iPhone 5 release date comes after iPad 3, as iOS 5.1 looms this year

With the iPhone 4S out the door, the topic du jour among those who’ve taken a pass on it is when the iPhone 5 will find its release date. Only two things about the iPhone 5 are known with any degree of confidence: it’ll arrive within the first three quarters of 2012, and it’ll arrive sometime after the iPad 3, which also won’t arrive until next year. That leaves iPhone and iPad users with only iOS 5.1, a medium-significance software update to the newly released iOS 5, to look forward to before the year is over. It’s near enough the start of the holiday shopping season by now that Apple won’t be be springing any more new hardware on the market before 2011 is over. That leaves all eyes on next year for the launches and revisions of several new Apple products. Beyond merely the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, users are eyeballing the launch of the iPod touch 5, the next Apple TV, and more. Here’s a look at the timeframe for the iPhone 5 release date and beyond…

iPad 3: Apple’s history says you can expect this one in March 2012. The only holdup could be if Apple decides it wants to incorporate the next-gen A6 processor into the iPad 3 in order to give it a major speed boost, with scattered reports pointing to the A6 not being ready until summer. But Apple got quite a bit of negative feedback from users for pushing the iPhone upgrade cycle back to sixteen months this year instead of the usual twelve, perhaps more backlash than the company might have been expecting. This could prompt Apple to push forward with the iPad 3 in its publicly expected March timeframe with or without the A6.

iPhone 5: This release date is the most mysterious of the bunch. By waiting sixteen months to replace the iPhone 4 and then doing so with the same-ish iPhone 4S, it’s no longer clear what Apple’s iPhone roadmap looks like. With the 4S selling very well for now, Apple could opt to wait til summer 2012 (reverting back to the original summer iPhone revamp history) or even fall 2012 (a year from the 4S launch). However, if the iPhone 5 is ready sooner and if 4S sales drop off, Apple could fire up the 5 sooner. Just don’t expect it before April. iPhone 4S sales are too strong for now for Apple to even consider a January or February rush-launch, and if the iPad 3 occupies March on the calendar, that means nothing on the iPhone front before April.

iPod touch 5: Apple punted by launching a white version of the iPod touch 4 in lieu of any actual internal or external hardware changes, presumably saving the iPod touch 5 until the iPhone 5 is ready. It’s a fairly safe bet to expect them at the same time.

Apple TV: Apple has often used its fall iPod event to launch the latest Apple TV, but there was no movement on that front at this month’s iPhone event. Various speculation has Apple eventually moving into actual television sets, making the “Apple TV” set top box perhaps on the way out. But there’s no timeframe on these supposed television sets, so Apple TV could indeed see another new generation in the mean time. There’s no clear indication when that would happen, however.

iOS 5.1: The only remaining Apple product which can be expected in 2011, iOS 5.1 will deliver a slew of minor revisions to iOS 5 including features Apple didn’t quite finish in time for the original release and changes based on early user feedback. Even sooner you’ll see iOS 5.0.1, the requisite bug-fix update intended to clean up any technical issues which have arisen.

Source is
http://www.beatweek.com/news/9691-iphone-5-release-date-comes-after-ipad-3-as-ios-5-1-looms-this-year/