By: Aseem Gaurav on September 12, 2012
In the competitive landscape where more and more smartphones resemble each other in looks and performance, it becomes all the more important for the technology giant to produce something that can set them apart.
It is likely that Apple may have a surprise up its sleeve for us. As usual, the rumour mill has been grinding out a steady stream of speculation like a new design that will sport a larger screen. Apple is also expected to slim down the iPhone 5 by just mere millimeters while also making its design taller due to the device’s rumored screen size.
Rmuours suggest that the display will be at 4-inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio which will allow iPhone 5 owners to view content in a broadscreen. It is expected that Apple will upgrade the processor from the A5 chip to may be a new A6 chip or the same A5X chip found in the new third-generation iPad.
There’s also widwspread rumour that the new iPhone 5 will have global 4G LTE connectivity. If it becomes a reality then users of iPhone 5 will be able to download data at 10 times faster than normal 3G speeds. Cupertino-based Apple is already giving this feature in the third-generation iPad.
It is also rumored that the iPhone 5 will come with a new smaller dock connector that will replace the 30-pin dock connector found on previous iPhone models. The headphone socket is likely to move from the top of the phone to the bottom.
It is also likely that the new device will come with a battery capable of delivery up to 40 percent longer use times despite the fact that the phone will run on power-hogging 4G LTE.
Other possible inclusion may come in form of an improved camera update and a new tier-one carrier.
In addition to the new iPhone, Apple may also confirm the release of iOS 6, the latest version of its mobile operating system. The company announced this version at a WWDC event in San Francisco in June. The iOS 6 will introduce Apple's own maps, major upgrades to Siri, Facebook integration, new iPhone app features, iCloud tabs, Mail VIPs, Face Time over 3G, Photo Stream, Maps, Guided Access and a new app called Passbook, which collects virtual items such as gift cards and boarding passes into one app.
The iPhone contributes half of Apple’s revenue and the majority of its profit, so a lot will be riding on the possible success of the new iPhone. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicts that "if [September 21] is the actual ship date, Apple could sell 6 million to 10 million iPhone 5's in the final week of September barring supply issues."
