iPhone 5s

Reuters: iPhone 5S delayed as coating material interferes with fingerprint sensor

Apple's perfectionism is legendary. Good enough just doesn't cut it for a company whose exacting demands often drive its suppliers and manufacturing partners crazy. This even includes construction companies tasked with building Apple's upcoming iSpaceship campus with four times narrower gaps between surfaces versus the U.S. construction standard.

We learned earlier this morning that Apple may have returned up to eight million iPhones to Foxconn, apparently because the unites were not fit for sale, potentially costing the contract manufacturer north of $1 billion to make replacements. In fact, Apple's hard-to-meet standard and various manufacturing challenges could reportedly delay the next wave of iDevice upgrades until Fall.

And today comes another confirmation that Apple won't launch the iPhone 5S this summer because it is still trying out various coating materials in the hope of finding one that won't interfere with the handset's fingerprint sensor...

iPhone 5S could include 12MP camera with improved night shooting

Monday, a report out of Vietnam shed new light on an aspect of the next iPhone that hasn't received much attention yet: the camera subsystem. First piece of the puzzle points to Apple engineers upgrading photo quality by putting a notably higher-resolution camera module inside the iPhone 5S, one that features a thirteen megapixel CMOS sensor instead of "just" eight megapixels on the iPhone 5/4S.

The other tidbit mentions an improved night shooting feature as well as an enhanced HDR mode allowing for even higher intensity levels and more realistic colors when snapping up images in extreme lighting conditions such as direct sunlight or faint starlight...

Foxconn hiring assembly-line workers for next-gen iPhone production, WSJ and Bloomberg claim

Hon Hai Precision Industry aka Foxconn, which assembles iPhones and iPads for Apple, but also consumer electronics on behalf of other vendors, has started hiring assembly-line workers in the tens of thousands in preparation for Apple's next iPhone, both Bloomberg and the credulous Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

People familiar with the matter tell the publications that the world's largest contract manufacturer has been recruiting workers for the past month at its plant in Zhengzhou, eastern China.

The reports come following February indications pointing to Foxconn imposing a recruitment freeze across almost all of its factories in China after more workers returned from the Chinese New Year break than did last year, a move some attributed to the supposedly weakening iPhone demand...

The next iPhone’s killer feature? Fingerprint scanning.

Most analysts tend to pull their predictions out of thin air. We were cagey about last month's Morgan Stanley report as it rather cryptically asserts Apple's next iPhone, the iPhone 5S, will have a "killer feature." Of course it will, stupid - every iPhone has at least one standout feature cunningly designed to convince existing users to upgrade.

The iPhone 3G had 3G networking, the iPhone 3GS had video, the iPhone 4 had the stunning form factor and Retina display and the iPhone 4S had Siri.

As for the current iPhone 5, it of course offers LTE and sports the dramatic two-tone design akin to a finely crafted watch. According to a rather reliable analyst, this year's S-upgrade to Apple's handset will have fingerprint scanning as an exclusive feature...

Technical challenges delaying iPhone 5S, budget iPhone, iPad mini 2?

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who actually has a pretty good track record in predicting Apple's product plans, has some bad news for Apple fans. In a note issued to clients Thursday, he basically wrote that Apple's next batch of iDevice upgrades may hit the market later than originally expected due to a number of "technical challenges" related to the inclusion of fingerprint sensor beneath the Home button.

The rumored budget iPhone may be delayed because its slimmer-than-usual polycarbonate casing is proving harder nut to crack, while the second-generation iPad mini continues to face challenges with its high-resolution Retina panels. Jump past the fold for the full disclosure...

Report claims iPhone 5S coming in multiple colors this summer

The next-generation iPhone, believed to be the iPhone 5S, is widely expected to land sometime this summer. This, despite the fact that the iPhone 5 just came out in September of last year, and Apple typically waits at least 12 months to update its handset.

And another report is out today in support of that theory. This one comes from the Japanese blog Macotakara, who cites sources familiar with Apple's plans, in claims that both the iPhone 5S and rumored budget iPhone are going to be announced in July...

Analyst: bowing to phablet trend, Apple’s iPhone 5S to come in three screen sizes

Apple's rumored S-upgrade to its iPhone, the iPhone 5S, is assumed to arrive some time during summer, possibly shortly after Apple presumably announces it at its annual developers conference in June or July (the company hasn't yet set the date for WWDC 2013). One analyst in a note issued to clients Tuesday wrote that supply chatter points to multiple screen sizes for the iPhone 5S in order to appeal to consumers who dig jumbo-sized handsets and improve its standing in the market...

Apple hiring software engineer for AuthenTec fingerprint sensor team

Last summer, Apple acquired AuthenTec, a Florida-based smart sensor company known for its embedded security and identity management technology. The news of the acquisition has sparked speculation that we will see fingerprint sensors in future iOS devices.

And Apple itself is adding fuel to that fire today, with a new job listing posted on its website. Apparently the Cupertino company is looking for a software engineer to join its team of fingerprint sensor engineers down in Melbourne, Florida at AuthenTec's headquarters...

Should Apple rethink its naming conventions for the iPhone?

Former ad man and longtime Apple consultant Ken Segall has been very critical of his old company in recent months. And he continues that trend with a new blog post called 'iPhone naming: when simple gets complicated.'

In the post, Segall argues that Apple screwed up the way it names its handsets—particularly on the 'S' models. He says that iPhones marked with an 'S' not only look awkward, but also send a weak message to consumers...

Analyst claims iPhone 5S has fingerprint sensor

What voice-recognition did for the iPhone 4S, fingerprints will do for Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S, one technology analyst is telling investors. For the second time, an Apple observer forecasts a fingerprint sensor as a key feature of a new iPhone expected this summer. Such a sensor would let iPhone 5S owners use their fingerprints instead of passwords, as well as open the possibility of mobile credit card payments, according to a Wednesday report...

iOS 7 rumored to be running behind due to major UI refresh

While we've heard plenty of chatter regarding the next-generation iPhone, we've heard next to nothing about the next version of iOS. Until today, that is. New information concerning iOS 7 popped up this afternoon in an interesting Branch thread.

The conversation consisted of several well-known Apple Insiders, including iMore's Rene Ritchie and Daring Fireball's John Gruber. And according to their sources, iOS is set to receive a system-wide UI overhaul this year, if it ever gets finished...

WSJ: Apple ramping up production for new iPhone this quarter

We've heard an unusual amount of chatter regarding the next generation iPhone over the past few months. Especially since the iPhone 5 just launched 6 months ago. But folks seem pretty certain that Apple's next smartphone isn't too far off.

And a new report out this morning echoes that sentiment. Citing "people familiar with the device's production," The Wall Street Journal claims that Apple is ramping up production of its new iPhone this quarter ahead of a likely summer launch...