It’s only been 6 months since the introduction of the third generation iPad, and Apple has already introduced a new version of it. On Tuesday, alongside the announcement of the iPad mini, Apple introduced the refreshed iPad, calling it the 4th gen iPad instead.

The 4th generation iPad has been updated with the new Lightning connector currently on the iPhone 5, 4th gen iPod touch, and the new iPad mini as well as a new A6X processor as previously predicted, and FaceTime HD.

Until now, the FaceTime camera on the iPad was the same basic VGA camera that shipped on the iPhone 4, 4S and iPad 2. According to Phil Schiller, SVP of Product Marketing, the 4th generation iPad has expanded LTE support for more carriers around the world as well as faster WiFi speeds, twice as fast as on the third generation iPad.

Pricing for the 4th generation iPad remains the same $499/$599/$699 for the same 16GB/32GB/64GB capacities. WiFi+Cellular versions of the 4th generation iPad also remain the same, coming in at $629/$729/$829 for 16GB/32GB/64GB respectively. The 4th generation iPad will be available in stores and online for sale on November 2nd and is currently available for Pre-Order.

During Apple’s September 12th media event, the Cupertino company announced the iPhone 5 and alongside of it, an all new 5th generation iPod touch 5G and iPod nano. On Tuesday, customers who pre-ordered the new lineup of iPods received word that their new purchases has shipped and will arrive in about a week. Many customers have reported that their iPods are shipping directly from China for the orders that were placed on or around September 14th. They are expected to arrive as early as next Monday.

Last month, the company promised that the new iPod touch 5G and iPod nano would ship in October and has stuck by that promise, beginning the process fairly early this month. Apple’s new iPod touch brings the larger 4 inch screen from the iPhone 5 over to the iPod, and also features the new Lightning connector, a 1.2MP FaceTime camera and a 5 MP iSight camera.

The iPod nano features a larger Multi-Touch screen, Bluetooth connectivity, and even a home button. Apple has not put up the iPod displays in the Apple Store, but will likely begin setting them up as more and more customers receive their devices and the company gets more orders. Currently, Apple Retail Stores are still selling the 4th gen iPod touch and 6th generation iPod nano.

{Via AppleInsider}

Following months of speculation and rumors, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller took the stage on Wednesday to introduce the long awaited iPhone 5. The media event, which was scheduled a week ago pointed to such a release and now the device has finally been revealed.

The iPhone 5, as expected has a larger 4 inch screen, and runs all pre-installed apps with a larger vertical area, and runs non-optimized third party apps letterboxed. The home screen has been stretched out a bit to hold 5 rows of apps, as opposed to 4 and the display is still the Retina Display with a 1136 x 640 resolution. The iPhone 5 now has an aspect ratio close to 16:9 now, making it great for watching widescreen movies.

The iPhone 5 now also carries faster LTE networking which will be supported by Sprint, AT&T and Verizon in the United States, Rogers, Telus, Bell, Fido, Virgin in Canada and numerous other carriers overseas. The iPhone also includes WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, and is dual-channel, up to 150Mbps, making it much faster than the iPhone 4S. All of the networking and the larger Retina Display is powered by an all new A6 chip produced by Apple.

The A6 chip is 22% smaller than its predecessor, the A5 and has a 2X faster CPU and 2x graphics compared to the A5. During the keynote, Apple invited up EA games to demo Real Racing 3, showing off new improvements in graphics performance. Other major changes include the larger, all metal and glass design leaked prior to the event, along with a relocated FaceTime camera above the earpiece. Other features include:

Battery

The larger battery in the iPhone 5 shell now allows 8 hours of 3G or LTE talk time or 10 hours on WiFi while browsing

Camera

The iPhone 5 will carry the same specs as the iPhone 4S camera but will do so in a much thinner package. It has the same 8-megapixels and a 5-element lens as the 4S but will have a Sapphire crystal lens cover for more clarity and durability. The new A6 will provide for less noise during image captures along with a “smart filter” for better color matching. Apple, as expected prior to the event will also be including Panorama imaging, capturing images at 28 megapixels in one clean sweep.

The company also updated the front facing FaceTime camera to 720P HD and backside illuminated. FaceTime is now also possible over Cellular announced during WWDC.

