The iPhone 5 has been a subject of intense speculation in the recent months. Wjen will iPhone 5 release? What new features will iPhone 5 have? Will iphone 5 include NFC technology? Will it have longer duration battery?…and so on. People at applefanboynews.com, have come-up with a cool infographic attractively capturing all recent iPhone 5 rumors and speculations. The infographic also includes chances of features to be available in iPhone 5 expressed in percentage. So, have a look at this infographic and make your own guess on Apple iPhone 5. And yes, according to latest rumors, the iPhone 5 is expected to be launched in October. Till then, let the rumor mills run…

Source- applefanboynews.com

Apple has released the 5^th beta version of its soon-to-be launched operating system iOS 5 for iPad and iPhone developers. The iOS 5 beta 5 has build number 9A5288d. The latest beta version is available as OTA update but iOS app developers are required to erase all content and recommended backing up their device before installing it.

The latest beta version only fixes bugs and has no major upgrade from the previous version.

Apple has released beta 4 of iOS 5 two weeks back. The iOS 5 is expected to be released in September coinciding with the release of Apple’s next generation iPhone 5.

According to IMS Research, worldwide smartphone sales will surpass to 420 million units this year accounting for nearly 28% of the global mobile handset market. The survey further predicts that yearly sales of smartphones will exceed one billion devices by the end of 2016, with every one of every two mobile handsets being a smartphone.

While comparing first quarter-to-quarter in 2011, the report reveals that Nokia’s smartphone sales declined by 34% to 16.7 million. The report notes that, with 20 million units, Apple remains an influential player in the market in spite of fierce competition from its rivals. Samsung also seems to be doing quite well owing to its diverse portfolio including devices by its own bada operating system, Android and Windows Mobile. Samsung’s market jumped from nearly 3% in first quarter of 2010 to 13% in the first quarter of 2011.

“Clearly one of the key dynamics of the mobile handset competitive environment in recent years has been the inability of many traditional market leaders to recognize and adjust to the growing smartphone tier,” says Josh Builta, analyst in IMS’ Mobile Technologies Group.

“The reasons for these failures vary and include everything from poorly designed and manufactured devices, unsatisfactory user interfaces, and portfolios that don’t offer products with a differentiating feature. These lapses have created opportunities for newer entrants to the market, which they have aggressively pursued” he adds.

A rumor widely circulating in the web pins down Apple iPhone 5 release to the 2^nd week of September. The recent rumor dovetails earlier speculations that the Cupertino based iPhone maker is expected to release its next generation iPhone in September. The report further claims that suppliers of Apple are presently preparing for 4 million units.

According to the report, iPad 3 release may be delayed till Thanksgiving. The delay is due to shortage of components for Apple’s next Tablet device.

Several websites and newspapers have earlier speculated that the Apple iPhone 5 release will happen in September. For the past 3 years, Apple has been organizing a musical event in September and it is rumored that it will use the occasion to release its next iPhone.

A survey by PriceGrabber reveals that 35% of new buyers in U.S. plan to buy Apple’s iPhone 5 whenever it will be released.

Its release is widely speculated and anticipated. The web world is rife with speculations on its features. Apple’s iPhone 5 release is getting the build-up like no other iPhone. Add to it, a survey by PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, reporting that over 1/3 rd of buyers in U.S. are set to buy Apple’s next generation iPhone whenever it will be released. The survey further reports that 51% of buyers plan to buy  iPhone 5 in the first year of its release, 30% plan to buy it by the end of 2011 and 14% will buy it in the first month.

When it comes to the new features in iPhone 5, 59% indicated an improved battery life, and 55% expecting the new iPhone to be less costly. For 46% 4G network compatibility was important while 45% respondents are hoping for a larger screen, and 42% for an improved camera.

“Our survey data confirms the strong following Apple has built around its iPhone, with more than one-third of consumers planning to upgrade to the latest model only a little over a year following the release of the iPhone 4,” stated Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber.

“Anticipation and brand loyalty are certainly high, but in today’s 24-7 work culture and uncertain economic environment, consumers are cautious to look for a reasonably priced phone that will perform optimally over an extended time period.”

An overwhelming 48% respondent voted for Apple iOS as the preferred operating system followed by Android at 19% and Windows at 7%.

The iPhone 5 is expected to be released in September.

Data from comScore reveals that there has been a substantial rise in smartphone usage in UK. According to the study, in May 2011, 42% of mobile consumers used a smartphone compared to 27% a year ago. It further says that the increasing smartphone usage in the country has led to a competitive landscape for the leading mobile OS like Apple, Google and Nokia’s Symbian.

Apple’s iOS has surpassed Symbian over the past year to become the leading smartphone platform in with 27.1% market share, followed by Android with 26.7% and Symbian with 22.5% market share. Google’s Android has swiftly grown its user base adding close to 4.7 million new users over the past year, a jump of a whopping 634%.

Last week we reported that a Blogger by online name BirdAbroad found a few fake Apple App Stores operating in the Kunming city of China. According to a local newspaper, Chinese officials have investigated around 300 shops in the city and found 5 such Apple Stores operating without licenses from Apple Inc. All these shops have been found to sell genuine Apple products but are being investigated for lack of business license. Two such shops have been asked to close their business.

Apple posted all time record revenue for the third quarter ending June. The Company posted record revenue of $28.57 billion and net profit of $7.31 billion for the quarter with global sales accounting for 62% of the revenue. We came across a chart titled “The Evolution of Apple’s Business” showcasing Apple’s revenue by product since December’07. The chart beautifully showcases how iPhone has been the chief revenue earner for the Cupertino based giant and how its iconic device iPad has added to its fortune in a short span of time. So, scroll down and trace the footprints of Apple’s financial journey-

Apple is seriously penetrating the huge Chinese market. Mobile consumers in China too have shown great inclination for iPhones, iPads and iPods. Apple products are doing well in China. The booming Apple business has led to mushrooming fake Apple Stores in the China. A 27 year old blogger who blogs by the name Birdabroad has unearthed a fake Apple store in Kunming. Apple has only four official stores in China, two in Beijing and two in Shanghai, and none in Kunming. Further efforts by the blogger revealed two more rip-off Apple stores, one sporting a sign “Apple Stoer.”

“I know, you guys are laughing: an Apple store in Kunming? No one who doesn’t know me personally has ever heard of Kunming before. Kunming is the end of the Earth. It’s all true – but seriously, China warps your mind into believing that anything is possible, if you stay here long enough. When we went back to this store 5 days later and couldn’t find it, having overshot by two blocks, I seriously thought that it had simply been torn down and replaced with a bank in the mean time – hey, it’s China. That could happen.

You have already guessed the punchline, of course: this was a total Apple store ripoff. A beautiful ripoff – a brilliant one – the best ripoff store we had ever seen (and we see them every day). But some things were just not right: the stairs were poorly made. The walls hadn’t been painted properly.”

Source- Birdabroad

The already heated race between smartphone handset manufacturers is further heating up. Motorola Droid Bionic and Apple iPhone 5 are two devices which are widely anticipated this year. The web world is rife with speculations and rumors on both the devices. Android fans are expecting Motorola Droid Bionic to take on Apple next generation iPhone. Will Motorola’s next device will be able to beat Apple’s iPhone 5? Here, in this article, we breakdown key features and compare Apple iPhone 5 with Motorola Droid Bionic based on the rumors circulating around the internet.