iPhone 5

Sure we know the iPhone 5 will feature a larger screen, thinner profile, metal back and LTE capabilities. What about the front and rear-facing cameras that iPhone owners use every day? 9to5Mac explains that despite having even less space in the iPhone 5, Apple must upgrade the camera systems to keep pace with competitors.

Reports surfaced earlier this year that the front-facing FaceTime camera would be upgraded to HD quality. At the time, it was rumored that Apple would stick with the 8-megapixel sensor in the iPhone 4S camera. Since then, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony have been steadily improving their mobile cameras.

Even more information regarding Apple's Wednesday iPhone 5 announcement has leaked. This time, sources at 9to5Mac claim Apple will launch one updated iPhone model code named the N42.

The N42 does not feature NFC components like its sister prototype the N41, which was revealed earlier this year. Apple plans to keep pricing identical to iPhone 4S pricing, which means $199, $299 and $399 subsidized price points depending on how much storage is included.

The stage is being set for Apple's big iPhone 5 announcement this Wednesday in San Francisco. Colorful banners are hanging up at Yerba Buena Gardens, and as one reader of MacRumors has pointed out, there may be a secret message hidden in plain sight.

Closer inspection of the banners reveals these abstract streaks of color actually look familiar. They are iOS icons stretched out, including Music, GameCenter, iTunes, Stocks and Safari among others. When the photograph above is skewed and compacted, the hidden icons are revealed.

Sprint has announced the names of 100 cities that will be receiving 4G LTE in the "coming months". The announcement comes two days before Apple is expected to announce a 4G LTE capable new iPhone on Wednesday, September 12, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

The Sprint press release names Boston, Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. as some of the "major metropolitan areas" in which Sprint 4G LTE is expected to be available soon. Both Sprint and T-Mobile have been playing catch-up with AT&T and Verizon who upgraded to 4G last summer. Sprint plans to complete its 4G LTE nationwide network by the end of 2013. Read on for a complete list of the cities expected to receive the upgrade in the near future.

It's pretty much a sure bet that the next iPhone will support LTE-based 4G, but what Apple lovers really want to know is if it will support worldwide 4G. According to those always wily "people familiar with the matter" and the Wall Street Journal, the iPhone 5 will be able to reach 4G speeds in parts of Asia and Europe as well. The WSJ's source did not outline any specific countries, but did add that the next generation iPhone "isn't likely to work with all carriers' LTE networks in all countries, though it wasn't clear which would be left out."

Apple's first device to offer 4G LTE was the iPad 3, however, it is only supported by Verizon Wireless and AT&T in the U.S., and Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and Telus Corp. in Canada. Major U.S. carriers such as Sprint and T-Mobile have been pushing hard to extend their 4G LTE networks, and it's estimated that worldwide 4G LTE will reach around 290 million people by 2015.