iPhone 5 Specs: Thinner, Larger 3.7-Inch Screen, Home Button With Gesture Area & More

Joshua Topolsky, former Engadget Editor has just revealed some interesting information about Apple's next generation iPhone – iPhone5, which is rumored to be released in September.

According to Topolsky who writes at This is my next, the 5th generation iPhone will be completely redesigned and it will look like iPod Touch 4G rather than iPhone 4.

Topolopsy reports that according to their sources, iPhone 5 will be thinner than the iPhone 4, and have a "teardrop" shape, which goes from thick to thin like MacBook Air.

He has revealed that the home button will be enlarged and will double up as the home button and also a gesture area:

this falls in line with testing we've seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether.

He also confirms that iPhone 5 will come with a larger 3.7 inch screen (compared to the 3.5 inch screen), which will occupy nearly the entire front of the phone while keeping the same resolution.

The sketch supplied to them by a source indicates some form of inductive or touch charging but their sources have not been able to confirm it.

You can also checkout the mockup of what the next generation iPhone will look like based on information they've received.

We really like the idea of the home button doubling up as a gesture area and though we like the design of iPhone 4, will love to see a completely redesigned iPhone, which is thinner and comes with a larger Retina display.

What about you? Please share your views in the comments section below.

iPhone 5 Specs: Thinner, Larger 3.7-Inch Screen, Home Button With Gesture Area & More

Joshua Topolsky, former Engadget Editor has just revealed some interesting information about Apple's next generation iPhone – iPhone5, which is rumored to be released in September.

According to Topolsky who writes at This is my next, the 5th generation iPhone will be completely redesigned and it will look like iPod Touch 4G rather than iPhone 4.

Topolopsy reports that according to their sources, iPhone 5 will be thinner than the iPhone 4, and have a "teardrop" shape, which goes from thick to thin like MacBook Air.

He has revealed that the home button will be enlarged and will double up as the home button and also a gesture area:

this falls in line with testing we've seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether.

He also confirms that iPhone 5 will come with a larger 3.7 inch screen (compared to the 3.5 inch screen), which will occupy nearly the entire front of the phone while keeping the same resolution.

The sketch supplied to them by a source indicates some form of inductive or touch charging but their sources have not been able to confirm it.

You can also checkout the mockup of what the next generation iPhone will look like based on information they've received.

We really like the idea of the home button doubling up as a gesture area and though we like the design of iPhone 4, will love to see a completely redesigned iPhone, which is thinner and comes with a larger Retina display.

What about you? Please share your views in the comments section below.

A5 iPhone 5 prototype released in earnest, but you can't have one (yet)

Here's a bizarre move which will only up the ante when it comes to the up-in-the-air release date of the iPhone 5: Apple is already circulating an A5-equipped iPhone 5 prototype in an iPhone 4 body to trusted app developers for the sake of ensuring said apps are able to take full advantage of the more powerful A5 architecture by the time the iPhone 5 launches. It all makes one wonder just how near or far away the iPhone 5 really is, and whether the developer model being circulated is merely retaining the iPhone 4 body type in order to keep the appearance of the iPhone 5 a secret, or whether the iPhone 5 will in fact look just like the iPhone 4 from the outside after all. Either way, one thing's for sure: you can't have one. Yet.

The kicker, of course, is that Apple is being awfully trusting of third parties, considering that last year an iPhone 4 prototype ended up being sold to the highest bidder and paraded around on the internet as a trophy. Apple's hopes of keeping the original iPhone 4 design a secret were dashed, houses were raided, and the expectation was that the already secretive and paranoid Apple would become even more so after the incident, heading into the iPhone 5 release. And yet here's Apple distributing a quasi-next generation iPhone before its unveiling. It's assumable that at least one of the prototypes will be lost, stolen, photographed, or otherwise before it's all said and done. And while it may look just like an iPhone 4 from the outside, there have to be details inside which, if torn apart, would reveal more information than Apple wants – or maybe not.

