14 DAY TRIAL // Without a doubt Apple is preparing to introduce new iPods, in what is tradition for the Cupertino-based electronics vendor every other autumn. However, Apple shipping an iPhone 5 as soon as January 2011 is harder to believe, if not impossible, considering iPhone 4 is yet to launch in many territories worldwide.
iLounge has managed to obtain some valuable information from who it calls “a highly reliable source” regarding Apple’s upcoming plans with its range of portables.
First off, the site mentions new iPods. Rumors of an upcoming shuffle sporting a small touchscreen have been floating around for a while now. iPod touch is also getting an upgrade, this source said, alongside a new iPod nano.
On the tablet front, Apple is coming up with a new, seven-inch iPad later this year (or in early 2011), the rumor goes. Apple may have been experimenting with the smaller-form factor since before the launch of the original iPhone, the report mentions.
Labeling this third rumor as “hard to believe,” iLounge proceeds to include information on an alleged iPhone 5 which Apple is reportedly developing as a result of the antenna woes experienced by iPhone 4 customers. Details on how the device will look, how it will be any different from the iPhone 4 and so on, are yet to emerge.
Finally, Apple is supposedly working on new Bumpers that are cheaper to manufacture, in an effort to reduce iPhone 4 Case Program costs. A less expensive, all-silicone version of the Bumper is to be given away after September, according to the source in question. The source added that the original version of the Bumper had more hard plastic than the final version. Apple was also reportedly considering giving the cases with every iPhone 4 in what would suggest the company knew iPhone 4 would pose reception problems.