Rumors

iPhone 5 said to tap Broadcom BCM4330 chip for wireless file sharing with Macs

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 2, 2012

9to5Mac reports to have 'discovered' a Broadcom chip inside one of the prototypes of the next iPhone. The write-up specifically menions Broadcom's BCM4334 unit, basically a single-chip, dual-band silicon that supports 802.11n WiFi networking, Bluetooth 4.0+HS and an integrated FM radio receiver.

A successor to Broadcom's BCM4330 - itself fabbed on the 65-nanometer process and found inside the iPad 3 and iPhone 4S - the newer BCM4334 unit is built on the 40-nanometer process, resulting in significant power savings.

As a result of using this chip in the next iPhone, Apple should be able to mitigate power drain stemming from the bigger screen and LTE radios while making a thinner device overall. That's just the beginning. Read on...

Rumor: App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore getting facelift and Facebook integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2012

Corroborating iDB's scoop that all Apple's apps which ship with iOS software are about to get a major overhaul in iOS 6, the latest chatter in the rumor mill now has it that Apple at WWDC is launching redesigned front-ends for the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore.

As for the new look, you can probably expect the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore apps to adopt that sexier silver appearance.

But wait, there's more to this redesign than meets the eye...

iOS-Facebook integration reportedly a reality

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2012

Following months of rumor mongering and speculation, it would seem that one of the headline new features of iOS 6 indeed is system-wide Facebook integration, TechCrunch has learned from sources. This capability will reportedly work as seamlessly as Twitter integration in iOS 5.

You'll simply provide your Facebook account credentials in Settings and then approve apps to automatically use your account when needed. The report jives with news of apps, not the OS itself, being the focus of iOS 6 that iDB broke today.

As our credible source with deep connections at Apple pointed out, big stuff is expected in stock apps across the board as Apple has apparently re-written them from the ground up to take advantage of new iOS features.

At this point, there's no reason to doubt that Facebook sharing will be rolled out across Apple's apps in iOS 6,, much like Twitter comes enabled in Safari, YouTube, Maps and so forth...

Scoop: big iOS 6 features are in stock apps across the board

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2012

With just ten days until Apple’s keynote at WWDC in San Francisco, details about iOS 6 and the next iPhone have been trickling out steadily on a daily basis in past weeks.

A credible source has now stepped forward, casting more light on growing expectations concerning the next major update to Apple’s iOS operating system which drives the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

In a nutshell, there’s going to be little, if any, Earth-shattering additions to core OS features. Instead, I was told, headline enhancements are focused on stock apps across the board…

Analyst says iOS 6 brings “notable upgrade” to native Camera and Photos apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2012

Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu writes in today's note to clients that Apple is working on a "notable upgrade" to its stock Camera and Photos apps which come included with the iOS mobile operating system powering iPhones, iPads and iPods.

This isn't terribly surprising given that "notable upgrades" are presumably needed to enable new photo and video sharing functionalities recently mentioned by more credible sources.

I guess Wu's a regular reader of the Wall Street Journal newspaper, which reported last month that iOS 6 will bring the ability to synchronize video clips across devices through iCloud, as well as share sets of photos with other iCloud users and comment on them...

Munster on iTV: ‘if’ has been decided and now the question is ‘when’

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2012

Riding on his iTV predictions, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note to clients today that a number of factors, including Tim Cook's D10 talk earlier this week, have led him to confidently assume that a full-fledged television set from Apple is a now a matter of 'when', not 'if'.

He is expecting iTV models ranging from 42 inches to 55 inches, costing between $1,500 and $2,000. Apple will announce its standalone television set later this year, he speculated, with general availability six months later...

Video compares 4.07-inch iPhone 5 glass panel vs. current iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2012

Japanese blog Macotakara just posted an interesting video which seems to compare an alleged next-generation iPhone glass panel against the current iPhone model. The clip depicts a taller but wider glass panel, supporting the mounting evidence that the iPhone 5 will introduce a new display size measuring slightly above four inches diagonally...

iPhone 5 metal backplate is reportedly the real deal

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2012

According to well-connected blogger Mark Gurman, an aluminum-clad backplate that leaked yesterday pretty much matches the iPhones being tested internally. If true, this would be another indication that a sixth-generation iPhone will sport a metal back akin to the original model that launched five years ago...

Rumor: Apple launching feature-complete Apple TV software for iTV at WWDC

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2012

According to a new report, Apple is readying a much more feature-complete version of the operating system that drives its Apple TV set-top box.

Sources tell it's also bound to power that rumored HD TV set. It wasn't immediately clear from the report whether the enhanced OS will also support the $99 hockey puck and how it might tie with iOS 6.

The company will allegedly launch it at the upcoming WWDC developers conference in San Francisco which begins with a keynote on June 11 at 10am PST...

iPhone 5 front panel schematic reveals centered FaceTime camera

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Another day, another leak. This one comes vi a Japanese blog with a somewhat mixed, albeit strong track record of Apple rumor reporting. The site published this morning an image that appears to be design schematic of the front panel of Apple's next iPhone. It appears to corroborate previous leaks, also suggesting a slight FaceTime camera tweak...

iPhone 5 backplate leaks: enhanced speakers, thinner profile, smaller dock connector

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 29, 2012

A new report out this morning points us to an allegedly leaked part purported to belong to an upcoming sixth-generation iPhone (not to be confused with a front panel part leaked by another source). It looks like it's machined from a single piece of an aluminum alloy, similar to Apple's Unibody manufacturing process for notebook chassis. If authentic, the leaked part casts additional light on the backside and profile of Apple's upcoming iPhone revision.

It does reinforce the mostly agreed-upon thesis of the next iPhone having a slimmer chassis and a much smaller and rounded dock connector...

Apple allegedly began assembly of iTV prototypes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

According to a report out today from Chinese-language China Business News based on "informed sources", Apple this month allegedly begun producing the first prototypes of its rumored HD TV set. As the first batch of iTVs get assembled, Cupertino is said to be ramping up production later this year...