As you may have heard, Apple is set to unleash its next-generation iPhone later this year – and as a result, one or one hundred rumours have been doing the rounds.
The latest report concerns what has been previously speculated, that the iPhone 5 will sport a larger 4-inch display. Bloomberg has reported that the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs “closely” oversaw the new design, which is expected to be very different from the design introduced with the iPhone 4 in 2010.
The current 3.5-inch display has featured on every iPhone, including the current iPhone 4S model, since the first smartphone was launched in 2007. Now, it seems, Apple is planning to up the size of its phone’s display with its next iPhone.
Apple is said to have placed orders from suppliers in Asia for screens that are “bigger than the 3.5-inch size now on the smartphone, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public,” reports Bloomberg.
“Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had worked closely on the redesigned phone before his death in October, one person said.”
The company has been working on the iPhone 5 since before the iPhone 4S landed last October, with one person telling Bloomberg: “Jobs, who had gone on medical leave from Apple starting last January, played a key role in developing the phone.”
However, there is still some debate on the size of the new iPhone, and whether it will stay the same but feature a larger display on the front or incorporate a bigger screen into a bigger frame. There have also been reports of a 4.6-inch display.
The iPhone 5 is thought to be coming in October, although others have reported on a September launch date. With a bit of luck, Apple will put us out of our misery during its WWDC event in June.
And when it comes to the uncertainty surrounding the name of the next iPhone, we may have some clarity after Apple has won the dispute over the domain name iPhone5.com. The site was previously used as a message board for iPhone-related stuff although it was not linked to Apple in any way, until Apple filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) earlier this month – which TNW reports is now sorted in Apple’s favour.
Of course, this move could simply be Apple protecting its trademark and does not necessarily mean the next-generation iPhone will be called the iPhone 5 – it could, like the new iPad simply be called the new iPhone.
What are you hoping Apple includes in the upcoming iPhone?
[Source: Bloomberg]