An employee “pretty high up in AT&T’s food chain” has leaked word that there will be a new iPhone announcement in mid-June. While the unknown source didn’t say it would necessarily be a new iPhone, they did say the annual iPhone launch is “becoming a tradition”. That, combined with a few mysterious string found in the recent 3.0 firmware code, all but confirms there will be a new iPhone.
The source also said that the new iPhone will be faster, have a more seamless experience, allow control of AT&T U-Verse digital video recorders and offer an “unparalleled experience across all their products and services.”
Yesterday I wondered if the strings in the 3.0 firmware referenced iPhone designs for HSPA+ and LTE data speeds. According to the AT&T source, the ‘new’ iPhone will support 7.2 Mbps HSDPA data speeds which could mean it’ll feature Infineon’s SMARTi LU transceiver, which not only supports both HSPA+ and LTE speeds but has legacy support for GSM and EDGE networks as well.
Furthermore, the Apple netbook which has been rumored for some time now, but adamantly denied by Apple, is also said to launch with AT&T this summer with 3G data speeds and a non-Windows OS (duh!). It’s expected to be priced at $99 but that’ll include a long term contractual commitment guaranteed.
