iPhone 5

Previous reports have indicated the iPhone 5 will be completely redesigned by Apple. Now Economic Daily News, a Taiwanese publication, cites sources who say the next generation iPhone will have an aluminum back. This would bring the iPhone 5 in line with recent iPod touch and iPad 2 designs and highlight one of Apple's favorite materials.

A move back to aluminum would also reduce durability problems experienced by users of the iPhone 4 and its glass back. The conceptual rendering above by Taiyo-Fujii is unrelated to statements by Chinese manufacturing insiders, however it clearly receives its cues from the iPad 2. The original iPhone featured an aluminum back along with a plastic bottom to help alleviate reception issues with the internal antenna.

iDealsChina has revealed an image they claim is China's first iPhone 5 photo. Seen below, the part is wrapped in plastic and looks to have a familiar iPhone screen profile. 9to5 Mac explains the part may be a digitizer panel for the next generation Apple iPhone.

The black bezel on the part is noticeably thinner on all sides, matching previous reports from DigiTimes and others claiming that Apple is developing a 4-inch screen for the iPhone 5. A larger Retina display would compete with a variety of Android devices that already offer 4-inch screens.

Hoping for a blazing fast 4G LTE compatible iPhone 5 to hit shelves later this year? Don't hold your breath. Although competitors to Apple's iPhone are already coming out with LTE phones, analyst Sam Greenholtz from Telecom Pragmatics claims Apple will wait for the iPhone 6 use the technology.

A report in The Street explains that Greenholtz has communicated with sources who say the LTE iPhone 6 is already under development. June or July 2012 is Apple's target launch date, which also gives carriers including AT&T and Verizon more time to roll out their LTE networks to full capacity.

Apple's product release schedule could be thrown for a loop this year. Reports indicate that component shortages and last-minute design changes to the iPhone 5 have pushed back the device launch until September. Not only this, but the iPad 2 looks like it will be hitting the market when the iPhone 5 was previously expected, in June or July.

Fierce competition for limited supplies of key components is also to blame. Apple has a reputation for purchasing large amounts of components such as touch screens with its cash reserves, however the company is not immune to chip shortages. Apparently Apple also has yet to submit iPhone 5 chip orders to some vendors.

Contrary to recent reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, new information uncovered by the New York Times indicates that Apple is not developing a smaller iPhone. Anonymous sources that were allegedly briefed on the matter claim that Apple is considering offering a cheaper iPhone, but will not change its size.

The iPhone 5 is expected to debut this summer, and rumors have surfaced that Apple is experimenting with different form factors and even a physical keyboard. Although unlikely, these possible scenarios show how Apple is coming under pressure from a variety of Android handsets in the works. The New York Times insists that Apple has no such plans, and will produce an iPhone 5 that is similar in size to the current iPhone 4.