New photos of Apple’s upcoming iPhone, widely referred to as “iPhone 5S” have allegedly been leaked and posted online. Chinese website Zol.com.cn sourced photos of iPhone 5S and were posted by The Times of India.

Photos of the claimed iPhone 5S model reveal internal components of the alleged device. The front and rear panels shown appear to be a pre-production model. As rumours reported earlier had suggested, the design of the device appears to be similar to iPhone 5.

Details about upcoming Apple products start appearing online as Apple’s suppliers start ramping up production. It’s possible that iPhone 5S production has reached its final stages and now internal parts of the device have surfaced online. According to a post published by Sina Tech user, 5S will retain the same form factor as sixth gen iPhone while the iPhone 6 will get a 5-inch screen.

We recently reported that Apple could be preparing the launch of the next gen iPhone 5S and follow up with the release of iPhone 6 later this year. However, it’s worth mentioning that since the last six generations of iPhone, Apple has launched only one model of its phone each year. So, it remains to be seen if the company could be looking at offering more screen sizes to its users.

The competition from Android has been heating up and Samsung has clearly been gaining substantial market share with its range of devices that offer a lot of choice and variety. Apple on the other hand continues to offer only 3.5 inch and 4 inch screen devices.

Do you think Apple could be working on a 5-inch iPhone 6? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{via CNET}

Apple’s next generation iPhone 5 is expected to be released next month, likely the 21st. However, over the past several months, a number of images and reports online have revealed parts of of the next generation iPhone, leading to speculation about the device’s features. Most recently, repair site UBreakiFix leaked images of what claims to be a fully assembled iPhone 5 front panel and screen.

The site reportedly obtained the parts from one of their distributors and if genuine, would likely be one of Apple’s many manufacturers. The front panel and screen do not reveal any major details about the device that haven’t already been released prior to this report, but does show what the parts would look like once fully assembled. The next generation iPhone 5 is expected to have a 4 inch screen, up from the current 3.5 inches.

This would be the first major change since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 and allows apps more screen space. The iPhone 5 is expected to be announced on September 12th, alongside a new iPad Mini and the public release of iOS 6 followed by an official release on September 21st.

Are you excited about the upcoming announcement and iPhone 5 release date event? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{via MacRumors}

iPad 3 rumors have reached an all time high as the release date for Apple’s third gen tablet nears. iPad 3 keynote event will kick off on March 7th at 10 AM in San Francisco and details about the launch event continue to leak.

According to a new report published by DigiTimes, during iPad 3 launch event Apple is expected to introduce 8GB iPad 2 model in addition to 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB iPad 3 models. This move could be seen as Apple’s attempt to lower the price of entry level iPad thus making if more affordable.

We are familiar with Apple’s strategy to offer previous gen iPhone in 8GB model while the new iPhone models are made available at higher price points with more storage. The report oddly does not mention 64GB iPad model, it only mentions iPad 3 in 16GB and 32GB variation.

As Apple has scheduled an event on March 7, sources from its upstream supply chain pointed out that the company is expected to launch two iPad 3 models – a 16GB version and 32GB version.

In addition to iPad 3, Apple is also expected to unveil an 8GB iPad 2, allowing the tablet PC series to cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs, the sources noted.

While most rumors in the past have centered around iPad 3, DigiTimes brings focus to Apple’s strategy for its second gen tablet. 8GB iPad 2 would help the Cupertino, Calif. based company to create product differentiation and at a lower price point Apple would be able to grab a much larger share of the tablet market.

It will be interesting to see if Apple lowers the price of iPad 2 and offers 8GB model. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

As iPad 3 release date announcement nears rumors about technical specification of the third-gen iPad continue to pour in. Apple on Tuesday sent invites to the media for iPad 3 keynote event which is scheduled to be held on March 7th, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

According to a tweet posted by CNBC Apple’s iPad 3 tech specs would include a quad-core processor and 4G LTE network capability. The tweet mentioned that the keynote event would be held in New York which turned out to be false as Apple has already confirmed the venue of the event.

Rumors surrounding iPad 3 tech specs have been circulating the web since a long time and most reports and speculation seem to agree on the fact that the third-generation iPad will feature a faster processor with enhanced graphics. While most reports suggest it will be a quad-core processor, an A5X SoC image has been leaked which suggests that Apple could be looking at introducing minor changes to its custom-built processor. The company is known to be working on A6 and A5X simultaneously so it will be interesting to see the official iPad 3 specification once the device is unveiled on March 7th.

In addition to a faster processor many rumors suggest Apple will finally introduce 4G LTE networking on iOS devices with the iPad 3. Apple has not shown much excitement when it comes 4G or LTE networks as the company believes that it could cause serious strain on the battery.

iPad 3 is also rumored to have a slightly thicker back panel to accommodate larger battery so it’s highly possible that with improved battery life Apple could bring 4G LTE to the iPad.

In addition to these tech specs, iPad 3 is expected to have retina display with a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels and a much improved rear-facing camera.

When Apple announced iPad 2 they called 2011 the “year of iPad 2″ and now the company is all set to repeat its breakthrough success in the tablet market with the introduction of iPad 3. According to reports published by WSJ and iMore iPad 3 release date is expected to be announced on March 7th.

