to developers at a special event prior to the June WWCC show. But Apple's announcement would suggest that the company will instead give developers their first look at the anticipated iOS 5 in June.



    That's stupid. The invitation says "at this year?s conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS." If that suggests we're not going to see iOS 5 before June it also suggests that we're not going to see the next version of Mac OS before June. But we've already had TWO previews of the next version of Mac OS (at the Back to the Mac event and on their website after the developer release).



    What exactly are they going to 'unveil' about Mac OS? You can't just ignore one half of the quote.
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  • Reply 40 of 75
    guch20guch20 Posts: 173member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DJinTX View Post


    I don't really care what it is called, as long as it is a good product. I hope that they do not get too predictable with the numbers personally, but as long as it's not the iPhone Turd I'm good.



    The iPhone Turd? Only if Microsoft were making it, since they pretty much released a Zune Turd.



    Yeah Balmer, brown is the new black...



    Jackass.
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