Apple cut its order for memory chips slated to go into the upcoming iPhone 5, according to a report at Reuters this evening. Citing a “source with direct knowledge of the matter,” the report says that while the South Korean chip manufacturer is still on the list as an initial supplier of memory chips for the new iPhone model, but that Apple continues to decrease its reliance on Samsung as a chip supplier.

Apple has all but confirmed it will be announcing the iPhone 5 on September 12, and if recent rumors are correct, it’ll start shipping around a week and a half later. But according to a leaked training manual produced by Sprint, Apple’s next-generation iPhone may not be making its debut until at least October 15, or it’ll be launching with different carriers at different times in the U.S.

That’s if this training document actually means anything. And we don’t think it does.

When Apple announces the iPhone 5 next week, its features and specifications will be of little surprise to most of us. If you’ve been following the rumors, there’s a good chance you already know what it looks like, and most of what’s inside it. But will the iPhone 5 been right for you, and does it do enough to keep you devoted to iOS?

There are some pretty great smartphones out there right now, including a handful that were announced by Nokia and Motorola just this week — the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920, and the DROID RAZR HD, DROID RAZR MAXX HD, and DROID RAZR M. So how do you choose between them? Well, we’ve put together a handy chart that will help you establish which smartphone is right for you.

Sonny Dickson got his hands on some pictures in which the “mysterious” chip shielding in the front assembly of the iPhone 5 was peeled back.

So what was underneath? The rumored, then discredited, NFC chip? A fingerprint sensor to go along with Apple’s recent, hasty acquisition of Authentec?

Nope, it’s definitely not either of those, but no one still knows for sure. The chances are, though, it’s nothing very exotic, but a required silion to make the new iPhone’s In-Cell touchscreen work.

Source: Sonny Dickson

Grove, maker of quality bamboo cases for the iPhone, has just begun pre-orders for its new iPhone 5 case. The design of this case is milled from a solid block of bamboo and sanded/oiled by hand. You have the option to get a custom engraving too.

Apple devices currently account for over half of all mobile web traffic in the U.S. and Canada, according to Chitika. During August 2012, Apple’s share of web traffic on mobile devices grew from 63.75% to 65.03%. Samsung trails behind at a distant second place with a 12.47% share.

“With the iPhone and iPad, Apple dominates the mobile market when it comes to web usage,” reports Chitika. “The company had another stellar month, and now its devices generate over 65% of all mobile traffic.”

In the days leading up to an Apple product announcement, the rumor mill goes into full swing. This year’s iPhone 5 is definitely no exception. We’ve already seen dozens of part leaks of the new hardware, and the latest series of hi-res photos to surface reveal an assembled iPhone 5 next to the current iPhone 4S.

Today’s pics show just how much thinner the iPhone 5 will be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kaVzt-_zajE

This is a heck of a video, in that it shows an iPhone 5 booting up next to an iPhone 4S. Even better, it seems real.

According to MIC Gadget, the iPhone 5 was “accidentally” discovered in Foxconn’s Jincheng factory, which basically means it was smuggled out and is stolen property. Whatever the provenance, though, it seems to be legit: the official first sighting of a working iPhone 5 in the wild.

What else do we know? Not much: the iPhone 5 boots up much more quickly than the iPhone 4S, but otherwise, it’s not capable of being activated at this point, so the iPhone 5 stalls at the activation screen.

More pictures of the new iPhone below:

When Apple switches over to a smaller 9-pin Dock Connecter for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini, all your existing cables, chargers and accessories won’t work without an adapter. According to a new report, you won’t just be able to pick up that adapter anywhere: only Apple will sell them, in packs of one or three.

The iPhone 5 is coming, which means iPhone 5 cases are coming, and unlike third-party accessory makers that need access to the specs of Apple’s still-secret rejiggered Dock Connector, case makers have had accurate access to the next iPhone’s dimensions and port layout for months.

No surprise, then, that the first third-party iPhone 5 cases and screen protectors are starting to show up in AT&T’s system. Unless you love Snoopy, though, the iLuv wallet case previewed above is probably the best of them.

Source: Boy Genius Report