The iPhone 4S has left Apple fans divided. It might be a new phone on the inside, but after 15 months of rumours and longing, many expected a genre-smashing design too.
Fortunately, the next iPhone will almost certainly enjoy a fresh look from Apple design guru Jonathan Ive. You'll have to wait at least a year before any official announcement, but if you look hard enough, cross your fingers and make a wish, there are already some clues about what it might offer.
Design
iPhone case manufacturers bet their entire piggy banks on the new iPhone 4S shell getting a revamp. It turns out they based their designs on a prototype which leaked from Foxconn, the mega-factory that produces iPhones for Apple.
Apparently the prototype was sold to one of these case manufactures for £2,000, sending the iPhone accessory industry into overdrive. Tens of thousands of cases were produced, only for Apple CEO Tim Cook to put out their plastic-moulding fire with the 4S announcement.
Now it looks as though this prototype really might have been an iPhone 5 all along -- it just wasn't set for a 2011 release.
So what did it look like? It was a smaller cousin to the iPad 2, with a thin form factor, tapered edges and flat back. And, like the iPad 2, it will probably be made from aluminium. Apple buys tonnes of the stuff for its computer line anyway, and it's relatively cheap and strong. Just what you want when you build a phone.
A curious design point on these cases was what appeared to be a wider 'home' button. Some think this might have some kind of swipe functionality, so you can page through ebooks without touching the screen. It's hardly a selling point, but the real reason for a change could simply be that it allows more space for a bigger screen.
There is one alternative iPhone 5 design out there. One happy snapper managed to get a photo of a next-gen iPhone being used in public. We judged it to have a thin form factor, a slightly curved back and a thin antennae band around the edge.
An external antenna saves loads of space inside the phone, so in some ways this is more convincing than the tapered-edge design theory. Then again, Apple probably tests loads of designs, so we won't really know until an Apple engineer gets drunk and leaves a prototype in a bar yet again.
Screen size
Even the most fervent Apple fans have HTC envy, what with its 4.7-inch screens, and it's proving to be a major selling point.
According to the rumours, Apple considered its own screen boost to around 4 inches, but there's a couple of reasons why it didn't change with the 4S -- and they might still be true next year.
Boosting the iPhone screen would step on the toes of the iPad, which is designed to fill the gap between phones and desktop computers. If the iPhone screen grows, people might rather get an iPhone than both products. And let's be honest, we'd all prefer to get one killer device than break the bank buying two.
A better technical reason is to do with the screen resolution. There's two options for Apple here.
The first is to increase the resolution along with the display size, but then existing apps will need an update or scale up and look rubbish. Imagine the reaction when Apple asks developers of the 400,000+ iPhone apps to go back and add new graphics. Then imagine the queue for Apple's approval process. It's a nightmare for everyone involved.
Alternatively, Apple could increase the display size but keep the same 640x960-pixel resolution. The thing is, the iPhone 4S's retina display is actually one of the best HD screens available. It's so good, the human eye can't distinguish an individual pixel at a normal reading distance.
Stretching that same resolution across a larger screen means a lower dot per inch (dpi) count. That means it won't look as stunningly crisp and sharp as the iPhone 4S, which means a compromise in quality -- something Apple don't do.
Whatever happens, the screen size will probably become Apple's biggest headache over the next year.
Hardware
It's a safe bet to say the next iPhone and iPad will pack an A6 processor, following on from the dual-core A5 that sits in current models. The A6 is expected to be a quad-core chip, but might not be available till June. iPads are normally released in spring, so it will have a late release or miss the A6 boat altogether. Regardless, the chip will be available in good time for the new iPhone.
Storage is dandy, but the iPhone 5 won't need to improve on the 4S capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Why pay a bomb for 128GB when iCloud can look after the rest of your media library?
Will the iPhone 5 get 4G? Maybe, but many countries still lack the network to support it. Here in the UK, BT and Everything Everywhere only recently started live tests for it in Cornwall. Besides, the iPhone 4S introduced HSPA+ support, which apparently unlocks your 3G signal to speeds ups to 14Mbps, although we're yet to test it. More than enough to stream our podcast on the go.
Social networking
Will Apple build on its Find My Friends feature from iOS 5? In the past it has filed several patents for a new kind of location-based social network, where users are matched based on their iTunes library or location.
Let's say you're in a club, for example, and have the social network switched on. Your iPhone might identify others who share your interests or have travelled to the same places. You can then preview their profile on your phone, then go over and break the ice. The proposed interface even has a small map to show you where to find that person.
So rather than competing with social networks like Twitter and Facebook, it will be a social platform which enhances real-world interaction.
There's no hard evidence that Apple will introduce this next year, or ever. But there's something very Apple about the exclusive nature of such a platform, where you need an iPhone to take part.
It would bring its failed Ping network on iTunes a new meaning too, because the title would be more at home on a mobile where you actually ping messages to people.
Mobile payment system
It could be time for Apple to finally embed a near-field communication (NFC) chip in its phone, similar to that in an Oyster card.
This would allow the iPhone to replace your credit card, so you could just swipe it against a reader in a shop for small purchases, and potentially enter your PIN directly on to the phone's screen for larger ones. With Google Wallet now offering mobile payments through the Nexus S 4G in the US, Apple will certainly want its foot in the door to the high street before too long.
iPhone 5 summary
Below is a quick summary of our predictions for the iPhone 5. It's early days, but for now we think the following are likely:
A6 quad-core processor
1GB memory
New form factor
Larger screen
We're filing the following in our 'maybe' cabinet::
4G support
Mobile NFC payments
iPhone-exclusive social platform
Wider home button, or a touch-sensitive area under the screen
The iPhone 4S has left Apple fans divided. It might be a new phone on the inside, but after 15 months of rumours and longing, many expected a genre-smashing design too.
