Apple is Getting Ready for the iPhone 5 Launch

Apple is Getting Ready for the iPhone 5 Launch

One of the biggest Chinese newspapers, China Times, reported this week that Apple has received a shipment of 400,000 iPhone 5 smartphones, that are to be tested before the release of 4,000,000 units this September. This article suggests that the big launch will take place in the second week of September.

Rumors from other iPhone publications and websites, like iPhone Italia, who heard this from an undisclosed executive at Swisscom, point towards a more exact release date, it being September 5, which is also Labor Day in the U.S. this year. A major product launch on a holiday is very unlikely and Apple hasn’t confirmed, denied or announced anything official.

More info from this report indicate that Apple will also launch the new iPad 3 around Thanksgiving this year and that it will be a big improvement over the current iPad. The device is being released later than it was initially thought due to component problems. Most analysts are skeptical that Apple will launch an upgrade to one of their best sellers, the iPad 2, only 9 months after it was introduced, while other analysts say we will see a new iPad this year in the form of an “iPad 2 Plus”, which will be a slightly improved iPad 2.

Apple has previously launched new iPhones at the Worldwide Developers Conference(WWDC), which is held in June, and most people were expecting the iPhone 5 back then. Attention now turns to September, when Apple normally holds its iPod focused event. Also, because the new operating system is scheduled to be released this Fall, it is expected that the iPhone 5 will be introduced at the same time as the iOS 5.

iPhone 5 to Benefit from Improved Voice Command System

Recently, Apple filed a patent for an enhanced voice control system which will probably be implemented in the future iOS 5. This system would work by reducing the quantity of information users have to listen to when using their iPhones. Additionally, the system can get familiarized with a user’s preferences over time and deliver only the “tailored” information that he needs. This system, named “Adaptive Audio Feedback System and Method” would apply to alerts, menu navigation and prompts.

Since the purchase of Siri, a “personal assistant” for iPhone, who understands and answers voice commands like “Call me a taxi.” or “Where is the nearest Starbucks?”, Apple has been working hard to improve the voice control in its mobile gadgets. Some rumors say that the voice control will be “deeply integrated” in the next OS.

We can’t wait to see the alpha version of the iOS 5, but most of all, we can’t wait for the new iPhone 5 to be launched.