Apple has been long rumored to be working on a cheap iPhone model which would reportedly feature a plastic body. The company has put its recent efforts to make the iPhone available on all-major carriers in the U.S and worldwide. Its next efforts seem to be to introduce a lower-priced “cheap” iPhone to dominate the mid-priced smartphone range.

Samsung is a major competitor to Apple and the Korean giant offers smartphones at all price-tiers from low to expensive. Apple’s iPhone is also available at different price points with the iPhone 4 being free and iPhone 4S at $99 with a two-year contract. However, these models often do not run the latest software or all the features due to hardware limitations.

Apple’s aim to introduce a new cheap iPhone model could be to make sure the hardware is capable of running the latest innovations in the iOS but reduce the cost with the use of cheap materials or using lower-resolution cameras.

The web has been abuzz with reports of leaked images of the prototypes of cheap plastic iPhone model. Macrumors and Coccarese Design have gathered mock-up  images of the rumored iPhone which show the plastic iPhone in different color casing. These images are purely based on speculation and reports published by the media.

Apple is expected to unveil iPhone 5S later this fall and the company is also rumored to announce the cheap iPhone during the same event. Apple’s executives have on record mentioned that the company would never produce a “cheap” phone. The company has a history of denying certain products publicly but then later introducing the product as a surprise move to shock and confuse competitors.

According to iLounge’s Jeremy Horowitz, Apple is looking to make some changes to its upcoming lineup of iOS devices, including an updated rear camera on the rumored next gen ‘iPhone 5S’ as well as a new iPad mini release. The iPad mini refresh is expected to release this October, just in time for the 2013 holiday season and around the same timeframe as the full-sized iPad refresh.

The iPhone 5S is still months away from mass production, but our source suspects that the star feature will be an upgraded rear camera—perhaps featuring Sony’s 13-Megapixel sensor, plus the aforementioned flash upgrade—along with a processor bump. Current prototypes are codenamed N51 and N53, with July mentioned as the target date.

Horowitz notes that “trusted sources” have provided information about the refreshes and have even supplied product code names. Code names are used during testing and development, prior to any naming of the device such as the iPhone 5 or iPhone 5S.

The sources note that the product code name for the refreshed iPad mini is J72 while the iPhone 5S is J85. Apple’s iPad mini is expected to retain the same form factor, and gain a Retina Display and perhaps a better camera system. In order for Apple to add a Retina Display to the iPad mini without sacrificing the thin design, the company will likely switch to the use of a IGZO display as rumored in the past.

This would allow the Cupertino company to retain the thin form factor of the current model and add in the Retina Display at the same time. This may also be a reasonable move for the iPhone as well, particularly for future generations which will be expected to be thinner. Despite iLounge’s claims that the iPad lineup will see refreshes in October which are in line with other credible sources.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple is rumored to be working on the next generation iPhone, currently being called the “iPhone 5S”. According to Jeffries analyst Peter Misek, Apple is now testing two prototypes of the next gen iPhone, and will start initial builds in March in order for a early release date in June or July. Since the iPhone 4S, Apple has been releasing iPhones in the Fall, alongside or close to the iPod refresh. Now, with rumors that the Cupertino company is creating a ‘cheaper’ iPhone for emerging markets, Apple is expected to move up the iPhone debut to the June/July timeframe in order to release the new device in the Fall.

Misek claims that the iPhone to be released in June will be only an incremental upgrade, likely internal changes such as a faster A6X chip, and better cameras and that an entirely new design with a larger 4.8” screen will be seen with the next generation iPhone 6. As noted, the cheaper iPhone will likely be a more concentrated device, such as the iPad mini, which isn’t built of cheaper materials, but rather of a smaller size.

As expected, Misek believes that with reports of a “iPhone 5S” on the horizon, sales of the current iPhone 5 would slow, although he also predicts that Apple will sell 44 million iPhones in the March quarter. He also pinpointed some reasons as to why a decrease in iPhone 5 part orders does not necessarily mean a decline in demand for the product.

