A leaked image gives us a first glimpse of the iPhone5 – and anyone who was waiting for a bigger screen may finally have their prayers answered.
Established Apple site 9to5Mac revealed a leaked image of what is claimed to be the iPhone5, and the site – which has a good record for reporting accurate leaks from Apple – has a plethora of details about the new model.
For the first time, the iPhone shakes off the 3.5inch screen-size, bowing to the latest generation of Android smartphones, which over the course of the last two years have shifted the typical screen from three-to up to four or even five inches.
With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference due in San Fransisco on Monday, June 11, iPhone fans are hoping to get either a glimpse or a confirmed release date in just a few weeks.
9to5Mac estimates the new screen size at a very specific 3.999inches, with a resolution of 1136×640, giving the screen the ‘Retina’-like feel of the new iPad.
There appears to be a choice of colours – a black model and a white model – as has been the case with the last few models of iPhone.
Other hints given away by the photo – and more are available at 9to5Mac - are that Apple has redesigned the dock connector to be smaller.
This may end up making older accessories – from charger cables to speaker docks – incompatible, but there will likely be adapters released to ensure older accessories still work.
Speaking of compatibility, developers may need to update their apps to take advantage of the larger size, or there may be a situation similar to when the first iPad was launched, when iPhone apps would appear with a big black border around the age.
The iPhone 4S was released in the UK and US on October 14 last year, and Apple is expected to follow suit with an Autumn launch this year – although, as ever, the company is staying notoriously tight-lipped.
Following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs last year, new CEO Tim Cook will lead the WDC conference this year, to the gathered developers about the future of Apple, upcoming products and changes to both Mac software software and iOS, the mobile version of Apple’s operating system.
