iPhone 5 rumor rollup for the week ending Feb. 17

iPhone 5: Weighty evidence, the mystery of iOS versions, 3D magic

By John Cox, Network World
February 17, 2012 02:59 PM ET

. What's this?

The iOSsphere seemed to be nearing exhaustion, swinging between summer and fall release dates, the differences between .1 and .2 firmware versions, and wild longings for a 3D user interface.

And all we really had to show for it was another iPhone 5 scam.

You read it here second.

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"It seems to be becoming more and more of a coin-toss situation each and every day regarding whether or not Apple will opt for an iPhone 5 release date in the summer or fall of this year, with rather weighty evidence backing both possibilities."
Eddie Jones, NewsSizzle.com, apparently the last man on earth to realize that more and more rumors lead to more and more uncertainty.

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iPhone 5 release this summer ... or fall

The good thing about rumors is the same thing that's bad about them: They're unmoored from reality.

"It seems to be becoming more and more of a coin-toss situation each and every day regarding whether or not Apple will opt for an iPhone 5 release date in the summer or fall of this year, with rather weighty evidence backing both possibilities," writes an exasperated-sounding Eddie Jones at NewsSizzle.com, who added 1 + 1 and came up with less than zero.

But at least he has "rather weighty evidence." And what is this evidence, you ask?

It's "the latest string of rumors surfacing from the world's mobile technology industry," along with stuff that was "said by many," not to mention "countless key sources and supposed Foxconn workers."

If that isn't evidence, what is?

Jones still seems to be hoping that iPhone 5 will be announced on iOctober 5, the first anniversary of Steve Jobs' death (although Apple could still surprise us all and announce it, or iPad 3 or something, on his birthday next week, Feb. 24). How likely is a deathday observance? "The fact that the iPhone 5 was said by many to be one of the most dedicated passions of Jobs and a project he had personally been involved in for years would make this suggestion a distinct possibility to say the least," Jones intones.

On the other hand.

"On the other hand, suggestions of a possible summer launch appear to have just as much weight behind them, as countless key sources and supposed Foxconn workers have claimed that the iPhone 5 is pretty much ready to go and will return Apple to its usual iPhone launch schedule at the WWDC [Worldwide Developer Conference] in June."

So, to say the least, it's a distinct possibility that iPhone will be announced either this summer or next fall. We wouldn't have to read this stuff if Jones had simply done what he suggests at the outset of his post: flip a coin.

iPhone 5 will run iOS 5.something-or-other, not iOS 6

Taking rumors at face value, Michael Nace, at the un-ironically named iPhone 5 News Blog, wonders if the imminent release of iOS 5.1 will "foreshadow a refreshed iOS 5.2 for the iPhone 5, and not a full iOS 6 overhaul?"

In a post that has only a superficial coherence, Nace explains that iOS 5, unveiled in June 2011, was a big deal but it also contributed to the reported battery life problems of iPhone 4S, unveiled in October. So Apple is soon bringing out 5.1, and that means it could also later bring out 5.2, unless it doesn't.