Rumors

T-Mobile executive squashes iPhone 5 rumor

If you were a T-Mobile USA customer hoping to get your hands on Apple's next-generation iPhone this year, that prospect now looks dimmer.

A purportedly leaked shot of T-Mobile's internal blog, sent to TmoNews, depicts a rundown of a town hall meeting last week, wherein Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman told employees that an iPhone 5 was not in the cards for the company--at least not this year.

The post reads:

"Our business is working very hard to improve performance over the last couple of years and we've had some great success," said Brodman. New … Read more

What's next for iPod Touch: The color white

If you were hoping that the fifth-gen iPod Touch would offer a higher-resolution camera, built-in 3G, and maybe a latte dispenser, don't hold your breath. According to a report from MacRumors, there's exactly one notable change coming to the next Touch, and it's nothin' but a coat of paint.

Specifically, Apple will introduce a white iPod Touch model as part of its upcoming new-product lineup. And, well, that's about it. Added the report:

Only minor changes are expected for the existing hardware, with the addition of an oleophobic coating for the display and a revised … Read more

Apple suppliers eyeing strong quarter from iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 has yet to hit the market, but at least two Apple's suppliers are already seeing strong sales by delivering parts for the new phone, according to Taiwan Economic News.

Operating at full steam to make the iPhone 5's touch screens, TPK Holdings brought in record revenue of more than 11.1 billion Taiwan dollars ($371 million) in August, down a bit from July but up 101 percent from a year ago. Chief Financial Officer Freddie Liu attributed the sales surge to booming shipments of touch panels for the iPhone 4, but "implied" that … Read more

Is Apple including 4G TD-LTE for a China Mobile iPhone 5?

According to China Mobile's chairman, Wang Jianzhou, a new 4G TD-LTE-compatible iPhone has already been discussed with Apple and is moving forward. Bloomberg reports the vague confirmation from Jianzhou:

"China Mobile and Apple hope to find a solution for close collaboration. We discussed this issue with Apple. We hope Apple will produce a new iPhone with TD-LTE. We have already got a positive answer from Apple."

Of course this quote is pretty broad, but it appears as though Jianzhou has confirmed that Apple is working with China Mobile to produce a TD-LTE iPhone. It is unknown whether … Read more

iPhone 5 to pop Oct. 15, says France Telecom chief

Here we go again. Instead of launching October 7 as has been rumored many times over, Apple's new iPhone may actually debut about a week later on October 15, at least according to the CEO of France's largest telecom.

Chatting with French reporters at a business conference this week, France Telecom CEO Stephane Richard said that he had already gotten the inside scoop on the new phone's launch date, according to tech news site TechRadar.

"If we believe what we have been told, the iPhone 5 will be released on 15 October," Richard proclaimed without … Read more

iOS 5 gold master expected next week, report says

A new analyst report making the rounds this morning asserts that Apple's putting the finishing touches on iOS 5, and plans to send it to its device assemblers as soon as next week.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities told AppleInsider and MacRumors today that Apple should be delivering the golden master version of iOS 5 between September 23 and 30. That software will then be imaged onto new devices that ship out to stores.

The timing is of special note given expectations of a new iPhone and iPod Touch in the coming weeks. Kuo suggests it will take … Read more

iPhone 5 models hinted at on Vodafone Web page

An online product page for a Vodafone device may have spilled the beans on 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone 5 in both black and in white.

The U.K. carrier's Sure Signal device helps boost 3G reception for mobile devices in a home or small business. In addition to offering product specs, Vodafone's Web Site lists all of the various mobile phones compatible with Sure Signal.

Keen-eyed observers from AppleInsider, TechnoBuffalo, and other tech news sites noticed on Saturday that Vodafone had listed the iPhone 5 in both 16GB and 32GB editions and in black and … Read more

Sprint to launch 'major device' by Oct. 15

Sprint may be prepping for "a major phone launch" by October 15, according to an internal carrier memo obtained by SprintFeed. The leaked document doesn't detail much besides informing employees of a vacation blackout from September 30 through October 15 due to the "possibility" of a big event.

SprintFeed also leaps to the admittedly logical conclusion that the device will be a new version of Apple's iPhone. Indeed, we don't see much else on Sprint's horizon that could count as "major" and chatter of a Sprint iPhone has rapidly increased … Read more

Sprint iPhone, unlimited data? Not for long

If Sprint Nextel sells the next iPhone with an unlimited plan, snap it up while you can, because it may end up as a limited time offer.

According to a Bloomberg report, Sprint plans to offer the next iPhone with an unlimited data plan, which would be consistent with its offering for other smartphones.

Such a plan, however, can't persist. The iPhone brings with it heavy data consumption, which can strain a network. AT&T and Verizon Wireless, meanwhile, were forced to switch to a tiered-pricing plan only after getting Apple's device. One analyst believes Sprint could offer the iPhone with an unlimited plan for another year, with others saying the window could be shorter.

"There's a good chance they will use this to pull subscribers from AT&T and Verizon," said Maribel Lopez, an analyst at Lopez Research. "After a certain time, they won't offer the unlimited option any more."

A Sprint representative declined to comment to CNET on potentially selling the iPhone, but noted that there haven't been any changes to the unlimited data component to its current smartphone plans. An Apple representative also declined to comment. … Read more