David Lim's Auckland, Aotearoa Blog, Apple iPhone iPad Repair

Monday, June 27, 2011

The Apple iPhone Rumor Cycle: How it works? www.drmobiles.co.nz

Each year it's the same thing. Apple is working on a new iPhone or iPad. Each year, the rumors start coming, and we hear everything. 3D iDevices, HD cameras, new versions of iOS, new processors and NFC tech.

It's all part of the Apple Rumor Cycle. It starts the day after Apple releases or announces their latest product. Everyone is already starting with rumors of the next one. Product development cycles overlap, and that's why the rumors get to be messy sometimes, but we've put together our favorite Apple rumor cycles for your reading enjoyment. Know that we are diving into self-parody here by poking a little fun at blogs running news. Still, we try to call B.S. when we smell it.

Either way, here is the Apple rumor cycle:

Apple releases the latest iPhone - People cheer and line up at the Apple Store to be one of the first with the newest iPhone. Apple sells millions.

New iPhone Rumors Emerge - The blogs start speculating on next year’s iPhone. This usually begins with common sense stuff like “Next iPhone will be called the iPhone 6, will have A6 processor and be even FASTER.” Duh. Still, it runs like wildfire and everyone feels obligated to run it.

Website with no Sources Comes Up With News - Somewhere down the line, a website with zero credibility (It’s often some obscure blog tailored for SEO) will run something like “Our sources say that the next iPhone will have six cameras and will be available sometime this year.” Other times, sites will just cite “an employee in the supply chain” which may just be some random factory worker saying whatever they feel like. The real news is traditionally gathered from within Apple and within other inside sources and confirmed through more than one source who has reason to be knowledgable about the situation.
Analyst Makes Prediction - Analysts start to weigh in. Sometimes they have sources at factories. Other times, they just guess. Usually, their guesses are things that have already been running in the blogs, “iPhone 6 will feature A6 chip, sharper display.” It’s also based on current mobile trends and technology. Android phones tend to cost less, so an Analyst takes a shot in the dark and says a smaller, cheaper iPhone makes sense for Apple business-wise. It’s run by every blog and tech website around as near-fact.

Reading Between the Lines from Source - Steve Jobs gets an email: “Steve, what about the iPhone 7?” and he responds with something like, “Not happening yet.” Suddenly, it’s all over the internet because he said “yet.” He didn’t say never, he said “yet.” This usually makes its rounds and take it as confirmation of an iPhone 7 because it came straight from Steve. Authenticity of email often remains unconfirmed.

Parts Suppliers - A company in Korea or a supplier in China will say that they are working on new tablet displays or new components for smart phones to debut “next year.” For tech blogs like us, this usually somehow gets around the internet as “South Korean manufacturer supplying Ultra-HD 3D displays for next iPhone.”

Actual Info from sources - This usually comes in the form of insiders. The bigger tech blogs will often have people on the inside hint at new features. These are the real nuggets of information. They provide a lot more information as to what is going on and when we can expect an update.

Apple Sends Out Press Invites - All the major website, except for Gizmodo, get invited to a special event on June XX or whatever. There is usually a subtle hint like “See what’s next” or “Changing the way we communicate” and it’s usually a not-so-subtle image, like a picture of a Home button or something similar. Enough to let you know that’s going on that day.

Apple Announces the Newest iPhone - The live blogs are rolling at full speed. Fans are hitting the refresh button, or following along a live feed. Steve Jobs introduces the next iPhone and announces a release date and features. He usually closes with “One more thing…” and it’s the big surprise part of the whole conference. Apple’s website is updated a short time after and people begin planning their campout at the Apple Store.

In the EndNo matter the system, Apple always manages to throw in a surprise or two. Even then, the rumors keep coming in, and the last few days before the actual announcement, they tend to be about 70 percent correct. Usually in terms of specs and features. Apple will often throw in that extra little something to surprise us all.

