Check the blogosphere and you will see a host of posts on dozens of sites announcing that the next generation iPhone will arrive in October. This is in contrast to the dozens of sites that recently reported that the new iPhone would appear in September. That, in turn, was in contrast to some reports a few weeks ago that the next iPhone would arrive in late August.
It is enough to make your head spin and… in the process… lose faith in any of the information spread throughout the tech-blog community. (See Mike’s and my Twin Posts of Different Bloggers: C’mon people … we can do better than THIS! from last week.)
Here’s the thing, there ARE things we KNOW about the next iPhone but EVERYTHING else is speculation, rumor, guesswork and post-bating for traffic. After all, despite the leaks of late Apple still has a pretty good record of keeping information locked down until they are good and ready to share. Moreover, I wouldn’t put it past Apple to spread misinformation for the sole purpose of being able to control the actual flow of real information. (Need I remind you that the new Apple MacBook Airs were supposed to ALL begin with 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD drive AND see the entry price drop?)
So I thought I would set the record straight about what the FACTS are (despite the fact that FACTS seem to matter less and less in both the blogosphere and the political arena.)
FACT: There will be a new iPhone
FACT: It will come from Apple
FACT: It will have some improvements over the iPhone 4
FACT: It will not be called the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 (but we don’t know what it WILL be called)
FACT: People will buy them in huge numbers
FACT: You will be able to pick up an iPhone 4 on the cheap on eBay as upgrades flood the resale market with them
NOT A FACT BUT I WOULD PUT MONEY ON IT: Within a short time of the new iPhone being released that will be some issue that someone looking for link-bait raises (Yeah I’m talking to you Consumer Reports)
FACT: Some of the current rumors will be true, some will be dead wrong, some will be kind of true
FACT: In 12 to 18 months this whole circus will start over.
That what we know. Everything else…not so much.
Well, based on this post – better to post rumours or nothing! I appreciate your point, but if enthusiasts don’t post hopes/speculation, then tech sites will be a lot less interesting. May as well stick to Apple’s homepage – 100% fact, no fun speculation. Oh, I’d query your final FACT – I reckon the circus will start again the day after the iPhone 5 is released 😉
LOL point taken.
I have less of an issue with the speculation on… specs than I do with the cycle of one site announcing a release date and then all the others parroting it until suddenly it is being picked up as fact. Look at some of the later posts and the fact that it is raw speculation tends to become less and less clear.
I’ll will, however, be the first one to talk about what I WANT in the next iPhone and about what might be possible.
As for my final “Fact”- I’ll see your one day and raise you to the same day… hehe
I don’t know about picking one up on ebay. Have you seen what the 3Gs and even the 3G are going for? Dream on if you think you will pickup a 4 cheap on ebay.
Would you take “cheapER”?
You are right and I am impressed with how the iPhone holds its value. My all-but-perfect MyTouch 4G is at half what I paid already… interesting to note the difference
Same day – yes, I think you’re right.
Another fun FACT for you 😉 – people will moan that iOS5 has no new features [compared to the Beta] – um, OK then…
I know Larry has gone, but will you be getting together with another colleague to resurrect the podcast? It was shaping up well.
It is very much like Mac vs. PC – a 1 year old PC is worth <25% of original sale, whereas the Mac is >50%.
OK so we have the FACT.
Can we now start with some HIGHLY LIKELY?
1. It will have a dual-core processor.
2. It will enter at the same price points as the current iPhone 4
3. It will have a larger and/or higher resolution screen.
4. It will be sold out on day 1.
I can TOTALLY go with that!!! (hopefully i am one of the folks helping it to be sold out to…)
My take would be:
1. maybe
2. very likely
3. Maybe larger, but not too large to visibly affect the image sharpness, but almost certanly not higher resolution
4. probably, but likely stage managed
More interesting – IMO – is whether the next iPad will be higher resolution than current, but not the doubling to equal the iPhone, due to the effect this would have on App rewrites.