iPhone 5: 10 Compelling Features That We Can Believe

With potentially just over a month to go before the iPhone 5 finally drops, the rumor mill has been swirling with hearsay from various Chinese and American sources who claim to be close the production process.  We’ve already gotten matching front and back plates, along with a few other dropped hints here and there which confirm many suspicions that we’ve had for a while now.  Here are the most significant changes we could be seeing in September. 

Nano-SIM

Apple is known for pioneering technologies which shock the entire market on big releases, especially those like the iPhone 5.  This time around, one simple, but elegant shift in the way everyone will do things from now on is the inclusion of the Nano-SIM technology, a smaller, more-efficient method to store contact and emergency data while taking up less than a few millimeters across.

Processor

The A6 is no rumor by this point, even if we didn’t end up seeing it included in the most recent iteration of the iPad.  We did get to use the A5X, however, and have been able to test out its true capabilities ever since.  There’s little doubt Apple will be toning down the same processor for their next phone, and we’re excited to find out what its four cores will be able to do in slimmed down form.

Design (Form Factor)

And speaking of slimming down, the new device is expected to get about ¾ of an inch longer from top to bottom, to accommodate the new 4-inch screen which will be gracing the front of the device.  Other changes include holes for what is rumored to be an improved pair of speakers and LED flash; so, it’s looking like the multimedia options on the iPhone 5 are shaping up to be more extensive than ever before.

Camera

The camera will be competing directly with the Samsung Galaxy S3, although not many more details about what they’re doing behind the curtain have been released about the camera other than that. As FaceTime HD becomes more popular, they’ll need both a front-facing camera with a high quality sensor, and the network speed to back the program up.

LTE

That’s where the best part comes in.  The iPhone 5 is almost definitely going to work on every available 4G LTE network across most major markets; so, whenever we finally do get our hands on it, the speeds to get the data down should be absolutely blazing fast.  LTE is reportedly the reason why Apple has invested so much of their research dollars in batteries this time around, but either way, we should expect similar download speed / time, if not slightly reduced than those on the 4S.

Dock Connector

After almost 8 years of faithful service, the classic 30-pin dock connector which has been with us since the third generation of the original iPod is being phased out, in favor of a smaller, 19-pin solution which will debut on the iPhone 5.  This is also expected on the next version of the iPod Touch, and possibly even the iPod Classic if this is an easier way to go for case creation and sales.

Release Date

Most journalists are speculating that we’re going to see a release date of September 12th, according to Moscone Center reservations for the next few months.  Whether the event will coincide directly with the release, isn’t confirmed yet, but for now we can say that something big is happening on this date and Apple is the company behind it.

NFC Support

Being able to pay for items with your phone isn’t new in markets like Asia and Europe, but North and South America still have yet to be introduced to the wonderful world of digital wallets.  The iPhone 5 should be a great candidate to fill any current gaps in the market, and many analysts predict their push into the field could increase profitability in wireless payment systems by hundreds of percentage points by this time next year.

iOS 6 special features,

The friendly rivalry between Google and Apple is quickly fading as patent lawsuits build up, and the two continue to step on each other’s toes in nearly every marketplace available.  Now, Apple has decided to go their own way when it comes to Maps, and will no longer offer Google’s services as a default on their phones.  You will still be able to download Google Earth as an App from the App Store, along with Gmail, but they won’t be as buddy-buddy as they’ve been in years past.

With all these changes, it’s clear Apple is setting up to make some substantial overhauls to every single aspect of their phone, adding everything we need and taking away nothing we don’t.  We’ll be reporting on the 12th with any updates about the release, and are looking forward to any revolutionary jumps their device will make this time.

Chris Stobing is a retired sous chef from the Bay Area.  After leaving a position in which he kept daily correspondence with local farms and sustainable suppliers for the restaurant, Chris chose to start writing about his second greatest passion, technology.  He has published more than twenty-five articles with Soft City, a software and mobile application website which specializes in covering the latest news, upcoming releases, and various "Top X" lists related to its partner companies.  Chris writes as a means to shift his career away from the kitchen and onto his desktop.   

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