Apple's next iPhone planned for September, says report

Apple's next iPhone is coming in September and will blur the lines with the run-away iPad but beat it in other areas. Bloomberg has reported Steve Jobs's company will introduce a new iPhone in September, advancing different reports of an update in the smart-phone line of August. The iPhone will include the dual-core A5 …

[Anonymous Coward]

letters & what?

"Apple will hope the new phone can help arrest some of the growth enjoyed by Google's Android. In just four years, the iPhone has carved out around a quarter of the US smart-phone market but growth has levelled off and now Android is racking up the positive numbers."

People have been opting for android because of apple and the company ethos. A new model phone will not change that.... not unless they make a u-turn on all things apple.

[Chad H.]

Oh Nonsense.

Thats like saying that Toyota sells because some people don't like BMW's.

People buy an iPhone because its the iPhone. They buy an Android because they want a smartphone and don't particularly care which one.

The average user simply doesnt care if its open, or any of the other nonsense us geeks are concerned about. They just want it to make calls, and broadcast their locations and actions to all and sundry on facebook.

[Robert E A Harvey]

Quite

>People buy an iPhone because its the iPhone

Chap I know has a perfectly good HTC android. He wants his telco to replace it with an iphone. I asked what Apps he'd tried on the HTC.

"it don't do apps. You need an iphone for that".

Don't forget we are 0.5% of the population. The rest are suckers who get advertised at.

[Richard 81]

Ignorance is a fine excuse

Did you try to enlighten him?

Worse than ignorance is not being ignorant but failing to help others rid themselves of their's.

[Sarah Bee]

Re: Ignorance is a fine excuse

This compels me to remove your superfluous apostrophe.

[Anonymous Coward]

this all makes me laugh....

as soon as someone says something negative about apple, the fanbois all jump on it and vote it down, even if what they say makes actual sense....

I have a HTC desire and I chose that phone not because of its price, in fact I could of had an iPhone cheaper, but because in my opinion had many advantages over the other smart phones on the market.(inc other android handsets).

My 15 year old daughter on the other hand wanted an iPhone... The main reason had nothing to do with any technical issues, its fuction or form. the only thing it had to do with was the fact it was the phone to be seen with. same as the only mp3 payer to be seen with is a ipod touch... It doesnt stop her from grabbing for my HTC when lady gaga releases a new track exclusively on her website which she cant view on her iphone. She even admits herself that the Desire is better than her iphone, but it doesn't stop her wanting a iphone 5 when her contract runs out.

yes, iphone does have some advantages over android, but in my opinion the faults greatly outweigh those advantages.

ios5 and iphone 5 are not going to fix those faults.... not unless the iPhone 5 comes with SD card slot, user exchangeable battery, a proper bluetooth stack, and i dont have to install itunes on my pc. add that, if i wanted to code an app for my phone that I could publish it from an app store of my choice !

[Anonymous Coward]

RE: this all makes me laugh...

"as soon as someone says something negative about apple, the fanbois all jump on it and vote it down, even if what they say makes actual sense...." But the OP's comment was that Android's success was down to the fact that the average consumer are buying into the open philosophy. They are not. They're buying into the "it's cheap" philosophy. As you point out in your next paragraph! You seem confused.

"The main reason had nothing to do with any technical issues, its fuction or form. the only thing it had to do with was the fact it was the phone to be seen with." That's its form then...

"ios5 and iphone 5 are not going to fix those faults..." You mean features, surely? Oh...

[BorkedAgain]

@Narcissist

"That's its form then..."

No, that's its fashionable status. You know, like that mullet you had in the eighties?

[ThomH]

@AC: you're arguing a different point

The contentious statement was "People have been opting for android because of apple and the company ethos", which even you don't agree with, instead citing considerations about the actual product. The other posters have similarly supplied a bunch of reasons that people — including well educated people with no other motivations — choose an Android handset over the iPhone. To try to boil this conversation down into Apple fanboys versus the world requires incredible blinkers.

[Anonymous Coward]

@ThormH

".....which even you don't agree with, instead citing considerations about the actual product"

as it is the company ethos that has driven the products technical abilities or its restrictions, then to cite those considerations about the product is justified.

there are many "reasons" floating about for the lack of flash support on the iPhone (and people can go on about third party workarounds, that's not the point). is it lack of power from the battery? is it that Steve Jobs had a difference of opinions with adobe? ether way, its abilities have crippled due to company policy. The inability to transfer a photograph from a iphone to another phone is pathetic. and again is something that was decided on for no other reason than apple don't want you to be able to send files via bluetooth.

