iPhone 5 Explodes During A Call!

At 3pm yesterday, Suwicha Auesomsaksakul was almost injured when his iPhone5 exploded after he had been holding it to his ear for only 30 seconds.

During a phone call, Suwicha felt instant heat on his ear and saw smoke coming out from his 32GB, black device. He threw it immediately on the floor. He said that the phone then exploded four times like a firecracker, forming a sizable burn mark on its “Home” button. As you can see in the below image.

Suwicha told that he bought the latest Apple phone only two months ago, but that he had decided that he will not use Apple products any more.

[Source: mcot.net]

--Vedang Parmar

Rumour: iPhone 5S Out In June With 12 Megapixel Camera

The Apple iPhone 5s rumours have begun again! and this latest one comes from blog, iLounge which claims that Apple could launch three new versions of the iPhone this year.

The report states that there will be a 4-inch-screened iPhone 5S and a supposedly larger-screened 4.8-inch “iPhone Math” model before the end of June, while a third model with a 12-megapixel camera will arrive before Christmas, the report claims.

Meanwhile Macrumours has images from the French site Nowhereelse.fr which the French site claims are speaker enclosures for both the upcoming iPhone 5S and a future iPhone 6.

The bigger screen iPhone rumours are not new. PreviouslyApple Insider, Apple was testing the new iPhone 5S and another smartphone. The report added that the smartphone could be out by June or July and was based on a note circulated to investors by Jefferies analyst Peter Misek where he states that Apple is testing two iPhone prototypes.

One being the iPhone 5S and the other a low-cost iPhone. The analyst had also stated that the iPhone 5S has a new “super HD camera/screen, a better battery, and NFC,” and “possible updates include an IGZO screen for Retina+” The device could come in six to eight colours like the iPod Touch (fifth generation).

iPhone Sales At Verizon Top 6.2M

The iPhone was Verizon’s top-performing smartphone during its most recent quarter, the company revealed during its quarterly earnings call today. All told, Apple’s smartphone made up 63 percent of Verizon’s smartphone device sales for the quarter, with 6.2 million sales out of a total of 9.8 million for smartphone hardware. Of the 6.2 million iPhones sold, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that half were 4G-capable, which means they were iPhone 5 handsets.

Compared to the previous quarter, iPhone sales were up considerably, which makes sense given that this reporting period covers the holiday season. In Q3 2012, Verizon sold 3.1 million iPhones out of 6.8 million total devices sold, or just over 45 percent. iPhones therefore accounted for a greater percentage of Verizon’s smartphone sales during the period, and it’s likely the iPhone 5 that gave sales of Apple devices on the network their biggest boost, since they accounted for just 31 percent of total iPhone sales in Q3, vs. around 50 percent this quarter. They were only available for part of Q3, however, but could be ordered by customers for the entirety of Q4.

Unfortunately, there’s no real way to break out how the iPhone 5′s performance compares to the iPhone 4S’ performance during the same period last year. Verizon definitely sold a greater number of iPhones during Q4 2013 than in Q4 2012, when it sold 4.2 million devices, and Apple took a larger percentage of total smartphone sales. But since at the time there was no way to distinguish between iPhone 4S and earlier models that Verizon offered (vs. now, when they break out “4G-capable” and others), we can’t get an idea of how many customers were picking up older devices last year.

Still, we can see that demand for Apple’s iPhone is still very strong in the U.S. market, stronger than it has ever been based on Verizon uptake at least. That’s an interesting data point to consider, given all the talk of weakening supply-side orders that has been cropping up lately.

Apple Reportedly Reduces iPhone 5 LCD Panel Orders From Sharp

Japanese newspaper Sankei Biz (link via Google Translate) is reporting that Apple has halved LCD panel orders from Sharp due to lower-than-expected sales of the iPhone 5.

This is the latest indication apparently pointing to the device’s sluggish performance since its launch in September, and comes just three days afterReuters reported that Sharp has slowed production of the 9.7 inch panels used for full-sized iPads.

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple cut component orders for the iPhone 5 due to weaker-than-expected demand, with orders for iPhone 5 screens for the January-to-March quarter dropping to about half of what the company had previously planned to order. Orders of other components were also reduced.

It is important to note, however, that there might be other reasons for a reduction in component orders. Many analysts believe that reduced component orders are not due to weak demand, but rather to improved manufacturing yields after earlier production issues. Consumers may be waiting for the launch of the next iPhone, which has been rumored to be slated for a June or July release.

Apple is due to report its Q1 2013 fiscal results on January 23.

Sharp said it does not comment on business transactions with clients. Apple has been emailed for comment.

Apple Not Focused On Developing Cheaper iPhone, Says Marketing SVP Phil Schiller

Earlier this week, reports that a cheaper iPhone is in the works caused plenty of buzz as observers speculated about how such a device could help Apple target emerging markets, including China. But an interviewApple Marketing SVP Phil Schiller gave to theShanghai Evening News (link via Google Translate) seems to refute the rumors. (TNWconfirmed with Apple that this was an official interview).

Schiller told the newspaper that Apple is not focused on issuing a less expensive version of its smartphone to grab market share: “We are not like other companies, launching multiple products at once, then hoping one will get the attention of consumers,” Schiller said.

He added that Apple only uses top technology and high-quality components when developing new products.

Reports have circulated since early 2011 that Apple is working on a less pricey iPhone. Such a device would cost roughly half as much as current iPhones and be made with less expensive parts, like a shell made of polycarbonate plastic, or recycled components. A more affordable iPhone would help Apple compete with Android handsets in developing economies including China and India.

Schiller’s interview with Shanghai Evening News comes at the same time as Apple CEO Tim Cook’s visit to China, where he has been focused on opening the way for Apple to gain greater market share in that country.