Articles about iPhone 4S

Patient (or impatient) iPhone aficionados will not have to wait much longer for that highly anticipated iPhone 5: Apple on Tuesday began mailing out invitations to journalists for an iPhone event on October 4, to be held at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. Apple often drops hints in the graphic elements accompanying the invites about what's coming. The not-so-cryptic message: One iPhone will be coming, contradicting weeks of rumors about two -- the other being the so-called 4S.

It's not clear why Apple chose to have its event on-campus this time versus its typical launch venue, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The YBCA is showing no events for that day. In any case, Apple may be leaning towards a more intimate setting, hoping to maximize press coverage for the device by only inviting the most highly-read news outlets to the event itself.

Continue reading →

Stated differently: what does Verizon know that you don't?

I've been asking both questions after reviewing Verizon's legal filing supporting Samsung in its patent dispute with Apple. America's largest wireless carrier has asked a California judge to reject Apple's request to grant preliminary injunction against four Samsung 4G devices: Droid Charge, Galaxy S 4G, Infuse 4G and Galaxy Tab 10.1. Verizon's major argument, but not the only one, is that the injunction will hurt adoption of its next-generation 4G LTE network. Samsung's Droid Charge, which would be barred from US sales if the injunction is granted, is one of four LTE handsets that Verizon carries. Surely this close to launch Verizon knows whether or not iPhone 5 will support LTE. If iPhone is so important to Verizon, if iPhone 5 sales are expected to be huge (so say financial analysts) and if iPhone 5 could more than fill the void left by Droid Charge, why take a stance against Apple?

Continue reading →

Let the iPhone 5 rumors begin in earnest now. All Things Digital, which has a pretty good track record reporting rumors right, says that Apple will hold a big media event on October 4, presumably to announce iPhone 5. Uh-oh, AT&T's unexpected and unexplained Samsung Galaxy S II delay could get ugly now.

Predicting what the event means, assuming it's happening as rumored, is trickier than you might think. Apple has been holding October media events for years, usually to announce new Macs. This year is different. Apple didn't announced new iPods in September or iPhone in June, as is typical. So this event could be much bigger than iPhone 5 -- or not, if Apple chooses to announce iMacs and iPods as is seasonally typical -- and iPhone 5 later. Then there is Tim Cook's role as new CEO. This will be a big day for him, and, therefore, big for Apple.

Continue reading →

Apple has been doing a good job covering it up.

As I've so often asserted: In business, perception is everything. Successful companies often create positive perceptions about their brands, products and business practices. But there also is the tactic of misdirection, of controlling perceptions by getting people to look somewhere else so that they miss flaws with the company's products or business strategies. Apple uses "magical" to describe some of its products. Magicians are all about getting people to look over there so they don't see the secret behind the trick over here. Apple's patent assault on Samsung, and even HTC, is very much misdirection, so that eyes turned away from iPhone 5 problems.

Continue reading →

Apple-loving analyst Gene Minster claims there is "pent up demand" among Verizon subscribers for iPhone 5 -- that something like 74 percent of potential Apple smartphone buyers will wait for the newer model. Little more than half of AT&T potential iPhone buyers (or upgraders) also plan to wait. Munster also found that 64 percent of those surveyed plan to buy an iPhone as their next handset. The Piper Jaffray analyst bases this amazing discovery on a sample of 216 cell phone users. Hell, we can get more people right here and now with a poll.

Two-hundred sixteen? Geez Louise, and now his findings are making headlines on this fine August morning. I saw it first at Apple Insider. Of course, people are going to wait with rumors of iPhone 5 coming in September -- or October, as All Things Digital claims today. But to call it three-quarters of buyers based on little more than 200 people -- quick! Kick me so I don't pass out from shock.

Continue reading →

You want to know why Apple is so hellbent on stopping Samsung selling smartphones in the United Sates? Reread this post's headline.

Samsung's sales milestone comes as competition increases with Apple here and abroad. Galaxy S II sales success also partly explains the ongoing patent claims and counter-claims spat going on between the companies. In its boldest move yet, Apple on July 1 requested a preliminary injunction barring Samsung from selling Droid Charge, Galaxy S 4G, Infuse 4G  and Galaxy Tab 10.1 here. (Justia.com has consolidated case history.)

Continue reading →

Apple is set to begin manufacturing of the next-generation iPhone in late August, claims one analyst, with a release date sometime in late September. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty made the prediction in a research note following meetings in Taiwan, which were likely with some of the Cupertino company's suppliers.

The prediction lines up with those of other analysts and Apple watchers, most of which have targeted September as the time for the introduction of the new iPhone. Huberty wasn't explicit on what she expected the next-generation iPhone to be, although she did say two million units are expected to ship in the fourth quarter.

Continue reading →