iOS 5.1 beta 1 continues to spill the beans for Apple product ID’s, with the latest find being a direct reference to Apple’s next-generation iPhone, referenced as “iPhone 5,1″, and two unreleased iPad’s, referenced as “iPad3,2″ and “iPad3,3″.

iPhone5,1 would technically be the sixth generation iPhone, which may indicate iPhone 6 is the proper name for the device. Of course, nothing but speculation is known about the iPhone 5 (6?), but references appearing in current iOS 5.1 beta builds suggest there are working prototypes that are running iOS 5.1 right now in Cupertino. Most rumors suggest the next generation iPhone will have a 4″ screen, a thinner aluminum enclosure, and likely an A6 CPU, and a release time frame could be somewhere between summer and fall of 2012.

The iPhone 5,1 reference was first discovered by @Filippobiga on Twitter – you can follow us there too – who also pointed out the references to two unreleased iPad 3 models, also shown in the screenshot as iPad 3,2 and iPad 3,3. Presumably, those are for the upcoming iPad model that is expected to debut sometime in early 2012 with a retina display.

The iPhone 5 is scheduled to debut at Apple’s Developer’s Conference in the summer of 2012, and is said to be the last major Apple project that Steve Jobs was deeply involved with. This is according to a report from CNET, who cites a research analyst in addition to their own source on the matter:

[iPhone 5] was the last project that Steve Jobs was intimately involved with from concept to final design. For that reason…this product will establish the high water mark for iPhone volumes,” Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw, wrote in a research note this week. He expects the iPhone 5 to be a “cult classic” because of Jobs’ involvement.

The expected feature set falls in line with many of the past iPhone 5 rumors, suggesting the device is a complete redesign which include a slimmer profile, larger screen, and LTE 4G connectivity. CNET’s own source on the next iPhone claims it is:

“a very large project that Steve dedicated all of his time to. He was not that involved in the 4S because his time was limited.”

Even if it didn’t have the center of Steve’s focus or magic touch, the iPhone 4S has been a smash hit for Apple, blowing away the previous record launch of the iPhone 4 with over four million units sold in the first weekend alone.

While the next-gen iPhone may have been the last major project with Jobs direct involvement, other reports indicate that Mr Jobs detailed over four years of products for Apple’s pipeline, suggesting that nearly all products the company introduces over the next few years had at least some collaboration.

If you want to see how the iPhone 4S specs stack up against the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and heck, even the leading Android competitor the Samsung Galaxy S II, we’ve got a variety of charts to compare all the devices.

Read more »

You saw the iPhone 4S specs, the release date is soon with pre-orders already under way. The device will be offered on a variety of carriers, in the US this includes AT&T, Verizon, and newcomer Sprint. But what is it going to cost you?

iPhone 4S Pricing

Prices are the same for white and black models, these are the subsidized prices with two year contract:

• 16GB – $199
• 32GB – $299
• 64GB – $399

Unlocked iPhone 4S Prices

If you opt for a carrier unlocked phone without the contract, the pricing is as follows:

• 16 GB – $649
• 32 GB – $749
• 64 GB – $849

The unlocked iPhone only works on GSM networks with a micro-SIM card.

If for whatever reason you aren’t wowed with the 4S or you just want the older iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS, those are both down in price:

• iPhone 4 – 8GB – $99
• iPhone 3GS – 8GB – Free with contract

And no, there is no iPhone 5… yet!

Thanks to the Verge Liveblog for capturing the pictures from the Apple media event.

The iPhone 4S is official, which isn’t too surprising considering the release date and name was leaked by Apple Japan prior to the Apple event. Nonetheless it’s a big update in terms of specs, so here’s what we know.

While the exterior looks identical to the iPhone 4, the interior is quite a bit different with significant upgrades.

