The iPhone 5 Rumor Mill & Countdown Hub

The "next-generation" iPhone is just around the corner. If Apple keeps its traditional schedule for the release of new iPhone models, we will see the "iPhone 5" in June or July of 2011. What is in store for the iPhone 5? I've got several hot tips to share from reliable sources! This hub will serve as both iPhone 5 rumor mill and a countdown to the release of the next iPhone device. We will see how accurate my prognostication skills are when the iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4G) is released! Enough of the introduction, let's get on to what I believe we will see with the iPhone 5!

CARLTON'S PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEXT IPHONE

The following items are what I believe we will see for the iPhone 5. This information has been collected from my best technical and business sources!

Fast HSPA+ "Fake 4G" Speed

The iPhone 5 will utilize the new version of HSPA called HSPA+ (Evolved HSPA). The current version of HSPA is a combination of HSUPA and HSDPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access & High Speed Downlink Packet Access). AT&T's 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network will not be ready until 2012. Until then, they will have the hopped-up version of HSPA+. This is what T-Mobile is calling their 4G, but it is not true 4th generation technology. It is the 3rd generation tweaked. That's why I call it "fake 4G". In order to compete with T-Mobile's Fake 4G, AT&T is tweaking the current network to run at HSPA+, and it is a very wise move. Once they roll out their true LTE, customers will have a much faster network of HSPA+ to fall back on when they aren't in an LTE 4G zone. Read about the network transition on the AT&T website here.

Completely New Form Factor

Even though the iPhone 5 will not be the final LTE version, it will be highly likely that they move on to a totally new form factor. The reason is that the current iPhone 4 is experiencing serious issues with breakage. The glass sandwich design is taking a beating in the blogosphere due to the breakage rate going up by 68% over the previous 3GS model (read about iPhone 4 cracked screen issues here). Giving the iPhone 5 a complete overhaul in design would solve the breakage issue, and it would also push the thin form factor to the extreme. Plan on seeing the thinnest smart phone on the market when it is released.

Larger Retina Display

There's a definite trend towards jumbo smart phone screens with several Android handsets featuring a 4" to 5" display. The most popular size seems to be 4.3". I believe Apple will acknowledge this trend and bring a 4" display on the iPhone 5. I firmly believe this because Steve Jobs has talked about closing the gap between the iPhone and the iPad. It would be a smart move. With the increase in network speed of the iPhone 5, web surfing would be more enjoyable on a larger display. Plus, this would be the perfect opportunity to increase the display size when the form factor will be changed.

Higher Resolution Cameras

The iPhone 5 will have at least an 8 megapixel rear facing camera, and at least a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera. This is the new standard minimum for smart phones. It is a logical upgrade from the iPhone 4 that more than likely won't cost any more than the current 5 megapixel rear and VGA front cameras. With an increase in use of FaceTime due to the faster network capability, the higher resolution front facing camera will be a plus.

A Fresh Rendition of iOS

The iPhone 5 will feature iOS5, the next major firmware update for Apple's mobile devices. It will be the logical time to release the new operating system. I am betting that we will see some seriously eye-catching new features and capabilities with iOS5 due to the fact that the iPhone 5 will have more processing power and memory.

Advanced Haptics

Apple has been sitting on some seriously advanced haptics capabilities for a few years. They evidently hold a patent to multi touch haptic feedback that nobody else has. I don't know why they have yet to release this for any of their products, but surely they won't skip yet another generation of iPhones without unleashing the new technology. Haptic feedback is the vibrational effect you get when touching your screen to let you know that you have activated a virtual button. All Android devices feature haptic response displays, but not Apple devices. This would certainly be a great feature that would go hand-in-hand with a ramped up iOS5 release.

Share your thoughts!

That sums up the information that I have right now from my most reliable sources. Stay tuned, and I will be posting more details and tweaking the information that I already have as things develop. Think my predictions will be a "dead ringer" when the iPhone 5 is released this summer, or do you have a different opinion about what you believe will be unveiled? Share your comments below!

Rumors have been swirling for the past couple of weeks on new iPhone devices under development. First, we heard several reports from highly reputable national journalistic sources that an iPhone "mini" was in the works. A week later, all of the talk of an "iPhone Mini" or "iPhone Nano" was rebuffed by the New York Times. NYT referenced their own "secret" reliable inside sources that a cheaper iPhone version was in the works that would span the different networks (universal SIM capability), but it would not feature a smaller form factor. As unclear as this story may seem, one this is clear: the iPhone 5 will definitely have a bigger display.

I can make a firm prediction now that the iPhone 5 will sport a nice 4" display. My preference would have been for the jumbo 4.3" display similar to the Sprint Evo 4G, but 4" is the minimum size to keep me as an Apple customer. The current trend in smart phones shows larger displays are going to be the standard. The reason is, we have so much more content becoming available to smart phones, the larger display size justifies a better overall usability. Watch out for more news on the resolution (pixel density) of the iPhone 5 as I will be keeping my ears to the train tracks!

This just in! A leak from a Chinese parts manufacturer evidently confirms the new 4" display size. It appears that the digitizer has the same dimensions of the current iPhone 4 form factor, but it utilizes more real estate on the sides, top and bottom to accommodate the larger display. I would say that the 4" screen size is a lock. Great move on Apple's part in keeping up with the popular Android devices with large displays.