iPhone 6 rumor rollup for the week ending Jan. 25

The combination of intense cold gripping much of the U.S. and feverish iPhone speculation is creating extreme rumoring conditions, threatening to drive the iOSphere into epistemological collapse.

Apple is planning to announce one, two, three (or more?) iPhones, none of which may be "iPhone 6" unless they are, with screen sizes between 4 and 6 inches, and an equally wide, or weird, range of prices, sometime between now and the end of 2014.

You read it here second.

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iPhone 6 will be one of two (2!!) iPhones released in 2013

Loquacious "industry sources" tell DigiTimes that Apple will release two 4-inch iPhones in 2013, both with in-cell display technology (introduced in iPhone 5, helping to create a thinner and lighter phone).

[ MORE RUMORS: iPad5 rumor rollup for the week of Jan. 21 ]

This is an improved rumor, because "Previously it was said that Apple would release a lower-cost version of its iPhone with a bigger screen in 2013. But the sources claimed that Apple is indeed developing an iPhone with a bigger [apparently meaning 'bigger than 4 inches'] screen, but that will not be among the models to be launched this year."

One of the two will be aimed at the "midrange market segment" otherwise known as the cost-conscious or economical or frugal or stingy segment.

Bliss is two new iPhone models. But. There may not be many of them around because "the sources noted it is still yet to be determined if Apple will have adequate supply of in-cell touch panels in 2013 for a lower-cost version of the iPhone due to mass production issues from the technology in 2012."

At this past week's earning call, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that supplies of the iPhone 5 fell short of demand until very recently, but he didn't say why. The iOSphere Consensus Rumor, copy/pasted by DigiTimes, is that the reason was "poor yields for in-cell technology."

So Apple might announce two iPhones and release them. But you won't be able to actually buy one.

iPhone 6 will be one of three (3!!!) new iPhones released in 2014

Business Insider's Jay Yarrow industriously tracked this rumor from its source, Commercial Times, Taiwan, to its proliferation in the iOSphere, such as AppleInsider. 

"So, yeah," Yarrow wrote. "Treat this one lightly for now. Though, a lot of accurate information has come from Asian supply chain sources in the last few years." We think we'll treat THAT assertion lightly. Because a lot more inaccurate information has come from the Asian supply chain sources in the last few years.

But let's not quibble.

"According to the reports, Apple will release a 4-inch iPhone 5S and a 4.8-inch iPhone before the end of June," Yarrow reveals. "The report calls the 4.8-inch phone, the 'iPhone Math,' which is, um, odd."

So take that lightly, too, we guess. Repeatedly calling a rumor a "report" lends baseless speculation an air of authority.

AppleInsider also picked up on these rumors. First it dutifully cautioned readers that "It should be noted that AppleInsider cannot vouch for the veracity of the sources' claims and offers the following information for purposes of discussion only." And then it repeated every scrap of veracity-challenged "information" it could glean: "at least" a 4.8-inch screen, 8 megapixel camera with lenses from Largan Precision, and component shipments starting in March for production lines swinging into action in April.

But there's something interesting about this report, something apparently only Yarrow perceived.

"What's interesting about this report is that it comes one week after The Wall Street Journal and the Nikkei reported Apple was cutting iPhone screen orders," he points out.

Think about that. One week. Just one.

"When those reports rolled out Apple's stock was hit hard," he explains. "So were the stocks of Apple's suppliers. ... We could be over thinking it, but it sure sounds like suppliers started leaking Apple's plans to let the market know that they are not totally hosed."

Thank heavens for the iOSphere and its dedications to rumors. How else would the stock market know what's happening?

"Whether that makes this report more or less trustworthy is up to you," Yarrow concludes, not very helpfully. "However, this is not the first time we've heard about Apple reportedly developing a much larger iPhone. So, we wouldn't just cast the report aside."

We may be overthinking it, but it sure sounds like Yarrow is saying that you can believe the "report" and that you can't, or like whatever. But it's not the first time we've heard this kind of analysis. So we wouldn't just cast it aside.

iPhone 6 will be one of four (4!!!!) new iPhones to be released in 2013

According to midstream sources in the Asian supply chain, Apple will be releasing four iPhone models in 2013. It should be noted that the Rollup cannot vouch for the veracity of the sources' claims and offers the following information for purposes of discussion only. But if Apple can be rumored to be planning two or three iPhones, it's not much of a stretch to think, "Hey. Heck. Why not four?"

According to the sources, one will be a 4-inch phone, one will be a low-cost 4-inch phone, one will be 4.8-inch phone, a third will be 5.3 inches.

OK: we made that up.

But iMore.com's editor in chief, Rene Ritchie, has an intriguing, lengthy and nearly exhaustive post ("Imagining a 5-inch iPhone," complete with illustrative examples) that speculates in depth on "what steps could they take to get to 5-inches" for the iPhone.

The most likely option, he writes, is increasing the number of pixels by some multiple: by 2, 3 or 4. He even considers a 5-inch model that uses the iPad mini display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and 4.5 and 4.8 inch models.

But there are a range of tradeoffs. Bigger displays with more pixels will require even more graphics processing power, more light, and more battery to be effective, Ritchie notes. And depending on how the larger screen size is actually implemented, it can make life especially difficult for software developers.

During Apple's Q1 earnings report, Apple CEO Cook was asked if there was a case to be made for a larger screen size or larger variety of screen sizes. His reply suggests that Apple won't be taking that route any time soon. "The iPhone 5 offers a new 4-inch retina display: the most advanced in the industry. ... And it offers a larger screen size without sacrificing the one-handed use that our customers love. We put a lot of thought into screen size and we think we picked the right one."

