iPhone 5 (A BIG TASK)

During 2011, there was no iPhone, but the company did announce the iPhone 4S. However, the iPhone 5 is still on the cards - we're expecting it in the middle of this year. So we've gathered together all the latest iPhone 5 rumours and rounded them up below. It's the phone that appeared when the whole world was looking forward to the iPhone 5 anyway, so make up your own mind whether to make the jump to Apple's latest now or save those pennies for the 2012 iPhone 5 release.

iPhone 5 release date

Given the pattern of Apple's iPhone launches, we're expecting the next-gen iPhone 5 to debut in mid to late 2012. We reckon it's most likely to be shown off at Apple's Worldwide Developer Event (WWDC), which usually takes place in early June. Rumours that claim an iPhone 5 release date of Summer 2012. Analyst predicted that the absent iPhone 5 was meant to be the big announcement at the recent event where the iPhone 4S was launched.

iPhone 5 form factor

Unlike the iPhone 4S, it'll be a completely new design that means an entirely new casing as we saw with the iPhone 3Gand, later, the iPhone 4. Steve Jobs canned the new handset and opted for the iPhone 4S because of the larger screen size of the new device. According to Business Insider, it was feared that a new size would create a two-tier iPhone ecosystem. Beatweek also claimed in November 2011 that the 5-inch was scrapped "because Apple wouldn't be able to do it properly" this year. However, the Daily Mail suggested that a four-inch version was likely and that Sony has already shipped top secret demo screens to Apple.

iPhone 5 specs

Based on the roadmap of mobile chip design specialist ARM (of which Apple is a licensee), we'll see a quad-core processor debut in the iPhone 5 - probably called the Apple A6. We know that we'll see other quad core handsets debut in 2012, so it's not too much of a stretch to say that the iPhone 5 will be the same.

iPhone 5 will have 4G/LTE support

With many 4G handsets already announced in the US, it can't be long before the iPhone supports 4G technologies - even if we won't even have a UK spectrum auction until 2012. Cnet.com quotes Will Strauss from analyst firm Forward Concepts, says that the next iPhone will feature LTE technologies."They're saving iPhone 5 for the LTE version and that won't be out until next spring," said Strauss.

Steve Jobs' iPhone 5 legacy

Many sites have reported that Steve Jobs was working hard on the iPhone 5 project, which will apparently be a "radical redesign".

The iPhone 5 will debut alongside iOS 5 and iCloud

The new iPhone 5. And iOS 5 will arrive alongside it as well iCloud.

Apple says it is "cutting the cable" with iOS 5 - just as well, as it claimed the iPad 2 was the first post-PC device earlier in the year. OS updates can be delivered over the air - you'll just received what's changed rather than the usual 600MB download - and devices can be activated without plugging them into iTunes. You can also now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes too, so you really can devolve your device from your PC or Mac. "You can activate on the device and you're ready to go," explained Apple's Scott Forstall. "Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug in to update your software. And they're now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what's changed," he continued.

The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that: "Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those that are currently available… it was unclear how soon that version would be available to Verizon or other carriers." Chinese case manufacturers have been sent design briefings of the new iPhone 5 chassis and apparently feature a return to the old days of iPhone design. But could iPhone 5 really have a curved back? We can't begin to tell you how sceptical we are over such a 'leak', given Apple's desperation to keep its forthcoming designs under wraps. However, China backed up the larger-screened, metal chassis-sporting iPhone 5 rumours, so the redesign still seems firmly on the cards.

Will iPhone 5 actually be an iPhone 4S?

Of course, since the iPhone 3G was followed by the 3GS it's possible the new iPhone won't be a total refresh and we'll see an iPhone 4S (or iPhone 4GS) before an iPhone 5. Rumours suggest that there may even be two versions of the new iPhone: a 'standard' iPhone 5 and an iPhone 5 'pro'. Apparently, Apple is buying in components of differing quality, and those parts wouldn't be required for a single phone.

A white iPhone 5

The white iPhone 5 glass is being shipped, with a supplier called Wintek being the sole touch panel vendor for the white iPhone.

iPhone 5 will support 1080p HD

The iPad 2 supports Full HD - that the new iPhone will do the same. With the exception of Qualcomm chipsets - which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 - Apple's sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5G components. The specs will be a new antenna, 1.2GHz processor (possibly dual-core) and a larger screen: 3.7" instead of 3.5".

iPhone 5 screen

iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen. Apple is expanding the screen size "to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market." iPhone 5 could feature a curved glass screen. As Apple has purchased between 200 and 300 special glass cutting machines because they're too costly for the manufacturers to invest in. The iPhone 5 will also get a massive graphical boost as it moves to a dual-core GPU - this will herald true 1080p output from the new device.

iPhone 5 digital wallet - NFC

Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5G, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card.

iPhone 5 camera

The new iPhone could have an 8MP camera. Indeed, Sony announced in January 2012 that it had developed new back-illuminated stacked CMOS image sensors which are smaller in size.

iPhone 5 price

If the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS then we'd expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price tag.