iPhone 5 Release Date: Top Five Features You Shouldn't Expect
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is expected to unveil the fifth generation iPhone in October (exactly a year after the iPhone 4S) or earlier in June (like prior iPhone models). The iPhone 5 is expected to be a cult classic amid reports that an iPhone with a bigger screen is the last revolutionary device by the late Apple founder, Steve Jobs.
The mythical iPhone 5 would likely have a gargantuan launch and beat the iPhone 4S's record sales of 4 million units in the first three days.
But the over-hype for the iPhone 5 has raised expectations that Apple couldn't likely reach. Sure the mythical iPhone 5 will have its improved display, processor and camera. But it won't have radical changes from its predecessors. But other than a 4-inch-plus display, the iPhone 5 (or maybe the new iPhone) won't have radical changes from the previous.
Here are the top things you won't have in an iPhone 5:
1. The world's most powerful and fastest smartphone. Apple's newest tablet, the new iPad, has a dual-core A5X processor with a quad-core chip, an improvement from the iPad 2's 1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 chip. But chip review site Anandtech and other reviews have found that the new iPad isn't faster than the iPad 2 on some key performance metrics. Like the new iPad, the new iPhone won't perform way much faster than its predecessor.
2. Longer lasting battery life. The new iPad has a bigger battery, but still maintained the 10-hour battery life of its predecessor. The iPhone 4S is slated to have 200 hours standby time (iPhone 4 300 hours), 8 hours talk time on 3G (iPhone 4-7 hours), 14 hours talk time on 2G, 6 hours 3G browsing, and 9 hours Wi-Fi browsing. But users have been complaining that the device's battery does not last as advertised and iOS updates haven't fixed the battery issues. Given that the iPhone 5 is expected to do more work with its 4G LTE support and more powerful quad-core processor, it would be unlikely that the sixth generation iPhone would have longer battery life than the previous.
3. 3-D support. Samsung Electronics is expected to release in weeks the Samsung Galaxy S 3 that might have a supper-bright AMOLED 3D screen. LG Corp. unveiled 9 months ago the LG Optimus 3D, the first smartphone with a glasses-free 3D display. But 3D technology is still in its infancy, there are very few 3D apps, and the display is underwhelming when viewed at he wrong angles. The Patently Apple website spotted an Apple patent filing for a 3D imaging camera that would apply to both still images and videos on iOS devices. Last year, Apple filed a patent application for "Systems and Methods for an Imaging System Using Multiple Image Sensors," which would combine several elements to create one three-dimensional image. Although that it's not impossible, it would still be unlikely that the sixth generation iPhone would show 3D images and have a 3D camera given that technology is still limited.
4. Very large display. A Korean newspaper, citing a reliable but anonymous source, claims that Apple has ordered production for an iPhone with a 4.6-inch display. If true, the iPhone 5 would have a bigger screen than the 4.27-inch Galaxy S 2 and would make the previous iPhone models obsolete. The first four iPhone models maintained the 3.5-inch screen as the late Steve Jobs had opposed a 4-inch display for an iPhone. But Android device-makers have gained market share by producing phones with bigger screens, forcing Apple to join the bandwagon. Pocket-lint's Stuart Miles says that 4-inch screen -- rather than a 4.6-inch screen -- for an iPhone 5 would be more likely. He says that a 4-inch device would need a resolution of 1080 x 720 pixels, which is close to the iPad 2, to obtain a pixel density of 324 ppi to satisfy Apple's Retina display criteria. A 4.6-inch device, he notes, would need an "unheard of" 1250 x 833 resolution.
5. SD Card Support. The iPhone currently comes with a range of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB memory sizes, but as the camera and video improves on the device, users are looking for an expandable SD- card slot as featured on most rival smartphones in the market.
But it's unlikely Apple would actually have an opening slot into its phone. Note that the new iPad released last month still doesn't have USB ports and SD card slots. "Some people might miss those features today, but Apple is leading us into a future without those encumbrances," says CNET's Stephen Shankland.
Coming Soon:
6. Radical design changes.
7. iPhone 5-exclusive apps.
8. A cheaper, stripped-down alternative.
9. A more effective and useful Siri.
10. A June release date.
To contact the author, e-mail: c.fernandez@ibtimes.com.au