iPhone 5

Sources have told BGR the iPhone 5 will indeed be a complete redesign, with an appearance much like the form factor of the iPad 2. The front glass of the next generation iPhone will be connected to an all-aluminum back via a rubberized bezel. The mockup below illustrates what the aluminum iPhone might look like.

The bezel is said to be made of a similar material to the Apple Bumper cases. Not only would this bezel conceal a completely redesigned antenna system, it sounds like this would help make the iPhone 5 less slippery to hold. After all, the machined aluminum found on the iPad 2 is slick in more ways than one.

Now that iOS 5.1 beta has been seeded to developers, new iPhone 5 hardware has been confirmed with a reference in the source code. iPhone5,1 refers to the next generation device, and by Apple's naming conventions points to a completely new design in the works. Other new device references including a possible Sprint iPad 2 (iPad2,4) and the iPad 3 have also been discovered.

Reports have indicated the iPhone 5 will feature a larger screen and a faster A6 processor. The concept above from ADR Studio shows a slimmer iPhone 5 with an aluminum back and edge to edge display.

Most of the hype surrounding the iPhone 5 display has been centered on its size, with industry observers predicting that Apple will increase the next generation display to 4 inches. New information points to an even more intriguing possibility, that the iPhone 5 will feature Sharp's IGZO display technology in a cutting-edge mobile touchscreen.

The diagram above from Semiconductor Portal illustrates the advantage of IGZO transistors. These indium, gallium, and zinc (IGZO) transistors replace standard amorphous silicon thin-film transistors in the Sharp components, which provide higher electron mobility. This means display pixels can be smaller and more light passes through the IGZO display.

iLounge is promising three new Apple products in 2012. According to their "most reliable source," the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Pro will all be receiving redesigns next year. The next generation iPhone will not feature the rumored teardrop-design we were promised in 2011. Instead it will feature a 4-inch display, aluminum back and be 8mm longer than the current models. The new iPhone will be available sometime next summer.

Another "industry source," who claims to have handled an iPhone 5 prototype, confirmed it featured an aluminum back and larger screen. The scrapped iPhone 5 was also supposed to be equipped with a 10-megapixel camera and be available in various colors.

Those always reliable "industry sources" must be feeling lonely since the Apple rumor mill was shutdown back in October. Good thing for them the iPhone 4S wasn't interesting enough to hold our attention for longer than a month. So grab your supply of salt, and prepare yourself, because I predict a very long winter of new Apple rumors.

The latest comes from the Business Insider, who refuses let a great rumor die. According to their unnamed source, the iPhone 5 was very real, but it was abandoned 3 months before the iPhone 4S was announced. Their tipster didn't say why the iPhone 5 was scrapped, but he did say Apple engineers thought "a new fully re-designed iPhone was going to be Apple's next big announcement." He also says he played with the prototype.