iMore has learned that recent parts leaks and dummy phones are accurate representations of what the new iPhone (iPhone 5,1) will look like when Apple announces it on September 12, 2012. Almost identical in design to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, the major visible differences will include a 4-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, a metallic plate across most the back, and a miniaturized Dock connector and relocated 3.5mm headset jack along the bottom.

Apple originally prototyped a 3.5-inch and at least one 4-inch designs for the 2012 iPhone. iLounge accurately reported on one of the 4-inch prototypes back in May. iMore also learned that Apple would decide which prototype to go with sometime in July, and on July 17, the Wall Street Journal reported Apple had begun manufacturing. On July 30, iMore learned Apple had settled on September 12, 2012 for the iPhone 5 announcement event, which has since been confirmed by Apple. iMore has also reported that September 21 will be the U.S. iPhone launch day, with the second wave of launches currently scheduled for on or around October 5.

This information comes from sources who have been reliable in the past. While nothing is confirmed until Apple shows it off on stage, based on the parts, dummies, and other reports, it seems highly probable.

There's too much to cover, so we'll sum up. On February 23, 2012, iMore learned Apple would be miniaturizing the Dock connector for the iPhone 5. On March 23, iMore learned Apple would be including LTE networking in the iPhone 5, as they had the new iPad. On May 11, iMore learned Apple would be trying to remove Google from the iPhone and iOS. On May 29, 9to5Mac posted images of the new, unibody back casing for the iPhone 5. On July 29 and July 30, many of the leaked parts that had been floating around were assembled and shown off in stills and on video.

A fully assembled iPhone 5 chassis was caught on camera on August 31, and a dummy unit, representing near-final hardware, was caught on video at IFA 2012 on September 1.

Conspiracy theories have been floated suggesting Apple is deliberately leaking false parts or a discarded prototype to create a bigger surprise come September 12. If that's the case, they're spending a lot of time, effort, and money, and doing it at an incredible scale. While Apple has over $100 billion in the bank and could do almost anything they want, they don't have any more time than anyone else, and it seems doubtful they'd waste what precious time they do have on on practical joke when there's so much for them still to do on the real product.

Just like last year when we tried to help set expectations before the iPhone 4S event, to the best of our knowledge everyone would be best served going into the September 12 event with their expectations set on the iPhone 5 you see above, and have seen leaked to date.

If anyone doesn't believe Apple would use a similar design to the 2010 iPhone 4 and the 2011 iPhone 4S, go back and look at the 2005 Project Purple prototype. Consider that Apple's current platonic ideal for how their phone should look and be built.

The iPhone design isn't fashion. Jonathan Ive has said repeatedly, it's function. It's iconic. It's a piece of industrial design rooted in Braun and Leica and Dieter Rams that could sit on any museum shelf. It's some of the best manufacturing ever seen in mobile, and it looks as good today as it did in 2005 and in 2010, and as any phone currently on the market. Apple isn't concerned with making the newest looking phone. They're concerned only with making the best phone.

Add a larger screen and a metal back, and shave off a few micro-milimeters from the existing iPhone design, and it would be hard to argue that's not just exactly what they're doing with the iPhone 5.

We'll find out for sure in one week's time.

• iPhone 5 preview
• Everything iPhone 5
• iPhone 5 forum
• iOS 6 preview

Apple has announced their September 12 special event, expected to see the introduction of the next generation iPhone 5. The information on the invitation is sparse. According to the graphic shared by Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, it shows the number 12 (the date of the event), and the number 5 (make of that what you will), along with the following line: "It's almost here". According to Jim:

The invitation I received says the event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10:00 am.

iMore posted the September 12 Apple event date back on July 30, along with what we believe to be the U.S. launch date of September 21. Back on August 13 we posted what we believe is the second wave launch date of October 5.

For more on the iPhone 5, including previews of the expected features, check out our iPhone 5 page and make sure you enter our $500 iPhone 5 giveaway now!

Source: The Loop

Everything you need to know about Apple's upcoming iOS 6 software update for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

iOS 6 was previewed at Apple's WWDC 2012 and has been in a closed developer beta ever since. While Apple has promised some 200 new features, we've only seen them show off 10 major ones to date. Still, there's a lot within those 10 for us to sink out teeth into. We've compared them to previous iOS flagship features, and to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Windows Phone 8, and BlackBerry 10 flagship features, and explained why the focus this year might be more on Apple's platform than user-facing features. We've also broken them down feature by feature, looked at what Apple's has said about them, and analyzed what they have to offer.