In fact the term "iPhone 5″ is something that we outsiders have made up to describe what we suspect Apple's fifth generation iPhone will be, without any knowledge of what the product will be or even whether it will carry that name. The fifth generation iPhone could be a complete external overhaul from the iPhone 4, or it could in fact be the developer prototype being circulated. Either way the move raises more questions than it answers. All it tells us for sure is that the next iPhone will have an A5 processor in it. But then again, on the heels of the A5 iPad 2, that was one of the few iPhone 5 details which was already assumable. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5, white iPhone 4 theories get release this week

Two competing theories regarding the nature of the iPhone5 having been running parallel amidst the vacuum of any official word about a release date, but there can only be one that's right – and that answer should arrive by default one way or the other this upcoming week. On the one hand there's the "white iPhone 4 is arriving this week" theory based on Apple exec Phil Schiller's public proclamation that there will be a white iPhone coming "this spring." The other theory says that the "white iPhone" in question is actually a white iPhone 5, and since Apple's WWDC keynote is in early June, which is technically still spring, we can still expect the iPhone 5 along the lines of Apple's traditional annual updates. Both theories are equally plausible, and both are justifiable interpretations of Schiller's words. But they can't both be right, and one of them is about to get struck down.

There's the popular scenario in which Apple pops out the long fabled white iPhone 4 this week. In that case you can firmly wave goodbye to the idea of seeing an iPhone 5 (or for that matter iOS 5) in June, as Apple isn't about to add a white model to the iPhone 4 lineup a mere month or so before it turns around and bargain-bins the entire iPhone 4 era in favor of an iPhone 5.

But then there's the other scenario in which the white iPhone 4 doesn't get launched. That would tell us two things. First, it would mean that the iPhone 5 must be just around the corner. And second, it would mean that the iPhone5 is sticking with a design which allows for a white model; in other words, so much for the notion of an all-brushed-metal iPhone 5 era.

Either interpretation holds water, but they can't both be right. The only thing Apple has has to say about the iPhone lately is that the iPhone sold 113% better in the first quarter of 2011 than it did in the first quarter of 2010, which says that the iPhone 4 era has been a successful one. The question now is whether it's nearly over in favor of the iPhone 5 era, or whether Apple has plans to extend it longer than usual by adding a white iPhone 4 to the mix. We'll get some answers this week about the iPhone 5, based on Apple's actions (or lack thereof) regarding the iPhone 4. Here's more on the iPhone 5.

Smart Bezel Could Be The Big, New "Mystery Feature" For the iPhone 5

As the tech community endlessly prognosticates on the next big features for the iPhone5, there's no doubt that Apple  has kept some of the best bits hidden from the public. But could the recent exposé on Apple's Smart Bezel patent be the mind-blowing feature that makes the iPhone 5 the smartphone of the year?

Bigger screen. 8 megapixel camera. iOS 5. NFC technology, The A5 chip. Most if not all of these predicted new features for the iPhone 5 are improvements rather than innovations — even NFC technology has already been tried on the Droid platform.

Where's the magic? Where's the defining feature for the iPhone 5 that will launch it into greatness? With the iPhone 4, we saw the advent of the front-facing camera, which gave smartphone users a next-generation way of communicating on the go. How will the iPhone 5 deliver a similarly siezmic breakthrough?

Enter Apple's Smart Bezel.

All this week, tech websites have been parsing a curious Apple patent that reveals plans to develop and deploy a dynamic, gesture-controlled bezel around the iPhone 5's screen, giving users a secondary means of navigating games and applications. Fast Company I think has summed up the technological aspect of the Smart Bezel patent the best, explaining that:

"The display relies on printed, segmented electroluminescent units (or similar tech) that would be hidden when not activated. These units would display additional info when needed–we're thinking games controls, an improvement to the awful messaging/alert system iOS uses, and display-wasting info like battery life bars or a clock."

Just as the old Atari joystick gave way to the advanced game controls of today, so too will smartphones like the iPhone 5 feature more gesture control.

To be sure, the Smart Bezel would be a bona fide breakthrough in technology, should it deliver on its promise of significantly expanding the gesture control and display layout of the iPhone 5. It's true that other extended touch surface concepts exist on current smartphones, such as the Palm Pre, but if Apple can push the exvelope with this new innovation, it could revolutionize the way that iPhone users interact with their iPhone; not just an improvement on what already exists, but a true innovation that would send the other smartphone designers into catch-up mode..

And from a more practical standpoint, the Smart Bezel would also give the iPhone 5 an effective alternative to the cumbersome home button, which many believe will be moved or replaced in one way or another.

The idea of the Smart Bezel has been kicking around for some time now. For the most part, the idea of adding more gesture control was initially being ascribed to the iPad 2. Many analysts foresee that tablets and smartphones will continue to feature more and more gesture control features apart from the touch screen itself. Much in the way that the simple Atari joystick of yesteryear has advanced to the complex array of buttons, joysticks, sliders, and gesture control, so too will the chassis of the next generation of smartphones and tablets include bezels, backs, and other interesting nooks and crannies that will give users new vistas of control over their mobile computing experience.

