Waiting For The Next iPhone

WSJ: iPhone 4S vs. next iPhone

The leaks about the next iPhone ("iPhone 5"?) have become more credible. The WSJ publishes some of the specs: a thinner screen using "in-cell" technology, a larger 4" display, and a new IOS 6 operating system that will contain 200 new features,

including enhancements to “voice assistant” Siri; a new 3-D maps service with turn-by-turn navigation; integration with Facebook; a “Do Not Disturb” feature to avoid unwanted messages at night; and a new app called Passbook organizes loyalty cards, tickets and boarding passes to display the right card when needed.

The next iPhone will likely be announced in the fall, perhaps as early as August 7th. We plan to upgrade two iPhones whose contracts will expire on 7/29/12 and 9/15/12.

The uncertainty is the carrier: we have become disenchanted by AT&T's continuing rate increases accompanied by no improvement in service, and our experience with Verizon on the iPad data plan has been similar. We'll be giving Sprint a look.