The iPhone 4S was a bit of a disappointment for millions of people around the world as it was very similar to the iPhone 4 Not too many people liked the fact that the iPhone 4S kept the same exact design as the iPhone 4, even though the iPhone 4 was released 16 months before the launch of the iPhone 4S. Though the iPhone 4S had a faster processor, IOS5 and a pretty cool virtual assistant in Siri, there were many who were still not satisfied with what the iPhone 4S had to offer. Some even joked around that Apple had simply stuck a “S” sticker on the iPhone 4. Though Apple sold more than 4 Million iPhone 4S handsets on the weekend of its launch, it has to be said that many more millions actually skipped on the upgrade to the iPhone 4S, preferring to wait it out for the iPhone 5. In the following passages, we will discuss the possible or probable specs that might be featured in the Apple iPhone 5 and will also briefly touch upon the release date of the next iPhone, due to be launched in 2012.
iPhone 5 specifications (Expected)
iPhone 5 to get 4G LTE speeds
The 4G network has arrived, with a big bang. 4G LTE speeds can result in insane download speeds of up to 30Mbps which makes 3G look like a snail crossing the road. With so many Android phones already offering 4G LTE support, it will be a huge disappointment if Apple does not include 4G compatibility in the iPhone 5. Several rumors actually suggested that Apple desperately tried to include 4G LTE support in the iPhone’s existing 3.5 frame although they just couldn’t do so because the phone was just too small for the rather large 4G LTE chips. If the iPhone 5 is going to include 4G LTE support, it would also mean that the iPhone 5 will get a larger screen size as only a phone with a large screen will have enough space to accommodate 4G LTE chips. We have gone over the details on the iPhone 5 screen size in the section below.
iPhone 5 Screen – Will it be bigger than 3.5 inches?
This is a pretty tricky question, for several reasons. For beginners, it is public knowledge that Steve Jobs, the inventory of the iPhone was a ardent fan of the 3.5 inch screen size.Steve Jobs was a firm believer that anything more than a 3.5 inch screen for a phone was oversized, ugly and uncalled for. Steve Jobs has publicly made statements to the press that he is concerned about the use of large screens on Apple devices as they will result in a compromise on battery life. According to him, the only solution would be to increase the size of the battery although that will call for design modifications that are just not feasible, considering that Apple makes some of the most stylish products that are available in the market today.
The biggest hurdle for Apple to overcome, if it wants to use a larger screen on the iPhone 5 is that it has to figure out a way to keep pixel density at about 336 pixels per square inch (the famous retina display), if the iPhone 5 screen is going to be at least of the same resolution as the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, both of which have retina display. Since retina display is almost impossible on a 4 inch screen on a 4.5 inch screen, Apple might be forced to keep the iPhone 5 screen size at the same 3.5 inches that have been featured in all the previous 5 generation of iPhone’s.
When in 2012 will the iPhone 5 be released?
Apple has always been secretive about release dates for its products. So, we pretty much have to guess at a probable release date. There are some who suggest that the iPhone 5 will be released in June of 2012. But, what people fail to understand is that the summer release dates at Apple have traditionally been reserved for the iPad models. With iPad 3 production and shipping almost finalized, there is very little chance that the iPhone 5 will be launched or released along with the iPad 3. The iPhone 5 is just too popular a product to share a release date with another high profile gadget.
Just about a week ago, we read a pretty reliable source’s blog that said that the iPhone 5 launch or release date has unofficially been decided as October 5, 2012. The date falls exactly on the first death anniversary of Steve Jobs, suggesting that Apple have decided to release the iPhone 5 as a way to pay tribute to its late founder. October 5, 2012, aside from being a symbolic release date for Apple, is also a date that makes a lot of sense in terms of business. October is not too far away from the holiday shopping season and it will be prime time for releasing a high profile product like the iPhone 5.
What else can you expect to see in the iPhone 5?
Apart from 4G LTE, a larger screen and an October release date for the iPhone 5, the other big news about the iPhone 5 have to do with the choice of processor and operating system. There has been some wild speculation where some people are expecting that a quad core A6 processor will be the new heart of the iPhone 5 which will also feature a brand new OS in the form of IOS6. Though these sensational rumors about a exciting new quad core processor sound very inviting, we think that the iPhone 5 will get the same A5 processor that has been used in the 4S. If anything, the RAM might be upgraded to 1GB, instead of the 512 MB that is currently being used in the 4S.
If you asked us, we would say that a quad core processor would be quite superfluous for a cell phone like the iPhone 5. No cell phone really needs the power of a quad core processor, at least for the average user. If anything the clock speed of the A5 processor might be increased in the iPhone 5 model. Although the iPhone 5′s processor will remain the same as the 4S, we think that the OS will be upgraded to IOS6 that will be able to support extra features such as NFC, 3D camera mode, panoramic camera mode, facial unlocking and wireless data transfer between Apple devices.