Having to wait until 1pm EST to find out everything we want to know about the iPhone 5s (and 5C?) is going to be difficult for all of us. So let’s speculate wildly about what kind of new features we’re going to see unveiled later today.
UPDATE: The event is now over, and we’ve got a recap of what we learned about the iPhone 5S and 5C right here.
The most fervent rumor being bandied about the past couple of days is that this generation of phones will come with a fingerprint sensor. The Wall Street Journal has all but confirmed this new addition, pointing to several different sources that say the sensor is real. Of course, the fact that Apple was so interested in buying the fingerprint sensor company AuthenTec last June doesn’t hurt, either.
Why a fingerprint sensor? There’s the obvious extra log-in security that comes with marking a user by such a distinctive feature, but there are also other potential uses as well — the phone might be able to recognize multiple fingerprints to make room for several users, which would be perfect for parents who allow their children access to the apps on their phone. It might also be possible to program to program certain apps like Facebook messenger or Snapchat to signal when you’re available to receive messages by reading when your hand is actually on the phone.
Either way, we’re all pretty sure that the fingerprint sensor will be embedded into a convex home button, unlike the flat or vaguely concave ones that Apple iPhones have come standard with in the past.
Signs also point to Apple releasing a cheaper version if the iPhone for lower income households, which will most likely be called the iPhone 5C. This low-cost phone will have a candy-colored plastic backing instead of the usual back panel. China Labor Watch basically confirmed this months ago in a report about Apple’s substandard labor conditions, but we’ve also got this video by Jail Breaker Tanner Marsh, who purportedly got his hands on a couple of the cases a few weeks ago.
Speaking of different colored iPhones, it’s also been rumored that in addition to the white and black we’ve come to expect, the iPhone 5S will also supposedly come in gray (to replace the black), as well as champagne gold. Here’s another video of those cases from AppAdvice, as well as another look at the blue iPhone 5C casing in glorious 1080p HD:
The only thing Apple has released about this event is that the new iPhone will “brighten your day,” which we think is supposed to be a hint at all these different color options. Though you never know, of course — maybe what they’re actually hinting at is that they’re going to blind everybody at the event and steal all their money like a Superman villain would, or something. This is Apple we’re talking about, after all.
According to Slashgear, the iPhone 5S will also come with a dual-LED flash and new F2.0 aperture that would allow the device to work much better in low-light conditions. Otherwise, the hardware will most likely be very similar to — if not exactly the same as — the iPhone 5, with the same processors, display, camera technology, and RAM as the previous model. That’s not as fun to talk about as pretty colors and fancy fingerprint technology, though.
And, of course, we’re all expecting the 5S to come standard with iOS 7. Regardless of whether or not any of the other rumors pan out later today, that much is a pretty safe bet.
(via VentureBeat, BGR, Slashgear)
- Will Apple livestream the event? Maybe? We don’t know yet!
- Here’s how to watch if it it doesn’t get streamed live
- Our own Glen Tickle would really like to see these new features
