Apple is less than 24 hours away from announcing the next iPhone.

Apple is less than 24 hours away from announcing the next iPhone. Unlike previous announcements, this show will be intimate and small, held at Apple’s HQ rather than a large venue like the Moscone Center. Most important, Steve Jobs isn’t headlining the show; although, if rumors are to be believed, he might make a cameo. Apple’s latest commander and chief, Tim Cook, is expected to lead the charge at what will likely amount to one of the biggest Internet traffic days of the year. We should find out then when the iphone 5 or iphone 4s will be available at the Apple Store in Jacksonville Town Center

Apple is rather tardy releasing this latest iPhone at Apple Store in Jacksonville Town Center, missing its traditional summer launch date by a good two months. However, if the rumor mills are to be believed, there, the new iPhone will be very similar to the old iPhone – except where it isn’t. We compiled all of the rumors here along with stating the viability for each. Some are wide-eyed, others are realistic, while some are pure fanboy fantasy.

The iPhone 4S Will Be A Less Expensive iPhone
Argument

Numerous leaked SKU line ups with iPhone prototypes that are made of just plastic rather than glass and aluminum found in Brazil.
Apple would completely disrupt Android and Windows Phone 7 by selling a new iPhone at $100 or less at the Apple Store near Jacksonville Town Center.
The iPhone 4 still packs enough computing power for most users.
Objections:

Unsubstantiated leaks cannot be trusted
Judgment: The stars just seem aligned for this one. The iPhone 4 is still a hot phone despite being over 15 months old. Apple just needs to repackage the current hardware into a less expensive body to completely demolish the competition.

Redesigned, thinner iPhone 5

Argument:

Countless thinner cases have leaked over the previous months all purportedly built for the next iPhone.
Every successive iPhone has been thinner than the previous.
Apple likes to keep design cues constant between products and so the next iPhone will look similar to the iPad.
Objection:

None, it’s a pretty solid claim
Judgment: Apple has never released a product thicker than the previous model and won’t start with the next iPhone.

Larger screen

Argument:

The iPhone 4′s 3.5-inch screen is tiny compared to recent superphones from Motorola, Samsung, and LG.
Leaked cases signal that the next iPhone will be physically longer and wider. A larger screen is logical if the size of the iPhone is increasing.
Our own research has shown that a larger screen is “likely.”
Objections:

Larger screen could mess with apps designed for the smaller screen
Judgment: Apple cannot ignore the current popular trend of larger screen sizes. As long as the phone is thinner, a larger screen will not make the phone feel any bigger.

Edge-to-edge glass

Argument:

Apple has always pushed the limit with its LCD implementation.
Edge-to-edge glass would give Apple something to tout over just using a larger screen.
Objections:

Likely higher manufacturing cost, which would cut into the profit margin
Could lead to more broken screens
Judgment: Not likely just yet. Apple pushes the limit but only as far as its financially viable.

NFC Chip
Argument:

NFC is the next big thing and already a feature on leading Android handsets
An NFC-equipped iPhone would further the advancement of mobile payments
Objection:

Current NFC radios are separate microchips and not integrated into a unified communication chip, which requires PCB real estate and extra battery power
Apple could be waiting until the payment companies make a lucrative offer to them
Judgment: Apple tends to incorporate non-proprietary tech only after its viability is proven. So that’s a “No.”

Dual-core A5 CPU

Argument:

Apple tends to include a faster CPU with each iPhone release
iOS 5 will likely benefit from a faster, dual-core CPU
Objection:

More powerful CPUs tend to decrease battery life
Judgment: It’s very likely the next major iPhone will have the A5 CPU. However, Apple might stick with the A4 for a mid-model refresh like the rumored iPhone 4S

New home button

Argument:

Leaked cases and bezels show an elongated opening/button
Touch-sensitive bezels allows for new controls, multitouch gestures
Objections:

Completely changes Apple’s “Keep It Simple, Stupid” design
Could break current apps
Judgment: Don’t start designing your next Kickstarter iPhone case project around this rumor. Apple will likely stick with its traditional home button.

8MP camera

Argument:

MP count has increased with every new iPhone release
An 8MP photo previously appeared with iPhone 5 metadata
Megapixel counts are unfortunately a comparison point between different phones
Objections:

Higher megapixel counts does not necessarily improve picture quality. Apple knows this. Hopefully.
CDMA/GSM dual-mode radio

Argument:

The next iPhone will use Qualcomm Gobi Baseband and run on both GSM and CDMA networks
Dual-mode phones have shown up in developer’s usage stats
Would allow Apple to makes/sell just one version, decreasing manufacturing costs
Allow Apple to sell a completely unlocked iPhone. Buy one from the Apple Store and activate it however you want
Carrier independence is a huge selling point
Objection:

Dual-mode mobile radios are still very rare
R&D cost could make it financially unfeasible
Judgment: It’s hard to say. The upsides are huge for both Apple and consumers, but dual-mode radios are not widely used. Apple tends to use highly-available and therefore, high margin components.

