The iPhone 4S, 26 million pieces sold as of the second quarter of 2012 (result that is not negative but lower than expected) is about to retire to make way for the highly anticipated iPhone 5. Very little is missing now, even if Apple, as per tradition, does everything to keep the new product hidden until the last moment and even to leave a mystery about its actual release.
This partly in order not to further damage the sales of the latest 4S, already considered disappointing, and partly to create the usual suspense complete with rumors and denials. For now, there is only one certainty: the date of the presentation. It will happen on September 12 at the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco at 19 pm Italian time, as the invitation to the press reads: “It's almost here” (it's almost there), with a number 12 whose shadow seems to draw a 5, which should be the name of the new iPhone model.
On the other hand, indecision remains on the actual date of release on the market which some say is expected, at least for the United States and the main countries (not Italy, where it usually arrives a week later). Friday 21 September or in any case by the end of the month. The mystery of the new jewel was instead partially revealed - if the images are reliable, as many believe - by a Japanese site that posted some photos of the iPhone 5. The only obviously visible new feature is the touch screen larger than the previous one (4 inches compared to 3,5), in 16/9 format, and a much thinner thickness than the 4S, and even according to rumors than the Samsung Galaxy S3.
The dimensions of the iPhone number 5 should indeed be 58,47mm x 123,83mm x 7,6mm thick, which would make it – by just one millimeter compared to the S3 – the thinnest smartphone on the market. The other possible novelties will be there 4G LTE connectivity, which had never completely convinced Steve Jobs due to its impact on the battery, of which however Tim Cook has improved the power and therefore there shouldn't be any problems with duration; The new operating system iOS 6 and version 2.0 of Siri, Apple's voice assistant, which on paper should be one of the flagships of Cupertino's latest creation. The price in countries with the euro should be no less than 600 euros, but there is talk of a cost even around 700.
The real challenge of Tim Cook and of the entire bitten apple company, which continues to be the company with the most value on the stock market (674,18 dollars per share) even if, as is known, it suffered the historic overtaking of Samsung (judicial disputes at part) in sales, will be to resist and respond to the onslaught of the latest jewel of the Korean house, the Galaxy S3, which in the first two months of its release sold over 10 million units worldwide, helping to position Samsung ranks first in US market share with 25,6% (ComScore data). Apple, on the other hand, is only third with 16%, also surpassed by LG with 18%. And also pay attention to the new challenges that come from behind: Nokia is ready to launch tomorrow its first phone with the Windows Phone 8 system, while Motorola should offer the Droid Rzar. Thursday will instead be the turn of Amazon which, according to rumors, should present the new version of the Kindle Fire.
All of them will therefore try to burn the iPhone 5 in time, even if the real important novelty is the combination between the Finnish company looking for a relaunch and Microsoft: together they are laboriously trying to suggest a new operating system to the market, which could sooner or later challenge the Apple-Google duopoly with iOS and Android, which currently hold 19% and 64% of the market respectively.
