The written musings of a long-time Apple //e and Macintosh tech nerd. Opinions are my own.
Time to put all the iPhone 5 rumors to rest. In a recent iTunes 10.5 beta release, people have found references to the iPhone 4S, not iPhone 5, in the .plist files.
Can’t wait until Tuesday to see what Apple CEO Tim Cook has up his sleeve.
[Via 9To5Mac.com…]
Palm employees and fanatics alike have lived through many near death experiences with their company, hardware, and software. The latest rumor, if true, may give webOS a new lease on life after HP announced a drastic cut back on webOS hardware, canceling the HP TouchPad and greatly reducing the markets the HP Pre3 would be released in.
“The latest: That Samsung is mulling a bid for webOS as a way of reducing its reliance on Google’s Android OS and competing more effectively with Apple. Samsung could conceivably pick up where HP left off, bringing the operating system not just to phones and tablets, but to PCs as well. Added bonus: the accompanying IP would likely prove helpful in the company’s patent battle with Apple.”
“Samsung CEO Gee-Sung Choi has struck down any such thoughts (and unlike Leo Apotheker, Choi has a firm grasp of what’s going on in his company), saying outright to reporters at the IFA conference in Berlin that Samsung would “never” pursue a purchase of webOS. Bloomberg reported that a Samsung spokesperson confirmed the statement. He went on to say that “It’s not right that acquiring an operating system is becoming a fashion,” and that creating an OS is “harder than people outside think.”
Ugh! This was not the news I was hoping for today if John Paczkowski over at AllThingsD.com has reliable information on Apple’s new iPhone.
“So those rumors claiming the iPhone 5 will debut in late September? They’re wrong.
Instead, it’s going to be an October surprise — the month in which Apple plans to launch its next-gen iPhone.”
I guess it’s a good thing that I was able to my Sprint Palm Pre screen repaired by Sprint and then upgraded my Pre to HP webOS 2.1. Looks like we’re in for a few extra weeks of waiting.
[Via AllThingsD.com…]
It’s tough to be a webOS fan. Especially on Sprint. If it wasn’t bad enough that Sprint Pre and Pixi customers have been left out in the cold for the webOS 2.0 party, but now a new rumor from a reliable source is saying that the Pre3 won’t be coming to Sprint.
“Today the folks over at This Is My Next cited a “trusted source” in saying that the Pre3 – or any other webOS device – will not be coming to Sprint. We know a lot of you just died a little bit inside, and that’s not the news you wanted to hear today. On the flipside of the same coin, we’ve heard from plenty of “I talked to an HP rep” crowd that have heard that the Pre3 is coming to Sprint, along with Verizon and AT&T. You can hold out hope if you want, but trusted sources trump chatter in our book.”
I was in line at 6am to one of the first people to get a Palm Pre on launch day. With webOS market share below 5% in the US and the Pre3 not coming to Sprint any time soon, it just reaffirms my decision to switch phones this fall when the iPhone 5 goes live. The only question that really remains is whether or not Sprint will get the iPhone 5. If they do, I’ll say with Sprint to grandfather in my unlimited data plan. If Sprint doesn’t get the iPhone 5, then I’m looking to head over to AT&T Wireless.
[Via PreCentral.net…]
The Boy Genius Report blog has word that the executive management team has gotten a cold, hard dose of reality and has finally realized that they need to get new QNX-powered BlackBerry smartphones out the door as quickly as possible.
The sobering fact that RIM’s stock has taken a nose dive in recent weeks has served as what I can only describe as a wake up call. According to BGR, plans for an iPad sized 10-inch BlackBerry Playbook are being scrapped and the company will “focus as much effort as possible on building and releasing its first QNX-powered BlackBerry smartphone.”
The specs and timing for a new BlackBerry running the QNX operating system are, obviously, thin at best.
“Specs of the purported next-generation BlackBerry smartphone include a single-core 1.2GHz processor — though it may be swapped for a dual-core if RIM can find a way to reduce the drain on the battery — along with a 4.3-inch high-resolution touchscreen display. Further details surrounding the device were not made available, nor was a codename, launch name or a time frame for the device’s release.”
The previously planned 4G cellular version(s) of the BlackBerry Playbook is still planned for release in the October timeframe.
