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iPhone 5S: What to Expect from the Next-Generation iPhone
The anticipation and excitement of the soon-to-be launched iPhone 5S is already running high. One would have thought this rumor is a wild one, coming so close on the heels of the launch of the iPhone 5. However, with the launch of the iPad Mini and iPad 4, Apple proved that they are not sticking to the yearly upgrade cycle. The grapevine has it that the launch could be as early as June. This came as a surprise with orders plummeting sharply by 10 million units from a comfortable 40 million units to a dismal 30 million units. However, the explanation could be that suppliers have anticipated the launch of iPhone 5S right from March and are prepping themselves up for it.
Apple seems to be clearly indicating to its manufacturers the urgent need to switch to a new handset and gradually reducing the stockpile of old phones. With the iPhone 5S set to enter production stage early this quarter, Apple is gearing up marketing activities, an offshoot is the free flying rumors doing the rounds. The phone will probably hit the markets end June. However, most experts believe that the iPhone 5S cannot be anything more than an extension to the iPhone 5, and an altogether different design can be seen only on the iPhone 6, which can only be expected next year.
Coming to the nitty-gritty of the iPhone 5S, it is expected to sport a display with a higher-resolution when compared to the iPhone 5. The new material (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) that is to be used will offer a sharper and brighter screen and cut the thickness of the handset considerably. A glimpse of this material was shown off by Sharp at the CES 2013 where they displayed the much-touted IGZO based technology. Apple appears to be in talks with Sharp already about this technology, which they propose to deploy not only for the iPhone 5S, but for the iPad 5 as well.
Close on the heels of the launch of the iPad 4 that sported a phenomenal capacity of 128GB, the iPhone 5S is expected to have the same capacity, making it stand apart in the smartphone world. Even the doubling of the iPad 4’s capacity from 64GB to a stunning 128GB, was done without much fanfare, or even a slight hint. Apple stated that the increased capacity was provided due to popular demand for storing larger music files, videos and photos. Along with the increase in capacity came the stiff increase in prices that went almost unnoticed. The same sort of pricing is expected with the iPhone 5S as well, and Apple does not expect to hear any murmurs regarding the high price.
Providing such huge capacity for a smartphone will certainly be a shot-in-the-arm for Apple who will certainly give the competitors a run for their money. What with the rumors confirming the inclusion of near-field communications (NFC) that has already been added in most Android driven smartphones, Apple’s iPhone 5S should get even. The likelihood is that along with NFC, a fingerprint reader is to be included, adding exclusivity to the smartphone. The fingerprint scanner is believed to have been included to enable authentication of NFC payments, making it a secure gateway for making any sort of payment. The contract with the manufacturers of the fingerprint reader, Chipbond of Taiwan, is already sealed and ready. The recent acquisition of Authentec by Apple points to the certainty of the fingerprint reader being added to the smartphone.
Apple has plans to include a digital wallet to the existing Passbook app. Passbook now supports store cards, tickets and discount vouchers and including the digital wallet will be the perfect answer to Google Wallet that is available with most Android phones along with NFC. One strong competing brand that has this feature is Samsung Galaxy S4, and Apple’s dislike for Samsung is well known, thanks to the expensive lawsuit that went in their favor. Apple is also expected to address one nagging problem that is to do with 4G support worldwide, which is not available with all iPhone 5 versions (there are several versions launched in different countries). A common model with this feature will have universal appeal, and help cut costs in the long run. Qualcomm is believed to have designed a new 4G chip specifically for this purpose, and will provide the iPhone 5S worldwide LTE support.
Though the iPhone 5S is expected to look a lot like the iPhone 5, Apple has spent a lot of money on research and development and a good part of the investment went towards improving the new screens for the iPhone 5S. As no new hardware is required for the iPhone 5S, more money was deployed to fine-tune the other features. Reliable sources claim that its late founder Steve Jobs approved the designs for iPhone 5 and the iPhone 6. The designs were believed to have been created and approved before Tim Cook took over, and this has gone down well with die-hard Apple fans across the world. However, Cook has managed to slip into Job’s shoes, as is clear from the continued great performance of the mammoth company. The mobile operating system is expected to get a facelift and will come out in the form of iOS 7, which will have an altogether new user-interface.
To conclude, the iPhone 5S is expected to create ripples that will not subside quickly.
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Author’s Bio:
Ethan Millers currently works at BW9, a site that enables everyone to learn about how to save on broadband and internet cable.
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Disclaimer: The above is not a paid post. The author’s views do not necessarily reflect the views of TheTechStorm.
