News Analysis: Apple's iPhone 5 could be available as soon as September, according to some reports. As the anticipation builds among iPhone 5 fans, here are 10 features that would break new ground.
When
Apple didn't announce the iPhone 5 at its Worldwide Developers Conference, some
were surprised. The company has, in the past, used its keynote at the
conference to discuss its future software ambitions in addition to a new
iPhone.
Since
the iPhone 5 was a no show at this year's WWDC, many have speculated on when
Apple will finally unveil new hardware. Though some rumors have claimed it
won't happen until 2012, the most recent reports suggest
Apple will unveil a new iPhone in September.
For
its part, Apple hasn't commented on whether it will
launch the iPhone 5 this year, next year or if at all. But based on its
history, it shouldn't surprise anyone if the company offered up a new
smartphone later this year.
The
only question now is what new goodies will the device offer? Perhaps more
importantly, what new features will help the iPhone 5 break new ground?
Read
on to find out:
1. GSM and CDMA support
Apple
currently sells a version of the iPhone 4 for AT&T customers and another
version for Verizon customers. If the company really wants to do something
special with the iPhone 5, it should offer a single device that would allow
users to either bring their smartphone to Verizon or AT&T for a service
contract. If the top smartphone on the market offered that, and by doing so
took some power away from carriers, it could drastically change the mobile
market.
2. 4G connectivity
Although
there are some devices on store shelves already that connect to 4G networks,
widespread adoption in that market won't occur until Apple doubles down on the
ultra-high-speed technology. Considering 4G is steadily becoming ubiquitous
across the country, it would seem that the iPhone 5 would be the perfect device
for Apple to support the new technology.
3. NFC compatibility
Last
month, Google announced the launch of Google Wallet, a mobile-payments service
that utilizes NFC (near-field communications). However, NFC technology is available
on just a few smartphones right now, and payment processors have yet to roll
out support for it in enough places to make it a mainstream success. If Apple
brings NFC capabilities and a Google Wallet competitor to the iPhone 5, look
for that all to change. Apple's products have a way of causing dramatic changes
in the marketplace, and NFC in the iPhone 5 could do just that.
4. A vastly improved camera
According
to photo-sharing site Flickr, the iPhone 4 is now the most popular camera. It's
besting the Nikon D90, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and other popular cameras.
However, the iPhone 4's camera isn't stellar in any way, and it's in desperate
need of improvement. In the iPhone 5 it would be nice to see Apple offer a
vastly improved camera that capitalizes on the smartphone's popularity as a
point-and-shoot device. It would put the entire camera industry on notice that
Apple is getting more serious about photos.
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