RUMOR: CHEAPER iPHONE 4 DEBUTING WITH iPHONE 5

The latest news coming out of Korea is that Apple is busy having two new smartphones manufactured. The first is a cheap model of the iPhone 4 that will only include 8GB of on-board storage. Coupled with iOS 5 and iCloud it makes sense that Apple can get away with less local storage to save on costs. It also offers the company a way to target other markets that can’t afford the higher price of the older iPhone 4 models.

It is expected this new, cheap model could be offered for $150.

APPLE SUPPLIERS CUT iPHONE 4 PRODUCTION; iPHONE 5 COMING SOON

Printed circuit board (PCB) suppliers in Taiwan have noticed “disappointing orders” for iPhone and iPad hardware, according to DigiTimes. As a result, the suppliers have cut quotes by 10% on average for the second quarter, noting that there’s no sign of a rebound. The drop in iPhone hardware orders suggests that Apple’s highly anticipated next-generation iPhone is imminent; it’s largely expected that the company will take the wraps off of the device in September. The PCB suppliers that are cutting hardware sales expectations include Compeq Manufacturing, Nan Ya PCB, Tripod Technology and Unimicron Technology.

RUMOR: SPRINT iPHONE CLOSE TO LAUNCH

Unidentified sources tipped 9to5Mac that Sprint customers may be in for a summertime surprise. According to their report, the iPhone 4 is in the late testing phase on Sprint, and could see a launch within months. They claim the device looks like the current model of the iPhone 4, which means it could be the rumored “iPhone 4S,” or stopgap iPhone to get consumers from the iPhone 4 to an eventually redesigned iPhone 5.

The report is based on even more rumors that Apple has ordered Sprint-compatible CDMA cellular towers be installed on their campus. Apple did the same with Verizon towers when testing the Verizon-compatible model of the iPhone 4 for months before eventually releasing it, and the acquisition of the towers was one tip that analysts used to predict an eventual Verizon iPhone.

According to the report, the phone is also being circulated around Sprint’s own R&D team, and there may even be a 4G variant of the device in the works, but the model closest to release is a standard 3G iPhone 4. They also point to open job listings on Apple’s website for cellular engineers in the Kansas City area, which also just happens to be where Sprint’s headquarters are located.

RUMOR: iOS 5 TO ONLY RUN ON iPHONE 4 OR HIGHER

Eldar Murtazin is a Russian mobile phone guru with an uncanny knack for getting his hands on unreleased phones. While most of Murtazin’s information and scoops have involved non-Apple products, Murtazin recently tweeted that the next major iOS update, iOS 5, will only run on the iPhone 4 and the next-gen iPhone. In other words, iPhone 3GS users are out of luck.
“Just one comment. Apple iPhone 3Gs wont be upgradable to iOS 5.x. iPhone 4 will”, the tweet reads.

While Apple has typically made new iOS updates extremely backwards compatible, arguably to a fault, an iOS update that excludes iPhone 3GS owners would mark a departure from Apple’s efforts to keep previous owners with the most up to date mobile OS. Note that iOS 4, released last June, was backwards compatible going back two generations to the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 3G.
While Murtazin’s tweet should be taken with a grain of salt, he does have a good track record and it is worth nothing that iOS 5 is largely believed to be a major and significant iOS update. That said, it stands to reason that Apple would only want its upcoming OS update to run on hardware powerful enough to deliver the high level of performance and user experience iPhone users have grown accustomed to.

Apple will take the final wraps off of iOS 5 in the coming weeks at WWDC scheduled to kick off on June 6. While specific features remain murky, iOS 5 is rumored to be heavily focused on location and cloud-based services along with significant voice recognition integration.

WHITE iPHONE FINALLY GETS AN OFFICIAL LAUNCH DATE

The elusive white iPhone 4 that has been rumored for over a year has finally been confirmed by Apple with a launch date. The white iPhone 4 will go on sale at the Apple Store tomorrow, Thursday April 28th. It has the exact same internals as the regular iPhone, just in a white outer shell.

