The new iPad wasn't even on shelves
yet and already its release was fueling rumors about the iPhone 5, regarding
tech specs and date. Of course, as is the norm with Apple, they are mum on the
whole thing and everything is completely left to speculation.
4G
LTE
4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the
next obvious mark for the iPhone. The smartphone was originally released with
2G speed, then moved up to 3G with the iPhone 3G. There are other smartphones
on the market that employ 4G LTE speed, so why not the iPhone? It should be noted
that LTE isn't true 4G speed and closer to the technology of 3G, though faster.
It would seem almost certain that the iPhone
5 would include 4G LTE. This technology has been wanted, requested, and rumored
for many editions of the iPhone, but has been absent every single time. Now
that it's available for the new iPad, it would seem quite strange for Apple to ignore
adding it to the iPhone.
Larger Screen
Another item sitting on the request
list for a long time has been a larger screen. Reportedly the biggest holdout
in the iPhone getting this improvement was Steve Jobs. He opposed the larger
screen, but with Jobs passing away last year will Apple finally shelve his wishes
and cater to the wishes of the rest of the Apple community?
The rumor is that the iPhone 5 screen size
will be increased, bumping up to a four-inch screen. The thought is that the
iPhone will become longer and/or more square. There's an additional rumor that
it will feature a curved back and taper off at the top and the bottom. Is it
too soon to be ignoring Steve Jobs' wishes?
Quad-Core Chip
The new iPad just received a big
performance boost with a quad-core A5X chip. However, the iPhone 4S received a
similar boost last fall when it was released. It features the dual-core A5
chip, one that gave it twice the power and led to the graphics loading seven
times faster.
Some sources say that the iPhone 5
won't be receiving A5X, but will be receiving the even better A6 chip that is
also quad-core. However, is another boost to performance? It could very well be;
yet it would be quite disappointing to not have an iPhone on the market that
has quad-core, yet have an iPad that does.
Antenna
The iPhone 4 was released with a design
that incorporated the antenna into the stainless steel frame that surrounded the
case. Shortly after its release, customers complained of dropped calls, and it was
determined that when an area of the case was held, it interfered with the antenna
and caused the dropped calls. Apple then gave out free cases to solve the issue.
It fixed the phone itself with the iPhone 4S release, by having the phone use
two antennas, and utilize whichever one wasn't being covered up.
If the design is being completely made
over, especially with screen size, it would be a great time to get rid of the
antenna problem altogether and find somewhere else to put it where it doesn't
interfere at all. Since the change in the iPhone 4S, however, it doesn't seem to
be a change that's on the minds of consumers.
Aluminum Body
The original iPhone featured an
aluminum backing and plastic and chrome frame. After that, the iPhone composition
switched to being a combination of plastic and chrome, eliminating the aluminum.
The talk now is that the iPhone could be making a return to the aluminum case,
resembling the iPad. Who knows, maybe it's a way to pacify the memory of Steve
Jobs if they indeed start making changes that he was vehemently against.
Software
The release of the iPhone 4S brought
iOS 5, while the new iPad only updated the iOS to 5.1. It would seem like a
disappointment if a new iPhone was only upgraded to 5.2. We want iOS 6. That's
always half the fun of a new iOS device - playing with the new software. 5.2
just wouldn't be enough.
Name
One speculation surrounding the next
generation of iPhone is what the name will be. Technically, we've seen six
models, with the original iPhone, iPhone 2, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4,
and iPhone 4S. Will Apple keep with the odd naming structure and now move to
iPhone 5? Or will it follow the current trend with the iPad?
The third generation IPad, instead of
being called the iPad 3, is labeled simply "the new iPad." Will this
just be "the next iPhone?" Is Apple ready to abandon naming
structures entirely? I hope not, as it makes it very hard to differentiate
which one you're talking about when they release a new one every year.
Release Date
This brings into question the final
speculation, when we can expect to have the iPhone in stores. There are multiple
rumors out there and no one really knows for sure. New iPhones were
traditionally released in the summer, until last year when the iPhone 4S was
released in the fall. Is this the new annual release date?
With the new iPad having just been
released on March 7, and OS X Mountain Lion expected to be released this
summer, it seems like there isn't really a lot of room there to fit in an
exciting iPhone release. There's also the question of how Apple would handle
the contract issue. They routinely adjust pricing to help out people who are in
the middle of a two-year contract. What would they do for people who are still
in their first year after just buying the iPhone 4S less than a year ago?
Perhaps the reason for moving the
iPhone 4S to the fall was to begin spacing things out so that they will always
have a spring, sumnner, and fall release. iPods used to get upgraded in the
fall, but those took a backseat to the iPhone last fall. Where will they fall
in?
Conclusion
The truth is that all of this is
simply speculation, from the specs to the capabilities to the name to the
expected release date. There isn't any information that is known for sure,
although some of it is definitely very strong conjecture.
I suspect that's the way that Apple
likes it. The more we speculate and discuss rumors on forums and blogs, the
more it seems to fuel the desire to have one. By the time of the actual release
date, consumers seem to be whipped into a frenzy and ready for any type of
excitement. Even the new iPad release wasn't known for sure. The invites only
said, "We have something for you to see. And touch." It was just
heavy speculation that It was the new iPad and updated Apple TV, which in fact
it was.
I'm hoping for a summer release, as
I'm sitting on an iPhone 3GS after delaying a planned upgrade with an
unfortunate toilet drop. I'll be able to upgrade next month. I don't want to
wait until fall, but I hate to get stuck with a two-year contract on an iPhone
4S if the iPhone 5 is coming out in the fall. I'm hoping my new iPad will be
enough to satisfy me until the fall, but it certainly won't stop me from
checking the iPhone 5 rumor mill weekly.
