The Cell Phone Junkie

TiPB Friday reported that the next generation iPhone could be on sale in the US starting October 7th.  While they don’t yet know if it will be an iteration of the current generation, or a brand new design, they say:

“An ‘iPhone 4S’-style device, with improved processors and optics, is more likely than an all new design.” 

Further, they say while rumors have been rampant, the iPad 3 is likely on the traditional spring release schedule.

And while we may not know when or what exactly is coming this year, there’s a very good chance it won’t have LTE.  Referring back to our post in April about an LTE-enabled iPhone not arriving until the sixth generation, it seems this timeline still stands.  Since both the Verizon iPhone 4 and the CDMA iPad 2 carry a Qualcomm MDM6600 Gobi chip, Apple is already familiar with what this chip can do.  Plus, the chip supports HSPA+ data rates of up to 14.4 Mbps, a very realistic jump for what we have come to expect out of Cupertino.  Further, remember that Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said their version of Apple’s next-generation iPhone would be a world phone, capable of using CDMA in the US and GSM networks worldwide.  Couple that with Tim Cook of Apple’s comment that the first generation of LTE chipsets force a lot of design compromises they just not willing to make, and the hope of LTE begins to look grim.

And then there’s the logistical side.  Typically, a switch in chips would require a 3-4 month production process on Qualcomm’s part for the initial order.  This would mean if the iPhone 5 was using anything other than the MDM6600 for an October release, we would have likely heard about a leak (like the one from the The Street for it launch) for the switch to something different.  And unless Apple is pushing the device launch into early 2012, I don’t see a chip switch happening this year.

So what does this all mean?  It means that Apple is still working with vendors on a chip, and the production is still a ways off.  My money is still on a CDMA/GSM world phone as the next iPhone.  Unfortunately I’m pretty sure we’re waiting for another year (or more) for LTE in our iPhones.

Source: TiPB (photo via iPhone4G.mobi)