Mobile marketers may still be rejoicing over last week's news that the iPhone will be available to Verizon users in February, but they might want to keep abreast of new Apple developments this week. The company will reportedly unveil the iPhone 5 during the first half of this year, and Steve Jobs may not be managing the the day-to-day operations of Apple when it is released.
Following the much anticipated announcement that the iPhone 4 will come to Verizon, marketers' Apple speculations are shifting to the upcoming iPhone 5. Apple Insider reports that the iPhone 5 will come with an updated version of the company's A4 chip. This will translate into faster graphics, which may enhance interactive marketing campaigns on the device.
This should be of interest to marketers hoping to create visually engaging ads or mobile-ready content to reach iPhone users. As of November 2010, comScore reports that Apple accounted for one-quarter of the U.S. smartphone market, and this may increase once the iPhone hits Verizon.
On a more somber note, Apple is also making headlines today due to Steve Jobs' medical leave of absence. At press time, Jobs is a top search term on Google, and the CEO is garnering mentions by the minute in Google Realtime search results. The Apple site offers insight on Jobs' leave of absence, providing an internal email in which the CEO says he will return to Apple as soon as he can.
The New York Times suggests Jobs' leave of absence may cause anxiety among trusting consumers, but marketers might want to forge on with plans to advertise through the iPhone. Google Realtime results show that consumers still can't get enough news about the iPhone coming to Verizon.
