This Week's Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible

Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what’s coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but most are totally bogus. We parse the week’s rumors for you, ranking them in order from “utterly ridiculous” to “Duh, of course.” First up…

DON’T COUNT ON IT: Leaked photos of the iPhone 5S shell, plus specs
A Chinese-language site called C Technology (reposted by BGR) published pictures of what could be the iPhone 5S shell. There’s no way to verify these photos as being accurate, as they look pretty much identical to the iPhone 5, and we’ve seen how easy it is for other manufacturers to ape the iPhone.

As for specs, a “4-inch IGZO display with the same Retina resolution as the iPhone 5, an A6 processor clocked a bit faster than the current model, quad-core SGX 554MP4 graphics, 2GB of RAM and an upgraded LTE radio,” they sound pretty reasonable, but simply can’t be verified at this point.

DON’T COUNT ON IT: Apple may delay the introduction of the iPhone 5S
Apple could be upgrading the next iPhone to a 4.3-inch Retina display screen, and that could delay the launch of the next handset until the end of the year, according to the Taiwanese newspaper the Commercial Times (as reported by Bloomberg).

Apple just upped the screen size of the iPhone last year, giving developers a new 4-inch screen size to accommodate. Apple is also revealing a revamped iOS 7 interface in the fall that will require a lot of app developers to redesign their apps so they fit in with the new look. So, another form factor for developers to have to wrangle? No. It’s too soon. Apple also traditionally iterates on the form factor every other generation, which would mean the next iPhone would share the same design cues and dimensions as the current iPhone 5.

VERY DOUBTFUL: Apple patent details in-display fingerprint technology — and it’s delaying the iPhone 5S
Apple patent filings are hit or miss. A patent could be an indicator of a technology the company is dedicating significant resources towards, or it could be a decoy to lead competitors (and the press) away from what it’s actually working on. One of the latest is that Apple is working on in-display fingerprint sensing technology. Apple’s been rumored to be including biometrics in upcoming iOS devices since it acquired fingerprint security firm Authentec in the fall of 2012. It’s possible that Apple could include this technology in an iOS device this year or next.

A related report suggests that iPhone 5S production is delayed because of poor fingerprint sensor yields, pushing the launch of the next iPhone into September. September, you say? The same month the iPhone was released in 2012? Wow, it really does sound delayed.

ASK AGAIN LATER: Apple pitching ad-skipping as part of its new TV service
This report lands in the middle of the list because well, Apple’s TV doesn’t exist yet, but the source is strong. Former WSJ reporter Jessica Lessin writes on her own blog that Apple has been talking with cable companies and television networks about allowing users to skip the commercials, as long as those skipped ads are paid for.

Apple’s been coy about its endeavors in the TV space, and various rumors and reports have been swirling since 2011. It seems the major snags holding up the platform’s launch are in deals with TV and cable networks, if all the rumors and reports are to be trusted.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple is aggressively hiring for its smartwatch project
Apple is on a hiring spree to dedicate personnel and resources to its rumored smart watch project, says the Financial Times (via MacRumors).

The smartwatch project itself is akin to Apple’s television project — a lot of signs are indicating there’s something in development, but there’s no hard proof yet. However, based on Apple’s recent hirings, it does seem the company is working on a wearable device of some kind. 9to5Mac detailed a number of sensor and fitness experts that have gone to work for Apple recently. Apple also snatched up former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve to work on “special projects.”

WITHOUT A DOUBT: Apple is ramping up next-gen iPhone production
According to Jefferies analyst Peter Misek and sources familiar to AllThingsD, Apple is kicking up production levels for its next iPhone. Considering the last iPhone was released in September 2012, and Apple seems to have moved to a fall release date for its flagship handset, this report is spot on with where we’d expect Apple to be at this point in the year. Or: Duh, of course Apple is ramping up iPhone production right now.

Oracle 12c database coming 'within two weeks,' middleware launch on deck

Oracle’s long-awaited 12c database has apparently received a firm launch date, with a company executive stating that it will be released “within the next two weeks.”

 

In addition, Oracle plans to release an update to its Fusion Middleware stack during its first fiscal quarter, said Thomas Kurian, executive vice president of product development. Kurian spoke on Tuesday during the company’s fiscal 2014 partner kickoff event, which was webcast.

 

Given that Oracle’s first quarter began June 1, that would place the Fusion Middleware launch between now and the end of August.

 

Kurian’s statements come after a period of confusion over when 12c would finally reach market. Word leaked early this year that beta testing had been completed and a release was imminent, but ultimately one never occurred.

 

Database 12c, wherein the “c” stands for cloud, incorporates a feature Oracle is calling “pluggable databases.” This will allow a single Oracle database instance to hold many other databases, allowing for more efficient use of system resources and easier management.

 

Oracle is also calling pluggable databases a superior way to achieve multitenancy for cloud applications. SaaS (software as a service) vendors have typically used application-level multitenancy, in which multiple customers share a single application instance with their data kept separate. Pushing multitenancy to the database layer provides better security and other benefits, according to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

 

Pluggable databases, despite being what one Oracle executive has called a “fundamental” architectural change for database technology, will be sold as a separate option, and not received as part of customers’ regular annual maintenance fees.

 

Still, Oracle is betting big on 12c not only with respect to end-user companies embracing the technology, but fellow software vendors as well.

 

On Monday, Oracle announced a deal with Microsoft that calls for Oracle’s database and other software to be made available on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.

 

Then on Tuesday, Oracle and Salesforce.com announced a nine-year-long technology partnership under which the companies will tie together their technologies and Salesforce.com will make a major investment in Oracle products for its own cloud computing infrastructure.

 

Meanwhile, during the company’s conference call to discuss quarterly results Thursday, Ellison spilled the beans on another upcoming Oracle database release, set for the end of this year, which he described as a “columnar, compressed, high-speed, in-memory database.” This release will apparently serve as Oracle’s most direct response yet to SAP’s HANA in-memory database platform.