Now we're rounding all the up here, and we'll keep it updated here through the Gold Master (GM) seed we expect on September 12, and the release we anticipate sometime around September 19.

Maps

With iOS 6, Apple is replacing the previous, Google-powered Maps app on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, with a completely redesigned, re-rendered, and re-imagined Apple Maps app. The data itself is supplied by TomTom and others, but Apple has created all-new vector map art, and while they've lost some features, like Street View, and are handing off transit date to App Store apps, they're adding a dramatic new Flyover mode, traffic data, and turn-by-turn navigation. And if you miss the old app, good news, a Google Maps app should be headed to the App Store as well.

• Turn-by-turn navigation preview
• Flyover preview

Siri: Sports, restaurants, movies, status sharing, app launching, and iPad support

Siri, as introduced in on the iPhone 4S, is an able if not particularly well-rounded personal assistant. With iOS 6, however, Siri is adding several knew services to its repertoire. Soon, with Siri, you'll be able to find out everything about your favorite sports teams, make reservations at your favorite restaurants, find out where your favorite movies are playing, share it all to Facebook and Twitter, and... do it on the new iPad as well.

• Siri and sports preview
• Siri and restaurant preview
• Siri and movie listings preview
• Siri and Facebook and Twitter sharing, app launching preview
• Siri for iPad preview

Facebook integration

Facebook integration for iOS has been rumored for a couple years now, buy iOS 4 shipped with nary a Like in sight, and iOS 5 with only Twitter and tweets to show for itself. With iOS 6 Facebook hits the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad in full force. We're talking built-in status sharing, content sharing, calendar and contacts integration, and a whole lot of stuff you can Like, built-in.

• Facebook integration preview

iCloud: Shared Photo Streams

Photo Stream debuted in iOS 5 as part of iCloud and while it offered some nifty automatic backup and sync store and push features, it lacked a lot of the sharing and gallery features that made Mobile Me so family friendly. Now, with iOS 6, Apple is adding sharing back to their cloud photo solution, and while it's not the same as before, it could be just as social.

• Shared Photo Streams preview

Passbook

Passbook is a brand new, built-in app for iOS 6 designed to serve as a one-stop repository for all the tickets, coupons, gift cards, and other vouchers provided by third-party App Store apps. That means all the stuff in your Apple Store app, Starbucks app, Delta app, Fandango app, and more is easily accessible via a single Home screen icon, and what's more -- Passbook knows what time it is and where you are, so it can put whatever card you need right on your Lock screen, right when you need it.

• Passbook preview

FaceTime over cellular

FaceTime over cellular -- the ability to place Apple's version of video calls using 3G and 4G networks -- is coming with iOS 6. Thanks to the carriers being insane, it took 2 years to happen, and even now might be painful, but it's coming. Also coming is the ability to unify your iPhone FaceTime phone number and iPad/iPod touch FaceTime email address, so you no longer have to try and guess which one to reach a multi-device user at.

Phone: Do Not Disturb and Remind Me Later

While Apple improved their alert system with Notification Center in iOS 5, they're finally bringing some sanity and serenity to it with iOS 6. Too much notification turns into interruption, especially if your only options are to answer or hang up, to leave everything on or turn everything off. It makes us the single-points of failure in our memory chain, and let's face it, why bother having these fancy devices if we're the ones who have to remember to call back, or remember to activate and deactivate alerts every morning and night. Which brings us to Remind Me Later and Do Not Disturb.

• Do Not Disturb and Remind Me Later preview

Mail: VIP inbox and photo and video attachment

Mail is getting a little bit of love in iOS 6 as well. First off, you'll be able to designate certain contacts as VIPs, which flag their emails with stars, and collects them in a special VIP inbox, and syncs them over iCloud so your VIPs are VIPs on all your iOS devices. Secondly, the already crowded popup menu gets yet another option, and a great one, Insert Photo or Video. That's right, you can finally add items from your Camera Roll to an email already in progress without the copy/paste hack-around.

Safari: iCloud tabs, image uploading, offline reading, full-screen mode

Safari has been on the iPhone since the first version launched in 2007, and has been steadily improved, year after year, version after version, ever since. iOS 6 follows the same, steady, evolutionary pattern, addressing long standing user pain-points like image uploads, and providing parity with features from other browsers, like Chrome's tab sync. It also makes Reading List more robust, and provides an interesting way for websites to alert users about, and move them into, apps.

