iPad 3 Sets Table for 'Huge' LTE iPhone 5 Release

iPad 3 Sets Table for ‘Huge’ LTE iPhone 5 Release

Written by Craig Galbraith
March 8, 2012

The new iPad will run on AT&T and Verizon's super-speedy 4G networks, something bound to increase sales. It now seems highly unlikely that a new iPhone, debuting months later, will come without LTE capability.

One day after the third-generation iPad was announced, here come the predictions about the next-gen iPhone, which most expect to go on sale either shortly after Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June or in the fall one year after the debut of the huge-selling iPhone 4S.

And speaking of huge, that’s exactly how Kirk Yang, an analyst at Barclay’s Capital, described the upcoming launch of the iPhone 5 or whatever it will be called in an interview with Bloomberg. Now Kirk’s not going out on a limb here considering the success of previous iPhones particularly the latest version. But the new iPad has him considering the likely improvements to Apple’s iconic smartphone.

Compatibility with LTE networks is probably the biggest potential upgrade. The new iPad was introduced Wednesday with the news that it would run on AT&T and Verizon’s super-speedy 4G networks, something bound to increase sales. It now seems highly unlikely that a new iPhone, debuting months later, will come without LTE capability.

The iPad 3 has an A5X processor, featuring a quad-core graphics chip and a dual-core CPU; industry speculation is that the iPhone 5’s will be quad-core, somewhere between 1.2 and 1.5 GHz. The new iPhone should also be visually stunning early clues point to an HD screen and a curved-glass display. But this was also the speculation last fall before we learned the 2011 version (4S) wouldn’t be a complete revamp. Resolution in the new iPad is also improved, as is the rear-facing camera. The new iPhone camera might be as sharp as 10 megapixels.

Apple says the new iPad will still feature 10 hours of battery life, despite LTE, which has proven to be a drain on many compatible devices. That gives consumers hope that the battery in a new iPhone will be improved.

And mobile commerce might be easier in a new iPhone. Near-field communication technology for mobile payments was hyped as possible for last year’s device, but didn’t happen. Yet the mobile-payment tidal wave can’t be far away and this might be the year Apple rides it.