Latest Iphone 5 rumors - Updated!

This post expands on rumors surrounding the iPhone 5, including the possibility of an iPhone Nano, keyboard, 4-inch screen, A8 chip, NFC, 4G, GSM-CDMA chip, cloud computing, and more!

The company usually unveils its new phone each June, and this year appears to be no different, but a host of new rumors suggest that Apple may mix things up this year in a renewed attempt to stave off the Android horde surrounding it. Could there be multiple iPhones? iPhones without buttons? Read on to find out exactly what we know so far.

 

 

 

Three iPhones to rule them all

This first rumor comes from a Taiwanese Mac site, which reports that Apple is testing “three radically different” iPhone 5 prototypes. One of them is an improved version of the standard iPhone (an iPhone 5) while the other two are new hardware variants. Reportedly, one of these new iPhones will have a physical slide-out keyboard. The third may be an iPhone Nano of sorts — a smaller, cheaper version of the iPhone.

iPhone Keyboard

This rumored iPhone 5 variant would target business (BlackBerry) users. Rumors point to a standard-sized iPhone with a slide-out keyboard. However, the rumor ends there. We don’t know whether it will horizontally slide out like a Droid, or vertically slide down like a Palm Pre (or BlackBerry Torch). We’re skeptical about this rumor, as it seems like a big jump for Apple to make, especially considering how much Steve Jobs hates buttons. Nevertheless, if the company is set on competing with Android, a slide-out keyboard would be a good way to reach a new sect of customers.

4-inch iPhone

The next iteration of Apple’s flagship iPhone will have an upgraded 4-inch display, according to DigiTimes. This will put the existing 3.5-inch iPhone screen in line with most upcoming Android handsets, which are sized around 4.3-inches. The actual size of the unit may not grow much. Instead, the screen might stretch closer to the edges. Still, it will be larger. We do not know if Apple will upgrade its “Retina display” resolution of 960×640, but it will have to if it hopes to keep the same pixel density and maintain the name “Retina.” This device will also have an upgraded camera (somewhere between 8 and 12 megapixels) and a dual-core CPU of some sort, which we’ll discuss below.

iPhone Nano

Is a miniature iPhone in the works? It may be. Rumors have circulated through reputable publications that a smaller version of the iPhone 5 is in the works. The device will be approximately half to two-thirds the size of Apple’s standard iPhone 5. Much like the iPod Nano brought the price of the iPod down to more affordable levels, the iPhone ‘Nano’ will be a much cheaper handset, retailing for about $300 unsubsidized, and containing roughly the same specs as the iPhone 4. With a price that low, it may actually be free with a two-year contract.
But it could also be something new entirely. Cult of Mac reports that the iPhone Nano may be much more stripped down than we imagine. It may have little to no onboard memory at all, meaning few to no games, apps, photos, videos or e-mails could be stored on the device itself. Instead, it may run entirely from the cloud. All of your music and media would have to be streamed from Apple’s servers to run.

Cloud streaming and “Find my Friends”

Reports of a Cloud-only iPhone Nano are new, but we began hearing about media streaming back in January. 9to5 Mac discovered code in iOS 4.3 beta that hints toward a “media stream” feature of some kind. The site speculated that the service might be mostly intended for media backup. Currently the iPhone will let you back up photos and contacts via its MobileMe service, but this update could extend that further. However, with what we’re hearing about the iPhone Nano, this code could be the first hints at a complete move to the cloud for media. Since the purchase of streaming site Lala a year ago, it’s been rumored that Apple would fold that services capabilities into iTunes to offer streaming media. Apple even opened a new data center in North Carolina.
Another feature called “Find My Friends” may work much like Google Latitude, and show you where your friends are at any given time via assisted GPS updates.

No button on the iPhone?

While Apple may introduce a new iPhone with a keyboard, it might remove that big round home button from the front of its iPhone 5, according to BGR. Replacing it: gesture controls. Apple may invent a motion that you perform to unlock your iPhone or send it back to its home screen. Recent touch patent filings by Apple hint at new touch features where you don’t actually have to even touch the screen to trigger functionality.
Removing the home button is a natural step for the iPhone. Google has already alluded to its intention to remove its four face buttons. Its tablet OS, Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) already does this. Future smartphone iterations will likely eliminate the home buttons as well.

Dual-core A8 CPU

The iPhone 4 features a custom A4 processor, and Apple may kick its custom chip creation up a notch with a new custom processor called the A8, reports Apple Insider. We speculate that it will be a dual-core processor of some kind, as that is all the rage in smartphones this year, but we don’t know much about it. Apple recently acquired two chip manufacturers, Intrinsity and P.A. Semi, which are likely involved in the chip design for many of its new devices. The company has shown a willingness to change its component allegiances in recent months.

Near-field communications

This rumor is pretty much confirmed. It’s no secret that NFC (near-field communication) is the new hot technology that mobile carriers, Google, and credit card companies are getting excited about. This technology would allow your phone to be used as a credit card if hovered about four inches from a receiving surface. Many new devices are incorporating this technology and the iPhone is supposedly among them. Thankfully, the technology is much more secure than RFID, the last attempt to make credit cards wireless that has yet to really take off, five years later.

Dual GSM/CDMA and 4G?

Upon digging into Verizon’s new iPhone 4, one of the first things technophiles discovered was that Apple has already built dual GSM and CDMA functionality into the device. As such, it seems only natural that the Cupertino-based electronics maker will simplify its future iPhones with the same technology. This means that its new phones could technically run on CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint, as well as GSM carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T right out of the box.
While it’s probable that the iPhone 5 could support HSPA+ high speed connectivity (it’s an evolution of GSM), there has been little chatter hinting at support for LTE, which powers Verizon’s 4G network. AT&T is building its own LTE network as well. If history proves valuable, Apple may sit out 4G for a year before committing, as it did with 3G.

Conclusion

If the multiple iPhone rumors are true, we would be quite impressed with Apple. The company is recognizing that if it hopes to compete with Android, it’s going to need to spread out from its Ford Model T approach of one phone, one color, one design and start embracing options. At the same time, by offering two or three legitimately different, but fully functional options, and keeping it simple beyond that, Apple can still prevent the iOS platform from fragmenting as much as the Android market. If the iPhone came with a keyboard, some people might even consider swaping out their Blackberries.