Rumors are just that, rumors, and the iPhone 5 is currently in the middle of more than its fair share. It is par for the course for any big Apple hardware release, but the rumor mill seems to only intensify as each year goes by. The latest to be bandied around is the suggestion that the next iPhone will be the first to feature a new screen, with not just more pixels but more inches, too.
According to 9to5Mac’s sources, Apple is currently in the middle of testing a variety of different hardware designs and styles, but all apparently have one thing in common: a new, larger Retina Display-enabled screen.
Current iPhone 4 and 4S models feature that impressive 3.5-inch 960×640 display, just the same as all the iPhones that came before them. In the face of strong competition from larger Android and Windows Phone 7 devices, it would appear that Apple is now set to increase the size of its iconic iPhone, bringing the screen more in line with those it is competing against.
Assuming the rumors are correct – and we all know how accurate rumors are – then the iPhone 5 could see a new 3.9-inch screen be brought to the market, with a 1136×640 resolution simply adding extra pixels to the existing form factor. While this would mean the addition of an extra row of icons to the iPhone’s home screen, it is the effect it would have on app developers that would be most interesting.
More pixels would obviously allow developers to make physically larger apps, but those with apps already in the App Store would need to release updates in order to avoid potential display issues. That is, unless Apple comes up with a way of negating the negative results of its proposed screen change.
Of course, all of this is based on rumors that Apple is testing new hardware internally which, to be honest, is no great stretch. We suspect Apple is testing all manner of devices, but it is the one that gets pushed out to stores around October time that really interests us.
Until we see what that device will really look like, then we are all playing the guessing game. With five months until that time, it’s save to expect plenty more guesses on the horizon.
To give you an insight how a 3.9-inch screen will look like, here’s a mockup of the whole deal:
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