DigiTimes has heard from suppliers that Apple is upping the screen size of the iPhone 5 to 4-inches in order to best compete with the equivalent top-end Android devices. We are also hearing from Taiwanese blog Apple pro via CNET that a model with a physical keyboard that slides out is being experimented with, as is a model with a longer battery life and better camera.
As is always the case, Apple experiments before deciding on final hardware, so these may just be device features Apple is exploring to see how well they work.
Read more at CNET and DigiTimes
Matthew’s Opinion
I’ll go out on a limb here and say that an iPhone with a slide out keyboard is never going to happen. Design aesthetics are too important to Apple and Steve Jobs to add such a feature to the iPhone. The virtual keyboard already works well, and people are used to using it, so why would you introduce a sliding keyboard that adds bulk to the handset?
I believe the increase in screen size to 4-inches is true as this is becoming a more common size for Android devices. But I think a version with longer battery life and a better camera doesn’t fit. Neither of those features warrant a separate model and will just be integrated into whatever the final iPhone 5 hardware is. If that includes a larger display it will need a bigger battery anyway.
If the iPhone nano rumor turns out to be true, then I am sure we will get two versions of the iPhone 5. But what may turn out to be the case is the iPhone nano arrives with the announcement of the iPhone 5. It would be unusual to introduce a small iPhone a couple of months before the iPhone 5 arrives wouldn’t it?
Business Insider do make an interesting observation. If the iPhone 5 is going to have a bigger display, that could mean this smaller iPhone nano everyone thinks is real actually turns out to be a handset the same size as the iPhone 4 which would be smaller than the iPhone 5 by default
