Apple has been tight lipped about the rumors swirling around about the launch of its new iPhone. Users were expecting iPhone 5 in October 2011 but had to be content with the iPhone 4S. Only a few months have passed since then but the anticipation for a new phone from the company is already quite high. Some believe that the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2012 might be the time when the new phone would be revealed, while others believe that iPhone 5 will not see the light of day till October 2012.
Considering Apple’s history of releasing software upgrades and then the phone, it is more than likely that iPhone 5 will not be unveiled at the WWDC.
Previous iOS releases
All you need to do is look at the time line of previous releases to figure out why June is not a probable time for the release of the new iPhone. iOS 6 will most definitely be an important part of the new iPhone, but there has been no news yet about the new operating system.
Usually, Apple releases the beta version of the OS and gives developers a few months before it releases the products with the OS. This time is used by developers to fix and create apps for the phone. During the period, Apple also needs to see the performance of the OS outside the labs.
If you look at last year, Apple announced the new iOS that is iOS 5, on June 5 2011. This was the day when the first beta version was released to the developers. Over the next few months, Apple made the required changes to the beta and enabled the new features. Developers utilized the time to make apps that made full use of the various perks being offered by the APIs.
Time between beta release and final release
It took Apple four months and 9 beta versions to release iOS 5 and then the iPhone 4S. Some might feel that 4 months is too long a time, but if you see, it has been the case with other iPhone releases as well.
The shortest time span between the beta release and the final release was for iOS 4. The beta for iOS 4 was released on April 3, 2010 and the final version along with iPhone 4 was released on June 21, 2010. That amounts to 80 days. iOS 3 was released 92 days after the beta launch, and iOS 2 was released 127 days after the beta launch.
So, even if iOS 6 was released on May 1, it would leave only 65 days till WWDC, which is by no means enough. Also, Apple has not yet announced about its plans to host any events between May and the WWDC in June. So, it seems more than likely that the new iOS will be released in June at the WWDC and iPhone 5 in October. Apple usually updates its mobile line-up in June, but last year was different. It is more than probable that the world’s largest technology company will follow the same route this year as well.
