Yesterday we heard a rumor that Apple may have been looking to announce a new iPhone not at its annual September event—one the company has traditionally used to announce new iPods—but that an event to launch the new iPhone may be held “in the beginning or middle of August” instead, according to Boy Genius Report.
The rumor also foretold “a radical new case design for the upcoming iPhone.” Not tubular, not dudical, but radical. “Rad” as the kids say.
(MORE: Report: iPhone 5 Won’t Be a Weak Upgrade, Might Hit in August)
Previous rumors had tipped the new iPhone for a September release—Apple’s usually announced new iPods every September but the waning market for standalone digital music players has meant that the event seems to pack less and less punch. So adding a new iPhone to the mix not only kicks things back into high gear but also positions the new device for the holiday season.
There are one and a half certainties so far. First: Apple didn’t announce a new phone at its June developer event—an event that it had historically used to announce a new phone. First and a half: Apple did announce a revamp to the phone’s operating system, iOS, and said that it’d be ready in the fall. It stands to reason, then, that Apple would want to release new hardware alongside the release of the new software.
So iOS 5? Fall. New iPhone? Almost certainly in the fall.
To throw a wrench into everything, there seems to be some uncertainty about whether the next iPhone will sport a dudical and/or radical new design or if it’ll simply get newer, faster guts but outwardly resemble the iPhone 4.
That the phone will be faster is no surprise—Bloomberg reports that it’ll have a dual-core processor and a better camera—but we’re left wondering when it’ll be released and if it’ll have a new design. For what it’s worth, Bloomberg is sticking to the September timeframe and contends that “the new iPhone will closely resemble the iPhone 4.”
You never really know with Apple but if we’re placing bets, I’d go with a newer design—thinner, maybe curvier—since the company’s had plenty of time to revamp the form factor a bit. As for a release date? August would be a nice surprise for sure but the September event seems a bit more reasonable.
Otherwise it’s like, “Hey! New iPhone!” and then a month later it’s like, “Hey! Remember iPods?!” Maybe Apple would just move the September event to August instead—mind blowing, I know!
And if you’re looking for an even wilder Apple rumor to help you kill some time, there’s been more talk of an Apple-branded TV set, too. As for when we might expect it to launch, “an anonymous former executive” previously with Apple indicated “it could launch later this year” but “he hedged by saying it might be a whole year before we see it,” according to Business Insider.
One relatively easy prediction: We’ll almost certainly see a new phone when the new operating system, iOS 5, gets released in the fall.
MORE: Apple Debuts ‘iTunes in the Cloud’ (but No New iPhone)