iPhone 5 Rumor: New WiFi Chip Improves Battery Life

Last week we brought you news that the new iPhone would be getting some significant internal upgrades to go along with it’s external makeover. Those upgrades – hints of which were found in the beta version of iOS 6, currently being tested internally by Apple – indicate that the new iPhone will be getting a better processor, a full gigabyte of RAM, and a much improved GPU.

Now it seems that another internal upgrade will provide the new iPhone with a much-needed boost to its battery life. According to 9to5Mac, the iOS 6 beta code also includes references to Broadcom’s BCM4334 chips. According to Broadcom’s description, the BCM4334 is a 40nm chip that provides a variety of capabilities, including 802.11n wi-fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and FM radio reception. What’s more, the chip is extremely energy efficient, having relatively minimal power consumption requirements. The chip also supports wi-fi direct, which could be used to make direct connections to other wi-fi devices, making the transfer of data between the two much easier (think iOS 5′s wireless syncing capabilities).

iPhone 5 Rumor: Concept Photos Show iOS 6 In Action

As you are probably aware by now, there’s been a lot of speculation over the last couple of weeks about just what the next iPhone – and it’s operating system, iOS 6 – will look like. Perhaps the biggest news is Apple will be going with an in-house mapping system and finally saying goodbye to Google Maps. Other rumored features include an overhaul of Apple’s stock iOS apps, a new color scheme, and a larger body complete with bigger screen. Meanwhile, iOS 6 is expected to be getting Facebook integration and several features from OS X Mountain Lion.

Well, as often happens when rumors like this start flying, someone has put together some concept images that show what the new iPhone with iOS 6 will look like (assuming all the rumors are true). The images were put together by Apple Core Forums user gizmosachin. They show the new silver color scheme, the larger body and unibody frame, as well as Safari’s new Chrome-like omnibox (a feature that’s coming to Safari in Mountain Lion). 

iOS 6: Facebook Integration, Do Not Disturb, & More

Apple’s WWDC 2012 keynote is just a week away now, and as it gets closer, more information is beginning to surface concerning just what iOS 6, which is expected to be unveiled at the conference, will look like. Last week we brought you news that iOS 6 would be getting Facebook integration to match iOS 5′s Twitter integration, and that all of Apple’s stock iOS apps would be getting major upgrades, including the iOS Maps app.

New information this morning provides a little more detail about what Facebook integration in iOS 6 will look like, along with a few other features that will be coming to both iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion, which is due out later this summer and will also likely be a major focus of the WWDC keynote. Citing “sources familiar with” the iOS 6′s Facebook integration, 9to5Mac is reporting that the integration will, like Twitter’s be OS-wide, requiring the user to sign into their Facebook account from the Settings app. The most notable use of Facebook will, obviously, be in the Photos app, where you will have the option of posting your photos to Facebook, just as you can post them to Twitter now.

iOS 6: Siri Coming To The New iPad?

There’s one thing you can always bet on with the Apple rumor mill: if they put a new feature in one of their devices, it will kick off speculation about them putting it in all the rest. Case in point: the original iPhone’s touchscreen technology was pretty amazing at the time (though we take it for granted now). No sooner had the iPhone been released when people started wondering when we would see touchscreen MacBooks and iMacs. Similarly, the iPhone 4′s retina display sparked rumors that the iPad would be getting the same remarkable technology (which it finally did this year). When the iPhone 4S came out last year with Siri, many wondered whether the new iPad would be getting that, too.

Apple Analyst Predicts What An Apple TV May Look Like

In the world of Apple, there has been an incessant rumor that the company will be releasing a high definition television. It’s pretty much a given that Apple wants to control your entire living room and the television is the last stalwart that consumers have had to go with another manufacturer on. An analyst recently gave his take on what to expect from the Apple TV.

Speaking to Business Insider, Apple analyst Gene Munster said that it’s now a matter of when, and not if, when it comes to Apple TV. That seems to jive with rumors that Foxconn has begun production on an Apple TV. What would an Apple TV consist of though? Munster seems to have an idea.

The biggest change that Apple will bring to television according to Munster is the unbundling of channels. He feels that Apple will work with studios and allow consumers to only pay for channels that they want instead of paying a monthly fee for only three channels that they watch regularly. He also feels that Apple will bring DVR functionality that is similar to what DISH Network now offers with its Hopper DVR. Unfortunately, DISH is now on the end of a lawsuit from multiple networks claiming that skipping commercials is akin to theft. Apple may be able to throw its considerable weight against these networks and force them to adapt to new technologies.