It seems like that oft-rumored October unveiling of the next iPhone will actually happen.
The latest report comes from arguably the most esteemed source you could expect – the New York Times. The paper claims to have information from an unnamed source as saying that the iPhone 5 announcement is “just weeks away.”
For quite some time now, we’ve been hearing that Apple was targeting an early October date for the masterful event, and this goes right along with that speculation.
The source also reportedly noted that the phone will have an 8-megapixel camera and an A5 processor. Rumors about NFC mobile payment technology have resurfaced with regard to the next iPhone, but nothing has been confirmed. Apple is usually a bit behind when it comes to mobile technology that it didn’t invent (e.g., 3G and 4G) but it seems NFC is a priority for the company.
What also isn’t clear is if the phone will actually be called the iPhone 5, or if Apple might surprise everyone and unveil more than one new iPhone (such as an iPhone 4S or ‘iPhone nano’).
When a new iPhone comes along, you can almost feel the other mobile players shaking in their boots. As Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White put it, the one who should feel the most worried is RIM, which recently unveiled its new smartphones running on Blackberry 7 software.
White said he expects the new iPhone to absolutely “steamroll” the latest slate of Blackberries, barely even giving RIM a shot at substantial holiday sales.