I hear whispers that the bluetooth file transfer issue is to be resolved in ios5, no doubt to a fanfare of 1000 trumpets with claims that it is a technical breakthrough that apple alone has developed... and the fanbois will swallow it up......

[Wize]

"My 15 year old daughter on the other hand wanted an iPhone..."

Its the McDonald's effect.

There is many a two year old child that want to go to McDonald's. They never tasted the 'food' there or even know what they sell, but have seen the adverts with smiling children on it. And they want some of that.

She may be older but she is being sold the idea of a better lifestyle through named products.

Suppose its not much different from her wanting a designer handbag thats too small to fit her keys, phone and money. Name over practicality.

[Anonymous Coward]

The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

Worse than ignorance is not being ignorant but failing to help others rid themselves of theirs.

There. Fixed that for you.

[Anonymous Coward]

Really?

People have been opting for android because it's cheaper. I ask people why they go for android and the only reason I've been told so far is cost plain and simple. They wanted the iphone buit didn't want to pay for it.

[jubtastic1]

You don't need a crystal ball

To predict the next iPhone will have better cameras and the CPU from the iPad, that's exactly what they did last year.

A new case design, perhaps with a different antenna layout? That would be unexpected Easy NFC payments would be cool, Bigger edge to edge screen?

[Anonymous Coward]

level out?

Apple hope tht this september release will help level it with Android? How so? Android is the OS, iOS 5 would hopefully let them level the playing field.... but there'll most likely be the next iteration of Android by September too...

regarding the phone itself - well, this is where Apple have the issue - Android runs on multiple manufacturers devices...and in the bid to be best, those companies have been rapidly escalating their Android handsets and adding extra local value to the interface/operation of the phone - they are competitors to themselves...and iPhone has pretty much been left in the cold perhaps Apple may have to undo what they did with the desktop...and let other licenced people run iOS on their handsets.. ouch.

[Anonymous Coward]

Why?

Apple have the largest *single* share vs. the Android handset makers and make substantially more money than them to. HTC, Samsung, Motorola et al. have a percentage of the 50% share that Android has and analytics are showing that this share is plateauing. Apple's share is still rising, albeit slowly. A large proportion of new iPhone sale will undoubtedly be upgrade, there will be new users too and that share will increase. I cannot see Apple getting more than 35% of the market at most, however I can't see Android being as dominant as many commenters seem to think either. The whole idea that the smart device market will pan out exactly like the home PC market is trite. I doubt Apple will ever licence any of their OSs or platforms again. It nearly destroyed the company last time.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sooo...

... The iPhone is catching up with android devices that have already been available on the market for months?

[Giles Jones]

Well duh

With one iPhone a year and about 20 Android phones released a year (about 5 of those from HTC) it's obvious the iPhone is going to lag a bit in terms of having the latest ARM processor.

But who changes their phone every year? most people are on 18 month contracts.

[Eddy Ito]

18 months? Lucky

On this side of the pond they insist on boning us for 24 months so we can have the privilege of paying an extra $25 per month, which doesn't go away. [Insert t-mob/@&T merger rant here]

I actually think a fair number of the Apple faithful buy a new one every year. I've met several through several friends who have bought the second hand units. I feel most of the iPhone growth is in the $49 3GS market where folks can meet an Android price, have their brand and if it will take iOS 5, eat their cake too. Frankly it's the best marketing move by Apple since they launched the iPhone 4.

Also, add to the ARM lag because Apple are designing their own chips. It's a lot easier for the Android crowd to pick the best from the growing number of available chips from companies that are all out to leapfrog each other and not be tied to a single companies design cycle.

[Jedit]

Who replaces their phone every year?

That would be Apple fanbois, I believe.

However, I have not downvoted your post because your point about comparative advancement speeds is fair and valid, if not 100% accurate - some advances are available in two generations of smartphones before the iPhone catches up.

[Bilgepipe]

Fact Straightening

>>> That would be Apple fanbois, I believe.

Not when they're on two year contracts they don't.

[Jedit]

Bilge, indeed

Bilgepipe, many fanbois routinely buy out their contracts when a new iTeration is released and sell on their old handset to cover the cost. This does happen with other handsets too, but more commonly with iPhones because the Apple sticker (Applestika?) on the back represents about 40% of the handset's price and it doesn't depreciate.

[Anonymous Coward]

Gee Whiz

I can barely contain myself - imagine ... a new camera.

[Anonymous Coward]

I know...

And there'll be a white one too at some point *squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*

[Phormic]

Attention. We Interrupt This Programme with a Dose of Reality...

