iPhone 5

The next iPhone could hit Sprint on October 15, training manual indicates

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 6, 2012

Sprint Nextel, the nation's third-largest wireless operator, could start offering Apple's next iPhone beginning October 15, a leaked training document indicates. According to an alleged Sprint Training Manual, that's when the carrier will begin offering in-store iPhone support.

October 15 contradicts the assumed September 21 availability, as reported by iMore's Rene Richie who accurately predicted the next Wednesday's iPhone presser, so perhaps not all major U.S. carriers will get the device simultaneously?

Poll: what’s this square thing inside the iPhone 5 for?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

A set of four new high-quality photographs have emerged, seemingly depicting the complete front assembly of Apple's next iPhone, due for unveiling at a San Francisco media event next Wednesday. These new images provide a detailed look at a square chip which leaked earlier and prompted pundits to speculate that it houses a Near-Field Communications (NFC) sensor, later debunked by the eagle-eyed experts over at AnandTech.

One of the theories has it that this thing is a fingerprint sensor, based on Apple's hasty $356 million acquisition of smart sensor maker AuthenTec. There are other possible answers to this mystery and I couldn't help myself collecting all the plausible possibilities in an amusing poll, included right below...

New photos compare thickness of next-gen iPhone and iPhone 4

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

With just a week left to go until Apple unveils its new smartphone, the next-gen iPhone leaks are in full swing. Yesterday, we saw pictures of the handset's battery. And today, this.

A repair firm has just uploaded photos of a nearly fully assembled iPhone 5 laying next to an iPhone 4. And the shots give us a good idea of just how thin the device is going to be...

Apple to exclusively sell 9-pin dock connector adapter

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 5, 2012

Apple could cash in to the tune of $100 million soon after it unveils upcoming devices with the new 9-pin dock connector. The Cupertino, Calif. company intends to be initially the only game in town for Apple fans, exclusively selling the adapters at $10 a pop, reports say.

The company will also sell Apple-branded USB cables for $19 each. This is in line with the MagSafe to Magasafe 2 converter cable Apple sells for $9.99 and the iPhone Micro USB adapter for $11 and $13.

iPhone 5 reportedly leaks out of Foxconn plant, gets caught on video

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 25, 2016

As we approach the big event next Wednesday, leaks related to Apple's next iPhone are multiplying with each passing day. Just a few minutes ago, a new report went online claiming that someone in China has been able to get their hands on an actual iPhone 5 unit. They made quite a believable video to prove it and it looks legit.

Best of all, the clip shows a white device with a taller display booting next to an iPhone 4S, giving us a good indication of the increased speed of the iPhone 5, courtesy of its rehashed, low-power dual-core variant of the A5 chip, souped up with 1GB of RAM. Have a look, the clip is right after the break..

Shocker: iPhone 5 almost identical in design to your iPhone 4/4S

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2012

There's been a lot of hoopla in the weeks building up to the next Wednesday's massive event that Apple's next iPhone won't be radically different to the existing iPhone 4/4S form factor, much to the delight of fans the world over (or horror, depending on where you're standing).

Our own little poll suggested that people continue to be torn over the issue of the iPhone 5 design. Nearly 55 percent of respondents voted for the leaked design featuring an all-metal backplate with plastic bands at the top and bottom for wireless and cellular antenna, in addition to the relocated headphone jack and a miniaturized dock connector. The remaining 45 percent said the design looked fugly as hell.

If you've been keeping your fingers crossed for a last-minute surprise from Apple, here comes a shocker: a new credible report reaffirms claims that the next iPhone won't look a whole lot different to the iPhone 4/4S form factor, sans a couple cosmetic changes and the two-tone thing on the back...

Alleged iPhone 5 cases pop up in AT&T’s internal accessory systems

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 5, 2012

Right on time, the first batch of cases modeled after the leaked two-tone iPhone 5 design are beginning to make an appearance at a major U.S. carrier. We wouldn't normally report on this, but this is AT&T, originally Apple's first and exclusive iPhone carrier in the United States.

Company of this size surely wouldn't screw customers by putting cases on store shelves that may not fit the final iPhone 5 design. With just a week until Apple's iPhone 5 presser, this is yet another indication that the two-tone design is in fact the real deal...

China Unicom rumored to get next-gen iPhone by year’s end

Cody Lee ∙ September 5, 2012

Since previous reports seemingly nailed the next-gen iPhone event date, it's safe to assume the predicted launch date is also accurate. Apple's next smartphone is expected to go on sale in the US on September 21st. When the handset will launch elsewhere, however, is still unknown.

Last year, the iPhone 4S launched Stateside in October, but it didn't hit some major markets like China until a good three months later. But according to a new report, that won't be the case this year. Industry insiders say that China Unicom will have the handset by December...

More images of next-gen iPhone battery surface

Cody Lee ∙ September 4, 2012

Now that Apple has made the new iPhone event official, we expect the rumor mill to pick up even more steam. Which is kind of hard to believe, considering it's already been out of control for months.

Today, a new image of an iPhone 5 battery surfaced on the web. Now, we've already seen a handful of photos of the purported battery, but this one is sitting perfectly in the handset's rear shell...

Will the iPhone 5 outsell Samsung’s Galaxy S III?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 4, 2012

Now that we have the official confirmation of Apple's iPhone event taking place at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts next Wednesday, the second part of iMore's report mentioning September 21 availability (it's a Friday) is almost certainly a done deal as well. Which means Apple will get to sell the iPhone 5 (or whatever you think it's going to be called) for just ten days during the September quarter.

Despite this, resident Apple analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray is convinced that the device will shatter all previous sales records, moving as much as ten million units in its first week of sale, enough to make Samsung's lead short-lived and re-take the crown of the best-selling smartphone in the United States...

“It’s almost here”: Apple sends out invites for September 12 media event

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 4, 2012

Apple just issued invites for its long-anticipated media event related to the next iPhone and scheduled to take place on next Wednesday, September 12, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10:00 am.

As has increasingly been the case, the confirmation comes via The Loop's Jim Dalrymple whose strong track record of accurate Apple reporting has made him an unofficial mouthpiece for the company...

Conveniently, T-Mobile begins distributing Nano SIMs to retailers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 19, 2022

With just eight days left until next Wednesday's iPhone 5 unveiling, Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile telco has begun distributing Nano SIMs to retailers. As you know, the forty percent smaller SIM card standard proposed by Apple has been ratified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute back in June.

A month later, news reports indicated that European carriers had begun stockpiling supplies and testing Nano SIMs in partnership with Apple, ahead of the iPhone 5 launch.

Since then, a Nano SIM tray said to belong to the next iPhone has been leaked in both images and on video. Apple's phone should become the first mobile device to utilize the new standard, helping mainstream the technology much in the same way the iPhone 4 popularized the Micro SIM standard...