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Apple iPhone 5: What we know so far
We sift through our bag of collected rumours, speculation and conjecture to bring you everything we know about Apple’s up-coming iPhone 5
Published on Jan 31, 2012
Back in October 2011 everybody was awaiting Apple’s iPhone 5. But as we all know, this didn’t happen. Instead we got the iPhone 4S – Apple’s fifth-generation handset, but sadly not the iPhone we’d all been expecting. Nonetheless the iPhone 4S was still one of the best devices to launch in 2011, despite the fact that it looked pretty much identical to 2010’s iPhone 4.
According to official figures Apple’s iPhone 4S was the fastest selling iPhone handset to-date, shifting some four million handsets in its first week. So when Apple announces the iPhone 5, which will not only look radically different from the iPhone 4S but also feature previously unseen technology, you can bet there’ll be even more hysteria surrounding its release.
So what will the iPhone 5 actually feature?
Design
The central USP behind the iPhone 5 will no doubt be the way it looks. Apple has to change the design of the iPhone this time away from the style it used on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. We’re expecting something similar in size and shape but significantly thinner and a lot more lightweight.
There’s been a lot of talk about the handset featuring an iPhone 3GS-esque aluminium back panel. The reasoning behind this is that it will enable Apple to add more antennas inside the handset, effectively boosting the reception and wireless capabilities of the device.
‘The conservative lines of iPhone 4S - basically a remodel of the previous year's iPhone 4 - will be radically redrawn for next year's iPhone 5,’ reports The Daily Mail.
But that’s not all. iLounge claims that Steve Jobs’ ‘refusal to upgrade to a bigger screen is going to be the first thing to go.’ The new iPhone 5 will have a four-inch screen, putting it on a par with many Android rivals.
'Our most reliable source has spoken: expect body changes for the next iPhone,' closed iLounge.
Display
We don’t expect Apple to touch the display. Its Retina Display set-up is still one of the best in the business and will be for some time to come. Apple could of course upgrade the panels to Super IPS+ one. This would add some more clarity and colour. Whether it will remains to be seen. Personally, we don’t see it happening. The iPhone 4’s Retina Display, despite launching nearly two-years ago, is still well above average.
The screen, as we established above, will of course be larger than the one on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, although we’re not expecting anything too drastic. Our best guess would be either 4-inches. Maybe 4.3-inches – but that’d be at an absolute push. Anything more would alienate hardcore Apple users.
Operating System
Apple could launch the iPhone 5 on a brand new update to its iOS platform. It could be iOS 6 and a massive overhaul, like we saw with iOS 4 and iOS 5, bringing new and previously unseen features into the mix. Alternatively it could just launch the device on iOS 5.2 or without any supporting software. We hope it’s the former.
According to Jail Break Nation, ‘in November, a patent was submitted by Apple that details a possible new control interface for iOS. "Persistent Overlay" is a new interface that uses a new way of managing data, like Web pages, music, and photos. The belief right now that this could be a feature that Apple will implement in iOS 6.’
This would be a great development if true as Apple’s UI is in desperate need of a rethink. Yes, it is nice and simple – that’s a given – but it’s also looking pretty dated next to Android 4.0 and Windows Phone 7 Mango. What Apple needs to do is re-invent its UI once again by introducing a load of new navigation tweaks that we’ll re-instate the iOS’s UX as the market-leader it once was.
iOS 5 was predominately about adding services, iCloud, Siri and Reminders, Apple’s iOS platform. We think iOS 6 will be more about usability and utility, featuring things like NFC, developments in AirPlay, and UK-based navigation for Siri. Of course there’ll be plenty more in there that we’ve completely missed but these are some core aspects we see Apple adding in its next iteration of its iOS platform.