ELUSIVE WHITE iPHONE 4 FINALLY EMERGES IN UK

Well, would you have a gander at that? That, friends, is Apple's long-awaited, hardly-forgotten white iPhone 4, and so far as we can tell, this is actually the real deal. We've seen retailers making space for the elusive handset over the past few months, and earlier today, we heard that Vodafone UK's inventory systems were showing the white iPhone 4 as shipping in. Now, we've secured a few images of a 16GB model from a separate source that has seemingly made its way into the hands of one lucky customer over in Britain.

HOW TO TURN ON "HIDDEN" MULTI-TOUCH GESTURES IN iPAD FOR ONLY $5

If you are running iOS 4.3 on the iPad 2, or even the original iPad, you can turn on 'hidden' multi-touch gestures for only $5. These gestures include the ability to swipe your hand left or right to move through running applications or using 4 or 5 fingers, return to the home screen with a pinch.

Unfortunately, Apple doesn't want you have these yet. They could have included them as part of the preferences of the just released iOS, but they have been deemed only for developers for now.

To get access to these gestures you will need to download the new Apple Xcode 4 application and install it. Don't worry that you don't have iOS developer credentials during the install, just click cancel and disregard the error.

Once Xcode 4 is installed go into your iPad's general preferences and turn on the new multi-touch gestures.

This may also work on the iPhone 4.

VERIZON ANNOUNCES iPHONE 4

As expected Verizon announced today they would be an additional carrier for Apple's iPhone 4. Verizon Wireless' CEO Lowell McAdam, in response to the two years worth of rumors around the iPhone coming to Verizon, "if the press writes about something for long enough and hard enough, eventually it comes true."

The iPhone 4 will remain largely unchanged and carry the same feature-set as its GSM counterpart — with the addition of a “CDMA optimized” antenna and mobile hotspot capabilities. The device will be available for the same price points — $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB — and will be available to the general public on February 10th with pre-orders starting on the 3rd. Buyers can purchase the handset either from a Verizon Wireless retailer, online or at Apple Store locations.

The iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 chip, a 3-axis gyro and a beautiful glass and stainless steel design like no other mobile phone. iPhone 4 also comes with iOS 4, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes multitasking, folders, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint wireless printing. iPhone 4 customers have access to the world’s most popular App Store℠ with more than 300,000 apps available in an incredible range of 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health and reference. [BGR]

WHY YOU SHOULD RECONSIDER GETTING A VERIZON iPHONE

Verizon is expected to announce they have become a second carrier for Apple's iPhone4. Notice it is not a new product, but an existing product that has already been around for 7 months by the time Verizon gets it. This is why the announcement is coming from Verizon and not Apple.

Apple will announce a new iPhone in June, as they have every year since 2008. It'll go on sale later that month, or in early July, as it has every year. That's six months from now. And it'll be better than the iPhone 4 in some tangible way. Maybe not on the order of the leap from the 3GS to the iPhone 4, but it'll have something new to offer. And everybody will want it, because that's how things seem to work with Apple: There's just enough new to make whatever Apple product you've currently got in your hand feel deficient in some way.

But the people who just bought on an iPhone 4 with Verizon will be locked into new 2-year contracts. Their new phones, though maybe better at holding calls better than their AT&T counterparts, will still be old news just a few months after birth.

It's virtually guaranteed that the next iPhone will come to AT&T and Verizon at the same time (there might be some gap, but it will likely be small—after all, Apple doesn't want to hose their 100 million potential new customers). So if you're on Verizon, itching to the pull the trigger, do yourself a favor. Just wait. You've held on for years. What's a few more months?