Sorry, I don't want to inject any semblance of reality into this forum of gleeful Apple bashing but you did hear about Android's growth in the US stalling didn't you?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8590205/Googles-Android-phones-lose-market-share-in-US.html

Anyway, never mind, normal service will now be resumed...

Hark! Do I hear millions hear the clarion call of openy open source freedom? They flee the jackboot tyranny of the baby eating Jobs and his plan to enslave the world in a walled garden of software oppression and enslavement...etc...etc...ad infinitum...

[Bilgepipe]

Re: Attention. We Interrupt This Programme with a Dose of Reality...

Pipe down, you, you'll make the trolls cry. Coming in here throwing facts around. Tsk.

[ThomH]

To be fair though...

... Android has probably just reached its stable share, having reached it very quickly because growth was so incredible last year. Apple will obviously want to try to chip away at that because gain from anyone is good for them, but it's not a fight to the death. Markets can contain more than one leading brand and market share generally doesn't operate like a game of Risk. While we're talking the realities of the real world, is it also safe to point out that open versus closed ideologies are basically a fringe debate?

[Scott 2]

Who changes?

"But who changes their phone every year? most people are on 18 month contracts"

What do you mean?? People would sell their right kidney for the new iphone!!

Oh no wait, that was for an iPad...

Which apparently they never got anyway...

Besides, if it has a half-eaten fruit on the back, those within the ranks of the Church are compelled to 'upgrade' to the newest shiny thing...

[markusgarvey]

another phone!?!

man...what is the deal with Apple and a new phone every 6 months?...and the iDiots eat it up like fried chicken at the Sunday picnic...and then, they will sit there in line for a week tweeting all their friends about how wonderful it will be, how complete their life will be on the phone they just bought...sheesh...

[The Fuzzy Wotnot]

Hmmmm

Sounds like you've something missing in your life if you have to disparage other peoples'? It's a religion to some people, would you pass the same comments you have just written over the Christian, the Jew, the Muslim and the Buddhist?

Personally I think the Apple zealots are a bit odd but then I'm an atheist so I see no value in religion anyway. What I do see is a great street photo opportunity and I will be down Regents Street in September to catch shots the religious at their most fervant and devotional.

[Richard 81]

Nice jump in tech?

What about those jumping from a 3GS, which is coming to the end of its 24 month contract, to a nice shiny iPhone 5? Action of an iDiot, or someone enjoying a pretty significant jump up in technology?

[Anonymous Coward]

6 months?

Gap between iphone 4 and 5 will be 15 months, name 1 handset company that hasnt released a phone in 15 months and is still in business

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh ... Ok

Consumer electronics company plans to launch updated product just before christmas - industry hacks reel in shock, unable to cope with this stunning new marketing strategy

[Andy E]

I have a 3GS on a 24 month contract...

My contract expires in March next year. When the time comes I will look at the various phones on offer and probably go with an iPhone 5. I have been very happy with the 3GS and the apps I use. Admittedly it has its drawbacks; battery life is poor, camera quality is poor. But on the whole it does what I want it to do and does it very well. Synchronisation with the PC (a Mac) is automatic and pain free and charges the phone at the same time.

It is this 'user experience' thing -which has been very good- which is likely to drive me to the iPhone 5.

[Anonymous Coward]

@ AndyE

I too have a 3GS on 24 months, although my contract expires middle of this August. I have a very good idea of what Santa will be bringing me for Christmas (if the iPhone5 is released in September then waiting while December seems a reasonable course - plenty of time to see what problems there are and let the initial rush die down).

I like the iPhone experience - I like the iTunes integration, I like the intuitive OS and I like the fact that everytime someone buys an iPhone an Apple Hater gets pointlessly wound up.

In truth I cannot see me looking at any other upgrade than an iPhone5 - if I like the look of it I will but one, if not I will stick with my 3GS until the iPhone 5G, or 6 or XP or whatever comes out and negates the reasons I reject the 5.

[Anonymous Coward]

not a bigger MP number needed

there is no need for more megapixels. just put a bigger lens on it, without light more megapixels only means more dirt in your picture. k800i from SE could do extraordinary pictures with only 3 MP. Why is it so hard to replicate that? more than 5 years later...

[Anonymous Coward]

errr ...

I don't really get al this stuff.

I've bounced between apple and android since they both started booting nokia's arse and may do the same again when the next iphone is released. Or not. Lets wait and see.

This time it's going to depend on hardware design. Prefer curves to hard corners.

I've given up with subsidised handsets anyway, glorified HP. I can shop around then for often insanely good network deals, plug any into the handset and makes it easier to sell the handset when I upgrade.

[Anonymous Coward]

If Nokia *dared* to release a new phone...