• Safari preview

Accessibility: Guided Access and single-app mode

Something that Apple absolutely does not get enough credit for is their longstanding -- and outstanding -- support for accessibility features, and iOS 6 is no exception. To the already impressive list of accessibility features, Apple is adding Guided Access, a way to lock the iPad into a single app, to help people with autism or similar challenges work independently, without having to worry about accidentally closing an app. It also provides single-app mode functionality for everyone, which makes the iPad far more useful for everything from school tests to mall kiosks.

• Guided Access and single-app mode preview

How iOS 6 compares to previous versions of iOS

Experiencing an iOS keynote like WWDC 2012 today, and watching Senior Vice President of iOS, Scott Forstall, lay out the new flagship features for iOS 6 -- what Apple's has called tent poles in the past -- it can be hard to weigh them against flagship features of the past, and to judge them free from expectations.

When compared side by side -- or slide to slide -- with keynotes past, the impact of each step of Apple's iOS evolution become easier to measure. Here's the full rundown:

• How iOS 6 compares to previous versions of iOS

How iOS 6 compares to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Windows Phone 8, and BlackBerry 10

It's harder to compare iOS 6 to Android 4.1, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8, since they not only made different design choices and engineering compromises, they made different marketing decision about which features to showcase -- sometimes deliberately to counter-program Apple and/or each other. But for that very reason, to highlight the differences, the comparison is especially interesting. Here's the side-by-side (scroll down to the second section of the article).

• How iOS 6 compares to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Windows Phone 8, and BlackBerry 10

Why iOS 6 is more about Apple than new user features

Looking at everything we just went through, some may argue iOS 6 is more of a minor point release rather than a major new OS version. Or that was inattentive to power-user interests, and a sign that Apple was slowing down. Sure, the low hanging fruit is gone for iOS, but a lot of higher-hanging fruit remains.

However, that's not Apple's focus this year. This year, there's no iPhone OS 2.0 App Store-level feature addition for iOS. No iOS 5 PC-free/iCloud-level addition either. There's not even an iOS 4 or iPhone OS 3.0 multitasking or cut, copy, and paste-level addition. No new Home screen interfaces or fast app switcher visualizations. No actionable notifications or methods for inter-app communications. What there is, is all about Apple. And here's why:

• Why iOS 6 is more about Apple than new user features

More on iOS 6

• iOS 6 feature page
• iOS 6 forum

More previews

• iPad mini preview: Imagining Apple's smaller tablet

The iPhone 4S has a great camera that can capture amazing photos, so if that camera stops working, it's a pretty big deal. If the damage isn't covered by AppleCare or insurance, it can also be a costly problem. Luckily, a DIY repair is possible, and isn't too difficult. It'll only take you around 20-30 minutes and cost you less than $60, which makes it a great option for anyone out-of-warranty and not considering a new phone.

Follow along and we'll get your iPhone 4S camera back in working order in no time.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, neither iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It's also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don't feel comfortable opening your device, don't. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you'll need to DIY replace an iPhone 4S rear camera

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs. You will find links to the specific parts you'll need for this repair in the list below.

• iPhone 4S (any variant)
• Replacement camera assembly - Link to part
• #00 Phillips screwdriver - Link to part
• Security screwdriver - Link to part
• Spudger tool - Link to part

Power off your iPhone 4S

Before performing any repair you should always power off your device before opening it up.

Remove the back plate

1. Using your security screwdriver, remove the 2 screws on either side of the dock connector port.

2. Set them aside. They are both the exact same size and length so it does not matter if you mix them up. They are interchangeable.
3. Gently slide up the back plate by applying a bit of pressure along the bottom with your thumbs and sliding upwards.

4. Now lift off the back plate and set it aside.

Remove the battery and grounding clip

1. Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the two screws holding the battery in place.

2. These screws are different lengths so make sure you remember which one goes where. The one that is slightly larger is the bottom screw.
3. There is a tiny grounding clip underneath the battery clip where the first screw is located. Use your spudger tool or finger to remove it before prying the clip up. Many times it can go flying if you don't remove it first and then you'll have difficulty locating it so it's best to remove it first.

