iPhone rumors

Swype virtual keyboard technology not only speeds up the process of typing on a mobile device, it holds the Guinness World Record for fastest time to type a text message. Although the software is now available on Google Play for Android devices, the feature never made it into an official iOS release.

Swype is owned by Nuance, whose voice recognition technology has been incorporated into the Siri personal assistant. Now word has it that Apple has communicated with Swype, according to a thread on Reddit from Nuance Vice President of Swype Aaron Sheedy. The revelation came in the following exchange:

It's pretty much a sure bet that the next iPhone will support LTE-based 4G, but what Apple lovers really want to know is if it will support worldwide 4G. According to those always wily "people familiar with the matter" and the Wall Street Journal, the iPhone 5 will be able to reach 4G speeds in parts of Asia and Europe as well. The WSJ's source did not outline any specific countries, but did add that the next generation iPhone "isn't likely to work with all carriers' LTE networks in all countries, though it wasn't clear which would be left out."

Apple's first device to offer 4G LTE was the iPad 3, however, it is only supported by Verizon Wireless and AT&T in the U.S., and Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and Telus Corp. in Canada. Major U.S. carriers such as Sprint and T-Mobile have been pushing hard to extend their 4G LTE networks, and it's estimated that worldwide 4G LTE will reach around 290 million people by 2015.

Numerous leaks and anonymous tips have all but proven the iPhone 5 and all future Apple devices will feature a 9-pin dock connector. If true, all existing iOS cables, chargers and accessories won't work without some kind of adaptor. According to iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz, Apple plans to eliminate all third-party developers by becoming the "exclusive initial vendor" of their own branded "9-pin Connector". Apple will sell the "Dock Connector Adapters" individually for $10, or three for $29.

Horwitz claims Apple has stopped entertaining "third-party proposals for connector-equipped accessories, making some developers worried that Apple plans to muscle them out of the market for iOS related adaptors and cables.

"Some developers fear that Apple will corner the market for both the adapters and cables, much as it did with MagSafe connectors for MacBook laptops, using licensing agreements and threats of lawsuits to prevent less expensive third-party solutions from coming to market. One source notes that Apple will reap a windfall by limiting competition in this manner, generating revenues of $100 million for every 10 million Dock Connector Adapters it sells for $10. According to the source, Apple estimates that it will sell the first 10 million Adapters by the end of 2012."

T-Mobile has begun distributing nanoSIMs to retailers eight days before the purported Apple iPhone 5 event is supposed to take place. iFun (via 9to5Mac) posted an image of the Telekom (T-Mobile) nanoSIM being distributed to European retailers.

Apple's 40 percent smaller nanoSIM card design was approved by the European Telecommunications Institute (ETSI) in June. It was originally believed Apple would not use the smaller SIMs in the iPhone 5, but months later it was confirmed that European carriers were stocking up on cards in anticipation of the new iPhone's release. Meaning Apple's next-generation iPhone should be the first device to utilize the standard.

You're not experiencing iPhone 5 déjà vu. Last year major iPhone carriers and retailers started blacking out employee vacations for what we all thought would be the iPhone 5 release, and it seems to be happening again. A "trusted Verizon employee" told TechCrunch Verizon has blackout out vactations from September 21 to September 30 in anticipation of a new iPhone.

Verizon's blackout supports an earlier report which claimed Apple will begin selling the next generation handset on September 21. If true, you can expect Apple stores and other iPhone carriers such as AT&T and Sprint, to begin blacking out the same dates for their employees in the near future.

A German wireless carrier also seems to think the iPhone 5 will be available in September. 9to5Mac published an email from Mobilecom Debitel informing their customers about a fall iPhone release. Here's the translation for the picture above:

Even though the next-generation iPhone will be the sixth smartphone released by Apple, it's still being called the "iPhone 5" by most Apple fans. It's almost like Apple users have already forgotten about the disappointing iPhone 4S and its even bigger disappointment Siri. This is probably why the iPhone 5 is expected to enjoy record sales this holiday season. Many longtime Apple users skipped the iPhone 4S in anticipation of a 2012 iPhone 5 release. This means a lot of iPhone owners will be coming off two-year carrier contracts when the iPhone 5 becomes available in the fall. And there are also the iPhone 4S owners who have already dumped their devices for the iPhone 5. That adds up to a lot of people waiting for a new iPhone.

The hoopla surrounding the iPhone 5 is carryover from last year's next generation rumors. Dreams of a tear-dropped shaped iPhone may be gone, but the new iPhone is still expected to receive a complete body makeover. Part leaks have shown that the new iPhone could feature a chrome-plated metal frame and 8-pin dock connector. The iPhone 5 is also rumored to be 2mm thinner than the iPhone 4S, and to feature a 4-inch, 16:9 screen. The current models feature a 3.5-inch display.

Remember those "asymmetric screws" that were going to make iPhone 5 repairs impossible? Turns out they were just an internet hoax. Swedish design company Day4 admitted that they fabricated the report to highlight how desperate the blogosphere is for Apple "news".

Day4 revealed the hoax in a blog titled "How we screwed (almost) the whole Apple community." Lukasz Lindell of Day4 wrote: "Have you heard the phrase 'That's true because I saw it on TV' at some point? It was often the truth in the old days when people only had the TV or newspaper to relate to. What you saw or read was the truth, although it obviously wasn't always so."

The Day4 team claimed Apple was working on a redesigned screw that would leave no possibility for home repairs. They created a rendering of the screw, sent it to themselves in an email, uploaded it to a Reddit forum, and the internet did the rest. The rumor was picked up by well known blogs like BGR, iDownloadblog and Wired. However, most of the blogs questioned the accuracy of the report.

Several reliable sources have "confirmed" that Apple will announce the iPhone 5 in September. iMore claims Apple is "planning to debut the new iPhone at a special event on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, with the release date to follow 9 days later on Friday, September 21." AllThingsD‘s John Paczkowski reaffirmed the date a day later, followed by The Verge and The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple.

iMore noted Apple will also announce a new iPod nano and the long rumored iPad mini at the event. However according to iLounge, the iPad mini will probably receive its own event and be released in November. iLounge's source also revealed some additional details about the fourth generation iPad:

If you haven't already heard, the next generation iPhone will come equipped with a 19-pin dock connector, shrinking the charging and data port size to make room for other components. While this sounds like a great improvement, many have wondered if this move by Apple will render millions of iPhone accessories obsolete. Now according to a report by iMore, Apple will solve this problem with a dock adapter.

The smaller 19-pin port can be seen in the iPhone renderings above, which are based on parts photos and information leaked from the supply chain. By making the dock connector smaller, Apple is using space more effectively and will have room inside the chassis for an LTE radio and more.

Photos of a scale model of the next generation iPhone have leaked to Gotta Be Mobile from a source within Apple's supply chain. Assuming these images are authentic, the engineering sample confirms several parts leaks and previous reports of a larger form factor.

According to the engineering sample, which is typically used to mock up a product when fine tuning manufacturing processes, the iPhone 5 will be longer than its predecessor to accommodate a larger 16:9 display. Other aspects of the new design are also apparent in the metal model, such as camera placement similar to the iPhone 4S.