iPhone 4S

Minutes after chasing down another next generation iPhone rumor, BGR hit us with this iPhone 5 bomb.

BGR claims to have confirmed that the new iPhone will not be an upgraded iPhone 4 as originally rumored, but that the next iPhone will feature a major case redesign. The details are slim, but a source revealed that Apple will break tradition by announcing the new device in August, followed by a late August launch.

BGR's tip seems to support a previous report that the iPhone 5 will feature a teardrop case design, and use the same dual-core A5 processor found in the iPad 2.

Macotakara brought news of the iPhone 5 having a curved aluminum back to the table (mockup below), now they report that Apple's next smartphone will be a variation on the iPhone 4 design, possibly named the iPhone 4S. According to sources, this device will launch in late July to early August and keep the familiar iPhone 4 form factor while packing upgraded hardware inside.

One major change will be an integrated SIM, saving space and dropping the need for a removable SIM card as in current devices. The iPhone 4S will also include several antennas and a Qualcomm hybrid chip that will allow the device to activate on either the Verizon or AT&T network.

A curved front glass screen could be on its way to the fifth generation Apple iPhone. Sources in the component supply chain tell Taiwanese tech paper DigiTimes that Apple has purchased 200-300 glass cutting machines and is storing them at assembly plants for future use. Apple has been working with touch sensor and cover glass manufacturers, glass cutters and lamination suppliers to improve yield rates.

According to the report, the new machines will be used when manufacturing is up to speed. Apple purchased the machines because they are an expensive investment for cover glass makers. Industry sources claim Apple is working on a curved cover glass for the next iPhone model that will utilize the equipment. These investments will ramp up production and make the curved glass possible at an unspecified date in the near future.

Another day, another next generation iPhone prediction. This one seems to make sense, at lease based upon historical Apple iOS event dates and iPhone hardware announcements. Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray calculated the number of days between these two events for the past three years. Also listed in the chart below from AppleInsider is the actual iPhone ship date.

Extrapolating these numbers based on this year's iOS event in San Francisco scheduled for June 6 points to an August 24 iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S announcement. This would place the shipping date for the new hardware squarely in the middle of September. These predictions mesh well with previous information we've heard over the past few months.

Industry checks by analysts have concluded that the fifth generation Apple iPhone will be a souped-up version of the iPhone 4, with improved hardware in a similar form factor. Sprint is also rumored to be the next major carrier to receive the device, as Apple has posted a job opening for a carrier engineer.

The job posting was originally listed with a location of Kansas City, Missouri which is only 20 miles from Sprint headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. Since the post was first revealed by Stop it, AT&T the job location has been changed to Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California. Sprint's network operates with CDMA, similar to Verizon Wireless which received the iPhone 4 earlier this year.