People certainly do not waste any time. It’s the first full workday of 2013 and as the world wakes up from its collective holiday season coma, the rumor cycle has started spinning in full gear. The hype target everybody is shooting for? Apple, of course.
Apple rumors are the lifeblood of the technology media. Feeling bored? Looking for a story? Well, find a “source” and speculate that the new iDevice is coming and “it will be super awesome this time, believe our sources.”
Today is an especially big day for the Apple rumor cycle. It seems like everyone was sitting on their hands during the holidays, waiting until the real work started at the beginning of the new year to spew their collective Apple-gasms.
So, what are people prognosticating? Here is a roundup of the rumor mill.
iPhone 6 & iOS 7 Being Tested By Apple
The Next Web reports supposed data logs showing that new iPhone hardware and software are being tested at Apple’s Cupertino campus. The identifier that developers are seeing shows an identifier as “iPhone6,2” showing up in logs. For reference, the iPhone 5 shows up in developer logs as “iPhone5,1” or “iPhone5,2” depending on the type of iPhone a person is using.
New iPhones To Come In Multiple Screen Sizes/Colors
Business Insider points out a prediction from analyst Brian White of Topeka Capital saying that the new iPhones will come in multiple colors and screen sizes and could be released by June this year. To note, June is usually when Apple does its World Wide Developer’s Conference and has historically been when the company announces the newest version of iOS though typically not the iPhone that will launch with it. Apple moving away from the black/white color scheme would not be surprising considering that the new iPod Touch line comes in a variety of colors and it seems that Apple’s manufacturers could easily apply that to any new iPhones.
iPad Mini 2 – Retina & A6 Processor
CNET thinks that the iPad Mini 2 is in the works and that the next iteration of Apple’s smaller tablet will get the same Retina display as the fourth-generation iPad along with the A6 processor that shipped with the iPhone 5. Those seem fairly realistic predictions. What do you think Apple would do? Ship an iPad Mini 2 that was not quantifiably better than the original? Forget for a second that is basically what Apple did in October when it announced the fourth-generation iPad upgrade over the third-generation released in March.
Apple Leaving Samsung For TSMC
An article from AppsGoneFree cites reports that Apple is leaving Samsung for production on its new ARM-based processor A6X for iPads and iPhones. The article states that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will be the producer of the A6X Apple and Samsung are at war for the top of the smartphone market (which Samsung is winning) and in patent courts, so it makes plenty of sense that Apple would be looking to shift its processor business away from the Korean tech giant.
Macs Get Faster Wi-Fi
The Next Web chimes in with another rumor, stating that the new Mac computers in 2013 will have “5G Wi-Fi” chips (otherwise known as 802.11ac networking). This is the newest version of Wi-Fi and we will likely see it coming to many new devices in the next year or so.
Not to be outdone, the Android community is also dishing out its own rumors.
New Samsung Galaxy S Device In Benchmarks
Phone Arena shows benchmarks from NenaMark2 for a Samsung device with the tagline identifier of GT-I9600. Android Authority doubts the credibility of the benchmark and wonders if perhaps it is some type of vaporware.
HTC Product Roadmap For 2013
Android Authority cites a report that shows the codenames of 35 new HTC smartphones in development. That might seem like a lot of different phones, but keep in mind that one smartphone can have several different iterations, depending on the country it is intended for and what kind of cellular connection it is using.
The rumor hogs are just getting started. Speculation of Apple remains extremely high and Android enthusiasts are just as enamored with what might be coming as their Apple counterparts.
What devices are you looking forward to in 2013? Let us know in the comments.
