Rumors regarding the next major version of Apple's mobile operating system have really picked up over the past few days. And considering that WWDC is now less than a month away, that's really not surprising.
You see, Apple is expected to show off iOS 6 (or at least a preview of it) during its Developer Conference next month. And everyone in the tech world is trying to guess what new features it will bring...
With the iPhone 5, next iPhone or whatever moniker Apple decides to give the next generation smartphone set to be released later this year, much of the discussion of late has centered around what that release will see brought to the table.
To date, for example, all iPhones have featured a 3.5-inch display while the Android-powered competition has seen huge variation in display sizes and technology over the last 48 months. Could the iPhone 5 see a new form factor, complete with new screen size? While possible, the suggestion now is that the intricacies of the iPhone 5 have yet to be finalized at Apple with less than six months to go until the handset is expected to begin shipping.
The latest claims come from iMore, whose sources appear to be confident that October is still the month we will be lining up outside our local Apple Stores, even if Apple itself doesn't quite know what the thing we are buying will look like...
Earlier this morning, 9to5Mac reported that the next major release of iOS, expected to debut at WWDC next month, will include a completely redesigned Maps application. The report explained that this would be one of iOS 6's major new features.
While the site certainly has some credibility in the world of Apple rumors, it's always nice to get some corroboration from other sources. And we've just received that, from AllThingsD's Apple guru John Packzkowski...
Apple is working on a much-anticipated full-blown television set, Foxconn CEO hinted in a Friday interview with a Chinese newspaper. It should feature an aluminum body, Siri voice commands and a sophisticated camera for FaceTime video calling. Foxconn is the world's largest contract manufacturer and Apple's favorite partner that gets commissioned to assemble their products.
Oh, and remember when Foxconn recently acquired an eleven percent stake in Japanese giant Sharp? The deal led to a 50-50 joint venture concerning Sharp's cutting-edge display plant. Well, that was "one of the preparations made for the new device", Foxconn CEO said.
One of the preparations could also be Apple buying a stake in Foxconn. Also important, as we explained Apple is likely interested to tap Sharp’s technology to produce Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) panels for own-branded television set...
iMore is out with a new report today, claiming that it has learned from a reliable source that Apple will be going forward with plans to release a 7-inch iPad this fall. The tablet will launch in October, alongside the new iPhone, and cost less than $250.
While it's easy to chalk this up to just another "iPad mini" rumor — we know, there's been a lot of them — it's worth noting that iMore has been fairly accurate in the past with Apple info, most recently nailing the new iPad event date last March...
The search giant Google is reportedly looking to replicate Apple's Game Center with a native Android app of its own.
Despite the ongoing patent war waged between Apple and a bunch of Android backers over the look and feel of iOS software, Google is reportedly looking to simply copy Game Center.
The search firm needs own social gaming service so Android gamers have a central place to connect with each other, check out leaderboards, scores and challenge friends.
And if their other products are anything to go by, Google's thing is likely to feature deep integration with Google+, their another social thing...
Citing sources close to Apple's supply chain, Asian hit-and-miss trade publication DigiTimes reported this morning that Apple will launch a sixth-generation iPhone in September, followed by the long-rumored seven-inch iPad mini in August and a fourth-generation iPad in the fourth quarter of this year.
According to the report, Pegatron has reportedly landed orders for the next iPhone while Foxconn is said to manufacture the seven-inch iPad mini, presumably designed to tackle the lower-end of the tablet market currently occupied by Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire tablet...
Despite Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster calling for an HD TV set from Apple for what now seems like an eternity (his latest headline says it'll be "bigger than the smartphone"), the damn thing just wouldn't materialize and instead remains vaporware. Per latest chatter coming from a source who claims to have seen an Apple HDTV prototype in person, it "resembles an Apple monitor, only much larger".
It apparently packs in a sophisticated FaceTime camera with facial recognition and uses Siri to initiate FaceTime calls. It's unclear whether this person saw one of the many prototypes that will never make it into a product or the actual 50-inch thing Jony Ive is said to hide in his design bunker...
Remember the last-minute rumor that Apple was going to integrate Senseg's haptic feedback into its third-generation iPad? The theory, which surfaced just hours before Apple's iPad event, never materialized. But that doesn't mean it won't happen.
9to5Mac points to a new patent application from the Cupertino company, discovered by PatentlyApple, regarding haptic feedback. The filing covers a technology that is described as a "wildly intelligent multi-tiered haptics system..."
There's no shortage of rumors pertaining to the next iPhone nowadays. The latest tidbit comes from iLoungue editor Jeremy Horwitz who apparently learned that the new iPhone - and you can bet Apple will call it this way - is longer and thinner than the current-generation iPhone 4/4S.
It’s also said to feature an all-metallic backside and a taller display four inches in diagonal, thanks to the use of Gorilla Glass 2 which can be manufactured thinner with identical strength to the earlier iPhones’ Gorilla Glass.
Also in the cards: A new dock connector, possibly with fewer pins…
Despite the fact that Apple hasn't given any indication that it's working on a TV set, and a glaring lack of any concrete evidence, the Apple-branded television is one of the most highly anticipated products of 2012. It seems like everyone thinks it's coming.
Everyone except JP Morgan's Mark Moskowitz, that is. In a note to investors this morning, the analyst said that he doesn't believe that economic conditions are right for Apple to release a TV set this year. And he doesn't think we'll see one until at least 2014...
Walt Disney World, the world's most-visited entertainment resort located in Orlando, Florida, is allegedly testing iPads with a custom-designed, RFID-enabled ticket system.
The two work together to let guests schedule their visiting times from the comfort of their couch, well in advance of the actual visit.
Upon arrival, guests simply wand their RFID band by a sensor to interact with a nearby iPad-toting employee. The iPad itself is not used to scan the cards, as many sites incorrectly reported. If all goes well, a custom app will be likely born out of this test project...