Rumors

Evidence of a delay in the normal summer iPhone launch schedule continues to surface, pointing to a possible fall release for the iPhone 5. Apple is silent on the issue, however according to a report from news site MacRumors, AT&T is not expecting a new model in June or July. The information comes via a MacRumors reader who phoned AT&T to ask why his upgrade eligibility date had been moved back five months.

The responding customer service representative explained with this statement, "Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe, though there will be a newer version in the future. Unfortunately, we have not been given a release time for the new phone." The rep continued by explaining that the release date for the iPhone 5 would be posed on the AT&T website as soon as they were informed of the date.

Gadget blogs have exploded today with what seems like countless articles chastising Amazon.com for baiting customers with their Google ads that read "iPhone 5 at Amazon.com". If the ads are still running, and you'd like to see for yourself, simply search for "iphone 5" in Google or even "iphone five". Up will pop a Google Adwords advertisement similar to the one seen below, proclaiming the availability of the iPhone 5 at Amazon.com. Of course, clicking on the ad will take you to a search page on Amazon.com that simply shows results for a variety of iPhone related accessories that may or may not also have the word "five" somewhere in their descriptions. This type of crack investigation has led many to scold Amazon for stooping to such underhanded bait and switch advertising. Closer inspection suggests these ads likely aren't the doing of Amazon itself.

One might ask themselves why multi-billion dollar retailer Amazon.com would risk offending multi-billion dollar manufacturer Apple in order to hopefully grab a few $12 accessory sales on the sly by baiting customers to their site. The likely, and seemingly valid, answer is that they wouldn't.

Thanks to Patently Apple, we recently saw how Apple could be planning a smart bezel on the iPad. Now it seems Apple engineers are also working on a similar concept for a future model iPhone. The iPhone smart bezel patent revealed by Patently Apple details some interesting features that could be added to the area surrounding the main display.

The smart bezel is described as an area outside of the main LCD screen comprising printed segmented electroluminescence displays. Presumably these would be dark until needed, and could be illuminated in different patterns to create buttons or give the user information depending on what the iPhone was being used for at the moment. This would free up more space on the main screen.

Previous reports have indicated the iPhone 5 will be completely redesigned by Apple. Now Economic Daily News, a Taiwanese publication, cites sources who say the next generation iPhone will have an aluminum back. This would bring the iPhone 5 in line with recent iPod touch and iPad 2 designs and highlight one of Apple's favorite materials.

A move back to aluminum would also reduce durability problems experienced by users of the iPhone 4 and its glass back. The conceptual rendering above by Taiyo-Fujii is unrelated to statements by Chinese manufacturing insiders, however it clearly receives its cues from the iPad 2. The original iPhone featured an aluminum back along with a plastic bottom to help alleviate reception issues with the internal antenna.

Nobody can seem to get enough of the iPhone nano. Ever since the first news of a mini-iPhone patent surfaced almost four years ago, the concept refuses to disappear for more than a few months at a time. Now Bloomberg cites sources within Apple who say the smaller handset is indeed in the works.

According to the report, prototypes of the iPhone nano exist and have been considered as a way for Apple to increase competition against popular, cheaper Android devices. By using current-generation components Apple could reduce manufacturing costs on a new handset coming in at two-thirds the size of a normal iPhone.