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DiggThose who have been waiting impatiently for Apple to unveil the iPhone 5, complete with LTE support, will be sorely disappointed according to sources who say the new phone will be nothing but a minor update with HSPA+ thrown in.
Peter Misek, analyst at Jefferies & Co., revealed that according to his “industry checks,” the new handset “should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support.”
Cue much sniveling and disappointment from the scarf and sandal hipster brigade.
For those looking for someone to blame, look no further than wireless giant Qualcomm, whose LTE chips Apple was supposed to use for its upcoming device refresh. Misek writes that the chip behemoth was simply not “achieving yields sufficient for inclusion in the iPhone 5.”
Doubtless, this was a disappointment to Apple execs too, but Misek writes that the firm had a backup plan all along, with plans for an HSPA+ phone dubbed iPhone 4S. This will now be released in place of the iPhone 5 this summer, instead of alongside it.
It’s not all bad news for Apple fans, however, as Misek says the firm will be pushing its handset out to new carriers like Sprint, T-Mobile and China Mobile. Sprint and T-Mobile might even get the device in time for holiday season, he suggests, and knowing T-Mobile, the carrier will likely market the iPhone 4S as 4G anyway.
Meanwhile, Misek suggests that current iPhone sales have gone flat as “strength from the white iPhone 4 release and launches on new carriers such as SK Telekom are offset by slowing at AT&T and Vodafone.” That hasn’t stopped significant ramps for the iPad though, which may say something about tablet potential in the telecom market in general.
Are you gutted that there won’t be an LTE iPhone 5 this summer? Let us know in the comments.
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I’m still hoping for that bigger screen…
And besides, if it such a minor update, why is the usual summer release so difficult to achieve?
If the next iPhone doesn’t have LTE, I will gladly walk past it to grab a 4G Android phone. I was going to get the iPhone, but like ^^Andrew lennon said, why is it so difficult to put in a processor Apple knows and such minor updates, why the delay until Fall? Or is it now that they can’t get LTE the iPhone will be released this summer?
The iPhone needs to support LTE and enable the current chipset to actively support both CDMA and GSM networks. The selling point of droid phones is their speed and support of LTE.
“Doubtless, this was a disappointment to Apple execs too” I doubt it very much. This means Apple fans will but the 4GS and then the 5 when it comes out. All in all it means more sales.
Some people will be pissed off and *may* even jump ship but I think that number will be small. One thing Apple has bred very well in it’s customers is brand loyalty. Due to Perceived Obsolescence people will keep upgrading whether the new products are needed or not
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The ten geeks that make comments to this article that they won’t get an iPhone and move onto an Android based device because of LTE are maybe the only guys who care about LTE vs. HSPA or whatever. Consumers are buying a device that delivers information and entertainment. Obviously speed is an integral part of that experience. Coverage, capacity, availability are also important elements to their decision. It will be interesting to see just how quickly or not, the LTE take-up is…
Disapointed! Apple is indeed spun up in themselves if they think they will continue to gain market share without a 4G LTE iPhone. I already prefer Droid but would gladly try an LTE iPhone if one was available.
My iPhone 4 is not quite a year old. I am not unhappy with it and would not have traded to a LTE version so soon after buying this one. So I don’t have aproblem waiting until even next year. Now being on Soical Security I might not be able to afford it any how.
It’s funny that you down play this phone because it’s not LTE. A Dual Core Processor is bonus for us multi-taskers. Improvements to a better than average camera is fantastic. AT&T will have HSPA+ 14.4 nationwide probably before the 4S is even launched. 4x the current network speeds with proven simultaneous voice and surfing on a device platform that transformed the smartphone industry. I’m cool with that! Where is LTE at? Probably not where most people live, so what’s the fall back network for the Verizon Lovers? Oh that’s right, EVDO Rev A, have fun doing one thing at a time on your Android 4G.
I personally will buy the 4S simply because unfortunately I am with tmobile already. I regret it so much… I was tricked thinking they really did have 4g. Only now have I learned it’s just HSPA+ Very upsetting.
Hopefully by the time apple gets LTE other devices will still be struggling with LTE battery issues because it will look great on apples part to have LTE and decent battery and you know apple will never release a device that has less than the same battery as the previous device. Battery is simply the issue here anybody who knows the history of what apple likes to do knows that and Tiggy makes a great point. Few people with an iphone 4 will buy the iphone 5/4s except for the fanboys (that say they wont buy the new device until its actually released then they go ahead and buy it) because of two year contracts. Estimating the iphone 6 will be an amazing phone. LTE, thinner, awesome battery for LTE, no reception issues, NFC, and unpredictable apple features. The iphone 6 is what we should be waiting for.
If the next iPhone will support lte then I will definitely buy one and patiently wait for att to add lte to our city!
Really?!?! Seriously?!?! HSPA+ will not be good enough for you when it’s released on the iPhone?? Or even over the next year for that matter?? Honestly, what the hell do you need your iPhone to do that you would even need the extra 5-10 change in speed that, we all know, AT&T will throttle when LTE is released with them???? Again, AT&T will throttle you, at first, on the LTE and not to mention take your precious unlimited data away from you for using MyWi. And yes, I will be one of the MANY millions of current iPhone 4 users that will upgrade to the HSPA+ version of the iPhone when it comes out. Go ahead, jump to Verizon and get yourself an Android so you can enjoy your super duper fast LTE network as the rest of us keep enjoying ALL the benefits of our good friend Jay Freeman aka “Saurik”.
OUT!!!
OMG!!! I am SOOOO sorry. I forgot to mention, this is all coming from a Network Engineer/Software Engineer that appreciates the bandwidth he gets and most importantly know’s he will eventually get.
Again…OUT!!!
All this talk about the LTE iPhone 5 when none of the operators really have full LTE network (aka, real 4G network) to support it. So, it wasn’t a surprised when this delay is announced.