The rumors and speculations leading up to Apple’s Let’s Talk iPhone event has reached fever pitch.
With just a few hours to go for Apple’s most anticipated event of the year, let’s take a look at what to expect based on the rumors and speculations we’ve heard so far.
Next Generation iPhone (iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S):
This has to be the single biggest announcement of this year’s event, which has usually been held by Apple to unveil next generation iPods.
It is not clear if Apple will launch iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, the only difference between the two is supposed to be from the outside, iPhone 4S as the name suggests, will look like iPhone 4, while iPhone 5 will feature a completely new design, with a larger screen and teardrop design. If we’re to set expectations, don’t count on a redesigned iPhone 5 as the chances are looking quite slim. More importantly, iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 are expected to come with Apple’s faster dual-core A5 system-on-chip, 1GB RAM, improved 8-megapixel camera that could be available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. You can checkout our article here on the new features and improvements that we expect to see in the next generation iPhone.
iOS 5 and iCloud:
Apple gave us a preview of iOS 5 – their next generation mobile operating system and iCloud – their new cloud based services at WWDC 2011.
We expect Apple to announce the release date for iOS 5 and iCloud at the event. According to some rumors, iOS 5 will be released either on October 10th or October 12th, which could mean that Apple will release iOS 5 Golden Master today.
New Entry-level iPhone?:
Apple usually drops the price of the previous generation iPhone to $99 (iPhone 3GS is currently available for $49 with a contract) and sells the new iPhone for $199 and $299.
So we expect Apple to introduce an 8GB iPhone 4 that will be available for $99. In fact, it has already shown up in Brazil. However, this year there have been some suggestions that Apple may not discontinue to two generations old iPhone 3GS. Some analyst predict that iPhone 3GS will continue to remain the entry-level iPhone, which will be available for free with a two year contract or $349 for unsubsidised, unlocked iPhone 3GS for the price sensitive prepaid market.
Assistant Feature:
The invite that Apple sent out, seems to indicate that it will be launching its revolutionary new Assistant feature that will be powered by Siri’s impressive artificial intelligence and assistant technology and Nuance’s speech recognition technology. Co-founder of Siri, Norman Winarsky believes introduction of the virtual Assistant feature will be a “World-Changing” event. You can also checkout the demo video of Siri’s iPhone app here to get a glimpse of what to expect and if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the mockup video of what the new Assistant feature could be.
Next Generation iPod touch and iPods:
Oh Yeah! We almost forgot, Apple is also expected to unveil the next generation iPod touch and the new iPod product line. According to rumors, the fifth generation iPod touch will get a minor upgrade this year.
Carriers:
We expect more carriers to offer the fifth generation iPhone when it is launched, including big ones like Sprint – the third largest carrier in the U.S. and China Mobile and China Telecom with approximately 600 million and 100 million subscribers.
The craziest rumor we’ve heard is Apple will indeed launch a redesigned iPhone 5, but it will be a 4G WiMAX device, which will be exclusively available on Sprint’s network, who apparently has gone all-in for the iPhone deal.
Project Spartan and iPad App Launch:
It has been rumored that Facebook will launch the much awaited iPad app and Project Spatran at the event. Project Spartan is an HTML5 based mobile application platform for Facebook apps, which will work on mobile Safari. It could mark the beginning of a closer relationship between the two tech titans, which has gone through some rough weather in the recent past.
Keynote Speaker:
Over the years, we’ve been used to be bowled over by Apple’s charasmatic and visionary co-founder and ex-CEO Steve Jobs. But according to rumors this may not be his last big thing. Apple’s new CEO Tim Cook is expected to be the keynote speaker and it is not certain if Steve Jobs will even attend the event. We’ll definitely miss Steve Jobs and wonder if any future Apple product launches will be the same without him. Though we don’t want to take anything away from Tim Cook and wish him the best, we doubt it.
But as reader Smiles remarks: “Bottom line I may jest about the man but I really like his products. I hope.to see him but want him to not feel obligated to make an appearance if he doesn’t feel well.”
Last minute rumors:
Case Manufacturer Bets On iPhone 5 With Larger 4.44-Inch Screen And Tapered “Teardrop” Design
Apple’s New iPhone Won’t Run On 4G LTE/WiMAX Networks
Apple’s New iPhone Pricing – $99/$199/$299 For 16GB/32GB/64GB Models; Launch On Oct 14th?
Apple’s New iPhone Will Come With “More Definitive GPS Features”?
Live Video Streaming?
We hear that Apple won’t be live video streaming the event this year. But don’t worry we’ve you covered, we will be live blogging the event so we hope to see you here at the following time:
07:00AM – Hawaii
10:00AM – Pacific
11:00AM – Mountain
12:00PM – Central
01:00PM – Eastern
06:00PM – London
07:00PM – Paris
09:00PM – Moscow
10:30PM – India
01:00AM – Singapore (October 5th)
02:00AM – Tokyo (October 5th)
05:00AM – Sydney (October 5th)