That statement doesn't preclude a still-larger iPhone, but it does underscore two things Apple takes seriously: the convenience of one-handed phone use and what customers "love."

In his post, Ritchie notes that Apple has addressed one-handed use "in hardware" -- keeping the phone at a physical size that ensures most people can still use it with one hand. But it could be done "in software," he says. That's how RIM -- in its new BlackBerry 10 phones due to be unveiled next week -- is addressing one-handed use: the BlackBerry Flow UI is "using corner gestures to allow for more navigation with less thumb travel."

Finally: speculation worthy of the name.

iPhone 6 or iPhone Something will be released between Jan. 28 and Dec. 31, or in 2014

The blizzard of Next iPhones is creating enough conflicting dates to require a scheduling app (for example, Schedule Planner, from Intersog) to keep track of everything. Even the iOSphere is starting to sound confused.

"So when will the IPhone 6 release date be?" asks TechRadar's Dan Grabham, just before making it clear he has no real idea what the answer is.

"Some analysts and observers are predicting that it could be as early as summer 2013," he writes. "We think it's more likely we'll see a new iPhone release in September."

Then he references "[Technorati] Blogger Ed Valdez [who] cites six reasons why we can expect an iPhone 6 announcement by June 2013 -- a mere nine months after the iPhone 5." So Ed doesn't agree with Dan. "But it's still quite likely there will be an iPhone 5S instead of iPhone 6," Dan adds, making it sound as if even Dan doesn't agree with Dan.

We think Grabham is saying that his belief, conviction, gut feeling, hope, hunch, intuition, and opinion is that it's "quite likely" that the Next iPhone will be the iPhone 5S and it will be announced in September.

Some, actually much, of the confusion depends on how one defines "iPhone 6" and "iPhone 5S." Or even "iPhone Math." DigiTimes this week echoed rumors from "industry sources" that 2013 will see the release of two Next iPhones, only neither of them will be "Phone 6."

SlashGear's Eric Abent sounds almost plaintive commenting on the DigiTimes post. The previous DigiTimes rumor of a 5-inch iPhone "seemed at least relatively easy to believe," he writes, clarifying the iOSphere criteria for rumor credibility. "That rumor came from DigiTimes, but today the site is going back on what it previously said - according to the most recent word from sources, there won't be a 5-inch iPhone in 2013."

Oh, woe. "DigiTimes is now saying that while it's in development, the 5-inch iPhone won't be launching until sometime in 2014," Abent continues. "Apparently, there are some production issues with the new 5-inch panels, meaning that Apple has decided to hold off while those problems get sorted out."

Abent might have sounded even more plaintive if he realized the latest DigiTimes rumor contradictedlast week's rumor, launched by Jefferies Group stock analyst Peter Misek in a Note To Investors, wherein he predicted that the 2013 iPhone will be only a "minor iPhone 5 upgrade," and the 2014 iPhone, the "iPhone 6," will have a screen size of 4.8 inches, not 5 inches.

John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World. Twitter: @johnwcoxnww Email: john_cox@nww.com

Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.

Apple TV 5.2 update adds Bluetooth keyboard support, AirPlay sending, and more

iOS 6.1's Monday release may capture most of day's attention, but Apple's favorite hobby got a little love as well with the release of Apple TV Software Update 5.2. The set-top box gains a variety of new features related to iTunes in the Cloud, Bluetooth keyboard support, AirPlay sending, and more.

The new iTunes in the Cloud support means that you can browse and stream iTunes-purchased music from iCloud, without needing to stream it from another computer on your network. And this feature works even for customers without iTunes Match.

The new Bluetooth keyboard support allows you to pair your wireless keyboard with the Apple TV, thereby simplifying the process of entering text into search boxes, password fields, and the like. You can pair the keyboard under Settings > General > Bluetooth, as Apple explains in this new support document.

Though Apple TV has long been able to receive AirPlay audio and video, it now gains the ability to sendAirPlay audio as well. You can send the audio from movies, TV shows, and other content you play back on Apple TV to AirPlay-enabled speakers and devices including the AirPort Express and other Apple TVs. You can insert your own Apple TV singularity or Inception joke here, as desired.

Finally, Apple says that the 5.2 update addresses performance and stability improvements with the iTunes Store, AirPlay, Netflix, iTunes Match, and wired ethernet connections. The update addresses a pair of security vulnerabilities as well. You can install the update directly from your Apple TV.

iPhone 6 rumor rollup for the week ending Jan. 18

The iOSphere was feasting this week on Notes to Investors, those alchemical documents that transmute the lead of iPhone 6 rumors into the gold of authoritative fact.

How else could we know the many details of iPhone cheapo that emerged in such plenitude, including multiple release dates, and sizes, not to mention the suffering of "billions" who yearn for it and yet must wait.

Also this week, fingering the home button, how iPhone 6 stacks up against another nonexistent smartphone, the specter of 2014, consumer longings, and whoa of un-wow.

You read it here second.

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iPhone 6 and iPhone cheapo due in mid-2013

Not one but two Next iPhones will be announced around June or July 2013, according to an ever-more-widely cited "note to investors" from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

CATCH UP: Week of Jan.11 iPhone 6 rumor roundup

Among Kuo's "expectations" is that one of the iPhones, dubbed iPhone 5S, will "very similar to the current iPhone 5" but it will have a new processor (the A7), a fingerprint sensor, and an improved camera with a f2.0 aperture and smart LED flash.

Somewhat disappointingly, Kuo "believes that the lower-cost iPhone will in many ways simply be an iPhone 5 repackaged into a slightly thicker (8.2 mm vs. the current 7.6 mm) plastic enclosure available in six colors," according to MacRumors' Eric Slivka, one of many who repeated the Kuo expectations.

