New iPhone 5 Release Date: 5 Ways it Will Beat the 4S

As the iPad 3 release date nears, rumors surrounding the next generation iPhone 5 have accelerated, with talk of new features, software and launch dates.

Release Date:

After great media hype, iPhone customers expected the iPhone 5 to be released in October 2011, but instead the iPhone 4S was unveiled. Popular rumors suggest the phone will be launched at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, but is highly unlikely as Apple usually has its own event to launch new models of its products.

A recent report in the Japanese blog Mocotakara, says that Apple will abandon its mid-year iPhone releases and instead switch to a 12-month launch model. This may mean we have to wait a little longer to get a glimpse of the new iPhone but the rumor seems realistic as the iPhone 4S launched in October last year instead of the usual iPhone mid-summer launch period.

Whenever, the iPhone is unveiled it will have the upper hand on the 4S because iPhone enthusiasts won't be distracted by the fact that the model they were expecting wasn't released.

Display:

The latest iPhone 5 rumors point to a 1280 x70 resolution with a Quantum Dot LED curved glass edge-to-edge display. If the iPad 3 is released with a retina display, this will spur rumors for one on the iPhone 5. A bigger 4-inch or 4.3-inch screen is also on the rumors cards, after many iPhone customers have criticized the iPhone screen for being too small.

Processor:

The iPhone 5 will probably come with the same chip as the iPad 3, which is expected to have an A6 Chip, is. The first-generation iPad came with an A4 Chip and the iPad 2 followed with an A5 chip, which suggests the iPad 3 will follow suit and run on the A6 chip.

An A6 chip would double the power of the A5 chip that is currently used in the iPhone 4s and the iPad 2. An unnamed source, who claims to have an iPad 3 prototype, sent Boy Genius Report pictures of a diagnostic tool called iBoot, which states a chip model number that appears to be that of the A6 chip.

iOS 6 Software:

Ars Technica has published some analysis that suggests some iPads are already running on iOS 6 software. It would seem highly unlikely that Apple would launch its iOS 6 software so close to the release of iOS 5, but Ars Technica traffic logs show that some iPads are already running the software.

The traffic log also suggests that some iPads are viewing the site with a 2,048x1,536 pixel display, which is one of the most popular rumors surrounding the iPad 3.

The analysis would suggest that Apple is either doing a test run on some of its new products, or some people who already have their hands on the iPad 3 have started using

Even if the iOS 6 isn't unveiled at the Apple event on March. 7, we might expect it at the Worldwide Developers Conference, where the iOS 5 software was revealed last year, and if that's the case it is likely to feature in the iPhone 5.

Better Battery

The iPhone 4s's battery life is one of its most criticized features. Apple tried to fix the bug with an iOS 5.0.1 update, and while some users said it had improved their battery life, other complained that the performance wasn't good enough. It is therefore likely that Apple are focusing on overall higher battery life and performance, which is paramount if it keeps introducing battery draining features like Siri.