iPhone 5

Everything we know about the iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

It's that time of year again: Apple is about to unveil a next-generation iPhone. A sixth revision to the world's most beloved phone that just turned five is up for an announcement tomorrow at a media event in San Francisco. The last iPhone with Steve Jobs's seal of approval arrives at an interesting time for Apple.

Earlier in the year, rival Samsung crushed both Apple and the embattled Finnish giant Nokia to become the world's largest cell phone and smartphone maker by volume. The South Korea-based conglomerate's flagship Galaxy S III handset has even managed to overtake the iPhone to become America's best-selling smartphone in August.

With such massive pent up demand for the iPhone 5, a misstep of any kind would cost Apple dearly: the company owes nearly 70 percent of its fortunes to the iPhone. The iPhone biz is now worth more than all of Microsoft. And because the iconic smartphone is that huge, it poses a major litigation risk.

The iPhone 5 also marks a major test for Cupertino as customers will once again vote with their wallet and get to prove whether or not the iPhone has run its course...

An iPhone 5 upgrade for on-contract AT&T customers might be really expensive

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated November 12, 2018

So, you want to upgrade your current phone to the iPhone 5? The first step you need to take, is to see whether or not you qualify for a fully subsidized upgrade with no penalty.

AT&T makes this process particularly easy, all you have to do is dial *NEW# (*639#), and you will receive a text message laying out your eligibility. For Verizon users, Big Red has provided a website that you can go to to verify your upgradability, or you can dial #874.

In the past, AT&T has let users who are only partially through an existing contract to upgrade without any penalties. Whether or not they plan on doing this with the iPhone 5 remains to be seen, but from what I've seen thus far, it's not looking entirely promising.

iPhone 5 preorders to start on September 14th?

Cody Lee ∙ September 11, 2012

As we all know, Apple is set to unveil its new iPhone tomorrow. Thanks to insider reports, we've known that since July. But those early reports also predicted that iPhone 5 preorders would start tomorrow as well.

And that doesn't seem to be the case, at least, according to new information. The word is that Apple is now in the process of beefing up its staff in preparation for September 14th preorders, which is this Friday...

Crisp shots of the two-tone iPhone 5 design surface

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

The most visible design change concerning the next iPhone, which is due for the official announcement tomorrow, is its metallic backplate with two glass stripes at the top and bottom for cellular and WiFi antenna. It's perhaps the most controversial feature of the next iPhone. Matter of fact, our own little poll tells us you guys are pretty torn over the two-tone thing.

Making matter even more interesting is a last-minute leak by the increasingly reliable Rene Ritchie, who obtained a pair of high-quality photos of the iPhone 5 dummy depicting the two-tone thing in detail greater than ever before. In addition, the photos show a nice closeup of the handset's bottom with its smaller dock connector and relocated headphone jack...

Vodafone too has Nano SIMs in stock ahead of tomorrow’s iPhone 5 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 11, 2012

Right on time, Vodafone in Germany appears to be stockpiling the new 40 percent smaller Nano SIM cards, a German publication reveals. The carrier is one of Apple's major iPhone distributors throughout Europe and in the United States, where UK's multinational mobile network operator has a joint venture with the US telco Verizon Communications, called Verizon Wireless (Vodafone has a 45 percent ownership of the joint venture). Apple's next iPhone is expected to file as the first phone to feature the recently ratified Nano SIM standard which allows for the creation of thinner and smaller mobile devices...

Samsung prepares for iPhone 5 launch with new anti-Apple ad

Cody Lee ∙ September 11, 2012

You have to feel for Samsung, it's had a rough month. First, it was found guilty of being a blatant copycat and forced to pay more than a billion dollars in damages. And then, its manufacturing arm took a business hit.

But then you hear stories like this, and all of that empathy turns into...well, something else. It appears that, like everyone else, Samsung is gearing up for the iPhone 5 launch, with a new anti-Apple TV commercial...

Photo shows iPad mini and iPhone 5 cases compared to an iPhone 4S

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Just one more day to go until Apple's highly-anticpated iPhone event, and surprise surprise, we have more purported case leaks. This time, it's a photo of an iPad mini and iPhone 5 case, among a 4S and others.

The purpose of the image is to give us an idea of how the unannounced devices measure up to their predecessors. And it's actually really interesting to see how the iPad mini compares to the third-gen iPad...

Concept video shows off possible iPhone 5 design and features

Cody Lee ∙ September 11, 2012

We're just a little more than 24 hours away from Apple's big iPhone event, where the company is expected to unveil the latest iteration of its popular smartphone.

And what would an impending Apple event be without a concept video? Check out this clip we came across that shows off possible iPhone 5 design and features...

Turn your iPhone photos into real ones with the Impossible Instant Lab

Cody Lee ∙ September 10, 2012

Imagine being able to take a picture on your iPhone, and then quickly turn it into a Polaroid picture without having to connect the handset to a printer. Now stop imagining. Such a product exists. Well, sort of.

Introducing the new Impossible Instant Lab, a new Kickstarter project. It's essentially a printer that can grab pictures from an iPhone and then quickly turn them into real photos. You have to see it to believe it...

Samsung re-iterates plans to sue Apple over 4G LTE in the iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

The world's leading cell phone and smartphone maker wasn't kidding when it promised to sue Apple as soon as the iPhone 5 comes out over an alleged breach of its wireless patents related to the fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology.

This morning, unnamed Samsung executives told a Samsung-friendly publication that the Galaxy maker will target Apple's key markets in Europe and even the U.S., Apple's home-turf. With Apple struggling to invalidate HTC's two LTE-related patents in another suit, perhaps Samsung has a shot at disrupting the iPhone 5 launch?

China Mobile employees say iPhone 5 launch not likely

Cody Lee ∙ September 10, 2012

For years, Apple has been rumored to be working on an iPhone partnership deal with China Mobile. The carrier is the largest in both China, and the world, with more than 660 million subscribers.

China Mobile's network is already overflowing with unlocked iPhone users, but technology has been standing in the way of an official offering. And it doesn't look like that's going to change this year...

Sprint names a hundred cities getting 4G LTE in “coming months”

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2012

Sprint two weeks ago added four more United States cities to its 4G LTE network deployment efforts and today the company announced that it will deploy the speedy network technology across a hundred major cities in "coming months", including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Sprint is late to the LTE party, having commenced the high-speed network deployment on July 15. Contrast this to AT&T and Verizon, the nation's leading carriers, that began upgrading their towers to 4G LTE last summer and are expected to wrap up commercial deployment of their nationwide 4G LTE by the end of 2012 or in early 2013...