According to a handy "breakdown of specs" chart helpfully included by Slivka, Kuo's "iPhone 5S" will have a bill of materials estimate of $230-$250 (making it more expensive to build than the estimated $210-$230 for iPhone 5); but the retail price for an unlocked model would be in the same range as iPhone 5: $600-$700.

Kuo "expects" the unlocked iPhone cheapo to retail for $350-$450, and to be free -- as in "FREE!" -- with a two-year contract. That Apple would offer a brand new product for a price of $0 seems a stretch; it currently offers an 8GB iPhone 4 for $0 and two-year contract with AT&T, Sprint or Verizon, or $450 if unlocked.

Slivka assures readers (who otherwise might be inclined, cynically, to consider notes to investors, or NTIs for short, as the copy/paste results of analysts reading Apple rumor sites), that Kuo "has a very good track record in predicting Apple's product plans."

This would be the same Ming-Chi Kuo who last August released an NTI that predicted the soon-to-be-announced iPad mini had suffered delays because it would use a "thinner and lighter 'GF Ditto' touch structure," according to the same Eric Slivka who faithfully summarized Kuo's expectations. Instantly known as "GFD," this new "touch structure" was (and as far as The Rollup can tell remains) a completely unexplained and possibly nonexistent innovation. But that didn't inhibit Slivka from claiming that "Apple is said to be the first company in the world to commercialize and mass produce the technology."

iPhone 6 home button to have fingerprint sensor

AppleInsider leveraged Kuo's NTI to the max. Slivka's colleague, Neil Hughes, provided new details of Kuo's expectations regarding the fingerprint sensor for the Next iPhone.

"Apple is expected to launch a new iPhone this year with a fingerprint sensor hidden beneath the home button -- an intuitive design that could be difficult for competing Android and Windows Phone devices to copy," Hughes enthused.

Kuo and Hughes expect that the fingerprint sensor will be based on technology acquired last year when Apple bought AuthenTec, which makes a variety of silicon-based "smart sensors" with functions like fingerprint recognition but also highly accurate touch and gesture processing. According to Hughes, Kuo "believes Apple will find a way to integrate the fingerprint sensor into the home button, allowing Apple to keep its 'minimalist design.'"

Hughes continued: "In contrast, many Android and Windows Phone devices have more than one button below the display, and those buttons frequently lack the mechanical push of Apple's home button. As a result, attempts to integrate fingerprint scanning on competing devices would be less intuitive, and could frustrate users, Kuo said."

Combining the iPhone home button with a fingerprint sensor lets Apple "replace the use of usernames and passwords, allowing users to authenticate in a more efficient manner. [Kuo] also expects that the fingerprint scanner will integrate with applications such as Passbook to enhance their functionality."

For background, Hughes links to an August 2012 analysis by AppleInsider's Daniel Eran Dilger on the AuthenTec acquisition. Much of the industry coverage focused on the fingerprint sensing technology and the prospect of adding a fingerprint sensor to the iPhone, and other Apple products, to lock/unlock the devices.

But Dilger examines how the home button could use AuthenTec's technology to be transformed into a complement to the iPhone's touchscreen: using swipes of different fingers not only to unlock and activate specific apps and to trigger customized tasks, but also to launch faster screen scrolling or more precise screen touch for specific apps.

In addition, he notes that AuthenTec "also develops IP cores for accelerating cryptography and encryption/decryption, features Apple could add to its System on a Chip designs to simplify and enhance the performance of iOS devices in handling HDCP (HDMI content protection) or integrating hardware acceleration of disk encryption, VPN services, app and iOS platform authentication (thwarting jailbreaks)."

So even if Kuo is right, there may be more to the fingerprint sensor than meets the i.

iPhone 6 will be outclassed by HTC's M7 ... but not really

It's part of the iOSphere's surreal charm that it can compare two unreleased and unannounced products, complete with assertions that simultaneously sound fully authoritative and utterly baffling.

"iPhone 6 vs. HTC M7: Will HTC Follow Samsung's Footsteps in Beating Apple's Smartphone?"wonders Kristin Dian Mariano, posting at International Business Times.

This is the iOSphere convention of rhetorical question, where the answer is implicit in the question. "It seems that HTC aims to follow the path paved by Samsung overtaking Apple," she announces.

She begins by citing another recent Note To Investors, this one by Jefferies stock analyst Peter Misek, who predicts that "the iPhone 5S/6 has a new 'super HD camera/screen, a better battery, and NFC,' and 'possible updates include an IGZO screen for Retina+, 128GB storage.'"

Authoritative. Yet it becomes baffling because in IBT's comparison of the two nonexistent smartphones, nearly all of the specs and features show the non-existent iPhone 6 matching if not besting the nonexistent M7.

For example, "Screen Display - Upcoming iPhone 6 is speculated to boast 5-inch Full HD display. HTC M7 will have 4.7 inches 1080p display." So, the iPhone will have a larger screen than the M7. The term "1080p," according to Wikipedia, "usually assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a resolution of 1920 × 1080 (2.1 megapixel) often marketed as Full HD."

Or take "Internal Storage - Apple's smartphone will have 128GB storage. HTC's upcoming smartphone is speculated to come with 32GB of internal storage."

And OMG both devices will have LTE and NFC, LOL. ARGH.

iPhone 6 will ship in ... wait, 2014? That must be a mistake, right?

That's the bad news. The good news is it will be preceded in June or July 2013 by the iPhone 5S.

