Is the iPhone 5 set for an autumn release?
According to Japanese technology website Macotakara, Apple will stick to the autumn launch for the sixth-generation iPhone 5. Citing only “reliable sources”, the website points out that yearly schedule is likely to remain a permanent fixture rather than the previous summer launch date of the previous models. While we hate to jump on the rumour mill this early in the game, the word on the street does seem to lead to the same conclusion…
iPhone 5 in Time for Christmas?
There are several compelling reasons why Apple might wish to launch its next handset in October, not least because it helps generate interest before the critical Christmas shopping period – a fact which helped Apple to record sales in the last quarter. Traditionally, previous iPhone models have launched in the summer time, partly because the autumn was already slated for new iPod announcements.
With the iPod making up a shrinking percentage of Apple’s sales, it’s plausible that the iPhone 5 would be released in prime time just before the holiday shopping season. Many pundits would also be quite annoyed if it hit the streets less than a year since the iPhone 4S, but it’s widely expected that the new model will usher in some major updates and a total redesign.
iPhone 5 Features
The iPhone 4S was criticised by some as being a minor upgrade to the iPhone 4, and consequently many existing iPhone owners held off upgrading. Despite this, it did sport a much more powerful processor, Siri voice recognition, a better camera and dozens of user interface improvements which overall meant it was a worthy upgrade for 3GS users. The iPhone 5 is largely expected to come with a bigger screen, NFC for wireless payments, a more beefy quad-core A6 processor (though the one in the 4S is snappy enough) and more memory, as well as a higher resolution back facing camera.
Rumours, Rumours…
The trouble is, iPhone rumours come and go and nobody quite knows exactly whether they’re true. Some of the most reliable analysts such as Gene Munster from Piper Jaffray maintain that Apple will revert to a summer schedule, but this doesn’t give them much time after the widely anticipated iPad 3 launch expected in early March. Apple historically prefers ample time between major product releases to focus on each, and there are already rumoured to be new Retina Display Macs on the way in the summer to coincide with the OS X Mountain Lion release.
We’ll just have to consign this one to the rumour mill and wait and see. Could you hold off for an autumn launch of the iPhone 5? What features do you really want to see and would they tempt you to upgrade? Let us know in the comments below…