If Nokia *dared* to release a new phone after 15 months would you drag them over the coals?

Nokia seem to pop them out all the time - they must be the anti-Christ!

[Wize]

Big difference between Nokia and Apple

Nokia have a range of phones.

You can have a simple with buttons one your granny can work

You can have a waterproof (ish) one

You can have a sliding phone

You can have a clamshell

You can have a candybar

You can have a small one

You can have a full touch screen

You can have one with a popout keyboard

You can have one with a ton of design flaws (but going on about the N97 is off topic)

You can have a choice of operating systems

Apple have one choice. The latest model (ok, in black or white eventually). Buy it or we stop supporting you, 2 year contract or not.

Bit of a difference.

[Anonymous Coward]

B'lox...

"People have been opting for android because of apple and the company ethos. A new model phone will not change that.... not unless they make a u-turn on all things apple."

B'lox - my theory is they really WANT an iPhone but are too cheap to buy one - claiming Android is more 'open' - for 99% of users that just does not matter.

Top-of-the-range Android phones are now touching £500 so they are near enough the same price anyway.

Android is gaining share as manufacturers are making cheap, smart phones - if your contract was due for renewal and you could either have a similar old-style Nokia phone or a shiny looking touch-screen - you would probably opt for the touch-screen - even though you probably never use it for all it's smart features.

[Anonymous Coward]

oh how sad.....

"B'lox - my theory is they really WANT an iPhone but are too cheap to buy one"

for the majority of people geting the phone on a 18 or 24 month contract, the cost comes in to how much voice minutes, SMS messages and data allowance comes with the contract.. when HTC desire or a iphone 4 cost around the same per month how can people be too cheap to buy one?

its my theory that apple fanbois consider themselves elitist just because there choice of platform costs more or at least believes it costs more ...

and lets face it, on the cheaper end of the android market, the features those phones have are perfectly fine for the majority of users. My daughter has an Iphone, but has never used goggle maps on it, this proberbly goes for the majority of her iphone toting friends, so what's the point of her having a phone with any of the GPS features on it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Except what you muttered is factually incorrect...

"man...what is the deal with Apple and a new phone every 6 months?..."

Except what you muttered is factually incorrect...

If the iPhone 5 is out in September it will be around 15 months (unless you are claiming the white version of the iPhone 4 is a new model - it's not - just a new variant).

[Anonymous Coward]

Spot on..

"People have been opting for android because it's cheaper. I ask people why they go for android and the only reason I've been told so far is cost plain and simple. They wanted the iphone buit didn't want to pay for it."

Spot on. 0.5% of people may want Android as it's open (but it's not really) but 99.5% don't care and buy on price (and then wish they had bought an iPhone when they see their mates!).

I know so many people whose contract came up and they just got offered a cheap Android phone and they went for that as it looked better than another standard phone. They did not care it was Android or MeGone or whatever...

Maybe all the disillusioned Android owners will then move to iPhones ];->

[Anonymous Coward]

funny really....

"......don't care and buy on price (and then wish they had bought an iPhone when they see their mates!"

I have found the opposite to be true,,,, when people see and have a play with my HTC desire, they wish they had not been talked into the cheap deal they got on the iphone 3gs/4 ....

"Maybe all the disillusioned Android owners will then move to iPhones ];->"

maybe its the disillusioned iphone owners that are moving to android.... and the rise recently in iphone sales has been the very cheep iphone 3gs deals that hit the markets this time last year... and again the cheep iphone 4 deals that are hitting the market now....

[Matt 136]

I don't really want an iPhone but...

As time passes I believe we'll start to see less and less to differentiate the Android and iPhone hardware. What will largely differentiate the two are the apps.

This week I received an email from Pizza Express telling me I can pay my bill on their new revolutionary app. Great, I thought, I hate having to wait 20 minutes from them to bring the card machine over to me... only it's an iPhone app. No Android app, no Windows Phone app; just an iPhone app.

If you start looking you'll notice many other situations where there's an iPhone app and nothing else. In the end, I feel like I don't really have a choice; I have to get an iPhone or feel like I'm being left out with an Android/Windows Phone phone. Maybe in USA Android sets are better served.

[Anonymous Coward]

Poor Android??

"This week I received an email from Pizza Express telling me I can pay my bill on their new revolutionary app. Great, I thought, I hate having to wait 20 minutes from them to bring the card machine over to me... only it's an iPhone app. No Android app, no Windows Phone app; just an iPhone app."

Maybe like apps - Android userscannot afford to eat out.

[Marty]

pathetic....