Audio

The iPhone now has 3 microphones, one on the front, one in front for noise cancellation, and one on the back.

Dock Connector

The dock connector, called Lightning, will be an all digital 8 pin design and is 80% thinner than the previous design. The Lightning charger can now be plugged in any way and does not have a designated side. There is also a converter for the new dock connector that has the ability to work with the current 30 pin connectors.

Apple’s iPhone 5, with all of its new improvements alongside iOS 6 will make this Apple’s most powerful iPhone to date. iOS 6 will be released to the public on September 19th and will ship on the new iPhone 5, and will run on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch.

The iPhone 5 will be available on contract for $199 for 16GB. $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB respectively. The iPhone 5 will be available for Pre-Order starting Friday the 14th and will be shipping on September 21st in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It will be arriving to 20 more countries later this month.

{Image Credit: Engadget}

Several days after releasing images of the next generation iPhone 5 mini dock connector, French site, Nowhereelse.fr reposted images from forum Weiphone of what appears to be the iPhone 5 logic board. The logic board, which houses the processor and chips for other functions appears to be built differently than the iPhone 4 and the current iPhone 4S. Leaked parts for the upcoming iPhone 5 have been coming out for several months now, and new parts have been appearing as the announcement date draws closer.

Nowhereelse noted in their report that this logic board likely belongs to the iPhone 5 because of how the screw holes line up with other logic board shells leaked prior to this one. Weiphone has a proven track record with photos of iPhone logic boards, accurately releasing images of the iPhone 4S logic board which turned out to house the A5 chip.

In recent months, a number of parts have surfaced for the next generation iPhone 5, including a 9 pin charger and even a fully assembled model. The iPhone 5 is expected to be announced as soon as September 12th and will likely be available for pre-order soon after, perhaps even the same day. The iPhone 5 is expected to have a larger 4 inch screen, likely a faster processor, mini dock connector, relocated FaceTime camera and headphone jack, and a thinner unibody design. Apple’s iOS 6 is also slated for release alongside the iPhone 5.

{via MacRumors}

Apple’s next generation iPhone 5  is expected to be releases later this fall and numerous news reports and images spreading across the web suggest that the announcement is imminent.

On Monday, a report from AppleInsider speculated that Apple is in fact already working on accessories for the upcoming iPhone 5 release. The report mentions that the first case is likely a Bumper case, which was introduced with the iPhone 4 and would likely be adjusted to fit the larger 4 inch screen of the next gen iPhone.

However, the second case is reportedly a new and different design and is said to have “major impact on the accessory market.”. iLounge reported that while the case would disrupt third party case makers, the design would not be “hugely surprising”. Further speculation suggests there may even be a kickstand included in the case, as seen in some third party cases available for the iPhone 4S.

Early Monday, a report from iMore suggested that Apple’s sixth generation iPhone, as well as the rumored iPad Mini and perhaps even a new 5th gen iPod touch would be announced on September 12th. Apple announced availability of the Bumper case on the same day as the iPhone release, and released the Smart Cover on the release day of the iPad 2, so it is very likely that this iPhone 5 release would follow suit.

The next generation iPhone, being called the “iPhone 5” is expected to sport a larger 4 inch display, a smaller dock connector, as well as other minor changes including placement of headphone jack and FaceTime camera. The iPhone 5 is expected to be released alongside the public release of iOS 6.

Apple’s next generation iPhone 5 has been the target of intense speculation over the past several months, however no solid evidence that an iPhone 5 even existed was available. But, over the past several weeks, parts of what appears to be a next gen iPhone 5 have appeared in images and videos across the web. The parts and rumors suggest that Apple’s new iPhone will have a taller screen, a smaller dock connector, and several other design changes.

On Sunday, Japanese site iLab posted images, released by CydiaBlog, of a fully assembled iPhone 5 hardware, in line with rumors of the new design. The site alleges that these photos are of the next generation iPhone, expected for release during September. Cydiablog offered their thoughts on the images with the following:

The leaked parts shows the bigger screen, different internals (such as a new flex cable holding the Home button in place), and the camera modules (front and rear). The camera module cutout looks to be larger, there is an enhanced version of speaker and microphone configuration at the bottom, new smaller dock connector (instead of 30-pin Dock Connector, 16-pin connector could be introduced). Another notable design change in the new iPhone front panel shows the FaceTime camera has been moved to a centered position above the earpiece speaker (it is currently to left of the earpiece in iPhone 4S and iPhone 4).

