No Hardware Announcements at WWDC 2011? [Updated: No New iPhone Until FY 2012?]

[mrblack927]

I still have 3G. Wanted to get the white 4, kept waiting for it, then finally decided I might as well wait for 5. Now even that is going to get delayed.

Turns out, trusting Apple's promises and release cycles made me a fool. The only behavior that seems to be awarded is: give Apple money is soon as you can and don't ask any questions.

No, Apple didn't make you a fool, you made yourself look like a fool.

Apple never comments on products before they're released.

Apple does not have an "official" release schedule for unreleased products.

Is there a pattern for Apple's releases? Yes, there is, but there is also a pattern for weather to and we know how that works out.

Why do people feel that they should be rewarded for buying products. That's just stupid.

Actually, Apple did comment on the white iPhone, officially, even though it was an unreleased product. Steve Jobs himself said that it would be released at the end of July. They weren't. Then they said it would be released later in the year (2010). Again, they weren't. How is he a fool for waiting when there was official information regarding (supposedly solid) release dates?

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

I would like to see some new Macbook Airs.

 

[Icehawk]

It would be a real pain in the wallet if all the iOS devices were updated in the fall. iPods and iPhone makes sense.

It would really make sense for Apple to push back the iPhone 5 launch if it would allow them to come out with one iPhone that works on any network they want to allow it on. Same for the iPad 3. Make a Wifi and a _G.

Will be looking forward to see what comes. Need a new iPod Touch and would love to see the new possibilities for the iPad that's tempting me.

 

[Island Dog]

I can't believe they would wait until 2012, but this does look more like the next iPhone will be just a minor revision.

 

[Reefbone]

Honey Badger doesn't care. He's already in a contract.

 

[jonwilson1988]

My personal guess is that it will be an update to the design of the iPhone 4 like it was between 3G and 3GS. New processor, larger storage, maybe NFC if we are lucky and same outer design.

The keynote would start with Lion and iOS and the "cloud" features between the two then introduce the "iPhone 4s" for lack of a better name.

 

[Kenn Marks]

Not really noise but a sad fact.

Thank you for posting that. I was wondering if you could go month-to-month after your contract expired. So now all of the complaining about expiring contracts seems to be nothing but noise.

Once your phone (any subsidized) goes out of contract you continue to pay the subsidized plan amount, so the rub comes that if you are not getting a new subsidized phone you are giving the carrier subsidy $$ when your phone handset is paid in full. One thing about US Carriers is that they do not have unsubsidized plans that cover feature or smart phones. With one paying the subsidized plan rates after the contract matures this is offsetting the non recovered subsidies of those who get special dispensation to upgrade their iPhones with only year into a 2 year contract. I gave my wife my 3G iPhone and am paying the same subsidized plan rates as my iP4 but with the option that it's month to month and she can upgrade at any time without penalty or concern.

 

[vettefanZR1]

I would like to see some new Macbook Airs.

I would like to see them be made out of air.

 

[jonwilson1988]

New Macbook Airs? They are only 4 months old...

 

[eayost]

My 3GS is getting pretty beat up in it's old age... lots of dust behind the screen, the headphone jack has somehow submerged into the phone and the audio output isn't very good anymore, etc. Was really anticipating iPhone 5 at the normal release cycle but now I'm not so sure what I should do. It's annoying that I can't properly listen to music anymore with my 3GS, though everything else works fine. If they really aren't going to release a new iPhone with any significant upgrades this year, I wonder if I should just go ahead soon and get a 4. Hmm... what say you all?

 

[xgman]

If this rumor is untrue, I would be surprised not to see Apple do something soon to effectively squash it, if nothing else, for investors sake. Otherwise, it does seem like a boneheaded move, marketing wise anyway.

 

[mcmlxix]

I still think that the next big thing for iOS devices will be iOS itself and not the devices, so holding off on an iPhone refresh until fall won’t be such a bad thing. By then the leap to LTE, more memory, and processor might be more feasible from engineering and cost effectiveness perspectives.

The implications of this articled are that there will be neither an iOS 5 nor an iPhone 5 this summer. Holding off on iOS might be unfortunate as far as competitiveness goes, but it suggests that it won’t be the same old, same old. I guess we’ll find out a WWDC.

Then there are the rumors of an iPad refresh in the fall as well. I’m having a hard time seeing this unless it’s a 7-8” model. I know that Steve said that there will never be one, but he has a history of contradicting himself.

 

[tCruzin4lyfe]

Makes perfect sense from a business POV, I mean they just got Verizon iPhone 4 so they want to milk that, then they plan on releasing white iPhone 4 and they can milk that some, introduce ios5 at this event, release it to iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch late fall or whatever and then drop the hardware early next year with bigger screen or whatever they will do with the new hardware. Everybody will be happy (pretty much) some may stick with 4 but alot won't so they can get the better hardware. I just hope iOS 5 is AWESOME!

