next generation

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.

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.

Apple, like everyone else, is looking to increase the battery life of its mobile devices. The lithium-ion battery found in current model iPhones takes up a large amount of space yet still often fails to meet our power-hungry needs. A patent revealed by AppleInsider could mean that better batteries are in the works.

Apple's idea is to make current batteries hold more energy without increasing their size. High-density power cells would also up energy density without increasing charging times or reducing minimum life cycle. A charging technique described as multi-step constant-current constant-voltage (CC-CV) would be used to achieve this higher energy density.

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.

A new report from DigiTimes states that Apple will release the iPhone 5 with a larger 4-inch display. Current and past iPhone models have always had 3.5-inch screens. According to the report, the move to a larger screen will help the iPhone compete against larger Android smartphone displays.

Shown here is a 4-inch Samusung Galaxy S pictured next to a 3.5-inch iPhone 4 from Emoiz. The possibility of a larger iPhone 5 comes hot on the heels of earlier news pointing towards a smaller, cheaper iPhone nano that would also come to consumers in summer 2011. If Apple does diversify its line of smartphones, it would be further filling the gap between the current iPhone and the 9.7-inch iPad tablet.