The images appear to confirm that the next generation iPhone would have a unibody back plate, unlike the current iPhone 4S which houses the internals in between two pieces of tempered glass as well as a screen with a higher length and same width. The next generation iPhone is expected to be released later this fall, alongside the public release of iOS 6.

Do you think this could be the next gen iPhone? Do you like the overall design? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{via MacRumors}

Apple is expected to release its next iPhone 5 later this year, and a number of reports have suggested that the screen is going to be made taller to accommodate up to 4 inches. These rumors were entirely speculative until a recent report from japanese site Macotakara, which posted images and a video showing what appears to a taller iPhone 5 screen, with an overall design that looks very similar to the current iPhone 4S screen. The front panel also had a relocated FaceTime camera, now above the earpiece of the iPhone and centered on the device, similar to the iPod touch.

This is the first time that a part capable of being for the next gen iPhone 5 has surfaced and is likely not only taller, but from the images, wider as well. With iOS 6, Apple will likely expand the existing apps on the App Store, in order to fit the new screen size without compromising the number of pixels per inch. Earlier in the month, reports that Apple was purchasing 4 inch screens from a number of suppliers surfaced. Suppliers included LG Display, Sharp, and Japan Display Inc., which also supply Apple with screens for a number of its other iOS products.

The iPhone’s screen size has remained the same since the introduction of the original iPhone in 2007, only experiencing a major change during the release of the Retina Display. This would be the first time that Apple would change the 3.5 inch display in any way, and it appears in good fashion too, making it much taller than the current display. Apple has not changed the width, and has emphasized in the past that this would cause issues with resolution and users being able to text with one hand.

Apple’s next gen iPhone 5 is expected to be released during the same October timeframe as the iPhone 4S and will likely be released alongside iOS 6 after a developer preview of the new software during Apple’s WWDC conference from June 11-15.

{via AppleInsider — Image Credit: Macotakara}

Apple’s next gen iPad rumored to be called “iPad 3″ is expected to receive a 2048×1536 Retina display, a quad-core A6 system-on-a-chip, and possibly 4G LTE networking. Apple is consistently changing product cycle for the announcement of their next generation products, which was seen during the release of the iPhone 4S and the iPod refresh in 2011.

There have been many conflicting reports as to whether Apple will be retaining the current Apple A5 SoC, or switching to Quad Core A6 chip, which is almost double the power and would be able to handle a significant amount of usage and provide more RAM for applications.

Another interesting move by Apple could be 4G LTE networking, which is most notably available on Verizon and AT&T’s networks, which would allow the iPad to surf, download and upload at significantly faster than the current 3G speeds. However, many reports also deny that Apple will make the change to 4G LTE, with the high speed network still being in infancy and still being tested. It would be very un-Apple like to move to 4G LTE, which is a very risky move as it hasn’t been available for too long, making it very likely that Apple won’t be moving to LTE networks until the iPhone 5 at least.

As for the iPad 3’s cameras, rumors from iLounge suggest that Apple is looking to include a 5 or 8 megapixel rear camera and a FaceTime HD front camera. While the 5 megapixel camera seems more realistic for the iPad 3, an HD FaceTime camera seems unlikely.

Speculations of hardware additions for the iPad 3 have been circulating over the past few weeks, suggesting that the device is around the corner. Expect more rumors to surface in the coming weeks and around the first week of March.

9to5 Mac have seen pictures of iPad 2 screen protectors from two independent sources. Both of those sources have obtained screen protectors which bear a small hole in them at the very top, and centralized; directly opposite the hole for the iPad’s Home Button.

Apple don’t endorse screen protectors, and don’t in fact stock them in their stores. But there is a thriving business in them in the third party market.

And although Apple supply some information to third parties for making cases for products, most of these manufacturers actually talk to the production lines in China, and elsewhere, to try and verify measurements and unannounced details of Apple products.

So we can be fairly sure that a third party screen protector manufacturer, with low profit margins, would make sure they checked their facts quite carefully before they mass produced a big batch of screen protectors with holes in them!

