iPhone Hardware

If you haven't already heard, the next generation iPhone will come equipped with a 19-pin dock connector, shrinking the charging and data port size to make room for other components. While this sounds like a great improvement, many have wondered if this move by Apple will render millions of iPhone accessories obsolete. Now according to a report by iMore, Apple will solve this problem with a dock adapter.

The smaller 19-pin port can be seen in the iPhone renderings above, which are based on parts photos and information leaked from the supply chain. By making the dock connector smaller, Apple is using space more effectively and will have room inside the chassis for an LTE radio and more.

Apple has recently been awarded a long list of patents related to the iPhone according to a report from Patently Apple. One of the most important is a patent detailing the user interface that iOS uses to display electronic lists and documents. It may not sound like much, but this covers a wide range of functions seen on many smartphones today.

Not only this, but a patent for a smaller dock connector looks similar to leaked parts and rumors suggesting that the next generation iPhone will sport a 19-pin connector. The iPhone 5 renderings above reflect an artist's conception of the port, which would shave valuable space off of the existing 30-pin connector.

Hot on the heels of the impressive next generation iPhone renderings revealed last week, designer Martin uit Utrecht has given us even more eye candy. This time the renderings of the iPhone 5 are done in both white and black, complete with fingerprints on the metal back.

These designs are based on leaked parts and diagrams showing a slightly longer device with a thinner profile. The taller iPhone 5 will accomodate an extra row of home screen icons thanks to a larger film-aspect ratio display. Apps not optimized for the larger screen are expected to run in letterbox format.

These may not be the first iPhone 5 mockups to appear, but they are some of the best. Not only this, but the photo and video below are based on leaked parts and other information from sources across Apple's supply chain and beyond. The images come to us thanks to Bryce Haymond at Blackpool Creative.

The devices have been slimmed down from the iPhone 4S profile, and the front-facing camera has been moved to the center of the earpiece. The display has been extended to a 16:9 ratio, with space for an additional row of icons on the home screen.

Apple has always focused on the iPhone's capability to create as well as consume content. Ever since the first iPhone camera and camera roll, iPhone users have been recording anywhere they can bring their device. The sixth-generation iPhone will be no different, and according to MacRumors there are big changes to cameras in the works.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities reports that the larger screen featured on the iPhone 5 will have a 16:9 film aspect ratio, demanding an HD front facing camera for FaceTime. Apple will also make changes to the rear camera to slim down the device, while keeping an 8MP image sensor.

Ever hear of AirDrop? Those who are used to file sharing with their newer Mac computer will find the term familiar. Now it seems Apple is prepared to equip its next generation iPhone with the technology. According to 9to5Mac, the OS X Lion adhoc file-sharing protocol is likely to be added to iOS 6.

This is all thanks to the Broadcom BCM4334 hardware that has been found in iOS 6 code. This chip uses a more efficient 40nm process, which is a step above the 65nm process found on chips in the iPhone 4S and iPad 3. When it comes to power, the new Wi-Fi chip reduces consumption by almost half, and increases standby time by three orders of magnitude.

There are rumors, then there are details revealed by trusted sources within Apple. 9to5Mac not only has these contacts, but they have combed through iOS 6 beta to learn more about the next generation iPhone hardware. The results, while not entirely surprising, are interesting for those waiting until Apple's October launch of the iPhone 5.

The hardware has been labeled by Apple as "iPhone5,1" otherwise known as N41AP. When it comes to the basics, this device will carry a variant of the A5X chip with 1GB of RAM and a mysterious new GPU chip called the SGX543RC* (the asterisk hides numbers that could identify Apple employees working on the device).

The SIM card in your iPhone is about to get smaller. The nano-SIM standard was just approved by the European Telecommunications Institute (ETSI), shaving 40 percent off the size of current micro-SIM cards. The new standard will increase the amount of space available in mobile devices for other components.

Apple's proposed nano-SIM card is pictured above from The Verge, inside the outline of a standard SIM card. The nano-SIM that was approved has the same dimensions as Apple's proposed card, coming in at just 12.3 x 8.8 x 0.67mm. The function of the SIM card will remain unchanged, and the new design can be packaged for backwards compatibility in older devices.

More evidence has surfaced pointing to an increased display size on the next generation Apple iPhone. After the recent appearance of iPhone 5 chassis parts revealing a taller profile and metal back, the leaked plans below appear to verify the new design.

9to5Mac observes that the FaceTime camera has been moved to a location above the earpiece. The opening for the display is just slightly larger than four inches diagonally, making the area correctly sized for a 4-inch diagonal display with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Could bending and twisting iPhones be coming to consumers in 2012? Not likely, however a report in Korea Times has industry watchers talking about flexible screen technology anyway. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun told the publication his company is getting ``huge’’ orders for its line of flexible OLED displays.

When it comes to component manufacturers getting huge orders for their products, Apple immediately comes to mind as a likely buyer. Apple has been one of Samsung's largest customers for mobile displays despite their competition in the smartphone market and raging patent battles.