GottaBeMobile's Josh Smith seems sold by the latest Note To Investors by Jefferies stock analyst Misek.

This year, Apple will release only a "minor iPhone 5 upgrade," Smith posts, based on Misek's NTI. But. Next year. Who Knows.

Misek "believes Apple is planning a 4.8-inch iPhone 6," Smith reveals. And it won't have a home button. That would be bad news for KGI Securities analyst Kuo, of course, who is predicting the Next iPhone, one of them anyway, will have an improved phone button.

This prediction is "based on a prototype." To keep this in perspective, it's probably best to think of an "iPhone prototype" as sort of like "iPhone fan art turned into a 3D model."

Misek also has exspectulations (a combination of "expectations" and "speculations") that the iPhone cheapo will, in Smith's phrasing, "focus on low-cost instead of being 'cheap'" and have a "polycarbonate case with 4" non-Retina display and no LTE."

A cheaper iPhone 6 matters to "billions"

And speaking of cheaper, GottaBeMobile's Chuong Nguyen says that "a Cheaper iPhone 6 Doesn't Matter to You, But it Does to Billions."

Billions. Pining, longing, yearning for iPhone, if only it was cheaper or less expensive or lower-priced. Apple, are you listening?

"It's still unclear what the cost savings and profit margin would be for a cheaper iPhone, but with emerging markets like China, India, and Africa, the tradeoff would be greater and more lucrative market share for Apple," Nguyen assures us.

Of course, Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller recently assured us that Apple will "never blindly pursue market share." [Also see: "Will Apple introduce a lower-priced iPhone?"] 

Part of the issue in overseas markets, according to Nguyen, is that carrier subsidies may not be as generous, or even available, as in the U.S. "In China, after high national taxes, the true cost of a base model iPhone 5 may be as high as $800 or $900," Nguyen says.

But last December, when the iPhone 5 went on sale in mainland China, there were two tiers of pricing. Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt, based on a report by China's Shanghai Daily, reported that "Traffic may have been light at the Apple retail outlets that were selling only unsubsidized iPhones (i.e. starting at US $846), but Apple's partners were having a field day selling the iPhone 5 under contract for as little as US $96." That's affordable by almost anyone's definition.

Part of that affordability was driven by unprecedented big trade-in discounts for older iPhone models,according to a ZDNet account.

Elmer-DeWitt continued: "In addition to the 300,000 pre-orders racked up last week by China Unicom -- up 50% from the 200,000 it took for the [iPhone] 4S last January -- the carrier sold 5,000 more before Friday noon in Shanghai alone. China Telecom, for its part, expected to sell 10,00 units in Shanghai by the end of the day Friday."

iPhone 6 will be, like, un-wow

Game over, man.

"Writer and radio producer" Eric Mack, writing in CNET's Crave gadget blog, declares "The iPhone 6 won't wow: 6 reasons why."

"Back in September [2012], after the much-awaited and meh-filled unveiling of the iPhone 5, I made a declaration that's being borne out further in this week's headlines -- the iPhone jumped the shark some time ago," Mack reminds us. "Jumping the shark" was a phrase originally coined for the point where a television series runs out of real ideas and resorts to gimmicks.

The iPhone 5 demonstrated, Mack reiterates, the "lack of any groundbreaking innovation."

He thinks there will be an "iPhone 5s" with some dinky "iterative updates" and possibly a lower-cost iPhone cheapo. "But the real question is: then what?" he asks.

Not much, apparently.

"My gut tells me the iPhone as we know it will be done at that point," Mack says. "I have a hunch there will never be an iPhone 6, because Apple will be forced to move into a significantly different form factor to keep people interested and compete with the movement toward bigger phablet-like thingies and emerging wearable electronics."

When you put it that way, it's all so obvious: the Big Ones and the Unmistakable Irreversible Trend to "wearable electronics."

We can quickly summarize Mack's six reasons why the iPhone 6, which hunchwise will never appear anyway but if it does, will fail to wow, because the same six reasons have been pretty widely cited since the iPhone 4S, at least.

Here they are:

• "iOS is stale"
• "Samsung and Android are rocking lately"
• "Apple is different under Tim Cook" (here "different" means "worse" because now Apple is a company "that seems to follow the more traditional model of giving customers what they want, rather than the Jobs model of dictating to consumers what they will want.")
• "Young people don't think Apple is cool anymore"
• "Price does matter" because "Money talks, and during these economic times it actually screams"
• "To wow, you need a wow factor. ... Right now I'm having a hard time imagining any iPhone 6 that will elicit that most joyous of palindromes"

Almost needless to say, Mack doesn't bother quantifying any of these "reasons" which amount to little more than opinions, or even prejudices. An operating system is not, for example, like a loaf of bread. The fact that Samsung is rocking is irrelevant to Apple's success, both in sales and more importantly profitability: all the indications are that Apple next week will announce its most successful quarter for iPhone sales ever. And "young people" probably means "Eric Mack."

Mack's main mistake is to think that wowing the impressionable iOSphere hive mind is the same thing as having a successful and profitable product.

John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World. Twitter: @johnwcoxnwwEmail: john_cox@nww.com

Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.

iPhone 6 rumor rollup for the week ending Dec. 21

The holiday preparations took their toll on the iOSphere this week, as rumorers, distracted by ordering and buying the latest Apple products, cut back on their speculative output about future ones.

There are new and still completely unjustified rumors that Apple plans to release the next iPhone, which will be either iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S, in the January-March time frame. Also this week: a news report that an interim model, the 5C, with pre-shattered touchscreens, will be released before the iPhone 6; and dual-LED, dual-color flash for iPhone 6.

You read it here second.