Fortunately, the next iPhone will almost certainly enjoy a fresh look from Apple design guru Jonathan Ive. You'll have to wait at least a year before any official announcement, but if you look hard enough, cross your fingers and make a wish, there are already some clues about what it might offer.
Design
iPhone case manufacturers bet their entire piggy banks on the new iPhone 4S shell getting a revamp. It turns out they based their designs on a prototype which leaked from Foxconn, the mega-factory that produces iPhones for Apple.
Apparently the prototype was sold to one of these case manufactures for £2,000, sending the iPhone accessory industry into overdrive. Tens of thousands of cases were produced, only for Apple CEO Tim Cook to put out their plastic-moulding fire with the 4S announcement.
Now it looks as though this prototype really might have been an iPhone 5 all along -- it just wasn't set for a 2011 release.
So what did it look like? It was a smaller cousin to the iPad 2, with a thin form factor, tapered edges and flat back. And, like the iPad 2, it will probably be made from aluminium. Apple buys tonnes of the stuff for its computer line anyway, and it's relatively cheap and strong. Just what you want when you build a phone.
A curious design point on these cases was what appeared to be a wider 'home' button. Some think this might have some kind of swipe functionality, so you can page through ebooks without touching the screen. It's hardly a selling point, but the real reason for a change could simply be that it allows more space for a bigger screen.
There is one alternative iPhone 5 design out there. One happy snapper managed to get a photo of a next-gen iPhone being used in public. We judged it to have a thin form factor, a slightly curved back and a thin antennae band around the edge.An external antenna saves loads of space inside the phone, so in some ways this is more convincing than the tapered-edge design theory. Then again, Apple probably tests loads of designs, so we won't really know until an Apple engineer gets drunk and leaves a prototype in a bar yet again.
Screen size
Even the most fervent Apple fans have HTC envy, what with its 4.7-inch screens, and it's proving to be a major selling point.
According to the rumours, Apple considered its own screen boost to around 4 inches, but there's a couple of reasons why it didn't change with the 4S -- and they might still be true next year.
Boosting the iPhone screen would step on the toes of the iPad, which is designed to fill the gap between phones and desktop computers. If the iPhone screen grows, people might rather get an iPhone than both products. And let's be honest, we'd all prefer to get one killer device than break the bank buying two.
A better technical reason is to do with the screen resolution. There's two options for Apple here.
The first is to increase the resolution along with the display size, but then existing apps will need an update or scale up and look rubbish. Imagine the reaction when Apple asks developers of the 400,000+ iPhone apps to go back and add new graphics. Then imagine the queue for Apple's approval process. It's a nightmare for everyone involved.
Alternatively, Apple could increase the display size but keep the same 640x960-pixel resolution. The thing is, the iPhone 4S's retina display is actually one of the best HD screens available. It's so good, the human eye can't distinguish an individual pixel at a normal reading distance.
Stretching that same resolution across a larger screen means a lower dot per inch (dpi) count. That means it won't look as stunningly crisp and sharp as the iPhone 4S, which means a compromise in quality -- something Apple don't do.
Whatever happens, the screen size will probably become Apple's biggest headache over the next year.
Hardware
It's a safe bet to say the next iPhone and iPad will pack an A6 processor, following on from the dual-core A5 that sits in current models. The A6 is expected to be a quad-core chip, but might not be available till June. iPads are normally released in spring, so it will have a late release or miss the A6 boat altogether. Regardless, the chip will be available in good time for the new iPhone.
Storage is dandy, but the iPhone 5 won't need to improve on the 4S capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Why pay a bomb for 128GB when iCloud can look after the rest of your media library?Will the iPhone 5 get 4G? Maybe, but many countries still lack the network to support it. Here in the UK, BT and Everything Everywhere only recently started live tests for it in Cornwall. Besides, the iPhone 4S introduced HSPA+ support, which apparently unlocks your 3G signal to speeds ups to 14Mbps, although we're yet to test it. More than enough to stream our podcast on the go.
Social networking
Will Apple build on its Find My Friends feature from iOS 5? In the past it has filed several patents for a new kind of location-based social network, where users are matched based on their iTunes library or location.
Let's say you're in a club, for example, and have the social network switched on. Your iPhone might identify others who share your interests or have travelled to the same places. You can then preview their profile on your phone, then go over and break the ice. The proposed interface even has a small map to show you where to find that person.
So rather than competing with social networks like Twitter and Facebook, it will be a social platform which enhances real-world interaction.
There's no hard evidence that Apple will introduce this next year, or ever. But there's something very Apple about the exclusive nature of such a platform, where you need an iPhone to take part.
It would bring its failed Ping network on iTunes a new meaning too, because the title would be more at home on a mobile where you actually ping messages to people.
Mobile payment system
It could be time for Apple to finally embed a near-field communication (NFC) chip in its phone, similar to that in an Oyster card.
This would allow the iPhone to replace your credit card, so you could just swipe it against a reader in a shop for small purchases, and potentially enter your PIN directly on to the phone's screen for larger ones. With Google Wallet now offering mobile payments through the Nexus S 4G in the US, Apple will certainly want its foot in the door to the high street before too long.
iPhone 5 summary
Below is a quick summary of our predictions for the iPhone 5. It's early days, but for now we think the following are likely:
- A6 quad-core processor
- 1GB memory
- New form factor
- Larger screen
We're filing the following in our 'maybe' cabinet::
- 4G support
- Mobile NFC payments
- iPhone-exclusive social platform
- Wider home button, or a touch-sensitive area under the screen
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