Apple isn't saying a word but speculation continues to build across the Internet that the new iPhone 5 -- the next version of the iconic smartphone -- will be revealed in September.
The latest and perhaps strongest rumor comes from iMore.com, which predicts Apple will introduce the iPhone 5 on September 12 and start delivering them September 21. iMore said it learned from its sources about Apple's plans.
It further reports that Apple will, at the same special event, introduce its iPad mini - a smaller version of the popular tablet that would sell in the range of its seven-inch tablet competitors. Also on the agenda at that September 12 event, iMore reports, will be a new iPod nano and a new iPod Touch.
New schedule
Apple changed up its product release cycle last year. Until then it introduced new iPhones at the end of June. In 2011, Apple introduced the iPhone 4S in October.
Many Apple fans were expecting the iPhone 5 last year, with big advances in features and technology. Instead, the 4S was mostly an update of the previous model, the iPhone 4, but with Siri, a voice-activated personal assistant.
As for the iPhone 5, purported photos of a prototype device have already leaked to the Internet. A Japanese website, iLab, has released photographs showing a thin, sleek device with a four-inch screen, 19-pin connector, relocated headphone jack and a centered FaceTime camera.
What hasn't leaked is what advances an iPhone 5 will offer. Nick Bilton, a writer for The New York Times, hopes Apple improves Siri. Earlier this month Bilton wrote an article complaining that Siri didn't always operate properly and sometimes didn't respond at all. It's not clear whether this is a widespread problem.
Sturdier phone
Apple customers writing to ConsumerAffairs would apparently like to see a sturdier phone. Margaret, of Westbury, CT, reports her iPhone 4s "died" at the age of seven weeks.
"I made two calls totaling almost three hours to Apple, got it working for less than 24 hrs," Margaret wrote in a post. "I called back, tried to get a replacement per the one year manufacturer warranty. What a joke!"
"My 17 year-old daughter has had trouble with her six-month old iPhone 4s in the functions of playing music and camera use recently," Catharine, of Landenberg, PA, wrote at ConsumerAffairs. "When we went to the store, we were told the entire warranty was void due to a small crack in the front glass due to my daughter dropping the phone about 2 months ago. Though the small crack had nothing to do with the software issues, we were told our only option is to purchase another phone for $199. We just paid $199 in December. The front glass is an inferior product that should be able to withstand being dropped as people frequently drop their phones."
A common complaint about the iPhone, as well as most other smartphones, is battery life. The tech site Tapscape reports the iPhone 5 is expected to offer improved battery life thanks to advancements in its display technology.
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