iPhone 5 Release Date Rumors: Will the iPhone 5 Have LTE?
Attention Turns Toward iPhone 5
The perks of the iPhone 4S, which include the voice recognition system Siri and an 8MP camera, have already lost the attention of consumers as they await the next best thing: the iPhone 5.
Expected to debut in 2012, the appearance and features of the iPhone 5 have remained unannounced by Apple. The company has a penchant for suspense when selling its products, as seen by the “Let’s Talk iPhone” press conference on Oct. 4, during which Apple CEO Tim Cook unleashed the iPhone 4S instead of the highly anticipated iPhone 5.
Critics are predicting that LTE, or wireless broadband technology, may be added to the iPhone 5.
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“If carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint can build out their LTE networks so that more than a fractional minority of users have local access to an LTE signal, and if LTE antennas get small enough that they can fit into a phone without making the phone an oversized battery guzzler, then Apple can be expected to add LTE to the iPhone 5,” wrote Bill Palmer of Beatweek Magazine.
With more and more companies using LTE, critics argue that competitors could leave Apple in the dust if it fails to deliver LTE on the new iPhone 5.
LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is an update of the previous UMTS technology, delivering faster data speeds via wireless broadband.
The biggest problem with coupling iPhone 5 with LTE is size; according to tech. blog AnandTech, the iPhone 5 will not be able to fit an LTE chip without shrinking battery size, as seen through the existing iPhone 4 PCB. The large number if applications expected for the new iPhone 5 will require huge battery support.
No matter the details of the iPhone 5, critics contend that Apple’s reputation for producing trendy, desirable products will result in the iPhone 5 generating millions of sales.
According to Apple, the current iPhone 4S broke cell phone records with 4 million sales in its first weekend.