– An assembly bottleneck that caused component inventories to rise in the holiday quarter.
– Planning for preliminary production of the next iPhone in March.
– Demand may be either in line or “slightly below optimistic expectations

It seems that Apple will likely keep its iPhone line consistent and in line with Misek’s claims. Since the iPhone 3G, the company has always followed with an ‘S’ version, with the letter signifying a new feature. In the iPhone 3GS, it was Speed; the iPhone 4S was Siri, and the 5S will likely signify a newer feature.

{Via AppleInsider}

For the past several months, intense rumors have surrounded the likelihood that Apple was looking to introduce a television set. However, over the past several weeks and days, reports are suggesting that Apple is negotiating with cable companies in order to introduce a new set top box with the capability of streaming live television. The new box will reportedly feature an interface similar to the iPad, likely a cross with OS X as well as social networking integration and DVR-like capabilities.

While this wouldn’t necessarily be Apple “television”, it would give users live channels and likely the ability to hook up the box to almost any projector or screen. It can perhaps even hook up to Apple’s own Cinema Display. In a report from The Wall Street Journal, Jessica E. Vascellaro And Shalini Ramachandran report on Apple’s new venture:

This could just be another in the long history of periodic feeling outs that Apple and Hollywood seem to feel compelled to engage in — a tug at the thread Apple CEO Tim Cook still feels is there.

According to the report, Apple is meeting with numerous cable operators to provide service for the device and is also approaching entertainment companies with a rough outline of the device’s features in order to draw them in. At this point, it is unclear what exactly Apple is planning, as they have also been reported to be testing television prototypes. Under the supervision of Steve Jobs, the company was looking to revolutionize the TV industry and create a more expansive version of it for the market.

Apple would likely achieve this in a very similar manner to the company’s introduction of iMessage to target carriers, albeit on a much larger and more risky scale. Although the current Apple TV sells quite well on the market, the Cupertino company has yet to introduce a device that can shake up the standard and make it much better than what the Apple TV is now, a set of apps that stream music, photos, and television shows. A set top box capable of streaming live television may be exactly that,

Would you buy a new set top box? Do you think this is better than an actual television set? Let us know in the comments below.

{via iMore — Image Credit: Wired}

The iPad draws many of its features from the iPhone and iPod touch, and with its introduction in January of 2010, took on the iOS software, the capacitative touchscreen, and the famous 30 pin dock connector in portrait mode. Since then, the dock connector has been the focal point of numerous complaints, suggesting that the iPad is hard to use in landscape mode when the iPad is charging in portrait orientation. Rumors and even photos of iPad shells with dual dock connectors began to appear several months after the original iPad was introduced, and now there is tangible evidence to support that claim.

On Monday, a prototype of what appears to be a first generation iPad with dual dock connectors surfaced in an eBay listing. The iPad is a 16GB model with dock connectors in both landscape and portrait orientation, proving that Apple was indeed testing a number of iPad models with two dock connectors to make charging simpler when a user switches orientation.

The iPad being sold is close to being functional, aside from a number of minor issues such as the touch screen not being fully operational. Upon further inspection of all documentation for the iPad, it was confirmed that this could in fact, be a genuine Apple prototype. A number of pieces are labeled with Apple part numbers and as mentioned in the listing, comes with Apple’s Switchboard software.

Apple uses Switchboard to test all parts of the iPad, from checking the WiFi to ambient light sensors. As with many of Apple’s prototypes, the “iPad” name is not branded on the rear shell and is instead marked with an ID number and a series of X’s where the battery and FCC ratings would go. The eBay listing for the iPad started at $4,850 and was sold for $10,200. It is unclear exactly how the eBay seller acquired the prototype, or if Apple will attempt to confiscate the device, but it is up for sale and one person will own a prototype of a device that was assumed didn’t exist.

