A rumor surfaced on Mac news site 9to5Mac today regarding Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone – dubbed both the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S depending on whom you believe – and how it has reached the final “AP” testing stage. “The next generation iPhone has reached the final testing stage (aka “AP” stage [Thanks, Chronic!]) and is now being carried around by high level Apple and carrier executives,” the report noted.
Whispers have steadily pointed at a September launch for Apple’s next iPhone handset, which the report seems to confirm: “Although this has been assumed since the no-iPhone-at-WWDC-rumors broke, the current plan is for a September launch for the next-ge
neration iPhone.” Apple has been tight lipped about the next iPhone, but it’s widely believed that the handset will debut sometime this fall.
The site also noted some additional discoveries they had made whilst snooping through the recently-released first beta of Apple’s iOS 5 mobile operating system. Apparently iOS makes reference to two internal code names for Apple iPhone models – N93 and N94 – which have yet to be released. The N94 device is already known as the current iPhone 4 handset which has been upgraded to a dual-core A5 processor – similar to the one that’s found in the iPad 2. Astute readers may recall this device as being found by iOS app developers back in April. The N93 device is currently unknown, but it’s likely that it’s some form of carrier derivative of the N94 handset – perhaps destined for Sprint, or packing a “world phone” GSM + CDMA combination chipset. For reference, Apple’s GSM iPhone 4 is listed as the N90, and the Verizon CDMA handset is the N92.
Speaking of Verizon – it appears that all may not be well on the FaceTime front for those who have picked up a CDMA iPhone. The same 9to5Mac report claims that “Apple and Verizon have yet to strike a deal regarding FaceTime over 3G for the Verizon network,” continuing with “Keep in mind that 3G and 4G aren’t the same thing. < Don’t read into that too much. Or maybe do.>” It’s already well-known that Apple and Verizon still have yet to work out a number of issues with Apple’s planned over-the-air updating system that w
Finally, rounding out the rumors surrounding the next iPhone is one that it will be keeping the same five-megapixel rear camera that is found in the current iPhone model. Many recent rumors had been pointing to comments that Sony’s CEO had made, seemingly confirming that Sony would be supplying Apple with eight-megapixel sensors for the next iPhone. It’s possible that the iOS Software Development Kit files that contained the camera information for the next models of iPhone is inaccurate, or simply not updated. Apple is, of course, mum on everything.
Time will tell which of these rumors come true – if any. Right now the only thing that’s clear about the launch of the next iPhone handset is that the wait gets shorter, one day at a time.
