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iPhone 5: iPod touch back, 3.7 inch display, gesture-based home button? (updated)

iPhone 5 mockup from This is my next

Update: MacRumors and people in the know who we have spoken to are having their doubts about this one.

This is my next drops a bombshell, claiming that the next-generation iPhone will not be a minimal departure from the iPhone 4, like others are saying, but will be a completely re-designed phone, as Engadget reported earlier this year. The iPhone 5 that the report describes is said to be a prototype in testing – we know that Apple tests many products before going to market – that features a body akin to that of the one found on the fourth-generation iPod touch. This design is said to also be “teardrop” like the late 2010 MacBook Air’s design – thicker to thinner from top to bottom.

Even more interesting is that the next-generation iPhone is said to gain a larger home button on the bottom portion of the device and… it’s gesture sensitive. This is my next points out that this could easily work hand-in-hand with some of those funky new gestures Apple is testing in iOS 4.3 with iOS App Store developers. The report also backs up a report from the Wall Street Journal, and says the screen will cover most of the device’s front and the new phone will likely lack a true bezel. Even cooler is that This is my next says Apple is exploring ways to hide the earpiece and the iPhone 4’s famous sensors behind the screen.

Speaking of screens… the report says that it’s not your everyday iPhone 3.5 inch display, but it’s 3.7 inches and the pixels are staying the same. This will cause a drop in pixel density of 13 pixels-per-inch – but this will still be above the magic Retina mark of 300 pixels per inch. The screen will likely look the same to the human eye, and developers will not need to adjust their graphics. Perhaps they will have the option in the iPhone SDK to to take full advantage of the extra screen real estate. This is my next is also saying that this all-new-phone could possibly sport some sort of wireless/inductive charging and/or NFC, but that is less confirmed – on their part – compared to the rest of the story.

Finally, This is my next closes by making it clear that the described iPhone 5 may never hit the streets, but it’s certainly being toyed with at Apple HQ:

Now, keep in mind that this info isn’t fact — we’re getting lots of threads from lots of places and trying to make sense of the noise. The versions of devices our sources are seeing could be design prototypes and not production-ready phones. Still, there are strong indications that Apple will surprise a public that’s expecting a bump more along the lines of the 3G to 3GS — and this is some insight into where those designs might be headed. We’re working on a couple of other intriguing pieces of information concerning future Apple products… so stay tuned for much, much more.

 

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