With every new iteration, the questions on everyone's mind are:
1.What's new? (What are the new added features?)
2.What does it look like?
3.When does it come out exactly?
Launch date change: Apple is reputedly trying to make the iPhone more attractive as a holiday gift item, so has begun in 2011 to launch the new iPhone in the fall, as it has done with the iPhone 4S. A fairly new iPhone is hot and not impossible to buy in late November or December, and will have not been upstaged by the latest Android phone by then. Expect October launches for iPhone from 2011 onwards.
While there is some speculation that the iPhone 5 might be available in the first half of 2012, that is unlikely. The popularity of the 4S suggests that Apple doesn't need to shorten the lifecycle of the iPhone just yet, and there is some speculation that the iPhone 5 might be released on October 5, in commemoration of Steve Jobs, who passed away on this day in 2011.
So far, Apple's been characteristically mum on the details on all future unannounced products, but the rumor mill and fake pictures are already starting to spring up.
Here's what we can probably expect:
4G: The iPhone 4 and 4S are belatedly available on Verizon in the United States (and the latter on Sprint), but 4G (LTE) is likely not going to be available until AT&T releases its own 4G service (HSPA+) nationwide, expected in later 2011 at the earliest. The iPhone 5, released in 2012, will likely be the first 4G iPhone available on all three US carriers (AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint). This is, admittedly, a disappointment for Verizon users, since its speedy LTE network will have been deployed for well over a year and accessible with competitive (read: Android) devices during that time.
Edge-to-edge, larger screen. The entire front face of the iPhone might be a screen, doing away with the physical home button, or possibly integrating it into the display itself. Rumors suggest the screen will grow from 3.5 inches to 4 inches.
Wireless charging. Removing the need for a port-cable connection for charging, the iPhone 5 might employ inductive charging, where the iPhone is placed on a charge mat and the phone battery is charged by induction. You can easily imagine buying mats for your desk, car, and elsewhere where your iPhone is typically lying around losing its charge. Since iOS 5 enabled data sharing over the air, inductive charging might allow the iPhone to finally ditch cords altogether.
Faster chip. With each successive Apple mobile operating system, increased complexity and added features create strains on the processor. Apple is likely to move away from working with Samsung, with whom it has a number of outstanding patent lawsuits underway, and move to an updated, quad-core A6 chip, which the iPhone 5 will share with the iPad 3. The A6 is likely to be produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and tested/packaged by Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL), both based in Taiwan. The A6 offers performance and energy usage improvements over the A5, using a more advanced 28-nanometer fabrication process, over the A5's 40-nanometer process.
Polysilicon (p-Si) touchscreen mounted on Gorilla Glass. The Japanese newspaper, Nikkan, has reported a rumor that the 2012 iPhone will switch to a new display material that will enable it to be thinner, lighter, and less power-intensive than current displays. If even the last claim is accurate, that will be a major boon to battery life, since a phone's display is typically the largest draw on power. This display technologically will putatively be manufactured by Sharp, starting the spring of 2012 ahead of the phone's summer launch.
Gorilla Glass, a Corning innovation, resists breakage far better than any other commercially-available glass. Coupled with the p-Si touchscreen, the iPhone 5 will likely be the brightest- and toughest-screened
iPhone yet.
More memory. The iPhone app store shows no signs of abating in popularity, and without SD card memory expansion in Android phones, Apple will up the phone storage options available. Expect 64GB and 128GB variants.
Improved battery. The iPhone 5 might be the first to use the organic radical battery (ORB) technology developed by Japan's NEC, which is more environmentally-friendly than current lithium ion batteries that have dangerous heavy metals. ORB also boasts an absurdly fast recharge time (about 30 seconds) and higher energy density (will be able to pack more power into a smaller battery).
Better camera. The iPhone 5 might be the first iPhone to cross the 10 million pixel threshold with its camera (the iPhone 4S boasts an 8 MP camera), unsurprising as high-resolution images have always been a hallmark of Apple's products.
Near-Field Communication (NFC) chip. Debuted on the Samsung Nexus S and possibly implemented on the iPhone in the 5th generation product, this newest hardware addition enables contactless communication between a phone and objects similarly embedded NFC capabilities. This should eventually enable things like paying via credit card by holding your phone over a terminal for a second, or paying for things from vending machines using your phone. The technology is similar to Bluetooth although it uses less energy and establishes a connection far more quickly (although at a much closer range - a few inches away instead of yards away).
The most compelling reason for not installing an NFC chip is that the technology has really been Google's bailiwick, since adoption of the technology at POS (point of sale) retail terminals has been pushed by Google Wallet. Apple might strategically choose to lag here.
Form factor improvements. Apple puts a tremendous amount of emphasis on the sleekness of its products. The iPhone 5 will be no exception, with a modern, lightweight, and thin look. Expect some surprises in terms of shape and, especially, materials, as Apple hopes to push the envelope and fend off attacks from Android handmakers, its largest competition.
Case material improvements. To round out the environmental friendliness of the new device, more advanced, naturally-sourced plastics might be used in the case. For example, isoplast polymers might replace the previously used polycarbonate case manufactured with BPA (bisphenol-A). The glass back used in the iPhone 4 has had too many breakage issues, although Gorilla Glass would make the glass far less fragile.
Improved antenna design. After the fiasco of the iPhone 4's wraparound metal antenna, Apple has to make some ground in reception in its new overhaul. This has been addressed somewhat by iOS 5 already, which purports to choose between two sets of antenna based on the strength of the signal. But for the 2012 iPhone, expect a new antenna that doesn't require a special case or on-the-fly antenna selection to avoid "death grip" interference. This will probably be a benefit that Apple will not make a whole lot of fuss about, since it would only draw attention to the iPhone 4's serious shortcoming, and because it was supposedly addressed via iOS 5.
Possible innovations and features
Apple usually includes something unique and technologically cutting-edge into each iteration of the iPhone (like the smudge-proof screen in the 3G and glass case in the iPhone 4 and 4S). Here are some long-shot possibilities for the iPhone in 2012:
the case could be made of the battery itself (lithium ion polymer), reducing weight and improving battery life
the button could be phased out, replaced with a virtual button on-screen
face or thumb recognition as a security measure
the phone could be a Wifi hub using the carrier 4G connection
a "pico-projector" - video can be projected a short distance onto a flat surface
a clear "window phone" in which the phone could be transparent
What do we know so far?
Toshiba Mobile Display Company is building a $1.2 billion factory to produce LCD panels for the iPhone 5. The factory is scheduled to be operational in the second half of 2011, ready to produce iPhone 5 displays for the 2012 launch.
A consortium of three Japanese display manufacturers - Toshiba, Hitachi, and Sony - are merging their mobile display businesses in early 2012. They are reportedly working on a 4-inch (10.1 cm) display that is rumored to be used in the iPhone 5.
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