News

Apple's product release schedule could be thrown for a loop this year. Reports indicate that component shortages and last-minute design changes to the iPhone 5 have pushed back the device launch until September. Not only this, but the iPad 2 looks like it will be hitting the market when the iPhone 5 was previously expected, in June or July.

Fierce competition for limited supplies of key components is also to blame. Apple has a reputation for purchasing large amounts of components such as touch screens with its cash reserves, however the company is not immune to chip shortages. Apparently Apple also has yet to submit iPhone 5 chip orders to some vendors.

Paranmanjang, otherwise known as Night Fishing, won the Golden Bear Award for best short film at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival. Normally this news wouldn't be featured here, however brothers Park Chan-wook and Chan-kyong shot the entire 30 minute movie using an iPhone.

One of nine Korean films featured in the film festival, Night Fishing was funded to the tune of 150 million won (roughly $136k) by South Korea's exclusive iPhone carrier, wireless company KT. The experimental film took 10 days to record using the iPhone 4 and a crew of 80 people.

Apple has released detailed support information explaining the differences between iPhone calling features on the AT&T and Verizon networks. Because AT&T Mobility uses GSM technology and Verizon Wireless has a CDMA network, each iPhone 4 has different calling capabilities. Recently it was revealed that Verizon's network suffers from conference calling limitations, but there are other differences as well. The table below was released by Apple to illustrate the details.

Apple, like everyone else, is looking to increase the battery life of its mobile devices. The lithium-ion battery found in current model iPhones takes up a large amount of space yet still often fails to meet our power-hungry needs. A patent revealed by AppleInsider could mean that better batteries are in the works.

Apple's idea is to make current batteries hold more energy without increasing their size. High-density power cells would also up energy density without increasing charging times or reducing minimum life cycle. A charging technique described as multi-step constant-current constant-voltage (CC-CV) would be used to achieve this higher energy density.

Contrary to recent reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, new information uncovered by the New York Times indicates that Apple is not developing a smaller iPhone. Anonymous sources that were allegedly briefed on the matter claim that Apple is considering offering a cheaper iPhone, but will not change its size.

The iPhone 5 is expected to debut this summer, and rumors have surfaced that Apple is experimenting with different form factors and even a physical keyboard. Although unlikely, these possible scenarios show how Apple is coming under pressure from a variety of Android handsets in the works. The New York Times insists that Apple has no such plans, and will produce an iPhone 5 that is similar in size to the current iPhone 4.