AT&T CUTS iPHONE 4 PRICING

Didn’t get that iPhone 4 you were so hoping to receive for Christmas? AT&T Wireless is offering up some new pricing on refurbished iPhone 4 units, and it is pretty spectacular. AT&T has cut $50 off the price of the iPhone 4, making the total price with new two year activation just $99 for a 16GB unit. If you’re alright with taking one with a “cosmetic blemish,” you’ll be able to snag one for just $79. Again, these are refurbished units (usually returned or exchanged items that have been quality tested and then reboxed), but if you have been waiting for the right time to hop on the iPhone train, this is one of the best offers we have seen. Here is all the new pricing from AT&T:

• iPhone 4 16GB — $99
• iPhone 4 32GB — $199
• iPhone 4 16GB with cosmetic blemish — $79
• iPhone 4 32GB with cosmetic blemish — $179

Could this be a last ditch effort to get people to sign a two year agreement before Verizon launches their iPhone? [BGR]

iOS 4.2.1 RELEASED TODAY

Apple is today rolling out iOS 4.2 to iPads and qualifying iPhones (3G, 3GS and 4) and iPod touches (second, third and fourth generation) across the globe, delivering the long-awaited multitasking and app folder enhancements to a tablet that was already supposed to be magical and revolutionary. [Engadget]

RUMOR: APPLE CANCELLING WHITE iPHONE4

Hot on the heels of the rumor the long delayed white iPhone 4 would launch in Spring of 2011 comes a rumor that the product has been cancelled.  Sources are remaining quite mum on the whole affair.  Could it be that the white iPhone 4 has been delayed so long Apple has decided to cancel it and make a white iPhone 5? [BGR]

iPHONE 4 ALARM FLAW DISCOVERED

If you use your iPhone as an alarm, you might have some problems come daylight savings time.  Users in Australia, which just went through daylight savings time, found their alarms did not adjust to the new time and did not alarm at the appropriate time.  This only affects the use of the recurring alarm.  In case Apple does not release a patch in time for the US daylight savings time on November 7th, just remember to set your alarm one hour later manually. [Gizmodo]

NEW iPHONE 4 FLAW

The free bumper program just ended and already we have word of another flaw in the design of the iPhone 4.  This flaw concerns the back which is made of glass, according to Ryan Block of gdgt.com.  Block citing Apple engineers, says that non-bumper type cases, ie slip over cases, are scratching the glass on the back of the iPhone 4.  These scratches, caused by dirt and debris getting caught between the case and the glass, can lead to cracking of the glass.

Apple has gone as far as pulling all slip over cases from the Apple stores.  Most of these are third-party cases that pay Apple 10-15% to have the "Made for iPhone" badge.  Needless to say these companies are not happy.  Users can still buy the cases, just not through the Apple stores.

This may help explain the rumor that the next generation iPhone will be a completely different form factor and not have a glass back. [Gizmodo]

APPLE ENDING FREE iPHONE4 CASE PROGRAM

Apple will end it's program of giving a free case for the iPhone 4, when requested, on September 30th.  Any iPhone 4 sold after that date will not be eligible for the free case.  Apple instituted the policy back in June to help deal with the antenna issue some iPhone 4 users were experiencing.

According to Apple "We now know that the iPhone 4 antenna attenuation issue is even smaller than we originally thought. A small percentage of iPhone 4 users need a case, and we want to continue providing them a Bumper case for free. For everyone else, we are discontinuing the free case program on all iPhone 4s sold after September 30, 2010. We are also returning to our normal returns policy for all iPhone 4s sold after September 30. Users experiencing antenna issues should call AppleCare to request a free Bumper case." [Apple]

RUMOR: NEW iPHONE 4 COMING

A Mexican cellphone carrier Telcel executive is claiming that Apple will be releasing a redesigned iPhone 4 in late September to alleviate the antenna problem that has plagued the phone since it's launch in June.  This goes along with what we have bee hearing behind the scenes at Apple, that a software fix won't work and they are working on a hardware solution to the problem.

There could be an announcement as early as tomorrow at the Apple event. [Canal-MX via Gizmodo]

iPHONE 4 PROXIMITY GLITCH NOT FIXED IN iOS 4.1

When Steve Jobs took to the stage for an unprecedented media event (we won't call it a press conference because it wasn't) to talk about the antenna issue that was swirling everywhere at the time, he also promised the proximity sensor glitch would be fixed with the next major iOS 4 update.  According to sources close to the final beta test of iOS 4.1, the glitch is not fixed by the update. [theNextWeb]