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"The rumor came with no evidence (certainly no photos) but it's seemingly too odd to be made up."

~ "Peter," at GSMArena, posting about an anonymous tip and providing this week's most compelling iOS rumor assessment criteria: its credibility is directly proportional to its oddness.

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iPhone 6 will be released Q1 2013

International Digital Times asserts that the Next iPhone will be released in the January-March 2013 time frame because of a "report" released by independent analyst Horace Dediu, founder of Asymco.

The post is headlined "iPhone 6 Release Date 2013: First Quarter Launch For New Apple Smartphone [REPORT]." As is often the case, the text of the post is somewhat different. Dediu "has released a report stating that starting in 2013 Apple will release a new generation of each device (iPhones and iPads) every six months, as opposed to the one year product cycle we've seen since the first iPhone debuted in 2007."

And what's more, "Dediu's report is based on an official statement from former Apple CEO John Sculley."

IDT is pretty dismissive of Sculley. "We're not sure how credible Sculley, who left Apple back in 1993, is when it comes to the electronics company's current inner workings."

But. "However, we've been predicting that Apple will speed up its product cycle for weeks."

The confusion in and with this post is emblematic of iOSphere rumors. First, Sculley didn't make an "official statement." The TUAW website interviewed him and he answered some question. He gave his opinion.

Secondly, Dediu didn't "release a report." He composed on his blog, as is his wont, a reflective, informed speculation, triggered by the Sculley opinion, about what he frankly called "circumstantial evidence" that Apple may be moving to a semi-annual product release cycle; and the scale and impact of such a change. His full post, "Does S stand for Spring," is here. 

The last bit of evidence he considered: "Rumors of 5S products in pre-production. This is the least valuable piece of evidence but it might indicate that the 'S' variant is targeting spring launch." That puts a different perspective on the "we've been predicting that Apple will speed up its product cycle for weeks" claim by IDT.

One of the issues Dediu doesn't touch on is what impact a twice-a-year iPhone introduction would have on Apple's pricing, not so much for the newest iPhone but for the one or more preceding models, and on the length of each model's life cycle.

iPhone 6 will be preceded by iPhone 5C

The 5C is being targeted at college-age women, who have a greater than average penchant for breaking their iPhones. To address this problem, the 5C will come in several pre-shattered touchscreen options, all of which make it nearly impossible to use. Yet it relieves iPhone owners of breakage angst.

Trust the parody site The Onion to track down the really interesting rumors. 

iPhone 6 will have dual-LED, dual-color flash

Then, there's the almost-as-entertaining unintentional self-parodies.

iOSphere Rumor Rule 17 (RR17) says that if a rumor doesn't pan out, then wait, tweak, and recycle: eventually you're bound to be right.

"We received an anonymous tip," begins the post at GSMArena, by "Peter." He provides this week's most compelling iOS rumor assessment criteria: Its credibility is directly proportional to its oddness.

"The rumor came with no evidence (certainly no photos) but it's seemingly too odd to be made up," he writes.

The tipster, let's give him the codename OddJobs, says "that the next Apple smartphone (whether it's the iPhone 6 or 5S) will have a dual-LED flash...."

But there's more. It will be "unlike any other dual-LED flash we've seen before," Peter declares. "It's going to have LEDs of two different colors."

Think of it. Two LEDs. And two different colors. There will be a "regular LED" which is, you know, just regular. And one "with a slight blue tint." And why you ask? "The idea behind this is to improve white balance when snapping photos," Peter assures us, authoritatively.

Wow! Or more precisely, "Wow, again!"

Dual LEDs for what became the iPhone 5 were widely rumored throughout 2011. Hence the "wait" part of RR17. But these LEDs will be differently colored, hence the "tweak" of RR17. All that's left is to ignore Google's search history and recycle.

"We're not quite sure how this is supposed to work - use both LEDs at the same time to produce a brighter, slightly blue illumination, or light them up one at a time to get two different illuminations in an HDR-type strategy (instead of combining two exposures to get better dynamic range, combine two photos with different color to get better color accuracy)," Peter confesses.

It's a puzzle. That's often the case with rumors, especially those falling under RR17.

Some smartphones today use two LEDs for their camera flash. According to a 2011 forum posting at StackExchange's Photography community, "a dual LED flash can emit twice as much light as a single LED, which means you can [light] subjects 1.4 times further away. It also draws twice as much power."

One forum member linked to a 2008 post by Steve Litchfield at AllAboutSymbian.com, comparing LED, dual-LED, and Xenon flashes in camera phones. He posted three photos of the same interior scene (a drumset) shot using the three different flash techniques. The dual-LED is indeed much brighter, with fewer and less intense dark areas. The Xenon flash is brighter still but also yields much more true-to-life colors compared to dual-LED.

Peter doesn't weigh down his blog post with things like details.

"It's an odd rumor as we said - it's unlikely, but why would someone make it up?" Peter asks, presumably rhetorically.

Why indeed? Why make something up and then contact a tech blog and convince them that it's real or being considered or in a prototype?

"Thanks to our anonymous tipster!" Peter concludes his post.

Oh. Maybe...that's why.

John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnwcoxnww

Email: john_cox@nww.com

Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.

iPhone 6 rumor rollup for week ending Nov. 30

Cyber Monday, by Friday, is just a dim memory, and a dull ache caused by the absence of the NextiPhone.

The iOSphere grasped at patents, concept art, a June release date, and the towering genius of Saint Jonathan Ive to keep hope afloat for iPhone 6. Or 5S. Whatevah.

You read it here second.

