New wish list for iPhone 5 (photos)
The iPhone 4S was just released but there are still features that we still want to see but Apple left out.
In March, Apple finally announced support for full 720p or 1080i HD video output for the iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4G, and iPad 2. However, you need Apple's $39 Digital AV to send that HD video (audio) to a TV or monitor, whereas many Android-powered smartphones offer a built-in Micro-HDMI port that only requires an inexpensive $5 cable to run video to your TV.
Now that Apple's added AirPlay mirroring as part of iOS 5, if you have an Apple TV, you can stream video wirelessly to your TV via Apple TV (what's on your iPad 2 or iPhone 4S' screen is mirrored on the TV). That's nice, but it's worth mentioning that the Apple TV is a $99 accessory.
Chances of implementation: 0 percent
Photo by: Apple
Chances of implementation: 0 percent
Photo by: Jim Young
Chances of implementation: 0 percent
Photo by: Kingston
It's hardly a must-have upgrade, but it would be cool to swipe your finger--instead of enter a password--to unlock your phone. It could also be combined with NFC (near field communication technology--see next slide) for making mobile payments.
Image note: Allegedly, Apple has filed some patents related to this feature.
Chances of implementation: 30 percent
Since the feature isn't in the iPhone 4S, the odds increase that it'll make it into the iPhone 5.
Chances of implementation: 40 percent
Chances of implementation: 10 percent
Chances of implementation: 50 percent
Photo by: Apple
Caption by: David Carnoy, CNET
Companies like Powermat and Energizer make inductive charging solutions for a variety of smartphones. However, if you could do away with the sleeve and have the inductive-charging chip built into the phone, you'd only have to buy a mat (and use whatever case you wanted to use).
Qi (pronounced chee), a new standard for inductive charging as established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), is pushing to get manufacturers to integrate Qi chips into their devices, and we should see some Qi-enabled smartphones on the market in 2012. The iPhone 5? We wouldn't bet on it, but at some point in the future we think the iPhone will get some sort of inductive-charging chip integrated into it.
Chances of implementation: 20 percent
The iPhone 4S has the PowerVR SGX543MP found in the iPad 2 and we expect the iPhone 5 will get the next-generation PowerVR chip (the PowerVR SGX545 was also announced last year).
Chances of implementation: 85 percent
Word is a new A6 processor already in early testing in advance of the launch of the iPad 3 in spring 2012. The A6 chip is reportedly a 28nm process (compared with the A5's 45nm), meaning lower energy consumption and higher speeds.
The faster processor would improve the performance of Siri, iOS5's new integrated voice assistant, as well as host of other features, including still and video image capture.
Chances of implementation: 85 percent
Chances of implementation: 50 percent
Sprint was first out of the gate with its next-gen network. Verizon has also deployed its 4G LTE network, and AT&T is in the process of rolling out its 4G network now.
There are 4G phones out there (HTC ThunderBolt and Evo, as well as the Motorola Atrix, to name a few), but the big problem so far has been that 4G is a total battery hog. That should change when Qualcomm ships its next-generation 4G chips for phones and we expect to see an iPhone 5 with 4G capabilities.
Chances of implementation: 80 percent
With the iPhone 4S, we didn't get the redesign that a lot of people were hoping for. Well, it's almost certain we'll get it with the iPhone 5. Will it be thinner, with a teardrop design? Look more like the iPad 2? Bigger screen?
Maybe.
Chances of implementation: 99 percent
Photo by: culttofmac.com
Caption by: David Carnoy, CNET
That said, people don't seem to want the iPhone to get any bigger or lose any battery life. We're hoping Apple can come up with the right balance, but as you can see from this mock-up, going to 4 inches makes a significant difference and is probably the optimal size for a smartphone screen.
Chances of implementation: 50 percent
Photo by: 9to5Mac