The Apple iPhone 5, or new iPhone as some are calling it, is still several months away from release. We all know this will be a huge smartphone release and another massive hit for Apple as every other iPhone launch has been, but how much of its success will be down to the hyped specs and how much down to the coolness of owning the next iPhone?

We’ve spoken recently of how important we feel a design change is for the next iPhone and also asked if the iPhone 5 can possibly live up to expectations. So many specs and features have been rumored and we have endeavored to keep readers informed to give some idea of what we might expect, however nothing of course will be confirmed until Apple chooses to let us know.

Plenty of hype is building and this alone will be enough to sell significant amounts of the new iPhone and as a brief reminder we’ll give you a rundown of the major features and specs that have been widely reported and anticipated. These include an A5X or A6 processor, larger display, LTE connectivity, improved battery, a step up to 1GB of RAM and launching with iOS 6. As we’ve already pointed out, none of this is official yet but we’d be quite surprised if at least most of this isn’t fulfilled on the next iPhone.

Therefore the iPhone 5 should have plenty going for it in terms of improved specs and features and if this is combined with a brand-new design, sales should be phenomenal, as with its predecessor the iPhone 4S. The lack of a change in appearance for the iPhone 4S was much criticized when it arrived last October but sales still soared. However we feel that some would have held back on purchasing the iPhone 4S hoping that the iPhone 5 will look radically different. As we’ve pointed out before, many people who splash the cash for the iPhone 5 will want people to be able to see they have the latest and greatest. This leads us to another point.

Although we feel the iPhone 5 will have plenty to recommend it and we’ve already stated that sales success is assured, this is only partly down to the actual hardware and software of the next iPhone. For many potential customers the coolness of owning an Apple device also comes into play. Whether right or wrong there are plenty of people who stick with the brand because Apple products have the ‘cool’ factor. Although some brand loyalty obviously comes from the fact that previous iPhones have been so good and people like to stick with what they know, there’s definitely an added edge for Apple in respect that it’s a brand many like to be connected and seen with.

We know plenty of people who have dismissed Apple products as all hype in the past and then when they’ve managed to own one themselves have done an about turn and now would never use anything else. Although they may swear that this is purely down to the product alone we have a sneaking feeling that they rather enjoy the feeling of being a part of the ‘in’ club.

With all this in mind we’d like to ask any of you that are potential iPhone 5 customers what your main motivations are for wanting it? Is it purely down to the product and you’ll have to be convinced that the next upgrade is worth your money and that what has been hyped actually appears? Alternatively you may simply enjoy the ‘cool’ factor of the iPhone but are you brave enough to admit it? We’d love to get some idea of this so let’s have your comments.