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"The source of the rumors [about a summer 2013 release for the Next iPhone], Digitimes, has an extremely mixed track record when it comes to Apple news, so the iPhone 5S release date at this point is still firmly entrenched in the shadows. However, as we pointed out, that doesn't mean that the iPhone 5S won't be released in the summer."     -- Adam Mills, GottaBeMobile, as in most iOSphere rumors, covering all the bases, going around in circles, and ending up where one started, none the wiser.

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iPhone 6 will use cool Apple patents we've seen before

If you haven't seen a good rumor lately, invent your own. And that's what "Invention Girl" did at InventHelp.com, a Pittsburgh company that bills itself as "America's largest inventor service firm."

The blog post, "What Will a Future iPhone Look Like?" draws its inspiration from the cheerleading posts about Apple patent applications and awards at PatentlyApple.com, which has rarely met an Apple patent it didn't love. Invention Girl took a handful of the inventions highlighted at Patently Apple and then created photorealistic illustrations to show what a future iPhone will look like.

"Apple will either have to add something truly innovative to the iPhone or accept a slowly shrinking market, courtesy of Android," she writes. "We've combed through Patently Apple and have come up with 4 ways Apple may regain the iPhone magic by illustrating some of the more innovative iPhone patents. Whether or not the patents make it into an iPhone is anybody's guess. Regardless, it's fun to see what the iPhone may look like based on filed patents rather than tech pundit speculation ..."

Who could argue with "fun"? But it's an idea that sounds better than it actually plays out.

The first illustrated invention is the "projector phone." It shows a foreground closeup of an otherwise unremarkable iPhone lying on a wood surface, emitting rays of light from a built-in mini-projector to create a humongous projected image on a living room wall. It may not actually be fun but it certainly looks odd: as if the iPhone had been inflated to the size of a coffee table; and the image it projects actually seems smaller than the phone's apparent size.

Doubtless it's picking a nit to grouse that Invention Girl is "showing" a feature of a future iPhone, not the future iPhone itself. But that's what we do here.

She partly redeems herself with the rendering of the "smart bezel" invention, which Patently Apple covered in 2011. To make a long post short, the invention calls for using the front "bezel" -- the part of the phone's front surface that borders the actual display -- and making this active, so it can respond to touch. Moving these touches and gestures off the main display leaves more space there for showing Web pages, videos, etc.

In the illustration, a large-screen iPhone, with very thin side bezels, shows a text from an HTML Web page: the actual browser controls are shown to the left and right of the home button, as part of the smart or active bezel.

The two other inventions are a "smart hybrid display that could switch between a standard LCD and an e-Paper display"; and a "transparent" phone, meaning that part or all of the display could become, you know, transparent.

For the iOSphere's rumoristas, this probably does count as fun. Given the archive of Patently Apple Apple patent posts, Invention Girl could keep this going for the next couple of years.

iPhone 6 better be ... better. Or else

Storm clouds are gathering in the iOSphere as witnessed in this recent forum thread, which became increasing bitter and vituperative at MacRumors.com.

A forum member named Ramius kicked it off on Tuesday, Nov. 27, by asking the apparently straight-forward question, "Is [iPhone 6] coming next October? Judging by the release history of the previous iPhones, this seems to be quite true."

But he couldn't leave it at that. "I still use my 3GS, and was planning on updating to iPhone 5. But the design struck me as very boring and too similiar [sic] to the 4S. I also hear people can scrape it up quite easy. And with the red flare problem on the camera, it is less and less tempting to buy. The biggest problem for me, is that it just did not provide a big enough change. It just seemed "a little bit better in some ways", but not really going the full distance of proving itself a new champion."

Some commenters stuck with the original question. Jessica noted, "No one knows but based on historic data, October 2013 sounds about right." The "historic data" refers to the fact that the last two iPhones were announced in the fall, rather than early summer.

Tyler struck a confident note, predicting not only the time frame, but the level of innovation in the next iPhone. "There will most likely be an iPhone 5S next October, which will improve the internal specs of the phone, but the look is likely to be the exact same or nearly the same as the 5," he posted. "If you are waiting for a re-designed iPhone, you'll likely be waiting at least two years, and that's assuming the 6 deviates from the form factor of the 5."

Another, maflynn, made what proved to be a vain plea: "At this point lets not get into the 5s vs 6 in the naming of the iPhone. The next update (regardless of what it may be called) is probably due out next fall."

Ramius upped the ante: "They are increasingly failing to generate hype," he wrote. "And if they don't break their pattern, they will not be impressive anymore. So for Apple to succeed, they must show new innovation, and stop milking their old designs and ideas. Apple should know this. And if they are taking that seriously, then that should be a reason for releasing a brand new iPhone. Perhaps as soon as June."

It was an almost perfect example of the iOSphere agent provocateur: sweeping generalities wedded to faux business expertise, laced with smug assurance.

"You sound like you're not really interested in a release date but you just want to moan about the 5," charged MonkeySee. "[T]hat's typical armchair expert industry analysis ...," analyzed takeshi74. "We'll see what happens but their track record doesn't support your assertion which is based solely on your own preferences. Keep the day job and leave the analysis to the pros."

"I am a pro. Stop trying to devalue my opinion, just because you don't like it," snapped Ramius.

"I cant see how anyone can say that the 5 isnt a huge change from the 4S, or the 3GS in that manner," wrote kre62. "I think this proves that there is nothing that Apple can do that wont be looked at as a minor upgrade."

"The [iPhone] 6 is going to be a marked departure from previous re-designs and they are going to take a gamble with it in some form or another," promised syd430. "The screen will definitely stay at 4", but we're going to see some major new kind of functionality not seen in other phones. In 2 years time, they won't be able to afford to play it safe anymore. They need to protect their cash cow, and the board [of directors] understands this."

