Since Apple’s new iPad was announced on Wednesday the tablet has generated interest that has been off the scale. However plenty of people are just as interested in the next iPhone, up until now commonly dubbed the iPhone 5, and we wondered what we could learn about the next iPhone from the new iPad.
As the latest iPad was previously referred to by most in the tech world as the iPad 3 and turned up being called none other than the ‘new iPad’, we’re rather at odds now for how we should refer to the next iPhone. Previously everyone seemed to be calling it the iPhone 5 but now of course it could be the new iPhone, so we’ll refer to it now as simply the next iPhone. Although some people have speculated a release in summer, the consensus of opinion right now is that it will be appearing in the fall.
Although no specs and features are confirmed for the next iPhone just yet, there have been many leaks and rumors and so we’ll give you a brief rundown of what many have been expecting such as a larger display, new A5X or even A6 processor (possibly quad-core) and 4G LTE connectivity. Other things anticipated include a better camera, longer lasting battery, NFC support and maybe the iOS 6 operating system.
Looking at what the new iPad offers (release date March 16) hopefully gives us at least some clues as to what may show up on the next iPhone. For example as the new iPad has stepped up to a Retina Display (which the current iPhone already has), many are now wondering if the next iPhone may have an even better resolution than it does already. Likewise the new iPad turned up, not with an A6 processor and not with quad-core either, but with a new A5X dual-core processor. It seems likely then that the next iPhone will also feature an A5X dual-core processor.
We had also wondered if the new iPad would launch using the next iOS, (iOS 5.1) and that’s exactly what came about with the release of the latest operating system on the same day as the new iPad announcement. It’s certainly possible then that if the fall release date for the next iPhone is correct it could possibly coincide with the next iOS, iOS 6. Moving on to 4G LTE connectivity this was much desired for the new iPad and lo and behold it arrived. Therefore it seems virtually certain that the next iPhone will also have LTE capability.
On to the battery and Apple has also improved the battery for the new iPad. Given that it will use more juice because of the LTE connectivity the step up in battery means that users will get roughly the same battery life as on the previous iPad. If the next iPhone does indeed come LTE-equipped then logically it would seem that an improved battery will be coming to the smartphone as well.
These are the obvious implications as far as we can see for the next iPhone although there seems to be some disagreement about the A5X dual-core processor. On the one hand this report tells how one analyst believes the next iPhone will have the A5X processor of the new iPad but that the clock speed will be reduced to 800MHz as the iPhone simply would not need so much power. On the other hand this article tells how analysts believe the A5X processor will not appear in the next iPhone with some believing the A5X has been optimized for tablet use.
Food for thought then as far as the processor for the next iPhone is concerned but we do think the new iPad certainly provides at least some indicators for the next iPhone. We’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Is there anything that we’ve missed that’s suggested for the next iPhone from the new iPad? What would you like to see that we haven’t mentioned here? We’re interested in what you have to say so feel free to send your comments.