4. Now use your spudger tool and at the bottom of the battery clip, gently pry upwards so the clip pops up.

5. Move to the edge of the iPhone where the volume buttons are located and use your spudger tool to carefully pry up the battery. It is stuck down with a good amount of adhesive so be careful when prying upwards that you don't bend the battery. This is why I do not use the plastic tab that is provided. It typically rips or bends the battery. If one part is resistant move your pry tool a little further down and gently start prying it up in different places taking care not to come too close to the volume button cables towards the top.

6. Once you've gotten the battery pulled out of the iPhone 4S we can move on to inserting the replacement battery.

Remove the top logic board shield

The camera cable is protected by the top silver logic board shield. To replace it, we'll need to remove that shield for a few minutes.

1. Remove the 4 screws labeled in the picture below using your #00 Phillips screwdriver making sure you remember which screw came from where as they are all different sizes.

2. Use your spudger tool to carefully pry up the shield. There is a tiny clasp at the bottom of the shield. You'll need to make sure you push the top of the shield down a bit so it slides out. Once it does you can pull the shield out of the iPhone.

3. Set the shield aside for a few minutes.

Replace the rear camera assembly

1. The camera is connected in the upper left hand corner by only one flex cable. Use your spudger tool to gently pry the camera off the logic board.

2. Remove the defective camera assembly from your iPhone 4S.

3. Now position the new camera assembly into the iPhone and snap it down to the logic board.

Replace the top logic board shield

Now that the new camera assembly is secured into place on the logic board, we can go ahead and replace the shield.

1. You will notice that there are little teeth on the left hand bottom side of the shield. These slip into the shield on the left side of the logic board. Line them up and carefully place back down the shield.
2. Make sure the clasp to the right lower side of the logic board is also positioned underneath the cables and into the groove. All the screw holes should also be lined up at this point.

3. Use your #00 Phillips screwdriver to replace the 4 screws you removed previously.

Replace the battery and grounding clip

1. Pay attention to how the cable is bent on your old battery and if the new one is not crimped in the same fashion put the folds in it before inserting it into the iPhone 4S.

2. Line up the grounding clip you removed previously over the screw hole before snapping down the battery.

3. Snap down the battery in place to the logic board and then position the battery and press down firmly to make sure the adhesive sticks.
4. Replace the two screws you removed in a prior step starting with the top one using your #00 Phillips screwdriver. Make sure the grounding clip stays positioned. Use your other hand to hold it straight while you replace the top screw if you need to.

5. Now replace the bottom screw.

Replace the back plate

1. To replace the back plate line up the hinges around the edges. It should fall right into place. There will be a gap at the bottom.

2. Using slight pressure slide the cover down into place with your thumbs. If there is resistance make sure the hinges are lined up correctly and don't force it down and you can easily snap the hinge if it's caught up on something.
3. Once the back cover is securely in place and flush with the antenna band, replace the two screws on either side of the dock connector using your security screwdriver.

And ...done!

That's it. Now that you've finished reassembling your iPhone 4S you can go ahead and power it on. Pop into the camera app and test the new camera to make sure it's functioning correctly. That's all there is to it. Now get back to taking all those amazing pictures. You can also check out our guide to creating amazing photos with your iPhone 4S for photo tips as well.

• iPhone Photography: The ultimate guide

Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally@imore.com.

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly!

Additional resources:

• How to replace the rear camera in a GSM/AT&T iPhone 4
• How to replace the rear camera in a Verizon or Sprint iPhone 4
• How to replace the rear camera in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• Even more DIY repairs and guides

Design your dream iPhone 5 and show (or tell) us all about it for your chance to win $500!

Apple has just announced the iPhone 5 event! Now, sure, there have been parts leaks, but nothing is confirmed until Tim Cook, Phil Schiller or Jonathan Ive hold it up on stage. That means there's still time to let our imaginations run away with us!

If you ran Apple, what would YOU announce as the next generation iPhone? What would it look like? What specs would it have? What special features would make it the best phone on the planet?

The contest

Design your iPhone 5 dream device!

Break out your Photoshop or 3D program and make a killer rendering, write out your version of Phil Schiller's keynote intro telling us all about it, make a fake web page with all the tech-specs, create a spoof video commercial, or just tell us, in your own words, what your dream iPhone 5 looks like. It has to be original (you can't copy anything you've seen online, the other forum members will turn you in!), and it has to be creative (make us want your iPhone 5 even more than Apple's!), but other than that, the sky's the limit. Wow us!

