Loading...In the five years since the release of the first iPhone, Apple have maintained their worldwide reputation for excellence and usability and with this in mind, all eyes will be on their annual Developers Conference on 6 June as has historically (with the exception of the iPhone 4S) been the announcement of the new technology.
Although Apple are being typically tight lipped about what to expect, and obviously still recovering from the tragic loss of Steve Jobs last year, there is much in the way of speculation as to what the iPhone 5 will involve and the various features customers can expect.
The Rumours
In 2011, it was rumoured that a prototype for the iPhone 5 had been rejected by the late Mr Jobs who released the iPhone 4S as a stop-gap whilst the design for the iPhone 5 was worked on and agreed on. according to insiders at the time, it was the larger screen size of the new design which was the sticking point and it is now believed that although the iPhone 5 will have a completely new design from any iPhone which has gone before, this much larger screen size is unlikely to feature for fear of creating a “two-tier iPhone ecosystem” (Source: Business Insider).
In response to the rumours there have been various insider “scoops” with claims that a 5 inch version had been scrapped because Apple couldn’t make it work and The Daily Mail claiming that a 4 inch screen had been approved with a prototype already in the making.
Predictions
Apple is a licensee of mobile chip design specialist ARM and their roadmap suggests that a quad-core processor is a likely addition to the iPhone5. Although this is also likely to be a feature of other soon to be released smartphones, it is also likely that Apple will have found a new or innovative way to utilise this.
It is also expected that, like many other US smartphones, 4G/LTE support will be a feature, especially given that these are features on the latest iPad.
Steve Jobs’ Legacy
It is almost inevitable that their newest launch following his death would feature a tribute or legacy to Steve Jobs and insiders predict “…the fact the iPhone 4S was so similar to the iPhone 4 suggests that Steve was working on something pretty special before.”
Back to That Screen
Various US media sources have been debating that it will be the design which will make the iPhone 5 stand out from the crowd, stating that it was likely to be a complete rethink on the original design and that it would be this humungous screen which would be the difference.
Rumours have even gone so far as to suggest that the screen would be curved and that Apple have invested heavily into this by purchasing a variety of cutting machines.
It would seem that whatever form the changes and the new iPhone 5 is likely to take on, it will be welcomed, well received and will once again change the face of mobile and hand held technology for the expected future. A further prediction is that many of Apple’s competitors would give their end of year profits to be in one of their design meetings.