Hints That iPhone 5 Will Be Dual-Mode, iPhone 4 8GB Model Coming Soon
The rumor mill is churning again, and this time it has produced some new iPhone rumors.
Hints from an iOS developer's activity logs suggest that the next generation iPhone model will be dual-mode, that is, connected to both Verizon and AT&T's networks. According to the dev, a device they believed to be the next-gen iPhone running iOS 5 showed up in recent usage logs, which reported two distinct sets of codes that are used to identify mobile network operators. Specifically, the codes indicated a device capable of connecting to both GSM and CDMA networks, meaning that the coming iPhone 5 could be a dual-mode "world phone."
While the Verizon iPhone 4 is currently locked to work only on Verizon's CDMA network, the Qualcomm baseband chip inside is compatible with both GSM and CDMA. Now, Apple has reportedly been considering using Qualcomm chips in all future iPhones. What this means is that to make a dual-mode (and therefore almost universally compatible) iPhone, all Apple would need to do is activate the GSM parts of the chip, adjust antennas for GSM networks and add a SIM slot. An easy process, and one that it appears Apple may have started.
Hints from an iOS developer's activity logs suggest that the next generation iPhone model will be dual-mode, that is, connected to both Verizon and AT&T's networks. According to the dev, a device they believed to be the next-gen iPhone running iOS 5 showed up in recent usage logs, which reported two distinct sets of codes that are used to identify mobile network operators. Specifically, the codes indicated a device capable of connecting to both GSM and CDMA networks, meaning that the coming iPhone 5 could be a dual-mode "world phone."
While the Verizon iPhone 4 is currently locked to work only on Verizon's CDMA network, the Qualcomm baseband chip inside is compatible with both GSM and CDMA. Now, Apple has reportedly been considering using Qualcomm chips in all future iPhones. What this means is that to make a dual-mode (and therefore almost universally compatible) iPhone, all Apple would need to do is activate the GSM parts of the chip, adjust antennas for GSM networks and add a SIM slot. An easy process, and one that it appears Apple may have started.
5 iPhones, iPhone 5, same difference
Sources within Apple's supply chain have mentioned that the iPhone 5 is likely to launch by the end of September, which falls in line with a previous report of vacation blackouts during the last two weeks of the month. The same sources have also claimed that Apple is now manufacturing a lower-priced 8GB version of the iPhone 4 to replace the rapidly aging iPhone 3GS as a budget model, although it is unclear if the device will be GSM-only, like the 3GS, or use dual-mode chips like the Verizon iPhone 4.
Sources within Apple's supply chain have mentioned that the iPhone 5 is likely to launch by the end of September, which falls in line with a previous report of vacation blackouts during the last two weeks of the month. The same sources have also claimed that Apple is now manufacturing a lower-priced 8GB version of the iPhone 4 to replace the rapidly aging iPhone 3GS as a budget model, although it is unclear if the device will be GSM-only, like the 3GS, or use dual-mode chips like the Verizon iPhone 4.
