“Apple Inc. is getting closer to launching its next iPhone,” Lorraine Luk and Yukari Iwatani Kane report for The Wall Street Journal. “Apple has ordered key components for a new iPhone it is aiming to launch by the end of September, said people familiar with the situation.”
“These people said the new iPhone is expected to be similar to the current iPhone 4, but thinner and lighter with an improved eight-megapixel camera,” Luk and Kane report. “A person briefed on Apple’s product plans said the company initially planned to launch its next iPhone this summer as it usually does, but the device wasn’t ready in time.”
Advertisement: Students, parents and Faculty save up to $200 on a new Mac.
Luk and Kane report, “People briefed on Apple’s plans said the company is planning a major iPhone revamp [next year], with one person saying the company has been experimenting with features such as a new way of charging the phone. Apple has also been working on a less-expensive phone with new features such as an edge-to-edge screen, according to this person.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
You have to think like Apple. You have to also think like a geek without going all bonkers.
They will use a technology that’s relatively mature, yet innovative in their sector. It will possess characteristics of high volume, relatively low cost production and ease of manufacturing.
While inductive charging is a possibility, it’s not cost effective and it’s not closely tied to their business model of doing things.
Solar, is a a tricky one. Most solar panels which are cheapest to produce tend to store very little energy over long periods of time. How often do your iPhone see light? Not only will they have to use high solar absorbing panel tech, but it will most likely be too costly to use.
Kinetic energy. They use it in watches and it’s somewhat a mature technology. However, the biggest drawback is the amount of energy it produces. Very miniscule. Using this tech will be a form of battery assistance, so regular plug-in is still required.
Think about it. When you play games on the iPhone, a lot of the games are require physics and that’s where kinetic will come into play. How often do take out or play with your phone? Is your phone low on battery? Take 5 minutes and swing it around (just don’t toss it) to make emergency calls.
Apple’s great at re-inventing the wheel.
You’ve put down many good points. The key to manufacturing is not that new technology is always good but it’s a question of how to manufacture it in bulk based on proven manufacturing techniques that can be applied successfully and not lead to failure in the hands of the consumer.
Addressing the issue of inductive charging, this will immediately overturn the 30-pin connector that’s used for data transfer and charging. What will take its place for data transfer? Not everyone owns a WiFi router whereas every iPhone and iPad comes with a connector cable (and charger). What would the benefits of inductive charging have that outweigh plugging your iPad into a dock or cable connector? You can already purchase after market inductive charging mats so I can’t see this being developed by Apple.
Wireless sync is coming (finally) in iOS 5. And you wouldn’t need a wireless router if you set your computer to create a peer to peer wireless network. And that is with current software; Airdrop related tech in Lion could make manually setting Airport to peer-to-peer unnecessary. So with wireless sync plus wireless charging, there really wouldn’t be much need for a cable. Between the connector and the cable itself, this will shave valuable space, grams and $$$ off the iPhone. And one less thing to plug and unplug!
“People briefed on Apple’s plans”… That’s where you stop taking the article seriously.
Wireless charging has low energy conversion efficiency (nothing “green” and economic about it), and iPhone’s metal frame would make it even lower comparing to mostly plastic phones. So not sure at all that Apple will go in this direction.