• Dual Core A5 CPU with 2x faster processor
• Dual Core GPU with 7x faster graphics
• Battery improved: 8 Hour talk time, 14 hours of 2G talk time, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 9 hours of wi-fi browsing
• Redesigned antenna that automatically switches for the best reception
• Faster data speeds, up to 14.4mbps download
• World phone – CDMA & GSM in a single device
• 8 megapixel camera sensor takes 3264×2448 resolution images, f 2.4 aperture, takes in more light and shoots faster pictures, hybrid IR filter
• 1080P HD video recording with real-time image stabilization
• Siri intelligent assistant and voice navigation
• iOS 5 (general release is October 12)

As before, iPhone 4S will be available in black and white, and offered in variety of sizes, including 16GB and 32GB, and new to the 4S, 64GB. The screen size and resolution are the same as existing iPhone 4, as well as the dimensions of the device. That means your existing iPhone 4 cases and screen shields should work just fine with the iPhone 4S.

Ready to upgrade? Check your iPhone upgrade eligibility with AT&T, Verizon, or jump on over to the new carrier, Sprint.

Barely an hour away from Apple’s new iPhone unveiling and media event today and a few reports out of traditional media outlets seem to be tempering expectations. Notable is the Wall Street Journal, who taps their sources near Apple to announce that there will not be 4G LTE or WiMAX connectivity on the next-generation iPhone, and instead the device will continue to operate on the existing 3G networks.

According to people familiar with the company’s plans, the hotly anticipated device won’t operate on long-term evolution or WiMAX fourth-generation networks.

On the other hand, the report does seem to confirm that Sprint will begin to carry the iPhone, and that T-Mobile remains in the dark.

The big remaining question is if the next phone will be called iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, with a number of signs pointing to iPhone 4S. Thankfully we’ll find out soon.

Follow us on Twitter for updates and more information.

Direct references to an iPhone 4S in name with corresponding images have been revealed in the newest iTunes beta, all but guaranteeing the next iPhones name. This also strongly suggests that a redesigned iPhone 5 will not launch at the October 4th Apple event.

The discovery was made today by 9to5Mac, who is “confident that the iPhone 4S will pack the CDMA iPhone design”. Shown in the screenshot are two separate references to “iPhone 4S”, each attached to an iPhone 4 CDMA model image, in black and white colors respectively.

This is yet another piece of evidence that mounts against a new looking iPhone being released anytime soon, despite a continuous supply of conflicting reports and imaginative rumors. Last week, an alleged iPhone 4S packaging label was discovered, and a week prior an ‘iPhone 4S’ labeled case was also found. With the exception of third party “iPhone 5″ cases from China, there has been no evidence that a redesigned phone exists. Furthermore, the well-connected John Gruber of DaringFireball published a lengthy piece titled “Teardrop Skepticism” that dismantles many of the rumors of a so-called ‘teardrop’ iPhone 5 design.

The iPhone 4S is expected to have an A5 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8MP camera, include iOS 5, and has a likely release date of October 14th.

An alleged iPhone 4S packaging label adds adds further confusion to the iPhone 5‘s existence and possible launch next week, and could indicate that Apple will only be releasing an incremental hardware update to the existing iPhone 4, rather than an all new redesign.

The label, shown above, was discovered by 9to5mac after being posted to an unspecified Chinese forum. Though initially discounted, one of their most reliable sources said the model number on the label made sense:

The model number from the label is MD239 (a 16GB unit), while the model number for the “better” (likely 32GB unit) is MD234. According to Mr. X, this sequence is sensible, but could just be a coincidence. If legitimate, the next-generation iPhone will be marketed as the iPhone 4S

9to5Mac goes further and says the next generation iPhone is in Apple’s inventory systems now, although they point out that the ‘iPhone 4S’ name shouldn’t be considered confirmed.

This is the second piece of recent evidence to suggest the iPhone 4S exists, at least in name, the first showing up last week in the form of a ’4S’ labeled Otterbox case.

Outside of case designs, analyst reports, and a variety of imaginative 3rd party mockups, there has been no evidence that a redesigned iPhone 5 exists, although Apple is notoriously secretive with unreleased products.