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The Five Things You Should Know About Sony's Tablets (www.drmobiles.co.nz)

Sony recently announced two Android tablets. The S1 and the S2. Unfortunately, they were overshadowed by Sony's PlayStation Network outage news and the announcement that users' data had been compromised. Anything else Sony had to say that day, even if it was a different branch of the consumer electronics giant, was largely ignored as the company scrambled to do damage control for the PSN mess.

1) Two Tablets, Not Just One

Typically, a company releases more than one tablet model. Still, even when they do that, the tablets are largely similar as far as being tablets is concerned. They are between 7- to 9.7-inches. The smaller model is usually a bit slower and has a few less features. In this case, Sony has done something different. Both models are completely different as far as design goes.

2) S1 - 9.4 Inch Tablet

The first tablet is the S1. It's what you'd expect of a tablet more or less. About 10-inches in size, flat on one side with a touchscreen. Tough it does have an interesting tapered design, which may actually make for a comfortable grip. It's actually quite pleasant-looking, as shown above.

3) S2 - Clamshell Design

This is more clever than we originally thought. Our first thought was, "meh." After looking at it again, and seeing it closed up, it looks pretty cool. It's two 5.5-inch screens, so that it's roughly the size of a regular tablet when flipped open. Then, it can be folded shut. This means it's easy to tuck away in a pocket while at the same time protecting your screens. Like a Nintendo DS with no buttons.

4) Android Honeycomb and PlayStation Certified

These tablets are running on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). What's also neat is that it's PlayStation certified. This means that it can play certain PlayStation-branded games, and carries a PlayStation branding. The brand may not currently be seen in the most positive light given the PSN situation. Still, playing PlayStation games on any Android device sounds nice.

5) Wifi, 3G and 4G on Both Tablets

It's not surprising to see wifi and 3G on a tablet these days. 4G isn't yet as common, but it's becoming the standard. While the wifi model is a standard, the cellular models are optional. Of course 4G will only be available in areas where there is 4G service.

Some Rumors About the Sony S1 Tablet (smartphone, tech, news, update, leaked)

Today Engadget was able to get some inside information on a tablet in the works by Sony. Right now, it's codenamed the S1. Not much is known about it aside from the information they were able to grab. Keep in mind that Engadget seems to have some very good sources from within Sony, as they were spot-on with the Xperia Play, which just recently became official.

Let's look at the rumors built up so far. As usual, after the jump:

1) PlayStation Certified

Sony Computer Entertainment revealed their PlayStation Ceritified licensing program last month. It's going to give anrdoi devices the ability to carry a PlayStation license, meaning it basically carries Sony's seal of approval saying that the said tablet or smartphone is capable of giving users a PlayStation experience.

2) Runs on Android

This was probably and easy guess given that it's PlayStation Certified. The tablet will be running Android. Honeycomb, to be exact, which is the first version of the mobile operating system to be optimized for tablet computers.

3) Pre-loaded with PSOne Games

There is a rumor saying that it will come pre-loaded with PlayStation One games. That would be avery cool idea if true. Of course we don't know which games it will come with, but we can hope for a few classics like Twisted Metal 2 and Metal Gear Solid, right?

4) Wrap Design

This is an interesting concept. The device will have somewhat of a "wrap" design around the edge. Engadget's source says that it's one of the nicer things they've seen come from Sony and it's made to mimick the look/feel of a magazine or paperback book with the cover folder back. This "wrap" also houses many of the internal components such as the battery and the Tegra 2 processor.

5) Qriocity

It's said that this tablet wil come with Qriocity. Qriocity is Sony's service designed for purchasing music and video on demand.

6) Target Price

Sony is aiming to price the wifi-only version of this tablet at $599. That is $100 more than the current base-model iPad. We've heard rumors that the iPad 2 may cost around that much, but even then, neither of these numbers have been confirmed. Things can easily change.

PlayStation Everywhere

Sony is taking the PlayStation brand everywhere. It's a rather smart idea. They have realized that they need to expand to the mobile space and release devices like the Xperia Play if the want to continue to capture users in the handheld market. While devices like this one are no NGP (PSP2), they will definitely cater to the fans and possibly expand their audience to other smartphone owners.