iPhone 5 Will Be Launch Mid-September

Apple is reportedly prepping for a launch of the iPhone 5 sometime between September 6 and 15. According to China Times (translated via MacRumors ), suppliers are currently preparing 400,000 trial run iPhone 5 units, with an initial shipment slated at 4 million units. As the iPhone 5 features guessing game picks up steam, Apple has not formally announced anything.

Rumors began to swirl this past June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference when Apple's lack of iPhone 5 news suggested to some it was prepping for an iPhone announcement later in the year, likely in September. For the past three years Apple has held a media event in September, where it has introduced products in the iPod line, but this year the company is expected to launch the long-awaited iPhone 5 and a final version of iOS 5 at the same time too. iOS 5 is currently advertised on Apple's website as "coming this fall".

The Chinese publication also reports that the iPad 3, a widely rumored upgrade to the iPad 2 with a high-resolution display, is actually delayed until Thanksgiving due to component shortages. A recent report from Taiwan's Economic Daily claims the next-gen iPad display resolution will be five to six times higher than that of the iPad 2. However, some are skeptic that Apple will make the iPad 2, still a best seller, obsolete after nine months of availability.

The iPhone however, is due for a refresh, as the iPhone 4 was launched more than one year ago. Conflicting rumors over the past few months are split between an incremental upgrade to the iPhone 4, with an A5 dual-core chip (as found on the iPad 2), and a camera boost, or a rather more radical refreshed iPhone 5, as suggested by alleged cases for the upcoming device.

Apple smashes Street views, shares soar

Sales of its iconic products far outpaced forecasts, helping drive a near-doubling of revenue in the fiscal third quarter. Its shares leapt to a high of $405 after a brief after-hours trading suspension.

Apple sold 20.34 million iPhones during the quarter versus an expected 17 million to 18 million, which analysts say helped it vault past Nokia and Samsung Electronics to become the world's biggest smartphone maker.

That "figure may indeed make them the largest smartphone maker by volume, which is somewhat ironic in a quarter that many thought would be about the Mac," said CCS Insight analyst John Jackson. "That they accomplished this without a new model speaks volumes about both their strength and the relative challenges facing competitors."

Apple's earnings beat was spectacular even by its own lofty track record. Its quarterly EPS beat the average forecast by 33 percent, versus beats of about 20 percent in the past two quarters.

The stellar results came as concern over iPad 2 supply constraints eased, with Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer saying more than 1 million iPads remained in stock at the end of June but demand was still overstripping supply in some markets.

Oppenheimer hinted at an upcoming product launch, saying it would impact the September quarter, but he gave no details.

In coming months, Apple is expected to roll out a new iPhone, which is likely to give the world's most valuable technology company another shot in the arm and offer a stiff challenge to rivals such as Google Inc and Research in Motion.

"They never cease to amaze me, these guys," YCMNET Advisors Chief Executive Michael Yoshikami said. "The numbers are obviously very strong and they seem to be accelerating earnings on all fronts."

ASIA ON FIRE

The Cupertino, California company said its fiscal third-quarter revenue climbed 82 percent to $28.57 billion, trouncing the average analyst estimate of $24.99 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The company posted net income for the fiscal third quarter ended June 25 of $7.31 billion, or $7.79 per share, up from $3.25 billion, or $3.51 per share. Analysts on average had expected Apple to report $5.85 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Oppenheimer attributed the big margin boost to higher sales of the iPhone, particularly in Asia. International sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter's revenue.

Shares in Apple's Asian suppliers including Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision and Largan Precision jumped 2.6 percent and 3.2 percent respectively, while Japan's Foster Electric, which makes headphones for smartphones, rose 1.7 percent by 0015 GMT.

In Korea, top chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co rose 2.9 percent, while LG Display jumped 4.1 percent, and Hynix Semiconductor were up 2.8 percent by 0015 GMT.

"Apple is doing well, but this does not mean other tech companies are doing well. Tech shares are rising after their recent sharp falls and on expectations that their earnings may not be as bad as previously concerned," said Lee Seon-yeob, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp in Seoul.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told analysts they were particularly optimistic about Greater China, which includes mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, where Apple's year-over-year revenue was up sixfold at $3.8 billion. Overall, Asia Pacific revenue more than tripled to $6.3 billion in the quarter.

"I firmly believe that we are just scratching the surface right now," Cook said of China. "I think there is an incredible opportunity for Apple there."

Cooks also remarked on Apple TV, one of the few Apple products that has not really connected with consumers, saying it still had a "hobby status" within the company.

Apple sold 9.25 million iPads and 3.95 million Mac computers. Gross margin for the quarter came to 41.7 percent.

Shares of Apple have emerged from the limbo they had fallen into after Chief Executive Steve Jobs took leave last January for unspecified medical reasons.

Based on a price of $400, Apple would have a market capitalization of $369.90 billion, putting it close to Exxon Mobil, the largest company in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, which has a $411.97 billion market value.

The stock has gained 16.8 percent so far this year and has had only two "down" years in the last 10: in 2002, when it lost 35 percent, and in 2008, when it dropped 57 percent.

On Tuesday, Jobs' health again came to the forefront after the Wall Street Journal reported that several Apple board members had discussed a successor to the Silicon Valley icon, and talked it over with at least one head of a high-profile tech company.

Succession planning at Apple has been a hot topic since Jobs announced his medical leave, with many not expecting him to return to lead the company he founded in 1976.

The fate of Apple is tied to how the iPhone and iPad maker handles the eventual departure of its iconic chief. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook is overseeing day-to-day operations.