Various leaks, rumors and analysts reports we’ve covered in the past suggest that Apple’s next gen iPad 3 would feature retina display, upgraded processor and there’s also a possibility of 4G LTE networking.

4G LTE networking has been another mystery surrounding the iPad 3, with a compatible Qualcomm chipset becoming available, but international LTE coverage is still slim, and in some cases a year or more away. It sounds like Apple has 4G LTE lined up for iPhone 5 this October, but we’re still not certain if the iPad 3 will get it earlier.

Jim Dalrymple of LoopInsight also seems to agree with the release date announcement of iPad 3 being March 7th. He is known to have reported or confirmed Apple rumors with a very good track  record. The report published by WSJ also pointed to an early March launch event.

LTE rollout has been very slow and while Apple has been rumored to include faster networking in their future products iPad 3 could possibly be Apple’s first iOS device to support LTE. The Cupertino-based company has been testing LTE in iOS 5 as it was revealed in an “internal iOS test build” of one of Apple’s major mobile partners.

Are you excited about iPad 3 launch event? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

On Tuesday, Japanese site Macotakara reported that Apple is planning to hold an iPad event in early February to announce the iPad 3, which is expected to arrive with iOS 5.1. The website pointed out that they had an Asian supplier and a source in the U.S who could confirm these rumors.

Although the iPad 3 is expected to be announced in February, other rumors suggest that the iPad 3 will actually be released in March, the same as the iPad 2 which arrived on March 11. This long delay could be in part because of the Chinese New Year which is going to be celebrated from January 23 to the 28th.

Foxconn and Pegatron, two of Apple’s main suppliers are expected to start shipping the device to the Apple Stores in early March, likely for a mid-March release. The iPad 3 has long been rumored to include a higher resolution display, as well as the introduction of the A6 chip and better 2 megapixel camera, up from 0.9 megapixels.

Macotakara has a mixed track record with the release of Apple products, correctly reporting on Apple’s iPad 2 and iPhone 4S but incorrectly suggesting that Apple would be releasing a Macbook Air with high-speed 400MBps flash memory and that a fifth-generation iPhone would feature an aluminum back.

If the event is scheduled for February we can expect media invites to be sent out in the first week of the next month. It will be interesting to see if Apple will finally bring the retina display to the iPad, which will certainly make the poplar tablet worth an upgrade for many users.

{via AppleInsider}

MG Siegler of TechCrunch earlier reported on the leak and published photos of the iPad version. The hack involves editing the info.plist file and you can easily do that even without a jailbreak. We have been using the Facebook app for iPad for a little while and found the interface to be quite similar to some of the paid third party Facebook apps available on the App Store.

The app features column views when the device is held vertically where the left side has all the view controls (News feed, Messages, Photos etc.) and the right side displays the selected view. The app seems to present HTML view of the content as sometimes it does not fit well on the screen and you have to scroll to view the status updates or comment.

Photos have been revamped and now appear just as native Photos.app on the iPad. Places shows a large map and you can see all your friends who have checked in nearby. The app also allows you chat with your friends and shows a list of online friends on the right.

Obviously, the leaked version might not be the final version Facebook was hoping to release. However, as the photos have been leaked and news widely reported Facebook might just have to hurry and ship the iPad version earlier than they had originally planned.

It appears that Facebook has started blocking users from using the iPad version as new sign-in’s are getting errors. If you’ve already tweaked the info.plist and want to continue using the iPad version then you’re advised to not log out.

DigiTimes has revealed that 3 Foxconn employees accused of leaking iPad 2 designs have now been arrested by local police, according to a Chinese-language sznews.com report. The trio are being held responsible for the leaks that saw third-party companies release protective cases for the second-generation tablet before it was even announced by Apple.

As you may remember, the cases were big news for tech blogs when they were discovered, as they revealed several of the iPad 2’s new features. Touch Reviews brought you several reports on cases that revealed numerous features such as its shape, redesigned speaker, front- and rear-facing cameras, and more. Foxconn suspected that case manufacturers were privy to information from its factory, and as a result reported its concerns to the local police.

On December 26th, 2010, three employees with the Foxconn factory based in Shenzhen, China, were suspected of leaking the design, and were subsequently charged for violating the company’s trade secrets on March 23rd, 2011. Though the report makes no mention of Apple, I’m sure the Cupertino company were pushing for Foxconn to investigate the design leaks for its then unreleased product.

These arrests will be come as a warning to other Foxconn factory workers who may be tempted to leak secret information for monetary bribes. While it may be a tempting prospect for a Chinese factory worker on a less than modest wage, it won’t be taken lightly.

During the interview at D8 Steve Jobs commented on the lost iPhone 4G debacle and said that he is unwilling to “let it slide”. It is still not clear if the prototype device was stolen or lost and the DA is still investigating the case.

Last month we reported on the possibility of Apple introducing iPhone 4G / HD in white and black color and published photos of white color iPhone parts. Today Powerbook Medic published new photos of the white color iPhone 4G casing and said:

The digitizer resembles the 3G and 3Gs with the exception of a camera hole next to the top speaker. The back case doesn’t resemble anything we’ve seen so far. The photos do confirm these will likely be available in white.