The editors of iMore and Mobile Nations will go through all the entries and pick our favorites. Rene's going to want something with killer design. Simon and I are going to want the best gaming iPhone ever. Leanna's and Daniel are going to want an awesome camera sensor. Ally's going to want repairability. Chris O... will just want Siri to work in the UK. Phil and Chris P. will take some customizability. Kevin is either going to want a physical keyboard (ugh!) or something in the $2000 range. You won't be able to please all the judges, so pick and choose your targets, and execute something too great to be ignored! Insanely great!

When you have your entry ready, post it in the official iMore forums iPhone 5 dream device giveaway thread!

The prizes

We know the iMore nation is the most creative, most intelligent, best looking community in mobile, and that means it's going to be really hard to pick just one winner. So we're going to add a couple of runner-up prizes, just to make it more interesting.

• Grand prize: $500 U.S. Apple Store gift certificate to put towards the purchase of the real iPhone 5 when Apple launches it later this month!

  • Runner up prizes: 2x $100 Apple Store gift certificates to put towards the purchase of the real iPhone 5 when Apple launches it later this month!

The deadline

The contest starts now and ends Tuesday, September 25, 2012, at midnight PST. Winners will be announced live on the iMore show on September 26, 2012, some time between 6pm and 7pm PST.

Bring it!

Are you ready? Are you set? Then go, go, go! Post your dream iPhone 5 now!

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Over 12 million unique device identifiers (UDID), and related, personally-identifiable information, for iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads have reportedly been hacked from an FBI laptop using a Java vulnerability. AntiSec has released 1 million of the UDIDs as proof of the hack, along with a statement that includes the following:

During the second week of March 2012, a Dell Vostro notebook, used by Supervisor Special Agent Christopher K. Stangl from FBI Regional Cyber Action Team and New York FBI Office Evidence Response Team was breached using the AtomicReferenceArray vulnerability on Java, during the shell session some files were downloaded from his Desktop folder one of them with the name of "NCFTA_iOS_devices_intel.csv" turned to be a list of 12,367,232 Apple iOS devices including Unique Device Identifiers (UDID), user names, name of device, type of device, Apple Push Notification Service tokens, zipcodes, cellphone numbers, addresses, etc. the personal details fields referring to people appears many times empty leaving the whole list incompleted on many parts. no other file on the same folder makes mention about this list or its purpose.

UDIDs are used by developers to register devices with Apple's iTunes Connect so they can run beta versions of iOS and test ad-hoc versions of their apps prior to release. While some developers also used to use them to identify users and their devices, Apple has now disallowed that practice.

No accounts or passwords appear to have been compromised, so for users this is more of a privacy issue than a security issue. Any single piece of identifying information, be it a UDID number or a cell phone number, when combined with a sufficiently large pool of data and the right kind of analytics, can be used to create profiles and assess patterns.

AntiSec says they released the information to draw attention to what they claim is the FBI's collection of it.

You can read more of AntiSec's statement, and find the list of disclosed UDIDs, via the link below.

Source: AntiSec

The BBC will finally release an update to its UK only BBC iPlayer app that will bring downloads to your iPhone and iPad. The current version of iPlayer will only allow you to stream content to your device which has always been very limiting, especially if you are travelling. The news comes from The Guardian and the update should go live sometime today.

From Tuesday, licence-fee payers will be able to download BBC programmes from the iPlayer video-on-demand service and watch them offline on Apple's iPhone and iPad at no extra cost, including while abroad. The development marks a significant shift for BBC iPlayer, which has previously only allowed viewers to stream programmes to tablets and mobile devices with broadband connections or download them to watch on a desktop computer.

Daniel Danker, the BBC's general manager of on-demand programmes, said: "This fundamentally changes one of the most annoying restrictions about viewing programmes. It means audiences are liberated from the constraints and it fundamentally changes what it means to go on holiday. "He added: "With mobile downloads, you can now load up your mobile phone or tablet with hours and hours of BBC programmes, then watch them on the road, on the tube, on a plane, without worrying about having an internet connection or running up a mobile data bill."

Once you have downloaded a TV episode, you will have a total of thirty days to enjoy it, after that it will become unwatchable on your device. If you start watching a program, you will then only have a further seven days to finish watching it. Strange restrictions I know but it must have something to do with media copyright etc.

The download service which is believed to launch later today, will start off as a Wi-Fi only service. The BBC will hopefully expand this to work over 3G too although with today's restrictive low quantity mobile data plans it may not be a much desired feature anyway. The BBC iPlayer service is free in the UK for all BBC Television licence payers and the download service will also be offered as a completely free service too.

