The iPhone 5 looks set to launch with a slimmed-down body – 20 per cent thinner, to be exact – and will come packing a 4in screen, a metal back, and a new smaller dock connector.
That's according to iLounge's unnamed source – so naturally we’re taking this all with a pinch of salt. Nonetheless, it sounds plausible. Here’s why.
Phones are getting bigger and a 4in screen seems like a logical step for Apple – it's seeing sales of Samsung and HTC handsets catching up with iPhone sales, thanks to their increased screen real estate. Of course, adding height and not width to the screen, as this rumour suggests, will mean the iPhone 5's screen will have a different aspect ratio to that of its predecessor. That'll cause headaches for app creators – they'll need to produce iPad and iPhone 5 versions of their apps alongside legacy versions for iPhone 4S users.
The suggestion that the iPhone 5 will be 20 percent thinner sounds fair – it will likely feature a Gorilla Glass 2 screen that's both stronger and thinner than its predecessor.
Any change to the iPhone 5's dock connector would be controversial – switching from its current 30-pin form to a smaller 16-pin version would make all old docks redundant. Though as noted above, if it means more sales for Apple and third party companies, there’s not a lot of reason for them not to do it.
[Image: iLounge]