Extensive voice controls
Argument:

The next iPhone will have powerful voice controls built by Siri, which Apple bought last year for $200m
The voice controls would outclass Android’s with more natural navigation paths
These function would need beefy hardware like the rumored A5 CPU, which creates an up-sell point for iPhone 4 owners
Objections

None, really. Seems like a logical step for iOS.
Judgment: It’s hard to predict future iOS features, but more beefy voice controls are probably on the road map.

Iphone 5 at the Apple Store Jacksonville Town Center

Just prior to the release of a major new Apple product at the Jacksonville Town Center, the internet typically becomes consumed with device mockups and plenty of heated speculation. A new set of iPhone 5 device mockups making the rounds could be giving consumers a glimpse of what’s to come on launch day at the The Apple Store in Jacksonville Town Center.

MacRumors recently commissioned a professional set of mockup images based on leaked design specifications that are allegedly for the iPhone 5.

Not only do the images line up with previous interpretations of the handset, but they also have Chinese manufacturers hard at work on producing new iPhone cases, reports the site.

The design specs give precise measurements of the device as well as which portions need to remain open for power, audio/video inputs and button controls. As shown in the photo above, specs call for a wide space near the bottom of the phone, which could indicate that the home button will take on a more horizontal, oval shape. The screen is also wider and the device itself has a tear-drop thickness — with the bottom end of the phone being the thinnest part.

Assuming the case design specifications are accurate, the commissioned mockup images will look very similar to the final product. Many are speculating that Apple will release the iPhone 5 by mid September in the U.S. and internationally by the end of October.

Personally, I think the iPhone 5 in Jacksonville renderings are gorgeous. If these images are a glimpse into the future, I’d be more than willing to camp outside an Apple store at Jacksonville Town Center for a chance to become one of the first people to get their hands on it.

[via MacRumors]

iPhone passes BlackBerry among users

iPhone passes BlackBerry among users
Jacksonville Business Journal – by Jeff Clabaugh , Washington Business Journal
Date: Friday, June 3, 2011, 1:03pm EDT
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Apple’s iPhone has passed Research in Motion’s BlackBerry among U.S. smartphone users.
ComScore, based in Reston, Va., says smartphones running Google’s Android operating system continue to dominate the smartphone market. Palm, the company that pioneered smartphones, continues to decline, barely registering in comScore’s latest user survey.
Google’s Android accounted for 36.4 percent of U.S. smartphone users in April, up 5.2 percent from January. Apple is now No. 2, with 26 percent smartphone market share, up 1.3 percent from January. Research in Motion fell 4.7 percent to 25.7 percent of the smartphone market.
Phones running Microsoft’s operating system accounted for 6.7 percent of the smartphone market, while Palm users fell to just 2.6 percent.
ComScore (Nasdaq: SCOR) said 74.6 million U.S. consumers owned a smartphone as of April, up 13 percent from January.
Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), based in Cupertino, Calif., has a store at the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville.

Read more: iPhone passes BlackBerry among users | Jacksonville Business Journal

iPad 2 at Jacksonville Town Center on March 11th!

According to the Wall Street Journal, “people familiar with the matter” say that the iPad 2 available in the Apple Store at the Jacksonville Town Center will be lighter, sleeker and even thinner than its predecessor. The tablet available in the Apple Store at the Jacksonville Town Center will have a front-facing camera, unlike the dual-camera on the new Motorola Xoom, that will enable a Facetime video conferencing app.

The announcement of the launch of the Apple iPad 2 is expected in the Apple Store at the Jacksonville Town Center on march 11th. The iPad2 available in the Jacksonville Town Center on March 11th is hot off the heels of Motorola’s Xoom tablet US launch this month available at Verizon stores.

Never a company to be outdone by its competitors, Apple is believed to be deep into development for the next edition of the iPad—the Apple iPad 2. Of course, the notoriously enigmatic technology giant hasn’t acknowledged that it’s working on the follow-up to one its most successful products, but hasn’t denied it either.

With the tablet computer market heating up with new devices from Motorola, Samsung and other competitors, Apple is already in the works to come roaring back with its latest edition.

Since the iPad US launch at the Apple Store in Jacksonville Town Center last April, the iPad has been a proven success for Apple. The company has sold 14.8 million devices globally, mainly through Apple Store and online sales has sparked a worldwide hunger for tablet computers.