iPhone 5 News

If the survey conducted by PCWorld has any weight, then the new iPhone might be a he hit if it features the 4G/LTE technology. As per the survey, a lot of people want to upgrade to the new iPhone if it comes with the 4G/LTE wireless technology. iPhone’s main rival Samsung S3 had to downgrade to a dual core processor for being compatible with LTE in the US, and this can be really helpful for the new iPhone.

How many planning to buy the new iPhone?

The Macworld edition of the magazine asked its readers if they were planning on buying the new iPhone. 70% of them replied positively and 48% said that they will pre-order the device. PCWorld readers were not as enthusiastic as only 15% agreed to being sold on the new iPhone. However, 40% of all the mobile users surveyed said that they will buy the iPhone 5. The LTE technology was cited as an important reason for buying the new phone.

The survey was conducted in March on 1,248 people, out of which 592 were PCWorld reader, 271 were Macworld readers, and 385 were smartphone users who did not read either of the magazines.

Which carrier is being preferred?

The AT&T version seemed to be the popular choice as 41% of the people who took the survey said that they wood go for the AT&T version. Only 29% were keen on the Verizon version.  For Macworld readers, 62% stated that they were going for the AT&T version, while 36% of the PCWorld readers were bent towards the Verizon version.

If you look at the readers from both the magazines, only 10% said that they would change their carriers in the coming year. However, amongst smartphone users who do not read these magazines, 30% said that they would change their carrier service. The group of people who switch carriers are referred to as ‘churn’.  Companies like Verizon, AT&T and Sprint send a huge amount of money on grabbing these users with the launch of a new phone. The carriers spend most of their effort in offering the best possible LTE technology to capture this segment of users.

Reason for switching carriers

When people were asked about the most important reason for switching carriers, saving money was the topmost answer. The second most important reason was the service provided by the network. It seems that the network with the highest data speed might get the upper hand in the battle for grabbing most customers. AT&T seems to be wining this race as of now because it has a LTE service which is much faster than Verizon’s (even though it covers lesser area as of now).

When it comes to deciding the best carrier for the new iPhone, AT&T and Verizon are the two main contenders, with very few users saying that they will switch to T-mobile or Sprint. iPhone 5 which has a huge list of rumored specs is one of the most anticipated device launches of all time. If it comes with the LTE/4G support, it is highly likely that it will crush all its rivals.

Samsung was one of the first companies to challenge Apple’s dominance over the smartphone market with its Galaxy S2 phone. As a result, the Galaxy S3 was expected to be an equivalent or even better than the current iPhone. Now, S3 has been launched and it seems that the  iPhone 5, expected to be unveiled in October 2012, will be better than it.

Here is a comparison between the two phones based on different aspects like the design, screen quality and hardware specifications.

Design

The design of the phone is the first thing which grabs a customer’s attention. The design of the S3 is its biggest drawback and iPhone’s design is its biggest strength. The body of S3 is made of plastic, which has a cheap look and feel to it. The iPhone on the other hand, is made of glass and it is possible that the new release will utilize liquid metal in the design of the body, which means it would look even better.

The display

The rumored specs for the Galaxy S3 have turned out to be quite true, but many users felt a bit let down. The screen was one of the main reasons for this disappointment. Samsung users were hoping for a Super AMOLED Plus HD display but had to be content with super AMOLED HD. The next iPhone is rumored to have in-cell technology, which when combined with the retina display is bound to be better than the S3. Not only that, it is also expected that Apple will increase the standard 3.5 inch screen to 4 inches or even bigger.

Camera

The camera was another aspect which was expected to improve in the S3. Many were expecting a 12 MP camera in Samsung’s latest offering. However, the S3 comes with an 8 MP rear camera which is the same as the as camera in S2. iPhone 4S already has an 8 MP camera, which utilizes 5 element lens technology to provide higher quality images. You can expect to see further improvements in the camera of the next iPhone.

Voice recognition app

The Galaxy S3 also comes with a voice recognition application called S Voice. The application is very similar to the Siri voice app in iPhone 4S, but users feel that it was added as a novelty factor to rival the iPhone. Siri, which has been functional for a longer period, will come with a lot of improvements with the release of the  iPhone 5 and is expected to outperform the S voice.

Processor

The Exynos quad-core processor has been the biggest improvement in S3, and has received a lot of acclaim for its performance. However, US customers have to be content with the dual core version of the processor because the quad-core is not compatible with LTE. Apple on the other hand released the iPhone 4S with A5 chip and the next iPhone might be released with the A5X chip (which has a quad-core GPU) or with A6. Both A5 and A5X have LTE support.

Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is a decent phone but many  feel that the price is not worth the upgrade. In fact, most will prefer to wait for the release for the next iPhone, which as of now seems to be much better than the S3.

If you look at the patents that have been granted recently, it would appear as though Apple is working on incorporating near field communication (NFC) in its upcoming iPhone. While that could be true, the new iPhone might not be using NFC for only sending payments to merchants. There have been reports suggesting that Apple might also use NFC for sending gifts from one iPhone to another.

Gifting

It is quite common to download and store digital media form various service providers online. In fact, downloading is more common now than physically purchasing or renting a DVD. However, copyright laws make it very difficult to transfer these files from one individual to another. Many distributors have systems in place from preventing or limiting the sharing of their products amongst users. Also, a lot of times, transferring copyright protected files from one device to the other leaves the file corrupted or inaccessible.

It is reported that Apple has come up with a unique way of transferring these files. It will provide a gift giving platform where individuals will be able to transfer files using a standardized way, which is by using iTunes.

One way in which the gifting process might work is by charging the sender for the gifting product through their iTunes account. Then the sender can transfer the file to the receiver by tapping or using NFC. This is feasible as long as the two devices are near each other. In case the sender’s account cannot be charged, then the receiver can pay for the file.

Other ways of using gifting

There are even more possibilities with the concept of gifting. In case the receiver is not nearby or if you want the gift to be a surprise, then you can place a request with iTunes. You will be charged for it and a gift file will be created for the receiver. The gift file will have various levels of protection like a DRM which will mean that the file would be authorized for playback on the device of the receiver.

iWallet

Recently, Apple won a very important patent for a technology called iWallet. This piece of technology gives users control over their subsidiary monetary accounts using their iPhone. Also, individuals will be able to send and receive transactions through their credit card with the help of thee NFC chip. With the help of iWallet, users will be able to have complete control over their credit card profile, and will be able to set parental control for their kids, in case they wish to use iWallet as well.

This is not all as iWallet allows users to keep a track of all of their iTunes transactions. It is possible that the iWallet might work in sync with other apps, which can be used to  buy movie tickets or access other similar features.

3D technology

Even though 3D technology is nothing new, very few devices get enough information from their surroundings to implement it correctly. However, it is rumored that Apple has a solution that might prove to be a lot more effective in this case.

Along with these  features,  you can expect multi-player gaming and an OLED display to be some of the other possible features for the upcoming iPhone 5.

There is probably no other device which generates as much hype and expectation amongst the masses as an iPhone. The probable next version of this device, called iPhone 5, is no different. It has only been a few months since Apple launched iPhone 4S and only a few weeks since the iPad 3 was launched. However, Apple customers are now eagerly waiting for the next wonder product.

Like previous iPhone releases, the release of iPhone 5 has also been surrounded by rumors and most of them are talking about liquidmetal and in-cell multi-touch display. It is understandable if most of you dismiss these rumors because they are rarely true. But this time, they may have some truth behind them.

Liquidmetal?

The first thing that might come to your mind on hearing liquidmetal is the movie Terminator 2. However, liquidmetal is not science fiction and is already present in Apple products (albeit in small quantities). In fact, Apple purchased the license to use the technology in 2010. It has been using the technology since then for making SIM ejector tools that accompany iPhones and iPads.

If you go to the website of the company that owns the patent for making liquidmetal, you will find that liquidmetal is an alloy. It is about twice as strong as Titanium and has the processing efficiency you would relate to plastic. Essentially, you have an alloy that can be used like plastic but provides tremendous strength. Zinc, copper, nickel, titanium, and certain other materials are used for creating this alloy using a patented bonding method. There are numerous customers for this special alloy, as it is useful in industrial coating, military, and medical industry.

People believe that Apple will be using the alloy for making the casing of iPhone 5. It is possible that this is completely false because even before the launch of iPhone 4S, people were anticipating a metal casing. However, liquidmetal actually exists and is being used in Apple products. It should not surprise you if the next iPhone sports a glossy metal finish instead of the fortified glass you are used to seeing.

In-cell multi-touch technology

This particular technology does not have as much support as the liquidmetal but is still a possibility. In-cell multi-touch technology is built inside the TFT LCD panel, unlike most of the current display technologies that are built over the panel. With the help of this technology, the phone can be lot thinner and lighter. What is even more impressive is that because of the removal of the additional layer, the screen will be brighter.

The problem with this type of panel has always been the price, but certain news sites have reported that the cost of production has reduced enough for Apple to move on to this technology. There have even been reports of Apple purchasing such touch panels from Toshiba and Sharp.

When you put the above mentioned prospects together, you have on of the best smartphones money can buy. However, with Apple products, you can never be sure till the device has actually been revealed.