Apple’s latest product is set to be a fifth version of the iPhone, and while it has been known for quite some time (along with the iPad 3) to be one of the company’s next big releases (and scheduled for Q3 in 2011), the much-anticipated official release date has not yet been confirmed, though recent reports have narrowed the window down significantly.The new edition of the smartphone is tipped to feature a range of new updates and features to enhance performance and broaden functions. It is naturally a difficult task to keep the level of public knowledge of such a high-interest product under wraps, but it seems as though Apple no longer need to worry about keeping secrets. Sources from consumer electronics franchise Best Buy have revealed that store chain’s employees have been instructed (via memo) to start taking pre-orders for the new iPhone 5 as of this week, and that they are preparing for a release during the first week of October.
While Apple have not yet confirmed this, or even arranged a press release on the matter, different reports tie in with the rumours based on suggestions that Chinese production companies are now mass-producing the device ready for wholesale, with a predicted timescale fitting in with the global release window suggested by Best Buy.
While there has been controversy over the development of the new device (including an Apple employee losing a prototype in a bar), there seems to be an array of improvements planned as the main updates for iPhone 5, as opposed to a large quantity of new features.
Such improvements are thought to include an aluminium metal back structure (as opposed to glass), a better-quality antenna (to compensate for the iPhone 4′s bad connection signal), and an enhanced camera mode (with image detail though to reach eight megapixels). Other updates include 1080p full HD video support, wireless charging, longer battery life, and compatibility with 4G next-gen mobile services, along with a new ‘teardrop design’ (in the vein of the new iPod Touch, a thicker screen at the top than the bottom).
Their main innovator may have left the fold, but can a Jobs-less Apple still come up with revolutionary features, or will their rivals start to catch up to them in the smartphone market?
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