“A new report from a Far East newspaper reiterates rumors that Apple will sell a next-generation ‘iPhone 5’ this summer with an improved antenna design, a larger 4-inch display, and integrated near-field communications chip for wireless e-wallet transactions,” Sam Oliver reports for AppleInsider.
“China Times reported Tuesday that Apple’s so-called iPhone 5 is now in its ‘trial production stage,'” Oliver reports. “It also said that the new device, which will allegedly have a ‘metal chassis’ for an improved antenna design, will launch in the third quarter of 2011.”
Oliver reports, “The report also reiterated recurring rumors that the iPhone 5 will include an NFC chip for an e-wallet service, allowing handset owners to use their device to authorize credit card transactions… the report also indicated that the next iPhone will, as expected, include Apple’s new dual-core, custom built A5 processor. The A5, which offers twice the processing power and up to 9 times the graphical power of its A4 predecessor, debuted earlier this month inside the iPad 2.”
Read more in the full article here.
I’ll believe when Steve is on a stage telling me about it.
I’d buy that for a dollar!
didnt apple just scrap the NFC stuff like last week?
but wait… this cant be the iPhone 5… there are no mentions of the physical keyboard, or any USB slot…
no way its going to have a USB slot, or a physical keyboard as apple are obsessed with making their products thinner, and this would make it like twice as thick, plus theres no need for a USB (its not a computer)
I hope they include the floppy disc slot!
5.25″ Floppy please (:
The only thing I like about the report, if true, is the increased screen size to 4″ without physically increasing the dimensions of the casing. How this would be accomplished is anybody’s guess as the bezel of the iPhone 4 is narrow enough as it is without losing the ability of holding it in your hand and not interfering with your view of the screen. Any narrower and you could end up touching portions of the screen unintentionally.
But 4″ is good news to me although a phone made of metal would not be conducive to improving radio signal through a metal body. In this regard glass is better and an external antenna the best as there is only free space between the antenna and radio tower which mitigates attenuation.
I’m not upgrading unless it’s 4G/LTE capable.
No LTE, it kills battery life… I don’t think Apple wants to embrace that technology so soon in it’s infancy.
Where I am 3G is mostly fast enough anyway.
Yea no doubt 3G is fast enough for me. Maybe it’s because I havent used LTE 4G yet. My mind may change then.
To paraphrase Mark Twain:
There’s lies, damn lies, and rumors.
I thought that was Churchill discussing statistics.
I wonder why Consumer Reports hasn’t already rejected it – if you encase in cement, you may lose a few bars of cell coverage.
Isn’t the antenna external all ready? So it wouldn’t matter if the backing were made of metal.
I think iPhone 5 will be physically similar to iPhone 4. It will be like going from iPhone 3G to iPhone 3GS. The processor will be improved, and THAT will be the major change, along with some minor hardware tweaks. I don’t think it will have a significantly different display (or case). Most of the other improvements will be software-based.
iPhone 4 is an excellent overall design that easily met and wildly exceeded Apple’s sales goals. It was a huge advance from iPhone 3GS. Apple wants to get a good return on that investment by enhancing it with an improved processor; Apple is not going to do another major overhaul.
The original iPhone to iPhone 3G was not a major change. The case did change cosmetically, but the one major technical upgrade was swapping the 2G (EDGE) part for 3G. iPhone 3G to iPhone 3GS added an improved processor and a camera that could take video, but the overall design did not change. So the overall design of the original iPhone lasted three generations. Then, we got iPhone 4, a major redesign.
iPad follows the same path. iPad (1) to iPad 2 was not a major technical overhaul. The case did change cosmetically, plus cameras and an improved processor. I’ll bet iPad 3 will not be too different from iPad 2. Then, there will be a revolutionary design change for iPad 4; I’m thinking that’s when the iPad line go to two screen sizes.
So is the most successful consumer tech product ever (iPhone 4) going to get a major overhaul after just one year? Probably not. And that’s my speculation…
Damn eye pwn.
My iPhone 4 seems faster than my iPad 2… so this should be a fantastic improvement! Off topic…has anyone with an iPad 2 figured out how to keep GarageBand from completely freezing the iPad? Looking at my crash logs…they are filled with “out of memory” errors. All I’m doing is strumming the smart guitar.
When using Garage Band on the iPad 2 you must keep it in an oven at 350°F. This will keep it from freezing.
You’re welcome.
No 4G network? I hope this is just an oversight for now
Metal chassis? A new use for Apple’s LiquidMetal acquisition last August?
• 2.5 times the strength of commonly used titanium alloy with less weight
• 1.5 times the hardness of stainless steel with less weight
• 2-3 times more resistant to permanent deformation than conventional metals
• Non-corrosive
• Stain and rust proof
• Allows thinner walls in casings, with greater strength
• Allows for large surfaces maintaining thin skins without deformation
• Scratch resistant
• High thermal and electrical conductivity