Another year, another new iPhone arrives from Apple, and even though we should be used to it by now, the amount of hype, rumor and speculation always seems to increase with every new release. With only five days to go until the event at the Yerba Buena Center, we have a relatively good idea of what to expect, although quite a few features still remain up in the air.
One of the key issues up for discussion is with regards to the pricing. Some reports have suggested the next iPhone will increase in price over the iPhone 4S, but source of 9to5Mac has suggested the upcoming Apple smartphone will retail at the same current price bracket as the iPhone 4S. There have also been one or two murmurings suggesting the basic version will sit at 32GB, with the most expensive packing a whopping 128GB, but our better judgment inclines us to presume the next iPhone will keep the same storage brackets as the iPhone 4S.
According to 9to5Mac’s tipsters, the next iPhone, codenamed "N42", will be unveiled at next week’s event on September 12th. While this may seem like a statement of the obvious, it’s worth noting that 9to5Mac indicated the existence of the N42 as far back as May, so the sources highlighted once again appear to know what they’re talking about.
The N42 is confirmed as having the 1136×640, 4-inch display we’ve familiarized ourselves with over the past couple of months, and interestingly, Apple was also working on a parallel iPhone 5 codenamed which packed in the NFC capabilities we’ve now accepted will not be a feature of the N42, or the retail version of the next-gen iPhone.
The part codes matrix revealed by a source at a well-known US retail company suggest the prices will remain the same as the iPhone 4S, suggesting the storage configurations will indeed remain the same, and pre-orders if the device are set to begin shortly after next week’s announcement, as is often the case.
According to sources, Apple has already prepared a glut of new accessories ready for the next device, although details on what this entails remain scarce.
Whatever the case, all will be confirmed on Wednesday, so make sure you keep up with our coverage here at Redmond Pie!
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