NFC
As we said on the previous page, NFC is likely to feature aboard the iPhone 5, although this isn’t the first time we’ve heard such talk. NFC and Apple’s iPhone go way back – back to the days of the iPhone 3GS, back. So while we do agree that an iPhone handset with NFC capabilities would be cool, we’re just not 100 per cent sure Near Field Communication is a big enough deal yet for Apple to dip its toe in.

Nonetheless, NFC isn’t what it used to be. The technology now has a log of big players championing it as the next big thing. Google, Visa and MasterCard are all now talking-up the technology in preparation for our move towards a cashless society – and backing like that can work wonders for a technology.

So while there’s no concrete evidence that suggests the iPhone 5 will feature an NFC chip, there is this report from a MasterCard exec that stated every single manufacturer on the planet is now developing NFC for its smartphones and tablets.

Chipset
Apple’s next-generation of iDevices – the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 – will run on the company’s bespoke quad core A6 chipset, according to reports. The A6 chipset will pick up where the A5 – iPad 2 and iPhone 4S – left off, bringing more power combined with greater efficiency and some truly staggering graphical processing abilities.

Samsung, however, will not be making this chip. Apple has instead turned to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), which has allegedly already begun production on the 28nm that will power Apple’s iPad 3 and iPhone 5. This new chipset will over huge increases in power and reductions on power consumption over its A5 predecessor.

According to CNET, ‘It's the first to come capable of 3D stacking as well, which allows more layers of components to be stacked on top of each other, like fillings in a sandwich. This means more transistors, hence more power and efficiency, which should make for an even slicker user experience.’

So if you thought the iPhone 4S was fast – which it is – then, clearly, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The A6 chipset will no doubt redefine what people perceive as mobile processors, bringing next-generation graphics and processing power to Apple’s 2012 line-up of mobile products. In fact, these chips sound so tasty we wouldn’t be surprised if they started turning up in MacBook Air devices in the near future.

LTE
Apple has ignored LTE in the US for far too long now. Many experts figured LTE-support would be a dead-cert on the iPhone 4S but Apple decided to omit the antenna, preferring to bide its time and stick instead with good old HSDPA.

With the iPhone 5 it’s likely to be a different story. Why? Simple: LTE – or 3G+, as it should be known – is a reality in the US now and consumers know that.  So if Apple deliberately omits it from its handsets once again, which it very well could do, it would almost certainly be shooting itself in the foot.  

This ‘LTE Issue’ isn’t such a big deal in the UK, seeing how far behind the rest of the world we are with our mobile network infrastructure. Still it’d certainly be nice to have that latent ability to pick up the fast radio waves should the UK networks and Ofcom ever actually get round to sorting it out.

The next generation device is expected to receive a major overhaul in terms of design and aesthetics, says Redmond Pie, complete with a thinner case, a slightly larger screen and compatibility with the world’s faster, 4G LTE networks. This should really come as no surprise however, as the iPhone 4S featured the same design as its predecessor and it is highly unlikely that the design would make it through to the next release.

Improved Camera
We’d like to see an updated camera on the iPhone 5, especially on the front of the device for higher quality FaceTime conversations, but we don’t think we will. You see Apple did a pretty extensive overhaul on the iPhone 4S with regards to the camera. It changed the technology, the sensor – everything. It’s not likely to this again until, say, the iPhone 6 or 7.

So while a 12-megapixel shooter on the iPhone 5 would be nice, we think we’ll just have to settle for the 8-megapixel one that is currently doing such a sterling job on the iPhone 4S.

We can always hope, though.

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