 

[oliversl]

Are we moving towards a macbook pro like release cicle? Where people don't know when they will be released and are sure they will be released? I want my iPhone mini in june!

 

[bushido]

why should they care if ppl r still on their contract or new to their contract (varizon). HTC poops out a new phone every few months and people with a HTC phone aren't complaining that they have a "outdated" phone for the next 1,5 years.

however I'm still on my contract for another year so i could care less

 

[srxtr]

All I can say is too bad for those who held out on iPhone 4 for a chance to upgrade to iPhone 5...

Get the iPhone 4 now!

 

[FoxHoundADAM]

I honestly don't know if my iPhone 3G can make it till September.

 

[JeffLebowski41]

I was talking about Developers, not users. While you may not care your iPhone has a single core SoC, ChAir software might for their next game and decide to simply forgo releasing it on iOS.

I'm sure this has been covered by now, but you'd have to be delusional to think that they are just going to up and abandon the iOS install base. A developer with any interest in exposure or making money is going to remain highly interested in any ecosystem with 10's of millions of users.

 

[jacollins]

I totally agree with the rumors. There will be no iPhone 5 in 2011. An iPhone 4G (HSPA+ with minor other tweaks) on the other hand...

 

[MetalMoon]

Is it just me or are people freaking out about having a out dated phone. Don't we have more important things to freak out about. Come on guys, remember the human race used to survive without cell phones back in the old days. I'm sure you will survive till Iphone 5 comes out.

 

[fahadqureshi]

AppleInsider makes a good point. The report is that the iPhone 5 will be released in the first half of fiscal year 2012 which starts in late September 2011. This will do 2 things: allow iPhone 5 to ship with iOS 5, and allow Apple to cash in on the Holiday season starting this coming September/October. This is just my own prediction.

I'm in the 3GS camp too, so I won't lie and say I'm happy about this.

i don't think cell phones sales are tied to holiday seasons but rather to when your contract is over.

 

[Rafterman]

I don't mind. My wallet could use a break

 

[DrDomVonDoom]

I see a WHOLE lot of entitlement issues in this thread, not to name any names, but common. If you have a 3g or 3gs, AND the ability to upgrade or the money to buy a the 4, why didn't you? Its not like how many people skipped the 3gs for the iphone 4, they knew the 3gs really only had a handfull of promising features, mostly updated through iOs, not in hardware.

What makes one thing that the iPhone 5 will be this huge leap? The 3g was, the 3gs wasn't the 4 was, perhaps this new phone will only be supplementary. Or perhaps Apple knows they don't have enough 'umph' to warrent a new iPhone RIGHT now. The iphone 4 isn't dated, it isn't bogged down yet, theres nothing it really needs except for maybe 4G to be a sucessfull phone, which it will be regardless.

I hate this mentality that Apple OWES you, Apple doesn't owe you anything. Their a company, not a church. You give them money, they give you a product, no more, no less. They don't care about you, they don't want to be your friend, Steve doesn't give a **** about you, except for your money. End of scentence. You don't go to a restraunt, order a meal and expect desert on the house because you went there instead of any other restraunt.

Bottom line, want a new phone? Get iPhone 4, wanna wait? You can do that too. Buy something else? Your welcome to. Stuck in a contract? That sucks, you signed it. Iphone 5, or I am guessing they will call it iPhone 4G, its only gonna be supplementary like the 3gs was, except it will add the ability to use 4G, IF you can get it with AT&T, I think this has to do mostly with T-Mobiles network and AT&T telling Apple, ***** not gonna be up til at least 2012, so you might not want to release the 4G version yet.

 

[KnightWRX]

I'm sure this has been covered by now, but you'd have to be delusional to think that they are just going to up and abandon the iOS install base. A developer with any interest in exposure or making money is going to remain highly interested in any ecosystem with 10's of millions of users.

Yes, except as I stated earlier, we're now starting to see the tipping point where Android is becoming more lucrative than iOS and the installed based there is getting larger than Apple's installed base. Forget the fact that no single Android device outsells the iPhone, that doesn't matter as far as installed base is concerned.

If these trends continue (and delaying a hardware refresh does not help change these trends), mid to long term we might start to see a situation where the iOS ecosystem is not the dominant force anymore.

That is and was my point. I doubt Apple would delay the hardware refresh and if they do, I doubt they'd move to a permanent longer refresh cycle (18 months), because that would basically be killing the ecosystem they've built.

I totally agree with the rumors. There will be no iPhone 5 in 2011. An iPhone 4G (HSPA+ with minor other tweaks) on the other hand...

How is that not an iPhone 5 ? You do realise that iPhone 5 refers to a 5th generation iPhone.

 

[ikir]

iPhone 4 is awesome, iPhone 5 can wait