Today, Digitimes published a forecast reporting that Apple will sell a staggering 86.4 million iPhones in 2011, blowing past Nokia to become the world's leading smartphone vendor. Apple is slated to see a 82% increase in shipments from the 47.5 million units shipped in 2010.
It was recently announced that Apple had already overtaken Nokia globally in terms of units manufactured, and Apple is also projected to overtake the Finnish juggernaut in shipment volume by year's end...
As of this week, GameStop has begun accepting iDevice trade-ins at its retail outlets for in-store credit. 9to5Mac is reporting that GameStop will soon offer Apple's entire lineup of iDevices for sale, and it's speculated that GameStop is accepting new and used trade-ins first to make room for new products this Fall, like the iPhone 5.
Resellers are gearing up for a mass influx in used iPhone trade-ins, with Apple's next smartphone slated to make its debut before the end of next month.
Apple hasn't even announced the iPhone 5 yet, let alone a release date and details of availability, but that hasn't stopped Deutsche Telekom from starting its pre-orders.
The German telecoms giant, and owner of T-Mobile, has taken the unusual step of offering pre-orders for a device that doesn't actually exist to the public because it foresees "supply bottlenecks." If previous iPhone releases are any indication, the carrier may very well be right...
Today, in Apple Stores everywhere, Apple began iOS 5 and iCloud training for employees. The training is done through the Daily Download application, which was part of the Apple Store 2.0 upgrade.
What's the significance of this? Apple only launches a new OS with a new iPhone, therefore hinting that the iPhone 5 launch is right around the corner...
A report from Japanese site Macotakara claims that Apple OEM manufacturers have begun iPhone 5 production for an October launch. Foxconn will allegedly assemble 85% of the units, with Petragon accounting for 15% of production volume.
While iPhone 5 units are being assembled, Apple has yet to install iOS 5 on the devices. This is due to the fact that iOS 5 is still in the final beta stages, and the software will be installed on the new hardware when it reaches its final GM version in the coming weeks.
We might just found our first reliable iPhone 5 release date rumor, and October 21 is looking like the magic day to mark on your calendars. The Verge has received a tip from a Best Buy employee that suggests the retailer is set for an 'Apple fixture' installation on the 21st.
What makes this seem so plausible is the continued rumor that October is indeed the timeframe in which we should expect an iPhone 5 to go on sale, with an announcement coming some time in the next few weeks. Does Best Buy know something we dont? It's entirely possible...
An already strange story has taken a turn for the downright silly, with the news that the San Francisco Police did actually have a hand in the searching of a 22 year old's home, contrary to the authorities' own accounts.
We told you yesterday how Apple's own security firm had taken it upon themselves to search the home of one Sergio Calderón in a hunt for a missing iPhone 5 prototype. Calderón had been told that the people involved were SFPD, but the department's own files said that they had no hand in the search, and furthermore, they had not had any contact from Apple regarding the device.
This now appears to have been incorrect.
In a report for The San Francisco Weekly, we learn that the SFPD did in fact send some officers along for the ride...
This story keeps getting crazier and crazier. As you recall, we told you the other day that another next gen iPhone prototype was presumably lost at another bar in San Francisco. CNET reported the news, citing unknown sources.
The scandal got even juicier this morning when another report from The San Francisco Weekly unveiled that no police records for the incident actually existed. Apple hadn't opened an official investigation with the police. Instead, it's being reported that an Apple security team illegally impersonated police officers and searched a man's home for the lost iPhone 5 prototype...
As we've reported in the past, there are tons of leaked iPhone 5 cases out there. M.I.C. Gadget has reported that all kinds of alleged iPhone 5 cases are everywhere in China. It seems that more and more iPhone 5 parts and cases leak everyday, and they all point to a thinner design.
The iPhone 5 is expected to be "thin as an iPod Touch," which is a pretty bold statement. Could Apple really fit all those components in that thin of a package? Maybe...
A couple days ago, we were telling you the crazy story of Apple losing yet another iPhone prototype. Like me, you probably were very skeptical when you first read about an Apple employee losing an iPhone 5 prototype in a bar in San Francisco.
The story took a more believable turn when we realized that the source was CNET, a respectable and trustworthy online publication that all of you have heard of before. It was still an incredible story, but because it came from CNET, we didn't think twice about reporting it, just like every other blog out there.
Things fell apart yesterday when The San Francisco Weekly revealed that the city Police had no record of any complaint from Apple or any investigation going on about that matter. In short, Apple never lost an iPhone 5 prototype...
Remember that alleged next gen iPhone 5 icon we showed you in the Photo Stream beta yesterday? It was an interesting find because it was designed by Apple internally, and it looked to be a slightly redesigned iPhone with features that match rumors we've been hearing about the iPhone 5.
9to5Mac has put together a comparison of the blown up iPhone '5' icon and the iPhone 4. You'll notice a slightly smaller screen and a redesigned home button...
Two men charged with misdemeanor theft charges on the leaked iPhone 4 prototype scandal from last year have pled not guilty in court. If you recall, an iPhone 4 prototype was found in a bar in Redwood City, California and then sold to gadget blog Gizmodo for $5,000.
Gizmodo was cleared of charges last month, but two suspects that allegedly found the prototype are now being charged...