“The only thing I know for sure is Apple will disappoint the mercurial stock market with whatever they release, and I say that without fear,” Mike Wuerthele writes for MacNN. “I’ve never really thought that the subscription television service was going to materialize this year, and all of the regular channels that report this are walking it back already, all part of the rumor ecosystem. So, color me about as shocked as you’d think, given my previous stance on the service.”
“To go with this, I don’t foresee a hugely different new Apple TV either,” Wuerthele writes. “There’s just no reason to do so at this point! If there’s anything to it at all, it’ll get a new processor, and perhaps app support, but I doubt either of those at this time. I don’t see more than a token nod to the Apple TV at all.”
“I’m guessing there will be two phones, with the larger one using a 2560×1440 resolution to keep up with competing flagship devices, while the ‘regular’ version will get the 1080p resolution. As for the naming convention this time, Apple could end up going with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus,” Malcolm Owen writes for MacNN. “Overall thickness will be marginally smaller than the iPhone 6, if only for Apple to claim it to be the ‘thinnest iPhone ever,’ the A8 processor will continue to be used, and Apple will finally upgrade that eight-megapixel rear sensor to something beefier, like a 16MP or 20MP version.”
Many more predictions in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ve long said Apple should skip the “S” naming convention. Here’s hoping they finally do it!
It’s as if Apple is naming iPhone models solely for their own internal inventory purposes, just so they can keep track of which model is which, with no regard for how the iPhones are perceived by the rest of the world – the media, the customers, etc. – outside One Infinite Loop.
The “S” doesn’t stand for “Speed,” it stands for “Stupid.” Yes, we know it’s the same case design; we know the “S” version is the one you make the big margins on; we get it. Call it the “S” internally if you must, but don’t be so engineer-ish that you insist on calling it that on the box, too!
Before the iPhone 4S, everyone was waiting for the “iPhone 5.” When the 4S debuted, disappointment reigned. All because of the name. Nearly everything else about the phone was an improvement or a new addition (Siri).
“You either leak ‘no iPhone 5’ to a credible outlet in order to tamp down anticipation beforehand or you name the damn thing ‘iPhone 5,’ even if you don’t think it worthy, and be done with it. The former is far preferrable to the latter for integrity’s sake, but doing neither signals a worrying degree of tone deafness. Managing the media, not to mention peoples’ expectations, is part of your job now, too, Tim. – MacDailyNews, ‘New Apple iPhone 4S fails to wow investors, fans,’ October 4, 2011
“There are plenty of numbers in the universe. Infinite, actually. Don’t worry, Apple, you won’t run out. Wonder what the mood would be right now had Apple simply named ‘iPhone 4S’ the ‘iPhone 5?’ – MacDailyNews, ‘Apple underwhelms with iPhone 4S,’ October 4, 2011
It’s not about sales figures or the model’s success (as long as “iPhone” is in the name, it will be a success), it’s about setting a tone. In this case, with the “S,” Apple sets a tone that they are just making an incremental update (read: losing their innovation edge) which allows the media and competitors to claim, wrongly, that other companies have surpassed Apple. Why gift the naysayers with the opportunity, Apple?