Rumors

An iPhone Mini priced at $330 in China would provide a healthy shot in the arm to Apple's Chinese smartphone sales, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty.

A low-priced iPhone would add another 20 percent to the 10 percent Chinese market share currently addressed by the iPhone 5, the analyst said today. Smartphone prices are starting to stabilize in China, which will open up the market for such a phone. But a deal with China Mobile is also key.

Apple currently sells the iPhone to Chinese consumers through China Unicom and China Telecom. The company has been trying … Read more

Apple may be prepping iOS 6.1.2 for launch early next week. At least, that's the claim from German Apple blog site iFun.

In a blog out today, iFun cited evidence that the next iOS update would probably be available before Wednesday.

Courtesy of Google, the English translation of the German page reads a bit rusty. But the information was apparently based on checks with different mobile carriers, according to 9to5Mac.

This sounds like something strictly for the rumor mill. However, iFun correctly pegged the launch of iOS 6.1.1 based on intel from the same sources, … Read more

iPhone 5S rumors continue to ramp up with a new batch of leaked photos allegedly showing off Apple's next smartphone.

Images from the Chinese Web site Zol.com.cn posted by the Times of India reportedly reveal the front and rear panels of a pre-production model of the iPhone 5S. Not surprisingly, the photos show off a phone with a design similar to that of the current iPhone 5.

Last week, the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6 reportedly popped up at an Apple supplier in China, according to Chinese blog site Sina Tech. A Sina Tech user posted … Read more

Apple's low-cost smartphone will look like the iPhone 5, take some cues from the iPod Touch and the iPod classic, and switch to a plastic body.

At least, that's the latest scuttlebutt from the folks at Apple news site iLounge. Citing the usual "reliable sources," the site claims the new model will be a cross between the iPhone 5, the fifth-generation iPod Touch, and the classic iPod.

Like the current iPhone, the low-cost version would sport a 4-inch 1,136x640 pixel Retina Display and use the new Lightning interface. The sensor, camera, and button arrangement would … Read more

Apple could have a busy summer if the latest iPhone forecast from one analyst comes to fruition.

The company will launch an iPhone 5S and a revamped version of the iPhone 5 in June or July, predicts KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In an investors note received by MacRumors, Kuo said the iPhone 5S would be similar to the current model but offer a few improvements, including an A7 chip for faster performance and a fingerprint sensor. The camera specs would bump up to an f2.0 aperture and a smart LED flash.

The revamped iPhone 5 would be a … Read more

A low-cost iPhone from Apple could be outfitted with a plastic chassis, a downgrade from the usual glass or metal design, according to the folks at DigiTimes.

Citing the usual unnamed supply chain sources, Taiwan-based DigiTimes said the plastic body would be designed to cut costs on the cheaper iPhone. But other rumors tossed off by the site suggest the phone might use a mixture of plastic and metal, with the internal metal parts able to be seen from the outside.

Throwing out yet a third rumor, DigiTimes also said the phone's body would reportedly be made by a … Read more

A cheaper iPhone would give Apple access to a vast new market its current phones don't address -- one currently forecast to reach sales of 580 million units this year, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.

Rumors have been flying lately that Apple will introduce a low-cost iPhone to reach out to developing markets and offer more competition to Android. Assuming the rumors prove true, Munster -- one of the most bullish of Apple bulls -- believes such a phone would give Apple's market share a huge boost.

"We believe that the high-end smartphone market (above $… Read more

That much-rumored "cheap" Apple iPhone could hit the market at a lowball price of $99, according to a story published today by Bloomberg.

Citing an unnamed source familiar with Apple's plans, Bloomberg said the phone would sell at a price range of $99 to $149 and would pop up late this year at the earliest.

Apple has already been chatting with at least one of the top U.S. wireless carriers about selling the phone, according to the source. The company has reportedly been working on a low-cost iPhone since February 2011 in a bid to grab … Read more

Is an "iPhone Mini" on the horizon? Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston thinks so. But why?

Samsung has been the clear winner in the smartphone wars, with Apple playing second fiddle. And that lead may wider further in 2013.

Based on data sent to CNET, Mawston expects Samsung to carve out a 33 percent chunk of the smartphone market this year, up from a projected 31 percent in 2012. At the same time, Apple's share will inch up to 21 percent from 20 percent last year. Samsung could sell as many as 290 million smartphones this year, … Read more