{via MacRumors}

According to the latest iPhone 5 rumors, Apple is testing more than one prototypes of the next-gen iPhone. The sixth gen iPhone is expected to see major re-design and feature a taller display.

Apple introduced the original iPhone in 2007 with a 3.5 inch screen and that has remained unchanged over last 5 years. However, now it seems that the company might be ready to give the display a complete makeover and introduce iPhone 5 with 3.9 inch display. According to a report published by 9to5 Mac, Apple is testing multiple prototypes of the next gen iPhone that are locked in shells to avoid discovery by unauthorized personnel.

We know of two next-generation iPhones in testing with a larger display: the iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2. These phones are in the PreEVT stage of development and are codenamed N41AP (5,1) and N42AP (5,2).

The new iPhone will reportedly not just feature a taller display but will also increase the resolution from 640×940 to 1136×640.

That’s an extra 176 pixels longer of a display.  The screen will be the same 1.94 inches wide, but will grow to 3.45 inches tall. This new resolution is very close to a 16:9 screen ratio, so this means that 16:9 videos can play full screen at their native aspect ratio.

The report further mentions that custom-built iOS 6 software is being tested in the iPhone 5 prototypes that takes full advantage of the taller and wider screen by adding a fifth row of app icons to the home screen.

In addition to the display changes, the sixth gen iPhone will continue to include the home button but, could possibly feature smaller dock connector. iPhone 5 is widely rumored to be released in October during a special Apple event.

{via 9to5 Mac}

One of the things that is fun about an interview with Steve Jobs is how it seems to blow away a lot of the sinister mystique that surrounds the guy. We spend so much of our time reading, and (in our case) writing about what he thinks that we tend to get a distorted view of the man.

Every now and then he emerges into something resembling reality and gets to answer questions in an environment where we assume he doesn’t have complete control. Of course, he is by his very nature a tightly wound PR engine, and I am sure has prearranged subjects he may not wish to touch on with his interviewers. So our perception of him even in these interviews may be skewed to some degrees also.

Having said that his reaction to initial questions about Apple succeeding Microsoft as the World’s largest tech company were refreshingly genuine and modest. And his willingness to answer questions from the audience was admirable, even if the answers were a little curt or obtuse, when he wanted to curtail the line of questioning. All systems normal then!

In any case my overall impression of the “D8″ interview today was that it was a fairly frank set of answers from Steve, albeit to a set of fairly predictable questions from Walt Mossberg.

The questions on Flash unsurprisingly, and rather tediously “All Things Digital” decided to post online.

Frankly, the more interesting stuff was elsewhere in the interview.

The origins of the iPhone:

On the inception of the iPhone Steve outlined how the first prototypes were actually for a tablet, and that once he saw the interface he put that on hold because he realised Apple could make a phone.

This explains an awful lot about how and why the iPhone and both the iPad are such “whole” devices in so many ways.

App Store Rejections:

On this Steve was both open, whilst expressing frustration at the same time. On the one hand he made the very valid point that Apple is still feeling its way with regards to rejection policies, and sometimes makes rules which look great in black and white, but don’t always translate well into real life application. He cited the rejection of Mark Fiore’s app as an example. Mark Fiore is a Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist, who does political satire.

Apple had a rule which was aimed at stopping political / public figures from being defamed. And, as Steve explained, it never occurred to them that something like Mark’s special brand of humour would fall foul of something like this. Because they simply had not thought of that edge case when constructing their own internal guidelines.

Jobs did go on to say that they had changed the rule, and expected Mark to resubmit, but he didn’t. Instead choosing to criticise Apple. It is obvious that Apple, or rather Jobs, was irritated by this and other people who get rejected on edge cases, and then choose to have “their 15 minutes of fame” over the whole thing.

Steve finished with the barb, ‘We don’t run to the press and say “this guy is a son of a bitch liar!” — we don’t do that.’

Roughly translated I think he is quite reasonably saying that we all make mistakes, and he specifically did say that Apple is still learning how to run this very new business.