It’s still not confirmed if Apple will finally introduce the new iPhone 4G / HD in two colors however, many news sources have reported on evidence of next gen iPhone in white color.

Will Apple unveil iPhone 4G in black and white color options during WWDC 2010? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

As WWDC 2010 gets closer more and more details about Apple’s next iPhone 4G / HD are being uncovered.

Today SuperPhone.cz claimed that they had obtained the next iPhone 4G / HD  screen parts and examined it under a microscope to find out the exact screen resolution. They confirmed that new iPhone 4G / HD features a 960×640 screen resolution and supports an IPS panel. This new screen resolution quadruples the total number of pixels when compared to iPhone 3GS and would make rescaling the apps which you have already purchased an easy task.

These claims certainly seem to be a good proof however, we would still need to wait for the official confirmation on June 7.

Earlier today Engadget reported that Vietnamese forum Taoviet published a series of leaked photos of the fourth generation iPhone and posted a video on YouTube. The teardown pics revealed that the device had an Apple branded A4 processor with the marking APL0398 which is also found inside Apple’s iPad.

The new model is reported to be different from the ‘lost’ prototype which Gizmodo bought for $5000. The device did not have any screws on either side of the Dock Connector and was running a screen diagnostic test called ‘bonfire’

The device appeared to have a cleaner design which suggests that this might be a newer prototype.

Do you think this is the next iPhone? Let us know what you think in the comments.

iPhone 4G/HD Teardown Pics

iPhone 4G Video

Microsoft’s Courier tablet was first mentioned on tech sites a couple of months ago. At the time it was only a concept which existed in the form of a kind of User Interface showcase with cartoon hands controlling a virtual device. But those concept videos were rather impressive and very forward thinking. Of the many UI features that impressed me one really stuck in my mind. It was perhaps the simplest of them all, but it struck me as really nifty. When you want to transfer a picture or note to the clipboard you just slide it to the hinge of the device and it sticks there partly exposed on both screens. You can then flip through pages until you find the one you want. Once there you slide the clipping out onto either screen and paste it. Simple, but so cool I wanted one just so I could try it!

The User Interface of the Courier overall had the same shock and awe effect on me that the iPhone’s did when I first saw it. Before that OS X blew me away similarly.

Because at that stage the Courier was a concept no-one had any idea of the dimensions of the device. Or how much of the hardware was actually real. Or even how close to reality the incredibly impressive conceptual GUI of this thing was. All we did know was that the Courier had two screens, and opened like a traditional book with a hinge in the middle. It also supposedly had a pen, although the UI videos showed both multitouch with fingers and the pen being used. Oh, and it had a camera if the concept videos were accurate. We get to see it taking shots with that, and those snaps being filed away in a scrap book, edited and collated, and used as part of a presentation.

My initial reaction to the hinged device idea was that I wondered how people were going to actually use a device on the move which folded in the middle. How would it stay open on your lap? How would you type, draw or work with it when also having to hold it. Would the hinge be floppy or stiff? It was all the same kind of concerns that people had about how Apple’s take on a Tablet would work for typing and viewing movies etc. But I loved some of the ideas that were being explored with the Courier. Part of the reason that I worried about the folding design was that I envisioned it being around the size of a legal note pad when folded shut. So around the size of a magazine. I am not sure why, but that was my impression. My mind was stuck with the idea of a traditional tablet sized device or something about the size of the iPad, I guess.

Looking at the concept videos again it is fairly clear that this thing is not actually that big. Indeed, pictures that Engadget have today show the device (or at least a mockup) in human hands, and as being much closer to the size of a traditional paperback. For some reason this has made a massive impression on me. Engadet’s information on the device is here.

The videos (which have been around for a while now) are further down the same page. Make sure you watch them. They are obviously not real. By that I mean they are not running on a real device. But there is no reason in this day and age that a User Interface could not do all the things we are seeing there. And if Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 7 interface is anything to go by then the general look and feel all fits. Again though, all we’ve seen of that is flashy web sites and conceptsÉ so far.

Engadget have this to say: “Courier will function as a “digital journal,” and it’s designed to be seriously portable: it’s under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn’t much bigger than a 5×7 photo when closed. That’s a lot smaller than we expected.” With reference to that last sentence: Join the club guys!

If, and this is a big if. But if Microsoft can produce this device so that it looks as good as the pictures we have seen to date. And if the User Interface has the functionality detailed in those concept videos, then the Courier is going to be truly remarkable. And I will camp outside a store or travel half way round the world to buy one on day one. And I’ll want to develop for it too.

I am not convinced that this device will be all that the videos and pictures promise. It just seems too good to be true. But if it is then I think we could see a massive shift in power in the mobile market place.

Microsoft could really be making a rather incredible device that people simply must have.

What do you think about the Courier? Is it the iPad slayer or is it promising too much and will it underwhelm in real life?

By: Stephen Northcott

Microsoft’s Courier: Videos of the interface in action

Images and Video Credit: Engadget