As a strictly utilitarian device for email, text/instant messaging, and phone calls (who makes those anymore?), the BlackBerry is a great phone. Messaging has always been at the core of what a BlackBerry is. (I own and have used a BlackBerry Curve and Storm2 and loved them both.) But today’s “prosumers” want more features than that, and when compared to the iPhone and Android devices, all of the RIM devices fall flat on their faces. If RIM is serous about turning their company around, they need to get QNX-powered phones out the door as quickly as possible.
[Via BGR.com…]
Boy Genius Report is claiming to have received word that the next iPhone — the 4S or 5 — will be a major update to the current iPhone 4 models.
“While Apple has indeed been giving some developers access to a device known as the iPhone 4S — an iPhone 4 with upgraded internals — BGR has independently confirmed that the next-generation iPhone will not merely be an upgraded iPhone 4 as had been previously rumored. We have been told by a reliable source to expect a radical new case design for the upcoming iPhone, though we have not been given any additional details surrounding the design of the new iPhone case. What about a release, then? The consensus is that Apple is going to announce the next-generation iPhone at the company’s annual September event, traditionally focused on iPods, but we have heard it’s quite possible Apple will break tradition. According to our source, Apple may hold an event in the beginning or middle of August to announce the new iPhone, with availability to follow in the last week of August. We’re not sure if that means the iPod event will be moved up slightly, or if this will be an iPhone-specific event. Thisismynext reported earlier that the upcoming iPhone 5 would feature a new teardrop-shaped case design.”
At this point, I don’t care what Apple is going to call the new iPhone; I just want it to be released so I can purchase one. My Palm Pre is looking forward to retirement and I’m looking for a phone that isn’t an underdog.
[Via BGR.com…]
From 9to5Mac.com:
“Sources tell 9to5Mac that a version of the iPhone for Sprint’s network is currently in advanced testing. The physical design of this device is akin to the iPhone 4 of today, so this might be the iPhone 4S device with support for all carriers that we have been dreaming up and hearing whispers about. Apple is said to have ordered Sprint-compatible cell towers for use on their campus – for testing – in late 2010. Apple similarly tested the Verizon iPhone against Verizon cell towers on their campus months before the product’s release.”
[Via 9to5Mac.com…]
The next version of Motorola’s insanely popular Droid smartphone, the Droid 3, is rumored to touchdown on Verizon in June.
If the picture is accurate, we can see that just like the Droid 2, the d-pad is gone because of the 4-inch, 960 x 540 qHD display. The Droid 3 is also rumored to have an 8MP digital camera, and will not include an LTE cellular radio. (iPhone fans feel the collective pain from Droid fans.)
[Via BGR.com…]
On Thursday, Apple’s retail stores turn 10 years old. Over the last few days there have been muted rumblings across the Internet that Apple could have a bit of a surprise for retail store customers this weekend to help celebrate the occasion.
Take for example, BGR.com is reporting that they have received a tip “from a solid Apple source” that Apple will be doing “something this weekend.”
While I was really looking forward to a *cough*sickdayofffromworktomorrow*cough* it looks like Apple will be running their special event on Sunday, May 22. To help prepare for the event, Apple is allegedly bringing in staff overnight to setup for Sunday morning.
Adding to the aura surrounding Sunday’s event, Apple employees will be putting up black curtains over the class windows and doors to the retail stores, are being required to sign NDAs, and to have their cell phones locked in a secured location during the setup. BGR also reports that, “[t]here are a wide variety of roles, we’re told, for the overnight shift. This includes all visuals staff, a manager, a business team member, a few Genius team members, one back-of-house employee, and a few generic Apple specialists.”
Ok, so, I’m already making plans to trek down to the nearest Apple Store on Sunday morning. The nearest stores are 45-60 minutes away by car. With all the secrecy around the event rumored to be planned for Sunday, it sounds like Apple has more up their sleeves than iTunes gift card or iPod nano case give aways. But what is it? Will Apple finally bring their new massive North Carolina data center online to support iCloud? Will iTunes finally go streaming subscription based? New Mac hardware refresh?
We’ll have to wait a few more days to find out.
[Via BGR.com…]