From which we can take two lessons. No one has the faintest idea what the Next iPhone will be. And every one has definite ideas on what the Next iPhone will be.

iPhone 6 or 5S or whatevah will be released in summer or fall of 2013

The best iOSphere rumors cover all the bases, which means you end up back where you started and none the wiser, even though you feel wiser.

"The latest [rumor] has Apple potentially starting production of the [next] iPhone in March or April [2013], sooner than expected, with a release possibly coming in the middle part of next year," recounts Adam Mills at GottaBeMobile. "If true, it would be vastly different than the last two iPhone launches which took place later in the year in September (iPhone 5) and October (iPhone 4S) respectively."

Vastly different. Hugely. Immensely. Because it would be like four or five months earlier than the last two models.

But Mills isn't buying this. Though he can't rule it out. So he is buying it, kind of. But not completely. "While we remain skeptical, a summer release remains a possibility given Apple's earlier releases," he says. Just ask the folks at Mac Rumors about "history."

Why is he skeptical? "The source of the rumors, Digitimes, has an extremely mixed track record when it comes to Apple news, so the iPhone 5S release date at this point is still firmly entrenched in the shadows," he reminds his readers. And yet.

"However, as we pointed out, that doesn't mean that the iPhone 5S won't be released in the summer," he also reminds them. Just because Digitimes may not know anything doesn't mean that it's not wrong about the Next iPhone not being released in fall 2013 ... or not not being released.

As Mills notes, Apple makes decisions. And nobody knows the trouble we've seen trying to figure out what they've decided. "Apple has changed its release months and windows before," he says, drawing on his deep knowledge of history. "Apple makes these changes as it sees fit and that means that the summer window is still open alongside the fall iPhone 5S release window."

It's simple really. iPhone 6 or 5S or whatevah will be released in the fall. Unless it's the summer.

But. "Don't expect the iPhone 5S to arrive in any other release windows besides those though," cautions Mills. "That's because the new iPhone always comes with the new version of iOS and iOS 7 likely won't be announced until WWDC."

Unless, you know, Apple makes a change as it sees fit and throws wide open yet another release window. One that's somewhere between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2013.

iPhone 6 will be rescued by "design supremo" Jonathan Ive ... and not a moment too soon

Over at the U.K.'s "The Gadget Show," Jason Bradbury and the "gorgeous and obsessed with tech" Pollyanna Woodward are just thrilled that Apple's veteran "design supremo" Jonathan Ive has been placed in charge of all "human interface" stuff at Apple, which includes as they point out both hardware and software.

In the nick of time. Bradbury and Woodward offer him their advice on "Six ways Jony Ive can make iPhone 6 the ultimate phone" and "king of the mobile jungle."

Their recommendations are only slightly marred by the fact that Ive has no responsibility for at least four of them.

The Ultimate Phone needs to have "icons that come alive," like the "love tiles" of Microsoft WindowsPhone 8. Apple has only been making them incrementally livelier.

And Apple needs a "more forward looking design." This apparently means dumping the "skeumorphic" design philosophy evident in some applications, such as adding the appearance of leather and paper to Apple's iCalendar app. "It's meant to make technophobes more comfortable using the device, and not alienate them by looking too 'techy,'" is B&W's rather simplistic summary of skeumorphs. "Which is all well and good. But it's getting a little long in the tooth nowadays and could do with a refresh."

This sounds like, "make it different." Which doesn't quite rise to the level of design insight let alone philosophy.

Both the icons and the look-and-feel of the iOS UI appear to fall into Ive's recently expanded domain. But that's not true of the other recommendations put forth by B&W: "sorting out" the Apple Maps "disaster" (something explicitly assigned to Apple SVP Eddy Cue), wireless charging as Nokia introduced in its Lumia smartphones, near-field communications, and a still-bigger screen.

B&W are baffled by the depth of Apple's dumbness. Instead of "looking to the future" with wireless charging, Apple instead "went the other route with the iPhone 5, introducing a new Lightning connection that renders old accessories and chargers redundant without an adapter," they write. "Apple, it's these kinds of decisions that turn people off," they admonish.

Likewise with NFC: Instead of boldly adding an NFC chip, "Apple has stuck with its own technology, using its Passbook app to let you call up a boarding pass, discount voucher, or loyalty card," they write. "But it's a lot more limited than NFC, which everyone else has adopted." Well, not quite everyone: NFC based payments are projected to be still only a fraction of plastic and cash payments for years to come.

And iPhone 5's 4-inch screen is welcome but another of those too little too late decisions. "If the iPhone 6 isn't larger than 4-inches, it's going to look pretty puny compared to the big boys [from Samsung and other rivals]," B&W declare.

Snap to it, Mr. Ive.

John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World. Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnwcoxnww Email: john_cox@nww.com

Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.

iPhone 6 rumor rollup for the week ending Nov. 9

The U.S. presidential election hangover seems to have had a dampening effect on iOSphere rumors for iPhone 6.

Will Ferrari finally bring some Italian glamour to the Germanic frigidity of iPhone designs? Can a 13-year-old youtuber shed light on Apple's path forward? Can Apple really create an iPhone theft detector?

You read it here second.

MORE SCUTTLEBUTT: iPhone 6 rumor rollup for the week ending Nov. 2

__________

"I'm just wondering how a little Italian pizazz would fit with Apple's otherwise Braun-influenced designs."     -- Dwayne Madden at AutooMobile.com, wondering about the design ramifications for iPhone 6 because an Apple executive now sits on the board of directors for Italian automaker Ferrari

__________

iPhone 6 design will be created by Ferrari

This is what makes Apple rumorology such a great sport: An obscure event is analyzed obsessively for the teensiest clues to the Mind of Apple. It's not the reasoning, which is nonexistent, nor the conclusions, which are usually nonsensical. It's the process.

