Regular readers will know that as the release of the iPhone 5 gets closer the more we hear about rumored specs and features. Although we will not have confirmation on those things until Apple chooses to let everybody in on the secret, one thing we do know is that this will be a major product launch and in fact one well respected analyst has now spoken of his belief that the iPhone 5 will be the biggest product upgrade in history.
We have been saying for some time that we expect the iPhone 5 to be a major upgrade and that Apple needs to go all out to really pull something out of the bag with the next iPhone. So many new and hugely impressive Android handsets are now available or about to release and Apple needs to regain its reputation for cutting-edge technology and offering something completely new to attract even more customers to its iconic phone.
We all know that the iPhone 5 will sell in huge numbers, almost regardless of its specs, features and design, simply because of the amount of loyal Apple customers and the Apple brand that appeals to so many. However, just how much of a hit it will be remains to be seen but it’s fair to say that the majority of people are expecting something pretty spectacular from Apple. It seems that the experts are in accordance as well known Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster spoke on Wednesday about the iPhone 5 release saying his company believed that “the new phone will be the largest consumer electronics product upgrade in history,” according to MarketWatch.
The iPhone 5 is expected to be unveiled at an Apple event on September 12 with pre-orders available from that date and rumblings of an actual release on September 21 although of course this is as yet unconfirmed. This is earlier than the October release date that had been widely expected for some time and because the next iPhone launch seems that it will arrive sooner than expected, analysts have been re-evaluating estimates on Apple’s potential earnings.
An earlier launch means better numbers for Apple and also major carriers and sellers of the iPhone 5, as well as pleasing the huge amounts of potential customers who have been patiently waiting for the next iPhone. Another analyst, John Hodulik, has predicted that carriers AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will activate around 10.1 million iPhones if the iPhone 5 is released in the September quarter rather than the 6.3 million iPhone activations expected for the same period without the iPhone 5. It seems as though this is an all-round good move from Apple then.
As far as what we expect to see from the iPhone 5 we are certainly hoping for a new design, something really eye-catching to make an impression as we know that many were disappointed that the iPhone 4S looked the same as its predecessor. Rumored specs and features include an A6 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16/32/64GB storage options, larger 4-inch display, new smaller dock connector, improved rear camera to possibly 12-megapixels, 4G LTE connectivity and all running on iOS 6 although of course all of that is not yet official. We feel many will feel a little disappointed if most of the above does not appear for the iPhone 5 though and of course a new groundbreaking feature would also be welcomed, although maybe that’s asking a little too much!
We’d like to hear your thoughts on the iPhone 5 and whether you think it will be the biggest consumer electronics product launch in history? Do you think the new iPhone will be able to live up to the hype or maybe you feel that so much is expected we may all feel let down when it finally appears? What new groundbreaking feature would you most like to see? Let us know by sending your comments.