From “overheating” to LTE. Why analysts are still talking about the iPhone 5 and its much-rumored release date?
According to Apple’s latest press release, it has sold a shy 3 million iPad 3 tablet computers worldwide within the first four days on the store shelves. Apparently, the iPad 3 is now the most popular tablet PC in the world based on market growth and coverage — and it cemented Apple’s position in the tablet PC market.
Apple’s Phil Schiller said customers love the new features of the iPad 3, with the special mention of the Retina display with pixel density of 264. In exchange though, the iPad 3 is slightly thicker, slightly heavier and emits higher temperature arguably due to larger battery and the new CPU called A5X.
Here’s the quote from Apple’s press release:
“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold?the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”
Based on the tech specs of the new iPad, it is highly possible that the next iPhone will also introduce a “new screen,” possibly maintaining Retina on the larger screen, and also a bigger battery that will support the popular battery life of the Apple iPhone. If so, then the 2012 iPhone might also face the “same problems” reportedly plaguing the new tablet PC of Apple. Last year, the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S offer the same CPU and same-old features like lack of 4G (though the iPad 2 introduced a redesign).
According to customers, the iPad 3 overheats, has an increased “full charging” time, and shorter battery life. It is worth noting that the last “problem” that I mentioned is not widespread and might be related to customers’ activities (and excitement over the new device that will fade gradually).
One iPad 3 customer revealed:
My battery drains pretty fast, too, just doing regular stuff. Almost as fast as my iPhone 4 when I use it heavily. I haven’t done much.
I asked the Apple Store worker about that, and she told me that I need to let it get down to the battery warning, then fully charge it a few times. She said the battery needs to get used to being charged. Sounds pretty crazy to me, but, that’s what she said.
If Apple will increase the size of the iPhone this year, then it is possible that it will also increase the phone’s battery, from the current 1420 mAh Li-Polymer battery that allows up to 7 hours of talk time on 3G or up to 14 hours on 2G, to possibly higher than 1520 mAh that will support the larger screen, the 4G LTE connectivity which consumes more juice and the improved system-on-a-chip A5X.
If customers are buying the iPad 3 due to its new screen and LTE features, then the iPhone 5, arguably, is on the verge of setting its own stellar record too, and analysts are echoing the same scenario this year.
One of them, Maynard Um of UBS, said that the biggest growth of Apple this year will be provided by the iPhone 5, and apparently, he thinks that the sales of the upcoming iPhone will beat the iPad 3's record-breaking numbers.
He said:
We expect Apple to launch its redesigned iPhone 5 in October & expect the company to accelerate the number of initial carriers it sells into to drive its biggest launch ever.
According to rumors, the iPhone 5 might get a June or October release date, after the rumored release of the new MacBook Air and Pro models (still according to rumors, just saying).
