next generation

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.

Another day and another iPhone 5 part leaks out from the supply chain. The component has been listed at SW-Box.com as a combination earphone jack, ear speaker and Wi-Fi cable for iPhone 5. Although the part is priced at $7.71 the item is marked out of stock at the moment.

So what does the latest part tell us about the next generation iPhone? As MacRumors points out, the arrangement of the components is significantly different from the current iPhone 4S configuration. While the new part combines the three functions listed above, the current version groups the volume buttons, mute switch and earphone jack together.

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.

It may not be the first time we've heard about Apple considering Near Field Communication (NFC) for a future iPhone, and it won't be the last. The technology has the potential to make paying for things as easy as passing your device near a wireless NFC cash register. Patently Apple has uncovered a recent NFC patent filed by the company in December 2011.

The premise of the patent is that iPhone owners could use NFC technology to easily share music with their friends or family. The process would work by allowing the user to wirelessly send a gift such as a song to a nearby iPhone. Sharing from the iTunes playlist would cost money, which would then be deducted from the gift giver's account.