Italian car maker Ferrari announced this week that Apple's Eddy Cue has joined the Ferrari board of directors.

Cue is Apple's vice president of Internet software and services, a 24-year veteran of the company, and a Ferrari owner himself for nearly one-fifth of his tenure there. In a statement, he affirmed that he is "pleased and proud to become a member of the board. I continue to be awed by the world-class design and engineering that only Ferrari can do."

So are we all. Here's the current-model Ferrari awesomeness in all its testosteronic glory. 

Every day, executives from one company are picked to sit on another company's board. No one knows. No one cares. But this is an Apple executive. Wired's Damon Lavrinc can't say enough about the "ramifications" of Cue's ascension.

"Apple has long been rumored to be interested in the automotive sector, and has in recent months announced partnerships with nine automakers to bring a new breed of advanced voice control, dubbed Siri Eyes Free, to vehicles in the next year," Lavrinc notes. "As for Ferrari, well, its cars are technological marvels under the hood, but their infotainment systems suck. Apple could help change that in a big way."

Un-sucking infotainment systems for those who can afford $229,825 for 2012 Ferrari 458 Italia. Talk about aspiration.

Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo, who met with Apple CEO Tim Cook in April 2012, is delighted to have Eddy around. "I am delighted that Eddy Cue, one of the main driving forces behind Apple's range of revolutionary products, has now joined our board. His huge experience in the dynamic, innovative world of the Internet will be of great assistance to us."

In addition to iBooks, App Store and iCloud, Cue has recently taken over iOS Maps and Siri, after the recent management shakeup in Cupertino. "[H]aving Cue aboard could influence how Ferrari looks at the human machine interface and what steps it can take to bring its connectivity platform up to par with its exceptional drivetrains and chassis," Lavrinc enthuses.

Others were quick to draw the conclusion that Lavrinc overlooked: the way Ferrari could influence how Apple looks at the now-pedestrian iPhone design.

"Ferrari is of course known for their beautiful Italian designs," writes Dwayne Madden at AutooMobile.com, where his post is headlined "iPhone 6 Design May Have Some Italian Pizzaz [sic]."

"With the iPhone 5 focusing on being lighter and thinner just like sports car strive to be, we wouldn't be surprised if some of Ferrari's design engineering can be shared with the folks over at Cupertino labs. With [Apple designer-in-chief] Jony Ive now in charge of iOS design as well, you can expect him and Cue to be working much closer together. I'm just wondering how a little Italian pizazz would fit with Apple's otherwise Braun-influenced designs."

That's Apple's real problem: too damned Germanic.

iPhone 6 will be transparent, according to 13-year-old tech reviewer

Sam Laghzaoui is either very industrious or has a lot of free time on his hands, possibly both. He's created what could be the first but undoubtedly and depressingly not the last iPhone 6 "concept art" video, which is posted on YouTube. 

The production values are pretty good, although AutooMobile's Madden would probably insist that it's more Braun than Ferrari. Laghzaoui says he's 13, and a "tech youtuber who does tech reviews, how-to's, unboxings, and the such. Follow me and I'll follow back!"

He favors a transparent iPhone 6 body, apparently unimpressed by Apple's expensive licensing of Liquidmetal's Wondrous Alloy, long rumored to be the next big thing for iPhone bodies. He's predicting a thumbprint scanner integrated into the display and possibly some kind of holographic technology.

Here's Laghzaoui on the bus, "very tired." We're not surprised.

iPhone 6 will have an anti-theft system built-in

Mobile anti-theft systems are seriously lacking. You can't really adapt a steering wheel lock for something that slips into your pocket, thought it might come in handy for your Ferrari.

But Apple has an eye on this problem, according to AppleInsider, which found a U.S. patent applicationby Apple for a theft detection system that uses "a portable device's accelerometer, in cooperation with a specialized controller, to detect whether a 'theft condition is present' and sound an alarm," according to AppleInsider's Mikey Campbell.

So what is a "theft condition"? This becomes a bit vague.

The controller is supposed to analyze the signals "generated by the movement of a device, which can determine whether the motion matches a set of parameters in which a theft scenario is likely. Just as important is the rejection of signal data for innocuous events."

The application is pretty clear what theft is not: "For example, the signal conditioning hardware and/or software should filter out those acceleration signals corresponding to shock or impact." So if you drop your iPhone and slam it against the table, the alarms won't sound.

But that still doesn't give us a sense of what "threat scenarios" actually are. "According to the application, theft conditions are likely to involve large-scale movements, like carrying the device in one's hand, which generate low frequency acceleration signals," Campbell writes.

If "carrying the device in one's hand" constitutes a threat scenario, we're going to be aurally smothered in wailing iPhones and iPads. That's why these are called "hand-held devices," after all. Perhaps a large-scale movement would be tearing an iPhone from someone's grip and jumping up and down waving it around as you run down the street shouting, "It's mine, mine, mine, MINE!"

"If a theft condition is detected, the user has a set amount of time to enter a numeric or alphanumeric passcode to disarm the anti-theft system before the alarm sounds," writes Campbell.

That sounds reassuring. Until one contemplates all the many ways in which that simple process could go so terribly wrong.

iPhone Informer's William Usher crosses the i's and dots the t's. "[It] could be possible to see the anti-theft alert available in newer handsets such as the iPhone 6 perhaps," he writes. 

John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World. Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnwcoxnww Email: john_cox@nww.com

Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.