iPhone 5S production to start in March? New shots of the BlackBerry QWERTY device and more

By RyanKamauff

The iPhone 5 might have a shortlived place at the top of Apple’s offerings

Here are the top mobile news and stories of the day.

• Analyst: Initial iPhone 5S production to begin in March for June/July launch – Jeffries analyst Peter Misek is stating that iPhone 5S will be launched in June/July. This is due to lower than expected iPhone 5 sales and demand. The 5S might ship with better battery life, multiple colors, and an even larger (and better) screen. Apple could also release a low-cost iPhone, to complement the higher quality device. Via 9to5Mac, more here.
• The Clearest Shots Yet of BlackBerry’s Great QWERTY Hope – RIM is undeniably in trouble, but they may find some success via BB10. One of their attractions has always been the real QWERTY keyboard (as opposed to touchscreens) and here are some shots of their latest effort. Via Gizmodo, more here.
• Smartphones eat more mobile data than tablets, largely due to LTE – A recent study from Arieso purports that smartphones are actually using more data than tablets. They used devices suchas the iPhone 5, Galaxy SIII, and HTC One X, compared to the iPad and Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. iPhone 5 users seem to be using the most data (4x more than their 3G counterparts). Ars Technica purports this was due to LTE as the reason. My thoughts is it is more about the fact that smartphones are just plain used more (and less on WiFi). Via Ars Technica, more here.
• Report: iPad mini Gains As The Preferred “Kids’ Tablet” After The Holidays – The iPad Mini left the holiday season as the preferred kids tablet via the educational app finder KinderTown. After Christmas, a far larger percentage of apps were found on iPad Mini versus other iDevices. Via TechCrunch, more here.
• Why I’m thinking of ditching my precious iPhone for an Android – This article by GigaOM feature writer, Mathew Ingram, details his reason for leaving iPhone and iOS behind. More and more top technology writers are doing the same (there was a similar story on Gizmodo last week). If you are in the market for a new phone, these are must reads. Via GigaOM, more here.
• How Apple Sets Its Prices – Gizmodo has a really superb read on how Apple uses their clout to control the prices of their products. Apple increases their prices of every device to keep third-party vendors selling at Apple’s MSRP, while offering a huge amount of incentives. Via Gizmodo, more here.
• Demand For Samsung Smartphones Jumps To 23% For Early 2013, iPhone Interest Down 21 Points From Last Quarter – The Q1 2013 report by ChangeWave shows strong movement upward by Samsung, along with a downward trend in iPhone 5 demand. While iPhone 5 interest is still high, the downward trend may be troubling. Via TechCrunch, more here.

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