iPhone 5

Delta and American Airlines also working on Passbook support

After months of waiting, we should finally get to see Passbook in action this month. Apple unveiled the app, which stores digital gift cards, event tickets and boarding passes, during its WWDC event.

As cool as the idea of Passbook is, it will only be successful if it can garner support from major businesses. But if the enthusiasm of the airlines is any indication, that won't be a problem...

Photos show Apple’s new dock connector compared to micro USB

Among the many changes we're expecting to see in the next-generation iPhone, the new dock connector is one of the most interesting. This will be the first time Apple has changed up the handset's port since its inception.

We don't know much about the new connector other than that we think it has 9 pins. And according to these new photos of what is believed to be the sync cable for the new iPhone, it's about the same size as a standard micro USB...

iPhone 5 unlikely to feature Audience’s noise reduction tech

File this one under "odd." A theory started floating around earlier this year regarding why Siri was limited to the iPhone 4S. It had something to do with a noise reduction technology from Audience, called "EarSmart," which allowed the phone to pickup sound from a couple of feet away.

But according to a recent press release from Audience, it doesn't look like the company's EarSmart technology is going to make it into the next iPhone. It says that due to events that occurred over the last few weeks, it feels it's "unlikely" that Apple will use the tech in its new smartphone...

WSJ says the iPhone 5 will support LTE around the world

While it's been assumed for quite some time that Apple's next smartphone would run on LTE networks here in the US, it's been a mystery as to whether it would do so outside of the US. The latest iPad's LTE only works in the US and Canada.

Well it doesn't look like that's going to be the case with the new iPhone. According to a new report, citing the usual "people familiar with the matter," Apple's sixth-generation handset will support long term evolution networks around the globe....

Colorful banners go up at Yerba Buena Center, perhaps alluding to new iPods?

First set of blurry snaps depicting preparations over at the San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts building in San Francisco hit the web last evening. Just this moment, another batch of images arrived, showing workers dressing up the building in colorful banners.

The design of these banners could mean nothing, but then again - this is Apple and the colors are surely meant to convey a certain message.

Colors for the next iPhone? Hardly, if you ask me. Instead, the nicely done banner graphics could be a subtle hint at the lively colors the refreshed iPods are thought to be provided in, thus indicating that next Wednesday's media event may not necessarily be iPhone-exclusive as previously thought...

FedEx expecting Surge Volume event coinciding with the iPhone 5 launch weekend

Apple yesterday started dressing up the Yerba Buena Center building with banners for the next week’s iPhone 5 presser. If you believe Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, the event will mark the biggest consumer electronics launch of the year as the analyst on multiple occasions likened the launch of Apple's next iPhone to "the mother of all upgrades".

Adding up to the excitement, the global logistics services company FedEx issued a note to employees to brace themselves for a "surge volume" event during the period of September 21-24. The three-day period coincides with the expected launch weekend for the iPhone 5...

Apple said to be reducing iPhone 5 part orders from Samsung

Given the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung, it wouldn't surprise anyone if Apple started reducing its dependency on Samsung components. The S. Korean company makes a number of parts that go into products like the iPhone and iPad.

Well according to a new report, that's exactly what is happening. Apple has been seen significantly reducing its next-gen iPhone part orders from Samsung. Oddly enough, however, it's said that this move has nothing to do with the patent disputes...

Apple starts readying Yerba Buena Center for next week’s event

Earlier this week, Apple sent out media invitations to an event to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on September 12. It's widely expected to unveil a new iPhone.

We're now just 5 days away from the gig, and, like clockwork, Apple has started to prep the venue. You can see several cherrypicker machines out front, and Apple's unmistakable logo in the window...

Foxconn reportedly pulling Chinese students out of school to build iPhones

There's a weird story floating around the tech world today that Foxconn recently pulled Chinese students out of several colleges and forced them to work on the assembly lines in their factories.

The story stems from two separate, but corroborating, reports that say that Foxconn has been unable to find sufficient workforce to meet large iPhone 5 orders, so it's forcing students to work...

Apple to reportedly drop iPhone 3GS, add 8GB iPhone 4S next week

Apple is all set to unveil its new smartphone next week, and according to the rumor mill, it's going to be quite the upgrade — larger display, thinner profile, and LTE compatibility are all on the menu.

In addition to the new handset, it'll be interesting to see what Apple does with the rest of its iPhone lineup. A lot of folks think the 3GS is on the way out, but what about the other models?

Question of the Week: will you switch from AT&T to Verizon for LTE coverage?

As Ed brought out in his post just a few minutes ago, AT&T is scrambling to get its LTE network deployed in more cities with the iPhone 5's debut on the horizon.

At this point, Verizon has many more markets covered with LTE than their fiercest competitor in the United States, and with the upcoming release of the first LTE enabled iPhone, it could have a significant impact on customer loyalty and sales.

With that in mind, would you consider switching from AT&T to Verizon, if AT&T doesn't have an LTE network available in your market come iPhone 5 launch day? Sound off, in this week's Question of the Week...