Getting ready for the next wave of iPhone excitement
As it happened, there was no iPhone 5 in 2011 after all, but the company did announce the iPhone 4S.
However,
the new iPhone 5 is still on the cards - we're expecting it to debut in
the middle of this year. So we've gathered together all the latest
iPhone 5 rumours and rounded them up below.
First though, why not read our complete iPhone 4S review?
It's
the phone that appeared when the whole world was looking forward to the
iPhone 5 anyway, so make up your own mind whether to make the jump to
Apple's latest now or save those pennies for the 2012 iPhone 5 release.
Given
the pattern of Apple's iPhone launches, we're expecting the next-gen
iPhone 5 to debut in mid to late 2012. We reckon it's most likely to be
shown off at Apple's Worldwide Developer Event (WWDC), which usually
takes place in early June.
Rumours that we reported on 18 October claim an iPhone 5 release date of Summer 2012. Analyst Ashok Kumar claimed that the absent iPhone 5 was meant to be the big announcement at the recent event where the iPhone 4S was launched.
We also reported in February
that the new iPhone would be launched in October, falling into line
with the same release schedule from last year, and Macotakara 'sources'
confirming the Cupertino brand would be honouring the same upgrade cycle
from now on.
Unlike
the iPhone 4S, the new iPhone will be a completely new design from what
has gone before, so that means an entirely new casing as we saw with
the iPhone 3G and, later, the iPhone 4.
Interestingly,
someone who claimed to have seen a larger-screened iPhone 5 prototype
said in November 2011 that Steve Jobs canned the new handset and opted
for the iPhone 4S because of the larger screen size of the new device. According to Business Insider, it was feared that a new size would create a two-tier iPhone ecosystem.
Beatweek also claimed in November 2011 that the 5-inch was scrapped "because Apple wouldn't be able to do it properly" this year. However, the Daily Mail
(make of that what you will) then suggested that a four-inch version
was likely and that Sony has already shipped top secret demo screens to
Apple.
iPhone 5 specs
Based on the roadmap of mobile chip
design specialist ARM (of which Apple is a licensee), we'll see a
quad-core processor debut in the new iPhone 5 - probably called the
Apple A6. We know that we'll see other quad core handsets debut in 2012,
so it's not too much of a stretch to say that the iPhone 5 will be the
same.
We had expected some kind of help in terms of predicting the iPhone 5 CPU from the launch of the new iPad, but the announcement of a slightly tweaked A5X processor really didn't help things there.
iPhone 5 will have 4G/LTE support
With
many 4G handsets already announced in the US, it can't be long before
the iPhone supports 4G technologies - even if we won't even have a UK
spectrum auction until 2012.
Cnet.com quotes
Will Strauss from analyst firm Forward Concepts, who says that the next
iPhone will feature LTE technologies."They're saving iPhone 5 for the
LTE version and that won't be out until next spring," said Strauss.
After the new iPad's launch brought 4G to an Apple device, it's widely expected that 4G will come to iPhone 5.
Steve Jobs' iPhone 5 legacy
Many sites have reported
that Steve Jobs was working hard on the iPhone 5 project, which will
apparently be a "radical redesign". We shall see... but the fact the
iPhone 4S was so similar to the iPhone 4 suggests that Steve was working
on something pretty special before
And if you're in a bit of a
hurry, we've also got a handy iPhone 5 video detailing the latest
rumours on release date, spec and more - so check if out for a quick
fix of next-gen Apple fun:
The Wall Street Journal has previously
reported that: "Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said
people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the
fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those
that are currently available… it was unclear how soon that version
would be available to Verizon or other carriers."
This has since been backed up by reports from Engadget, which state the design will be a 'total rethink'.
iPhone 5 screen
Various
sources claim the iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen.
Digitimes quotes the source as saying that Apple is expanding the
screen size "to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a
9.7-inch iPad in the market."
On 23 May 2011, we reported on rumours that the iPhone 5 could feature a curved glass screen.
These rumours also came from Digitimes, which said that Apple has
purchased between 200 and 300 special glass cutting machines because
they're too costly for the manufacturers to invest in.
In March 2012, new reports suggested that the new iPhone 5 would come sporting a larger 4.6-inch retina display.
There's been some speculation that Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card.
However, with the tech being inside the Google Nexus S and Samsung Galaxy Nexus, as well as a host of other top smartphones, the time for NFC may finally be here.
On 24 June 2011 it was reported
that the Google Wallet mobile payment platform could feature on the new
iPhone. Eric Schmidt admitted that Google is looking to port the
software to other manufacturers.
However, on 31 January 2012 9to5Mac claimed to have spoken with a well-connected developer who disclosed information received from Apple iOS engineers saying they are "heavily into NFC".
The
developer in question has not been named, but is working on a dedicated
iOS app which includes NFC reading for mobile transactions. When
questioned how confident he was on the information he had received his
reply was "Enough to bet the app development on".
iPhone 5 camera
Sony makes the camera for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Speaking at a live Wall Street Journal event,
Sony's Sir Howard Stringer was talking about the company's camera
image sensor facility in Sendai, a town that was recently ravaged by
the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
According to 9to5Mac,
he said something along the lines of, "Our best sensor technology is
built in one of the [tsunami] affected factories. Those go to Apple for
their iPhones… or iPads. Isn't that something? They buy our best
sensors from us."
Sources have also suggested the new iPhone could have an 8MP camera. Indeed, Sony announced in January 2012 that it had developed new back-illuminated stacked CMOS image sensors which are smaller in size.
iPhone 5 price
If
the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 4
to the iPhone 4S then we'd expect the price to stay more or less the
same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price
tag.
It's pretty much nailed on that the new iPhone will cost
around £500 for a 16GB / 32GB model (depending on the capacity Apple
whacks in there) and unless the iPhone 5 comes with some truly next
generation technology that pricing model should hold firm.
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