Apple has confirmed the expected October 4th iPhone media event by sending out invites to a small group of press. The image above, sent to AllThingsD, ThisIsMyNext, SlashGear, and LoopInsight shows the invite to a 10:00AM PST event on their Cupertino campus, which only says “Let’s talk iPhone.”

There is increasing evidence that the release date of iPhone 5 will be a week after the event on Friday, October 14th, despite nobody knowing what the iPhone 5 will look like, or whether Apple will only release an “iPhone 4S” hardware update. Stay tuned.

Two vastly different analyst reports do a great job of indicating the immense confusion surrounding the next-gen iPhone launch, which is due next week on October 4th. While some analysts are continuing to predict an all new redesigned iPhone 5 released alongside a low-end iPhone 4S, other reports suggest only one new iPhone is going to be pushed out by Apple this year, and that it’s just an incremental hardware update to the iPhone 4.

iPhone 5 is Aluminum Unibody, iPhone 4S is iPod touch Replacement

The first report from Deutsch Bank, as relayed to AppleInsider, suggests that iPhone 5 is expected to be a “completely redesigned handset” featuring “an aluminum unibody construction to replace the current glass back of the iPhone 4″ and that it will have a slightly larger screen.

Additionally, Deutsche Banks Chris Whitmore suspects that the so called iPhone 4S is basically an iPod touch replacement, providing a cheaper high margin device that Apple can aim at emerging markets.

The anticipated iPhone 4S is viewed as essentially an 8GB iPod touch with an added cellular antenna

The idea of two phones released simultaneously, one of which will replace the iPod touch, is an appealing theory, but there are other reports that indicate that’s not what is happening.

iPhone 5 Looks Like iPhone 4, No iPhone 4S

Meanwhile, an apparent confirmation from the frequently reliable All Things Digital branch of the Wall Street Journal suggests that a dramatically redesigned iPhone is not going to be released this year. Furthermore, they seem to agree with the idea that Apple is not going to release two different iPhone models at all, throwing water on the dual iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 theories.

Citing a report that circulated last week from yet another analyst, AllThingsD seems to confirm two main points about iPhone 5: that Apple will release only one new iPhone this year, and that the device will look practically identical to the existing iPhone 4:

[According to Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair] Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone will be an incremental update to the current iPhone 4, not a major redesign.

This is followed by specific quotes from analyst Brian Blair that seem to discredit the dual-release iPhone 4S & 5 rumors:

“We don’t expect a second, dramatically different iPhone to accompany this as we don’t think Apple needs to have 3 models in the market to address the high end, mid-tier and low end since the iPhone 4 (with memory lowered to 8 GB) will drop to $99 and effectively attack those markets.”

“Why would Apple bump up only the processor specs of the iPhone 4 in addition to a newly designed iPhone 5 if the goal is to sell it into the pre-paid market at a lower cost,” Blair asks. “A 4S would simply cost more and a 4S itself wouldn’t create a mid-tier market unless it was priced at $99 and the iPhone 4 went to $49 with the new iPhone at $199. We see this scenario as unlikely.”

AllThingsD John Paczkowski responds to this simply with “Agreed”.

In terms of hardware specs, other than the “[possibility of] a larger screen”, the report echos what has long been expected by the rumor mill: A5 CPU borrowed from the iPad 2, 1GB RAM, 8MP camera, and a ‘worldphone’ baseband that brings GSM and CDMA compatibility onto a single chip.

iPhone 5 Specific iOS 5 Features a Big Selling Point?

Finally, Mark Gurman of 9to5mac provides information about an next-gen-iPhone-only iOS 5 feature called “Assistant” that will be “the new device’s biggest selling point”, which lets you speak commands to the iPhone through an intelligent voice command system. 9to5mac has a detailed summary of the Assistant feature that is well worth a read, and their report also reaffirms the aforementioned hardware specs from other rumors.

The most glaringly obvious aspect to all these reports is that nobody knows exactly what’s coming out of Cupertino next week from Apple. About the only thing anyone can agree on is the devices availability, where a mid-month release date looks like October 14, if for no other reason that it being in the middle of the month, with iOS 5 coming slightly earlier.