14 DAY TRIAL // More and more evidence that the Cupertino-based Apple was working on the release of an iPhone model that would sport 4G capabilities emerged, some of the latest reports on the matter suggest.
Apparently, leaked documents show not only that Apple is working on the release of a 4G LTE-capable iPhone device, but also that the handset has already reached carrier testing.
The said device is expected to be launched as iPhone 5, though no specific info on the carriers that will make it available for purchase emerged for the time being, nor on its release time frame.
A recent article on BGR notes that an internal iOS test build obtained from a carrier partner revealed that Apple included in the platform a property list (.plist file) for LTE.
What has been confirmed for the time being was that wireless operators are currently testing iPhone models with LTE capability.
The fact that Apple was on its way to launch such devices has been long speculated, but no solid proof on the matter emerged until now.
Previous rumors on the matter suggested that the company would be set to bring the new LTE-enabled iPhone model to the market sometime in early 2012, but no confirmation on this emerged.
Also, Apple was rumored to plan the release of a non-4G iPhone model before the end of the ongoing year, one that might be branded as iPhone 4 too.
The aforementioned leak does not imply that all future iPhone models will come with the said LTE capabilities on board, which means there might indeed be an iPhone 4 successor set to hit shelves this fall.
With the entire mobile industry moving towards 4G, it was only a matter of time before Apple made a step in this area as well.
What remains to be seen is how the fifth-generation iPhone will fare when compared to other LTE-capable smartphones out there in terms of data transfer speeds and battery life.