So far I'm passing on the iPhone 5

Now that the iPad 2 is coming, or at least is being announced later this week, the rumor mill has switched to the iPhone 5. So far there are a whole lot of upgrades packed into this thing, but nothing is really blowing me away as "revolutionary". See a quick roundup below:

• It will cost less, but will not be an iPhone nano
• Four-inch display
• Upgraded multi-core A4 processor (A5?)
• Gobi WWAN chip that works on both CDMA and GSM (Verizon iPhone already has it)
• Near Field Communication (NFC) -- following the Nexus S
• Newly designed antenna (no more death grip)

My guess is most likely we'll see a "new look", bumped up specs (A5 processor) and a 4-inch screen. When you put all of that together, it lags far behind what the iPhone 4 introduced. For starters, with the iPhone 4 the world suddenly experienced an iPhone with a retina display, front and rear facing cameras, 720p HD video recording, Facetime, and more. The iPhone 4 was a worthy upgrade, whereas the iPhone 5 seems more like some specs being bumped up.

Of course, the above is all speculation, and it will be a while before we get a true glimpse at what the iPhone 5 will be all about.

In the interim, I continue to hear friends raving about their Verizon iPhone 4, despite my comments on why you shouldn't run out and get one. This makes me realize that even if the iPhone 5 is just a spec bump, the people that weren't eligible to upgrade to the 4 will definitely be waiting in line for the 5. This will, of course, translate to a sell-out success for Apple this summer (if the rumors of the launch date hold true).

I'm hopeful that Apple will surprise all of us with not only a revolutionary experience with the next generation iPhone, but a redefined tablet experience in the form of the iPad 2.