So it seems that a front facing camera, at the top middle of the iPad 2’s bezel, when held in Portrait mode, is where the Facetime camera will be on Apple’s next iPad.

Apparently the placement of the iPad 2’s camera was also briefly spotted on an iPad 2 unit at the News Corp “The Daily” launch.

Can you see any problems with Apple’s camera placement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

{via 9to5Mac}

Well there we have it. The much anticipated and speculated WWDC Keynote for 2010 has come and gone. And while it is hardly the truth to say that an Apple presentation is underwhelming, it certainly didn’t have the intrigue, surprise product announcements, or John Hodgman-based farewell rumored to happen. Today’s announcement was totally about the new iPhone 4 and iOS 4 and it certainly dominated the nearly two hour presentation.

So what do we finally know about the new iPhone? Officially it is simply known as the iPhone 4. It will run the previously announced iPhone OS 4.0 although from now on Apple’s mobile operating system will be known as iOS. While Jobs pointed out during the keynote the new iPhone brings over 100 new features to the table, he chose to highlight nine key features of the new device:

• New Design – The prototype at the center of the Gizmodo fiasco earlier this year represented essentially the completed design of the product. The new iPhone 4 is 9.3mm thick, has forward and rearward facing cameras, a second microphone for noise reduction, and antennas built into the stainless steel that rings the handset. The squarish design of the handset represents both a departure from traditional iPhone designs and a nod to earlier design cues from the iPod.
• Retina Display – The iPhone 4 display contains a denser pixel concentration Apple has called Retina Display. The iPad-like IPS display has 326 pixels per inch which results in a 960X640 resolution on the iPhone 4’s 3.5 inch display.
• A4 Chip – Apple’s in-house designed chip will run the new iPhone 4. With its improved battery management capabilities, the A4 allows the iPhone 4 to run 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hours of music play, or 300 hours of standby.
• 3-Axis Gyro – Combined with the existing sensors on the iPhone, the new sensor will provide six axis of movement tracking.
• Improved Camera System – The new 5MP rear facing camera shoots 720p HD video as well as still pictures. The new iMovie app for iPhone 4 is available in the App Store for $4.99. It allows for the editing and transfer of video from the iPhone 4.
• iOS4 – Apple renamed the iPhone OS and called it iOS 4. The gold master seed was made available today for all the developers.
• iBooks for the iPhone – This app will have the same functionality of the current iPad app as well as the added capability to sync place, bookmarks, and notes across all devices. Books purchased on one device will be wireless downloaded to all devices for free.
• iAds – Apple today announced some of the brands who will be serving ads via iAds which included: Nissan, Citi, Unilever, AT&T, Chanel, GE, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Geico, Sears, JCPenny, Target, Best Buy, DirecTV, TBS network, and Disney
• FaceTime – This is the much anticipated video chat application that uses the new front facing camera. FaceTime is currently a Wi-Fi only application with the potential for future 3G usage. FaceTime can use either the front or rear camera and can only be used between iPhone 4 devices.

The iPhone 4 will come in a 16GB model for $199 and a 32GB model for $299 in white and black. The iPhone 3G will no longer be manufactured and the iPhone 3GS will now sell for $99. The new phone 4 will launch on June 24th to the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan with pre-orders starting on June 15th. Availability in additional countries will roll out in July and August. As we reported earlier today, all current iPhone 3GS owners will be offered the new iPhone by AT&T for the price of a new two year contract plus a small fee.

While the new iPhone 4 was clearly the star of the show today, there were some additional interesting points. iOS4 will be available as a free upgrade to all current iPhone 3G, 3GS, and second generation and later iPod Touch owners on June 21st. Not all features of the new operating system will be available on the 3G and iPod Touch, chief of which is multitasking. Apple also demoed three new apps for the iPhone environment: NetFlix, Farmville, and Guitar Hero. NetFlix and Farmville will be available later this year while Guitar Hero is available right now for $2.99.

So even though we didn’t get a streaming Apple TV or iTunes.com or new Mac Minis, I would call this a successful and satisfying WWDC keynote. The new iPhone 4 once again catapults Apple to the forefront of the smartphone world with a unique feature set and slick operating system.

Poll Question

What do you think? Was this WWDC as interesting and exciting as those gone by? Are you already anticipating the new iPhone 4? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section.

iPhone 4 Image Gallery