On Gizmodo and the “stolen” iPhone 4G / HD:

I think the best way to cover this is just to quote Steve. Though it is worth noting that the whole incident caused much hilarity in the audience and on stage!

“You know, when this whole thing with Gizmodo happened, I got advice from people who said ‘you gotta just let it slide, you shouldn’t go after a journalist just because they bought stolen property and tried to extort you.’ And I thought deeply about this, and I concluded the worst thing that could happen is if we change our core values and let it slide. I can’t do that. I’d rather quit.”

I get the impression that Steve felt his age a little during that incident, and perhaps did genuinely consider letting the whole thing slide. Then he probably saw one of the inane e-mails or articles penned by one of Gizmodo’s staff members and came to his senses!

On Apple generally, there is no sign of Steve getting bored of running the company any time soon. Ahd he still clearly loves creating more than anything else, in my opinion.

“Nothing makes my day more than getting a random email from someone talking about how cool the iPad is. That’s what keeps me going. That’s what kept me going back then, and now, and will keep me going in the future.”

“One of the keys to Apple is that Apple is an incredibly collaborative company. You know how many committees we have at Apple? Zero. We’re organised like a startup. We’re the biggest start up on the planet. We meet for 3 hours every morning and talk about all the business, about what’s going on everywhere. We’re great at figuring out how to divide things up into great teams, and we talk to each other. So what I do all day is meet with teams of people.

I have one of the best jobs in the world. I get to come in and work with some of the most brilliant people in the world. We play in the best sandbox…”

On iAd and Admob, Steve simply sees their solution as being neater than anything Google, or anyone else, could come up with.

Quite plainly he states that : “Well we think their ad delivery system sucks!”
This was after a few back and froths about Android, and the whole Google phone being a bit of surprise to Apple. At that point he made it clear that prior to them they had not “got into advertising.”

Well, now Apple is into advertising, and Steve thinks they can do it better than Google. Touche!

Jobs also made a strong case for why integrating operating systems like iPhone OS or Android with TVs is still going to take some work. And offered some prophetic advice for Google.

“The problem with innovation in the TV industry is the go to market strategy. The TV industry has a subsidised model that gives everyone a set top box for free. So no one wants to buy a box. Ask TiVo, ask Roku, ask us… ask Google in a few months.”

It seems that with music, books and TV the old guard need to get into line with what consumers want, and some of the vision that companies like Google and Apple have. Until that happens we will still have all the issues we have today with Music, Movies, Telcos, Book Publishers and pretty much any of the old entrenched large corporations which have had control over our entertainment and communications.

That is certainly the message I took when reading between the lines in most of what Steve had to say today when asked about problems with content, pricing and availability on any Apple device. Poignantly, an audience question asked why Disney’s “UP” could not be played via a VGA cable, from an iPad, on a TV, when it was a legitimate digital download as part of a paid-for DVD package.

Steve explained that although they provide the cables, they often have to play by the content providers rules. He explained quite clearly, and obviously with some personal frustration that if they want to get the content at all they have to play by content providers rules – be they wrong or right. And he too shares our pain.

Finally Steve would neither confirm or deny the iPhone 4G / HD being on any other carrier than AT&T, but did acknowledge that it would be a good thing if it had more service providers. At the same time he promised service improvements from AT&T and again praised their efforts at dealing with an explosive new device category, and massive increases in user bandwidth requirements. So our insight is as clear as mud on that question then!

If there was an overall message that I took away from the interview it was this :

• Apple and Steve Jobs still love what they do, and have lots more to show us.
• The PC Era is coming to an end, but even Apple doesn’t know exactly in what way it will ultimately conclude, or how things will transition.
• Big content needs to wake up to consumer’s wants and needs.
• He still doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

Did you catch any of the live blogs, or videos of the Jobs D8 interview? Let us know your view of Steve’s interview in the comments

Steve Jobs on lost iPhone 4G

Steve Jobs On Flash

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