Most of us expected Apple to make official announcements about the specs and release date of the upcoming iPhone 5 in the beginning of spring, but Apple remained silent; they didn’t say anything about the new-generation iPhone even after the MWC 2012 where the other leading manufacturers announced their future flagships. I guess the reason of Apple’s long-lasting silence is simple – Apple just wanted to see the phones introduced at the biggest mobile eventso to understand the main trends of the year and to be able to make something really competitive. If so, most likely we won’t see the iPhone 5 released this summer–Apple will need more time to work on it.
So what are the major trends of 2012? What features should the iPhone 5 have to be able to compete with the best phones shown at MWC? Let’s see…
In 2011 we used to think dual-core processors were very cool, fast and powerful. Well, they were really good compared to the old single-core ones, but 2012 dictates new trends – quad-core CPUs that are twice cooler and faster. Two phones with such processors (clocked at 1.5GHz) were introduced at MWC – the HTC One X and the LG Optimus 4X HD; plus Samsung’s Galaxy S3, the main competitor of the iPhone 5, will most likely come with a quad-core CPU, too. The iPhone 4Shad a “usual” dual-core processor, but if Apple really wants its iPhone 5 to attract more attention, they have to arm it with a more powerful quad-core CPU.
Big screens with high resolution are another major trend of 2012. There was a time when everyone thought Apple made the best displays with the coolest pixel density, but hey, HTC’s One X is coming with a 4.7-inch touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution and about 312ppi pixel density – it’s a bit less than the iPhone 4S offered, but the difference is so little that a human eye won’t see it anyway. Now Apple’s goal should be to make the iPhone 5 with a big screen, yet the high resolution should be kept. It won’t be easy, but it’s absolutely necessary – nobody will want to buy a small 3.5-inch phone in 2012.
Good smartphones should have good cameras, too, so the next goal of Apple should probably be an extraordinary camera for the iPhone 5. I don’t think Apple can make a 41MP one like Nokia did for its 808 PureView, but some good software or interesting built-in camera applications will also do the trick.
And the last but not the least trend of 2012 is about big batteries. Samsung has armed its Galaxy Beam with a 2000mAh battery, and many other phones announced at MWC 2012 also come with high-capacity batteries.Apple also has to do the same, since the iPhone 5 will most likely come with a bigger screen and more powerful processor, which will require a more powerful battery, too.
So what do we have here? If Apple wants its iPhone 5 to become a real hit, they just have to make it according to the latest demands of the market – with a quad-core processor, a bigger touchscreen, a good camera with nice applications and a powerful battery. And I really think that’s what Apple will do before releasing its iPhone 5 in the end of summer or, which is more likely, in fall.
By the way, there are also rumors that the new iPhone will be called iPhone LTE instead of iPhone 5. These are just rumors, and I personally hope Apple won’t do such a thing to its new device – I’m sure most buyers will prefer the good-old iPhone 5 title, plus many potential buyers from other, non-English-speaking countries will probably experience difficulties pronouncing “LTE,” and some of them may not know what the word really means.
What do you think, what other features can Apple add to its iPhone 5 to make it the most interesting device of the year? And will it really be renamed?
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Author bio
Amelia from Rightmobilephone.co.uk is a real geek crazy about smartphones and everything about them. She’s now impatiently waiting for the two best phones of 2012 – Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 – to be released. She’s planning to buy both the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S3 on contract to be able to compare them and write many detailed reviews to help others learn more about these phones.