iPhone 6

How convenient would it be to secure your iPhone without ever having to enter a passcode again? One analyst is predicting that Apple will raise the stakes in the smartphone race by adding a fingerprint sensor to the iPhone 5S. AppleInsider observes that Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has a "particularly strong track record" when it comes to predicting Apple's upcoming products.

Not only would a fingerprint sensor push Apple ahead of the competition, but Kuo believes it would cause problems for others to catch up. Android and Windows phones typically have multiple buttons below the display. The addition of a fingerprint sensor would cause "intuition issues" for users. In contrast, the iPhone 5S will have only one button, perfect for integration with a fingerprint sensor.

Even though the next-generation iPhone will be the sixth smartphone released by Apple, it's still being called the "iPhone 5" by most Apple fans. It's almost like Apple users have already forgotten about the disappointing iPhone 4S and its even bigger disappointment Siri. This is probably why the iPhone 5 is expected to enjoy record sales this holiday season. Many longtime Apple users skipped the iPhone 4S in anticipation of a 2012 iPhone 5 release. This means a lot of iPhone owners will be coming off two-year carrier contracts when the iPhone 5 becomes available in the fall. And there are also the iPhone 4S owners who have already dumped their devices for the iPhone 5. That adds up to a lot of people waiting for a new iPhone.

The hoopla surrounding the iPhone 5 is carryover from last year's next generation rumors. Dreams of a tear-dropped shaped iPhone may be gone, but the new iPhone is still expected to receive a complete body makeover. Part leaks have shown that the new iPhone could feature a chrome-plated metal frame and 8-pin dock connector. The iPhone 5 is also rumored to be 2mm thinner than the iPhone 4S, and to feature a 4-inch, 16:9 screen. The current models feature a 3.5-inch display.

More evidence is mounting that the next iPhone will feature a 4-inch diagonal screen, leaving room for another row of app icons. Not only this, but the device is said to be 10mm taller than the current iPhone 4S form factor. Reports of a metal back on the iPhone 5 have also been rumored.

Of course, Apple could still be finalizing which prototype to put into production. Regardless, MacRumors has taken the next step, and commissioned Ciccarese Design to produce the high quality rendering above.

iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz has learned new details about Apple's next generation iPhone. Horwitz claims that Apple is ditching the rumored “teardrop-shaped iPhone 5” for a longer and thinner glass-bodied design. According to Horwitz, the new iPhone will be made partially from Gorilla Glass 2, and feature a flat, not curved, metal panel on the rear of the phone.

The iPhone 5 (or iPhone 6) will be longer and thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S measuring at 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.4mm - that's 10mm longer and 2mm thinner than the current models.

"The change in height will include a lengthening of the prior 3.5” screen to roughly 4” on the diagonal. As the new iPhone won’t widen, this appears to confirm that Apple will change the new iPhone’s aspect ratio for the first time since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007, adding additional pixels to the top and bottom of the screen. A change of this sort took place between the fourth and fifth generations of the iPod nano, but didn’t impact any third-party software."

Just in case you needed some more spare parts for your nonexistent iPhone 5, SW-Box.com is here to help. The site is selling a silver replacement SIM card tray for the iPhone 5 brand new priced at $2.92.

Believe it or not, the SIM tray does show some differences from the iPhone 4S version, which has led some to believe the part is genuine. Should this be true, it's clear that a newer, smaller nano-SIM design will not be ready for prime time when the sixth generation iPhone goes into production.