iPhone 5 Rumor

Sprint Said to Plan Unlimited Data Offer With Apple’s IPhone

Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) will offer Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone next month with unlimited data service plans to distinguish itself from rivals AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Wireless, according to people familiar with the matter.

Becoming the country’s only operator to offer the device with unlimited data service for a flat fee may help Sprint draw customers from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which already carry the phone, they said.

Sprint, based in Overland Park, Kansas, is struggling to compete against larger rivals and has lost money for 15 consecutive quarters. The addition of the iPhone to Sprint’s lineup will help it win customers, said Matthew Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities LLC.

“Getting the iPhone closes that gap.”

Sprint already offers unlimited data plans for smartphones such as Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM)’s BlackBerry and HTC Corp. (2498)’s Evo, which runs on Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system. Sprint’s unlimited voice and data service costs $99.99 a month.

AT&T and Verizon charge for data service on top of voice- service plans. Verizon’s data plans for the iPhone start at $30 a month for 2 gigabytes and rise to $80 for 10 gigabytes, in addition to unlimited voice service for $69.99 a month.

IPhone vs. Android

The iPhone may not lead to more data use per customer than Sprint already sees from customers who have Android phones. Apple dropped $6.66, or 1.7 percent, to $377.48 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading and has climbed 17 percent this year.

Apple iPhone 5 rumors week ending September 11

We also looked at how a new iPhone 5 could bring with it a few changes, one being an increase in Apple TV sales thanks to better integration between the iPhone and Apple TV’s, streaming of content to Apple TV’s being one hoped for feature on the next iPhone. Another report looked at the possibility that a new Apple CEO could help bring Adobe Flash to the next generation iPhone.

More hints of an iPhone 5 release coming soon were shown with iPhone 4 shipping times slipping, daily production numbers posted, and rumors of a potential iPhone 5 announcement date with a likely keynote on September 19th or 26th. While nothing about Apple can be certain until they officially release details via events and press releases, one rumor that looks increasingly solid is Sprint getting the iPhone 5. Only today we heard that Vodafone UK might have accidently revealed iPhone 5 details.

iPhone 5 rumor rollup for the week ending Sept. 9
 

This week: speculation that the "iPhone 5" is really a redesigned iPod Touch with a 3G data option, and a photograph not of the iPhone 5 but taken by the iPhone 5.
 

-- Charlie Sorrel, Wired.com's Gadget Lab
The "iPhone 5" is actually the "iPad Nano."
There is of course currently no "iPad Touch." The iPad is Apple's large-format tablet. The iPod Touch is the Wi-Fi-only mobile device that closely resembles the iPhone, but lacks a 3G cellular radio. The iPod Nano is the newest design for Apple's popular music player: now a small square with multi-touch screen.
 

What Sorrel seems to be saying is, "What if Apple plans the Next iPhone as a beefed-up, prepaid iPhone 4, which we can call iPhone 4S? And also a larger-screened version of the iPod Touch that includes a 3G option, similar to that found in some iPad models, which we can call the iPad Nano?"
 

The current iPod Touch is "fantastic" he says, but lacks the always-on cellular link of the iPhone. iPhone 5 "launches" first week of October, and Sprint will have it.