Sticking To These iPhone 5/4S Predictions

October 3rd, 2011

Less than 24 hours to go before Apple’s iPhone 5 / 4S announcement and like clockwork, the rumors go into overdrive. And this is where you gotta dial everything back by half, both to avoid disappointment, but also avoid looking like a doofus predicting the illogical.

So these are my educated guesses as to what Apple announces tomorrow, which I’m sticking to no matter what I read after dinner and a beer or two:

• No “new” iPhone 5 so to speak. It will be called “iPhone 4S.” Faster chip, better camera, universal (runs on several networks = no separate iPhone hardware for Verizon and AT&T), slightly larger screen. Case will be aluminum with a tapered back, kind of like a mini iPad, but symmetrical on all sides to allow for any orientation.
• Sprint added as a carrier. They’ll differentiate themselves with a slightly better unlimited data plan.
• The current iPhone 4 will drop in price and fulfill the rumors of a cheaper iPhone. Maybe 8GB for $99.
• With no radically new hardware, lots of emphasis on software (iOS5) and new features, first being “Assistant” voice recognition. I hope Apple has polished it to where it’s actually useful.
• MobileMe -> iCloud.
• iTunes Match. Hoping for a streaming video announcement, since Amazon’s recent Kindle Fire announcement has left Apple a bit behind.
• No more iPod Shuffle and iPod Classic. The Nano and iPod Touch models will drop in price. All touch.

So that’s it. No NFC, no Apple’s own TV, no WiMax, no holographic 3D screen, no Steve Jobs Special Edition MacBook Air that transforms into a foldable iPad, no partnership with Facebook that makes Schmidt cry like a baby.

Yes, these predictions are scaled back and slightly underwhelming, but most likely right. And I look forward to being proved wrong tomorrow.