It may be iPad 2 day, but that doesn’t mean that speculation about the next iPhone can’t also be newsworthy. If recently released engineering diagrams are to be believed, the iPhone 5 may indeed have a larger, edge-to-edge screen.
MacRumors is reporting that engineering diagrams of the iPhone 5 have turned up, and counter to recent reports that Apple may return to a form factor similar to the new iPad 2, the new images appear to continue the iPhone 4 look, with one major exception: a larger, edge-to-edge screen on the front face.
According to iDealsChina, the two images posted on their site are engineering diagrams -- the type typically used for case manufacturers to get a jump on their own designs.
“We just got what appears to be mold engineering drawings for iPhone 5,” iDealsChina reports. “These would be used by case designers to create plastic, TPU, aluminum, silicone and leather cases. A while back we hear rumors that iPhone 5 would have a curved back but these images show iPhone 5 with the same form factor as iPhone 4 but with an edge to edge screen.”
MacRumors notes that the website “was the source of a design rendering of the fourth-generation iPod nano which turned out to be an accurate depiction,” and the site earlier posted photos of a new iPhone 5 bezel which also appear to match the design in this photo.
Given the radical redesign of last year’s iPhone 4, few are expecting anything revolutionary when Apple announces this year’s model. Among the likeliest candidates for an iPhone 5 are more storage (64GB maximum), a near-field communication chip, an improved antenna and presumably, a slightly larger screen to take full advantage of the available space, as shown in this image.
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(Image courtesy of MacRumors and iDealsChina)