Update: It's now live in the App Store

Download Now

I am extremely happy that the BBC has decided to introduce downloads to its iPhone and iPad apps. Being on a slow connection, streaming was never a great option for me, now I can download the programmes I want to see and watch them whenever I have time without the buffering and stuttering. If you are a BBC iPlayer user, are you happy about the new download functionality?

Source: The Guardian

Apple is expected to announce their next generation iPhone on September 12, 2012, and while there have been a lot of leaks about what it may look like, there have only been a few about what will power it. That's not surprising. Apple seldom gives specifics about the processors inside the iPhone, or any of their iOS devices. They'll typically announce the name of the processor, maybe the number of cores, but they'll mostly just tell us how many times faster it is than the last generation, both in terms of computing and graphical power. And the amount of RAM is has? Forget about it. We'll likely not know the full details about the iPhone 5 processor until after it's launched and after it's been thoroughly torn down by third parties. That's the Apple way. In the meantime, all we can do is speculate based on past behavior and present technology.

Apple introduced their first in-house system-on-a-chip (SoC) in 2010. Called the Apple A4, Apple used it in the original iPad and carried a version of it over to the iPhone 4. The Apple A4 uses an ARM Cortex-A8 CPU and a PowerVR SGX 535 GPU. It's fabricated at 45nm, along with some performance enhancements supplied by Instrisity, a company Apple later bought. For the iPhone, it also supports 512MB of RAM.

Apple introduced the dual-core Apple A5 SoC in 2011 with the iPad 2, and again carried a version of it over to the iPhone 4S. The Apple A5 has an ARM Cortex-A9 and a PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU, along with 512MB of RAM. The original Apple A5 was 45nm, but a new version introduced with the Apple TV (2012) and updated iPad 2 (2012) was brought down to 32nm.

Instead of going to an Apple A6 SoC with the new iPad in 2012, Apple added a quad-core PowerVR SGX543MP4 GPU to the to the Apple A5, separated the 1GB of RAM from the package, and called it the Apple A5X.

Apple wouldn't use the Apple A5X in the iPhone 5 as well, however. At least not as is. The primary purpose of the Apple A5X chipset was to support the massive 2048x1536 Retina display that was brand new to the 3rd generation iPad platform. The iPhone went 960x640 Retina back in 2010 with the iPhone 4, so that load is already taken care of. Even if the rumors (addressed below) are accurate, and the iPhone 5 has a slightly bigger 1136x640 Retina display, that's still nothing that would require an A5X-style chipset.

It seems more likely Apple would go with the same type of general CPU and GPU performance improvements in the iPhone 5 that they delivered with the iPhone 4S. Whether or not they stay with the ARM Cortex A9 is a question. The newer, more efficient ARM Cortex A-15 is the next-generation CPU successor, much like the PowerVR 6 Rogue is the next-generation GPU. It would let the iPhone 5 do more, better, and it would be the bleeding edge option for Apple. But it may be bleeding edge enough to wait for next year's iPad 4 and iPhone 6(,1). The more conservative option is another Apple A5 processor at 32nm, tricked out with as much additional performance Apple can coax out of it. And 1GB of RAM.

More RAM is more. For everything from the amount of pages Safari can keep in memory, to the amount of apps -- especially big, greedy games -- that can be switched between without causing system lag, to the general, overall snappiness of the device itself. Apple has historically been stingy -- or efficient, depending on your point of view -- with RAM in the past. 1GB isn't excessive, but would let the iPhone 5 really let itself go.

When it comes to storage, Apple has doubled the maximum available capacity every two years. While the original iPhone shipped with an 8GB maximum, a 16GB version was introduced half a year later. The iPhone 3G also had a 16GB maximum. Both the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 have 32GB maximums. Last year, Apple doubled that again with the iPhone 4S, hitting 64GB. History, never mind pricing and NAND flash chip density, suggests we'll stay at 64GB this year as well.

There's been a sketchy parts leak that purports to show an Apple A6 branded processor on the iPhone 5 logic board. At the end of the day, what Apple calls the iPhone 5 chipset is a branding decision, but since Apple controls both the software and hardware, there's no need to simply throw silicone or cores at someone else's code.

So, whether or not it's called the Apple A6, something closer to the Apple A5 rather than Apple A5X in focus and architecture would deliver just exactly the performance vs. power balance Apple wants for their next generation phone.