Apple Rumour Round-up

Today I shared my predictions/excitement for the new iPad and iPhone on The Flores Shop blog.

I have held on to my iPhone 4S for about as long as I can stand it. I have previously been able to upgrade with every new iPhone release, but we restructured our phone plans and I was not eligible for an upgrade when the 5 was released, making this 4S the phone I have held onto the longest (aside from my trusty original Motorola Razr flip phone, oh yeah.)

This will be the last time I hang onto my old phone after a new one has been released, and I could not be more excited to be purchasing a new phone in September. For those out there that aren’t anxiously obsessing over every rumor, I have compiled a roundup of everything I can see that’s plausible for the new iPhone that will make us all drool over the new ones.

1. Announcement and Release Date

Apple is holding an event September 10 to announce the new phone. It is widely expected that the phone preorders will ship by the end of the month and the in-store models for purchase will also be available at this time. T-Mobile has blacked out vacation dates at the end of the month, which is usually a surefire sign that the new iPhone will be released during that time.

2. Two Phones

It looks like Apple is seriously weighing (if not already producing) releasing two phones in the fall—the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C. The 5S will be their top-of-the-line, most expensive unit featuring (potentially) fancy new colors to choose from: Black, White, Champagne and Graphite. I was originally gunning for the White phone, but I am thinking I may have to go with the Graphite. I was originally thinking White because the Black anodized aluminum tends to show scratches more than the White, and I tend to bang up my phones.

The 5C is rumored to be a lower-end version of the iPhone that will also come in a wide variety of vibrant colors (similar to the new iPod color offering), but the backs of the phones will be plastic like the 3GS was. I’m not holding my breath on this rumor, but I believe there’s a significant chance they’ll release the 5C.

3. 64 Bit

Let me say that again. 64 bit processing. With this alteration to the awesome new A7 chip, iPhone users will see a 30% performance boost from the increase to 64 bits alone. Who knows, maybe some fancy features like motion tracking will be on the list because of this performance boost?

4. Fingerprint Sensor Home Button

Now, I’m not entirely sure on this rumor, but I think it’s highly probable that we will see this included on the iPhone in the near future, but how near is really the question. Apple purchased AuthenTec two years ago, so fingerprint technology is only a matter of time.

The rumors state that the new home button will be made from convex Sapphire to allow for this functionality in the button. We’ll see. I hope it is included in this iteration of the iPhone frankly to deter theft of the device. If you don’t have the fingerprint to unlock the phone, what’s the point of stealing it?

5. 12-Megapixel Camera

Hopefully we’ll continue to see large improvements in the cameras on the phones, and I’m crossing my fingers for a jump to at least 12-megapixels. Because Instagram needs larger photos.

Now, the iPad.

I was one of the first to purchase a new iPad in 2009 — I remember waiting in line at the Best Buy like it was yesterday. Since then, I have been a die-hard iPad fan and eventually traded in my large iPad for an iPad mini, and my tiny hands have been thanking me every day since. One of the things that has absolutely killed me about the iPad mini is the non-retina screen. It is the only non-retina device in my arsenal, and it’s almost enough to drive me mad, but not quite there yet. I am hoping against hope that the updated iPad mini will be a retina device, and it seems that it will be. One big reason it makes sense for Apple to migrate all devices to retina is that it makes it easier on developers, which I am always supportive of. Pushing the iPad mini to retina would mean that all of their new devices are retina, and that’s a big deal.

There’s the potential for the regular size iPad to have a slight form-factor change, making the bezel more square like the iPad mini, and I think we’ll see that happen. The iPad mini is definitely nicer to hold than the regular iPad because of the change in the bezel curvature.

Regardless of what happens, I’ve sold my iPad and am lucky I haven’t chucked my phone through a wall and will be purchasing all the new things from Apple next month. If you can hold out on purchasing Apple devices until then, I’d suggest doing so. Otherwise, you’re going to be one of the people kicking themselves for buying the new iPad the day before the new new iPad is released. We’ve all been there. Until September 10…