Tech

Apple to unveil 4G iPhone in 2012?

Published Wednesday, Oct 26 2011, 19:24 BST | By Mark Langshaw | 44 comments

Apple is rumoured to be working on a 4G iPhone for release in 2012.

DigiTimes cites industry sources in Taiwan who claim that the tech giant will enter the Long Term Evolution (LTE) market next year.

Nokia, RIM, and Sony Ericsson previously confirmed plans to release 4G phones next year. HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and LG have already made strides in the LTE sector.

HTC leads the way in the field in the US, holding a 60 percent share of 4G customers. Verizon Wireless is the top provider in the territory, claiming that it now provides coverage from more than half of North America.

Apple has previously expressed reluctance about entering the LTE market. While announcing the company's quarterly results in April, CEO Tim Cook said that such handsets "force a lot of design compromises" the firm is not willing to make.

Recent figures from ABI Research suggest that the number of 4G handsets in circulation will rise to 245 million in 2016. Just 4.6 million were shipped last year.

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