Apple rumored to release 'iPhone 4S' with T-Mobile, Sprint support in Sept.

[DreamOutLoud65]

Apple rumored to release 'iPhone 4S' with T-Mobile, Sprint support in Sept.

By AppleInsider Staff
Published: 04:15 PM EST

A new report claims that the fifth-generation iPhone will be a relatively minor update dubbed "4S" that will bring support for both Sprint and T-Mobile networks in the U.S.

The details come from a research note from Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek, first reported on by Forbes. In the note, Misek asserts that the next iPhone will not support the next-generation 4G long-term evolution networks that offer higher speeds than the current 3G wireless technology.

Citing industry checks, he said the fifth-generation iPhone will arrive in September with "minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support." New carriers are expected to include Sprint, T-Mobile, and China Mobile.

Apple reportedly hoped to have LTE chips ready for its next iPhone, but the performance of current products is said to not meet Apple's standards. Instead, the company will rely on its backup plan phone, dubbed the "iPhone 4S."

Reports began to surface in March that Apple would not meet the usual June launch timeframe for this year's iPhone upgrade. Instead, the device is expected to debut during Apple's next fiscal year, which begins in late September.

Various reports and alleged prototypes have shown devices with a larger screen, utilizing a new edge-to-edge display that would keep the hardware itself the same size. And in April, a Verizon executive suggested that Apple's next iPhone would be a world phone capable of connecting to both GSM and CDMA wireless networks.

Friday's report echoes many details stated in April by Reuters, which claimed that the next iPhone would arrive in September and would boast a faster processor while looking "largely similar to the iPhone 4." Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also told AppleInsider that the next-generation iPhone would go into mass production in September, would sport the same A5 processor found in the iPad 2, and would have an upgraded 8-megapixel rear camera.

and also here:

(CNN) -- Maybe the hotly anticipated iPhone 5 won't be an iPhone 5 at all.
But it might be available on more carriers.
The emerging theory, based on reports from industry analysts, is that the next model of Apple's smartphone will be called the iPhone 4S and be an update of the current model, not a radical advance.
Multiple sites this weekend were citing a report by Peter Misek, an analyst with Jefferies & Co.
"According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support," Misek wrote in a report Friday.
Other analysts have offered similar predictions.
But Misek also wrote that Sprint, T-Mobile and China Mobile will be added as iPhone carriers, citing more "industry checks."
The A5 dual-core processor is the same one that's in the iPad 2. A dual-core processor is considered faster at running two programs at once than the single-core A4 processor in the iPhone 4.
The term "HSPA+ is a reference to high-speed processing. The phone reportedly will not utilize long-term evolution (LTE) technology, which is frequently marketed as 4G coverage.
The reports, and speculation, come as Apple's traditional iPhone freshen-up approaches.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference begins June 6. That's been used as Apple's launching pad for the latest iPhone the past few years, but Apple has suggested the event will focus almost exclusively on software this year.
The tech-community's hunch is that a new iPhone will be unveiled in the fall and rolled out in time for the holidays.

 

[JasonG]

It is. On tipb. The news portion of this site. Lol

 

[DreamOutLoud65]

oh well...

 

[JasonG]

Haha I was just being a smart@$$ lol. I could see the iPhone being on sprint but tmobile seems pointless since att is buying tmobile.

 

[Garz]

Can we please stop calling it 4S. That name is not going to happen

 

[JasonG]

I hope not. Doesn't sound right

 

[DreamOutLoud65]

well, I for one am a little excited and hopeful.. Having been a Sprint customer for many years I actually was going to get out of contract this summer and go to verizon or att. Because I have been wanting the iPhone so bad.. Now it looks like it will happen later this year. I was also considering an android (evo 3d) but with this info I am gonna hold out with my crappy BB Bold 9650 for a few months.

 

[itsalexaye]

if iphone goes to sprint I will be pissed! I left sprint to go to AT&T for the iphone because i never thought they would get it.

 

[petersenjp]

I actually just left Sprint (paid ETF) to go to Verizon. Yes, they are a little more, but in my area, Verizon's network is better and their customer service has been much more helpful. Why didn't I wait till my contract was out? I wanted to make sure I got in on VZWs unlimited plans before they end this summer and go to a tier'd plan.

 

[dwayne.williams]

I'm glad that the iPhone will be on all of the four major carriers. But I won't be switching from AT&T. I like them too much, plus, I love my SIM cards.

 

[Jellotime91]

If that's true, Android OEMs are in for a few very disappointing sales quarters.

 

[itsalexaye]

If apple does go to all carriers with the iPhone, AT&T will lose alot of customers and so will android

 

[Pimp Lucious]

If that's true, Android OEMs are in for a few very disappointing sales quarters.

LMAO. Looking at the the monthly sales data since the Verizon launch shows no such slowdown, but somehow putting the iPhone on Sprint/T-Mobile will slow down Android? Sprint is half the size of Verizon and AT&T, and T-Mobile much smaller. If Verizon didn't make a dent....c'mon now. Just give it up. Take a look at global markets where the iPhone has not had the carrier limitation. Android has still blew iOS out of the water. Here is a recent example. Let's get real please.

Google Android Handsets Surpass IPhone in Japan Smartphone Market Share - Bloomberg

I'm not a fan of using anecdotal evidence, but every time I go into a Verizon store, the Android sales are brisk even with the iphone sitting right across the floor. The belief that people settle for Android is pretty much debunked not.

Nielsen says Android is "most desired" smartphone platform

Apple will bring the iPhone to Sprint/T-Mobile because they have to just to try to keep up to the Android invasion.

 

[pizzafootbal]

Can we please stop calling it 4S. That name is not going to happen

I agree, but I don't think they'll go to iPhone 5, because the next phone will most likely be iPhone 4G, so going from 5 to 4 just wouldn't make sense.