"Android userscannot afford to eat out."

oh how pathetic.... your seriously not gonna start the "mines better than yours because it costs more" argument.

or how i prefer to put it... "more money than sense and trying to justify the waste"

[Patorian]

iPhone here to stay

I think most of you here forget that most people LIKE the apple eco-system since it is easy to use for almost anybody, provides access to almost all the content the average user wants (except flash-based sites, but there's an app for that in most cases) and more importantely it is omni-present and available.

For example : the car I bought last week has one of these iphone/ipod pictograms in its catalogue (and yes, it came with an iphone/ipod cable, no mini-usb cable in sight), my new music system came with an iPhone app link on the installer disk (no such link to the android market) and I can program my coffee maker using an iPhone app (no android app exists).

I have an iPhone and a Galaxy S and prefer by far the iPhone as a phone, just because it works better for me as a phone user. I will mention my wife, which I've given 2 android phones (the Galaxy S was my last try) and one day she handed it back to me 'cause she had bought herself her own iPhone "I don't like that one" and I must say she really likes it way better than the android ones (up until now 1 "support request" in 6 months vs several requests per week before).

[Anonymous Coward]

I know lots of people.

I know lots of people with Android phones. Typically received they by default from the company or as a free upgrade from their network. Simple reason is they are cheap - not because they are better.

Every single person I spoke to (in this highly unscientific survey) preferred my iPhone and found it so easy to use. Most were just using their Android based phones as simple phones with a touch screen instead of buttons.

I suspect when they next change they will either upgrade to an iPhone or downgrade back to a cheaper still 'traditional' mobile phone.

[Anonymous Coward]

You buy an Android based on price.

You buy an Android based on price and wish you had bought an iPhone. Sure a few people bemoan 'open' well wake up - Android is not open either and as time goes on Google will seek to lock you in (even more) to their way while gather stats about you and your usage.

[Anonymous Coward]

cheaper iPhone?

"maybe its the disillusioned iphone owners that are moving to android.... and the rise recently in iphone sales has been the very cheep iphone 3gs deals that hit the markets this time last year... and again the cheep iphone 4 deals that are hitting the market now...."

Apple *should* probably bring out a cheaper iPhone to gain (even more) market share. Also recon they should let people pay on finance - xx per month for your iPhone is a lot easier for many people than £500 in one go.

People end up with Android phones (largely) by default not choice - when you can buy the cheaper ones SIM free for £100-200 it makes for reasonably cheap contracts so they are popular with people upgrading.

If an iPhone and Android were the same price (as top Android phones are now touching £500) would love to see if you gave 100 people both to try which they would keep after a month. On a straw poll of friends and colleagues (at the same price) they would almost all (~90%+) pick the iPhone for the look, quality, ease of use and apps available.

[Chad H.]

Apple and Market Share

I don't think Apple are playing the market share on this one - and I think its right that they don't.

Rather than the "All things to all men" angle that every other mobile maker tries, they're going for the Rolls Royce of phones

Could Rolls Royce make a cheap car? I'm sure they could, but it wouldn't really be a Rolls Royce despite the badge they put on it.

[Nigel R]

that Apple UI is just great when you don't want to use your brain

I have a bedside iPod Touch 2nd gen for radio/iPlayer & sleepy emails (in its time is was the best device avail for this). Despite the well documented limitations of iOS, I always have to admire the dumb simplicity and consistency of the UI. Looks like the missus will be getting an iPhone 4 too - but the September release with better camera is now a delaying factor as she does like to take fussy pics. For 'the ladies' who don't mind paying a premium for fashion, the iPhone really is ideal.

[Toastan Buttar]

I want an iPhone4

"iPhone4 vs HTC Evo" XtraNormal animation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg

Warning: Some bad language

[Ian Johnston]

Forget the trivia

All this guff about processors, cameras, operating system and so on is irrelevant. Tell us what really matters about the new iPhone. Will it be black-only, with a white one available for "upgrades" in six months or will it be white-only with a black one coming along later. Millions of iPhone fanz are planning their winter wardrobes, and it's cruel to withhold crucial information from them.

[Andrew Moore]

Another reason to buy any mobile but iPhone...

The ability to make and receive phone calls- and once the call is taken, the ability to finish your call when you decide, not when the POS decides the (strong for every other phone) signal is too weak.

Same with the WiFi. I was out with 3 iPhone owners and had no problem hooking to 1 of the 11 available Wifi hotspots my Vivaz picked up. The iPhones could not even find 1.

[N13L5]

there are limits to how big a walled garden can get

Apple need not be surprised about leveling off.

There are limits to how big a walled garden, owned and maintained by a single, greedy corporation can get.