Shareholders representing almost a third of Apple's stock voted in February in favor of a proposal to disclose a succession plan for Jobs, underscoring worries over who will replace the visionary leader at the helm.

Apple, notorious for its conservative forecasts, estimated earnings for the September quarter of $5.50 a share on revenue of $25 billion, below analysts' average estimate of $6.45 a share on revenue of $27.7 billion.

iPhone 5 vs. Andriod Phones

Apple reinvented the mobile phone, and revolutionized the smartphone when it introduced the iPhone. It has been surpassed in overall market share by the me-too, copycat Android OS, and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 is a worthy challenger as well, but this fall Apple has an opportunity to set the bar for the industry once again, and leave the competition in the dust with the iPhone 5.

1. Verizon (et al). The iPhone 5 will be the first new iPhone model introduced since the exclusivity with AT&T ended (no, the white iPhone does not count--not even a little). The Verizon iPhone 4 has been a huge success anyway, but many Verizon customers held off knowing that a new iPhone is just around the corner, and not wanting to be shackled to an iPhone 4 with 18 months left on the contract. The new unlocked iPhones will make a difference as well.

2. iOS 5. Apple has already shared with us the details of iOS 5. The new iOS will finally free the iPhone (and iPad) from the PC--syncing and updating wirelessly instead of requiring a physical connection to a USB port. The improvements in the iOS mail client, the addition of iMessage, tabbed browsing in the default Safari browser, and the behavior of the Notification Center will all contribute to the success of the iPhone 5.

3. iCloud. Along with iOS 5, Apple will also officially launch iCloud around the same time the iPhone 5 is expected. iCloud will enable effortless, seamless syncing of email, files, music, contacts, calendars, and other content between the iPhone, iPad, and Windows or Mac PCs.

4. The Specs. The iPhone 5 is expected to (or rumored depending on your perspective) to use the same dual-core A5 processor Apple uses in the iPad 2. The processor really just plays catch up to the status quo rather than blowing rival smartphones away, but Apple somehow squeezes better performance and a superior experience out of equivalent, or even inferior hardware.

5. The Camera. The smartphone is quickly replacing the point and shoot, and emerging as the camera of choice for most consumers. It has already put the nail in the coffin of the Flip video camera. But, there is more to digital photos than maxing the megapixels, and most smartphone cameras take inferior quality photos. Speculation suggests that the iPhone 5 will have an 8 megapixel camera, with dual-LED flash for better low-light photography, and that the iPhone 5 camera will set the bar for smartphone photos.

Some of this is based on speculation--we don't really know what the camera functionality or hardware specs will be just yet. But, just the things we already know for a fact are enough to make the iPhone 5 the king of the hill and leave all smartphone competitors playing catch-up.

iPhone 3GS in India for Rs 19,990

Yes, you read that right. According to cellphone dealers, Apple is "re-launching" its two-year-old iPhone at a price of Rs 19,990 in India. The move is likely to counter cheap Android smartphones that have flooded the market recently. This particular version of iPhone will come with 8GB internal storage.

Manish Khatri, a mobile dealer in Mumbai, tweeted on Friday evening that shops had already received stock and the phone will be available from Saturday at the said price with one year official warranty. In Delhi too, several dealers said they had received stock of iPhone 3GS (8GB) on Thursday evening.

iPhone 3GS was originally released in June 2009. It has a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 pixels) and is powered by a 600Mhz processor. However, as it happens in the case of Apple products, the hardware specifications can be misleading when it comes to performance and usability.

Apple's latest iOS version 4.3 supports iPhone 3GS and that makes the phone a worthy opponent to similarly-priced Android devices that have better hardware. Apple has also said that iOS 5 will work on iPhone 3GS though it is likely that not all features will be supported.

At the price of Rs 19,990, iPhone 3GS will directly compete with Samsung Nexus S , a phone that saw its price fall by over Rs 6,000 to touch Rs 19,999 a few weeks ago. Nexus S, which runs on Android 2.3 aka Gingerbread, has a 4-inch capacitive screen. It is powered by a 1Ghz processor, packs 512MB RAM and comes with 16GB internal storage.

Apple iPhone 5 Production to Start in September

Apple iPhone is always the hottest topic to discuss and these days, a lot of rumors are around us about the iPhone 5. One thing is confirmed that Apple will launch the next iPhone because they refresh their iPhone line every year and they will do it this year too but everyone have only one question, when it’s really coming out? From last 2-3 years, Apple was launching the new iPhone in June-July period, but this time there will be no iPhone in June-July time frame as AT&T confirmed it. We are hearing rumors that Apple will launch the next iPhone in September and they will also start production in September.

Now China Mobile’s employee is claiming that world’s largest mobile network China Mobile will be launching the iPhone in September, he posted this on Weibo.com which is a Chinese social network site; unfortunately the post is now deleted. Recently, Apple COO Tim Cook was in China and he met China Mobile executives and the reason of meeting was obviously new iPhone I think. China Mobile currently have 500 million users and 5 million out of them are iPhone users, so actually there are a big number of iPhone users in China and the next iPhone will increase it to the new level.

Currently, we don’t know what will be the official name of the next iPhone, is it iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S? We are hearing that it will be known as iPhone 4S, as we recently saw an image which is probably the image of next iPhone. It was almost like iPhone 4 and if the next iPhone will be known as iPhone 4S, then what can you expect from it? Probably, it will be running on a dual-core A5 chip, an 8 MP camera, bigger display, and I am sure it will be rocking on iOS 5. There are also rumors that next iPhone will be a completely redesigned product and will feature some mind blowing features. Well people, we can just make some guesses but I am sure Apple will clear the air after 2 months.