Rumor Roundup: Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” Event

Submitted by lalit on October 3, 2011 - 11:09pm.

Tomorrow is the D-day and we will finally come to know which rumors will come true and which will remain just rumors. Blogosphere has been buzzing with all kinds of rumors ranging from silly (Apple will introduce $299 iPad) to more creditable (Apple will have two iPhone models). Here are the five rumors that we think will come true in one form or another:

iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 or Both: Apple has delayed their regular iPhone launch schedule (mostly June or July every year) by almost 4 months hinting that there are some major changes in store. Since April it has been rumored that the next generation iPhone 5 will have teardrop design and tapered edges with larger screen, higher megapixel camera (8-megapixel) and dual core A5 processor. However, recently many rumor sites have started saying that the next generation iPhone won’t see a design change it will be same as iPhone 4 and will be called iPhone 4S. This phone will have updated internals like A5 processor and 8-megpaixel camera, but very little external changes. Also there is a small group of analysts and bloggers who believe we will see both iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 with iPhone 4S as a mid-end phone and iPhone 5 as a higher-end device.

Assistant iPhone Feature: According to some reports, voice commands will be deeply integrated in upcoming iPhone with a new feature called Assistant. The new feature will actually speak back and forth with the user to gain the most information. For example, if you create a calendar event by saying “setup a meeting with John”. The Assistant will ask time and date by saying “what time and date?” Once the calendar event is setup Assistant will ask “which e-mail address should John be notified at, work or personal?” Some people with knowledge of the new feature say that the system will be so intuitive that it will change the way we interact with our smartphones.

iPod touch and iPod nano Update: Rumors are that Apple will discontinue iPod shuffle and iPod classic and will only have iPod touch and iPod nano for this holiday season. The iPod touch won’t get any major update, but the iPod nano might get a camera and software update to bring some new features. Overall, the iPod lineup is slowly dropping off Apple’s radar.

iOS 5: The new mobile operating system from Apple has been in beta testing for over three months and the latest beta release of iOS 5, which was posted on August 31st is very stable and ready to hit the masses. Apple has added over 200 new features to the OS including new notification center, Twitter support, iMessage, Reminders and PC free syncing. Rumors are Apple will release iOS 5 on Monday the 10th October.

iCloud: Along with the iOS 5, Apple also showcased iCloud – the service that automatically and wirelessly syncs music, photos, apps, calendars, documents and more to all you devices. The service has been in beta testing for three months and is now ready for primetime. iCloud and Assistant will be the two main features of next generation iPhone.

We will be doing live coverage of the Apple iPhone event tomorrow at 10 AM PST / 1PM EST. Please join us for a live commentary at live.techztalk.com.