next generation

I don't know which is more annoying, all the iPhone 5 release date predictions, or all the conflicting reports about who will win the smartphone marketshare.

The latest next-generation iPhone rumor has the iPhone 5 being released the first week of September, prompting some tech blogs to crunch some Harold Camping type numbers and predict a Sept. 7 launch. According to the unverified reports, the iPhone 5 will come pre-loaded with Apple's latest operating system, the iOS 5, which was confirmed to be getting a fall release at this year's WWDC. Sept. 7 is also a Wednesday, the day Apple generally chooses to make its announcements. I guess that is another reason the date was chosen.

Some blogs are pointing to misinformation from the International Business Times, who appears to have started the rumor by plucking it out of thin air. Chris Smith noted that the IBTimes said iOS 5 will be released in July, but that's OS X Lion's launch date, not the iOS 5. And John Brownlee of Cult of Mac was left scratching his head over their claim that Apple is finding it “difficult to contend” with future Android devices.

Macotakara brought news of the iPhone 5 having a curved aluminum back to the table (mockup below), now they report that Apple's next smartphone will be a variation on the iPhone 4 design, possibly named the iPhone 4S. According to sources, this device will launch in late July to early August and keep the familiar iPhone 4 form factor while packing upgraded hardware inside.

One major change will be an integrated SIM, saving space and dropping the need for a removable SIM card as in current devices. The iPhone 4S will also include several antennas and a Qualcomm hybrid chip that will allow the device to activate on either the Verizon or AT&T network.

Despite press invitations to publications in the UK and Australia, it looks like Apple's WWDC 2011 announcements will be limited to the future of iOS and Mac OS X. The next generation iPhone will certainly be running iOS 5, the next generation mobile operating system from Apple. More details of exactly what's in store for the new firmware have been leaking left and right from sources in the know.

According to TechCrunch, iOS 5 will feature widgets much like the dashboard widgets found on Apple desktop computers. These would allow iPhone owners to quickly view current information on the screen without even unlocking the device. Examples of widgets include weather, calendar entries and other displays updated in real time.

Just when everyone started to believe that the fifth generation iPhone announcement wasn't coming until August, new information points to a possible WWDC reveal this June. According to Electricpig in the United Kingdom, British journalists are being invited by Apple to attend the Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) starting on June 6.

Would the iPhone public relations team in the UK be asking select tech publications to attend WWDC in San Francisco if a new product announcement wasn't about to happen? Electricpig's sources say no way. This could mean that new iPhone hardware will be shown off in June after all. According to US invites pictured above, the focus of the event seems to center in on the next version of the iOS mobile operating system.

A curved front glass screen could be on its way to the fifth generation Apple iPhone. Sources in the component supply chain tell Taiwanese tech paper DigiTimes that Apple has purchased 200-300 glass cutting machines and is storing them at assembly plants for future use. Apple has been working with touch sensor and cover glass manufacturers, glass cutters and lamination suppliers to improve yield rates.

According to the report, the new machines will be used when manufacturing is up to speed. Apple purchased the machines because they are an expensive investment for cover glass makers. Industry sources claim Apple is working on a curved cover glass for the next iPhone model that will utilize the equipment. These investments will ramp up production and make the curved glass possible at an unspecified date in the near future.