rumors

Apple's product line could be getting a major makeover early next year, a new report claims.

The company plans to launch a new iPhone, iPad, and "iTV" device by the middle of next year, China Times is reporting today, citing unidentified industry sources. The new smartphone will be called the "iPhone 5S," according to the outlet's sources.

Apple has used the "S" at the end of a number of recent iPhone updates. The iPhone 3GS, like the iPhone 4S, came with the same design as their predecessors, but delivered internal components that … Read more

A rumored Sony smartphone operating under the codename of "Yuga" could be the company's first handset to offer a 5-inch, 1080p display.

Details, images, and benchmarks posted by PocketDroid and a Swiss Android blog suggest that the device could give HTC and others a run for their money.

The hardware appears to match up fairly closely to the HTC J Butterfly. Also, after looking at a number of freshly unearthed photos of the Yuga, I see a unibody enclosure that likely means an internal battery.

While the Yuga maintains some of the design aesthetics of recent Xperia … Read more

The election is over, the iPad Mini was revealed, and that can only mean one thing: it's finally Humiliation Day time. But before we get to that, we talk business. Namely the fact that Microsoft is rumored to be working on something that would make Karyne quit her job and become a full-time gamer. It's possible that nobody is as excited as she is about this news. Anyone?

Also this week, we mention the rumor that must not be mentioned anymore because it's been talked about to death; we wonder what the point of Google Wallet is; … Read more

The unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note could get its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update in late December says the oft-reliable SamMobile. In addition to the requisite bug fixes, the update will include Samsung's Nature UX as well as Air View and Multi View on the gargantuan smartphone.

Samsung has yet to confirm both the update and its expected arrival, but the firmware in the video below looks fairly complete. Hopefully, we'll get an official announcement from Sammy soon, be it via press release or a social network status update.

It's worth noting that not all versions of … Read more

Stop us if you've heard this one before: HTC is working on a Facebook phone that runs Android at its core. In what seems like an annual occurrence, rumors have started up that suggest the social network behemoth is readying a smartphone centered around its services. … Read more

On this week's show, we investigate the logic behind the rumor of Google's delivery ambitions. We know Google had ventured far afield from its core search functionality in the past (cough, Android, cough, Google Wave, cough driverless cars) but it's hard to see how Google could invade the shopping/delivery sphere. It doesn't have any warehouses, delivery trucks, or even, to be perfectly frank, any products to sell. But those concerns may be missing the point.

We also go over the reports that Apple's now-former iOS chief Scott Forstall lost his job because his mama … Read more

The iPhone 5 makes its next big overseas sales debut next Friday, November 2 as local media have begun to report the leaks. (You can find the MacRumors roundup here.)

We've contacted Apple for comment and will update this post when more information becomes available.

The Economic Times of India, citing unnamed sources, reported that next Friday's launch "is certain" with iPhone shipments arriving over the next two or three days.

Similarly, the Bangkok Post reported confirmation of the November 2 date from an unnamed "industry source."

In Greece, the iPhoneHellas blog (translated), reported … Read more

Next week, Google is expected to unveil an update to the Nexus 7, an LG Nexus phone, a high-end new tablet, and Android Jelly Bean, but there's a rumor going around that Google has another trick up its sleeve.

What if we told you it was going to make a decidedly "low-end" Nexus tablet for $100 less than the Nexus 7 -- meaning $230 cheaper than the iPad Mini? You'd get your credit card out, right? Or scrounge around for enough change in your couch cushions?

Well, watch the show to see why you might want … Read more

More details have bubbled up about the rumored 5-inch HTC handset slated to hit Verizon this fall, including its name.

Previously thought to be the Droid Incredible X, DIX, or DLX a copy of a Verizon document suggests that the supersize smartphone will take on the name Droid DNA, according to AndroidCentral.

If the document is correct, Verizon will list the HTC6435LVW handset for $199.99 on November 20, just in time for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season.

With its expected high-end specs -- a 5-inch 1080p HD display, quad-core processor, and 2GB RAM -- I thought the … Read more