Rumors

It’s not just iPhone 5S: budget iPhone also could come in colors

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2013

If the latest chatter coming out of Apple's Asian supply chain is to be trusted, Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer Pegatron - which produces some Apple products alongside primary gadget builder Foxconn - has been commissioned to build a rumored less-pricey iPhone that the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters and other high-profile publications previously reported on as a done deal.

It's been thought the device has a hybrid plastic/metal design, with the polycarbonate part of its body being similar to what Apple used on the now discontinued white plastic MacBook. And now, latest reports add colors to the mix...

Fresh iPhone 6 mockups call for a 4.6-inch edge-to-edge display

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2013

Martin Hajek, a 3D artist well-regarded for his mockups of future gadgets, is back at it again, this time with a fresh batch of renditions depicting what an iPhone 6 with a 4.6-inch screen might look like. He's calling for an edge-to-edge screen assembly - which in his vision looks just stellar - and the aluminum Unibody chassis with anodized black and silver back.

It's kinda like a cross between the iPad's back shell and the iPhone 5's two-tone design. Notice the ultra thin bezels and the lack of the Home button...

Bloomberg: iWatch will run iOS, is due by Christmas

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 4, 2013

A few months ago, you couldn't move without encountering yet another Apple television rumor. But if you are interested in profit - and what company isn't - the execs in Cupertino should cancel any HD TV and focus on wristwatches. Turns out, the wristwatch business could be way more profitable than Apple-made TVs.

Rival firms lust after Apple's huge profit margins. In a potential stroke of good timing, massive margins from the much-rumored iWatch could replace the iPhone - even slacking PC sales, one Wall Street analyst forecasts Monday...

Barclays: budget iPhone and China Mobile-compatible iPhone 5S due in August

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 1, 2013

Per a rumor out of China, Apple won't release a new iPhone at its upcoming summer developer conference. Instead, Tim Cook & Co. are thought to be targeting an August 2013 launch for both the iPhone 5S, a specs upgrade, and an inexpensive iPhone model, aimed at emerging markets that sell mostly unsubsidized handsets. And for the first time, the next iPhone will be Apple's first truly world phone capable of supporting a bunch of flavors of fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology, including China Mobile-compatible TD-SCDMA network...

$330 polycarbonate iPhone said to arrive next year with 4.5-inch display

Cody Lee ∙ February 28, 2013

It's been a while since we've heard any talk regarding the rumored budget iPhone. Speculation involving Apple's secret iWatch project, and next-gen iPad models have all but taken over the rumor mill in recent weeks.

But that changes today, with a new report from Japanese blog Macotakara. The site, which has proven to have accurate sources, says that the cheaper iPhone exists, has a polycarbonate body, and will arrive in 2014...

As the next iPhone looms, Apple slashes iPhone 5 panel and semiconductor orders

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

With about four months left until Apple's worldwide developers conference, chatter intensifies that Apple is re-aligning its suppliers. With both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 allegedly spotted in the wild and leaked parts cropping up on Chinese forums, new reports indicate that Apple has substantially cut iPhone 5 screen and chip orders.

And because Apple is the world's top chip buyer second only to Samsung, any material change in its orders immediately reflects on the entire industry. Little wonder that researches are now calling for a slow down in semiconductor equipment manufacturer orders...

LG saw 90% drop in iPad panel shipments in January

Cody Lee ∙ February 26, 2013

A new report out of China claims that LG Display saw shipments of its 9.7-inch iPad display panels drop 90% in January, from 6 million units in December all the way down to 600,000. The drop-off is said to be a main factor in LG's poor performance in the month.

The reason for the order cuts? Well according to supply chain sources, it's a combination of a few things including the fact that January was the first post-holiday month, the growing popularity of the iPad mini, and a general shift in the market to lower-priced tablets...

iPad 5 cases beginning to hit Chinese marketplaces

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Apple's next-generation tablet isn't expected to hit for at least another 5 or 6 months, but accessory manufacturers already seem to feel pretty confident that they know what it's going to look like.

Based on a number of reports and alleged part leaks, case-makers have begun mass-producing cases fit for a redesigned iPad 5 that is both lighter and thinner than its predecessor, with smaller bezels...

Bloomberg: Google’s music streaming service launching worldwide in Q3

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 25, 2013

Piggy-backing on last week's reports by The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times asserting Google's been looking to enhance its Music service with streaming features akin to those of Spotify, Bloomberg today learned from its own sources that the service is likely targeted for a third quarter start. What's more, Google is reportedly planning to release this as a worldwide offering from the get-go.

One of the people familiar with Google's thinking told Bloomberg the service would work on both Android and non-Android devices, without explicitly referring to the iPhone...

Sharp and Foxconn deal has all but fallen apart

Cody Lee ∙ February 25, 2013

For a year now, we've been hearing that Foxconn was going to buy a large stake in Sharp Corp. Speculation of the deal has run rampant, going so far as to implicate that the partnership was part of Apple's plans to build a TV.

But over the last several months, Sharp's business has started to falter, causing Foxconn to rethink things. Since then, the companies haven't been able to come to an agreement. And according to a new report, they won't...

Google said to be working on streaming music service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

This is pretty interesting. Hot on the heels of rumors that Apple is looking to get into the streaming music space, a new report popped up late last night alleging that Google too is working on a service of its own.

Citing 'people familiar with the matter,' The Wall Street Journal is claiming that the search giant's Android unit has been negotiating with music companies to start a paid subscription music streaming service...

AU Optronics reportedly started mass producing iPad mini 2 Retina panels

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Two days ago, sources reported AU Optronics, which alongside LG Display supplies Apple with 1,024-by-768 display panels for the iPad mini, recently began work on new screens for the next-generation iPad mini. And with yields allegedly now meeting Apple's exacting standards, Taiwan media Friday claimed AU Optronics started mass producing 2,048-by-1,536 324ppi Retina screens for the device, which is said to use the dual-core A5X chip and quad-core graphics to drive the display...