Amazon.com Already Advertising For The iPhone 5 Online [UPDATED]

Whether you believe one source or another, the iPhone5 announcement is still most likely anywhere from 3 to 6 months away. And yet, we are beginning to see some top retailers focusing their online advertising efforts on the "iPhone 5″ keyword. Does this indicate that an iPhone 5 release could come sooner than even the most impatient rumors suggest?

As it currently stands, the tech world remains transfixed on the issue of when the iPhone 5 will make its way onto the scene. Week after week, tech sites like the iPhone 5 News Blog report and comment on breaking news stories from sources close to Apple, as well as people close to the scene in Korea and Japan who purport to have insider information on the component manufacturing for the next iPhone. One thing, however, is certain: no one is predicting an imminent release of the iPhone 5.

And yet, Amazon.com seems to already be advertising for the iPhone 5.

A simple search of the "iPhone 5″ keyword on Google reveals an eyebrow-raising ad, as seen in the screen shot to the left. Unlike AT&T, who has obviously bought an ad placement for the iPhone 5 but has not written their ad content to include the "iPhone 5″ keyword, the Amazon.com ad is clearly advertising for the iPhone 5.

What does this ad on Google possibly reveal about the release date of the iPhone 5? Could it be that Amazon, the top e-commerce website in the world today, knows something about the iPhone 5 release that has eluded even the most plugged-in Apple news breakers?

Probably not.

As I'm sure you can imagine, the "iPhone 5" keyword is becoming an increasingly popular search term on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other top search engines. This time last year, "iPhone 5″ received fewer than 1,000 searches per month worldwide. Currently, however, the "iPhone 5″ keyword is yielding 1.8 million searches a month worldwide, with 450,000 of them coming from the United States, according to Google's own AdWords keyword tool. And when you consider that "iPhone 4″ currently yields a search of almost 25 million world searches a month, with 5 million coming from the U.S., it's no wonder that Amazon would want to capitalize on the marketing potential of the keyword.

However, one has to wonder if the added traffic from putting up the first iPhone 5 keyword ad will stoke consumer anger, since there is currently no iPhone 5 on sale there. To be sure, large e-commerce websites are notorious for launching sprawling ad campaigns that encompass large swathes of keyword phrases — even if they don't carry the item you're searching for.

There is always the outside chance that Amazon is aware of an impeding surprise iPhone 5 announcement and are simply laying the groundwork for their own online advertising campaign. But the greater likelihood is that they are simply trying to funnel in more referral traffic. One thing is for sure, however: when large corporations like AT&T and Amazon begin to target the "iPhone 5″ keyword, it proves nothing less that iPhone 5 buzz has reached a fever pitch . . .

. . . and we still might be anywhere from 3 to 6 months from the iPhone 5 actually being released.

What do you think? Does it irk you when an online retailer puts up a "bait and switch" ad that doesn't deliver when you click on it? Let us know!

The phanton iPhone 5 ad by Amazon has been changed to read "iPhone 4." 

UPDATE — April 11, 2011

While no official word from Amazon has come over the phantom iPhone 5 ad, today it seems that the ad has changed from "iPhone 5″ to "iPhone 4." While there is no way to know exactly who implemented this change, it would be safe to assume that the widespread coverage of the iPhone 5 Amazon ad (which broke here on the iPhone 5 News Blog first) precipitated the change in the ad's content.

iPhone 5 is CMDA + GSM world phone

Well, we've known this one for while but now it's sort of official. Barrons reports that in Verizon's earnings call today, Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said Apple's next-generation iPhone will be a world phone. A world phone of course is a phone capable of connecting to both CDMA and GSM networks worldwide. You may remember that Shammo was the Verizon executive who spilled the beans on the upcoming Verizon-capable iPad 2.
Both the Verizon iPhone 4 and the CDMA iPad 2 carry the Qualcomm Gobi chip, which we previously detailed, and this chip is capable of connecting to both CDMA and GSM networks. Apple is rumored to start iPhone 5 production as early as July and is tracking a September release. Apple typically holds an early-September event so we'll probably see the world phone there. The iPhone5 is rumored to look similar to the iPhone 4 and will sport an A5 dual-core processor.