Although the idea of a completely new iPhone 6 continues to swirl in the media, it’s starting to look more and more like the device will just be a minor upgrade. Now we have some interesting new evidence allegedly direct from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s supply chain. There’s a chance that the next handset won’t be the iPhone 6 or even the iPhone 5S. Instead, it might be called the iPhone 5G.
New photos of iPhone 6 / 5S posted at uSwitch
Jonathan Leggett of uSwitch has posted photos of the device’s screen which he says have come from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ)’s supply chain. The screen is the same size as the iPhone 5’s screen, and the bottoms and other fittings are positioned in almost an identical fashion to the iPhone 5. This would seem to indicate just a minor upgrade, as many have begun to suspect, in spite of the desire for a major upgrade worthy of the iPhone 6 moniker.
He says the only noticeable difference between the leaked screen he saw and the iPhone 5 is the fact that the ribbon cable is a bit longer.
iPhone 6 name questioned by the packaging
But the most interesting part about what he saw isn’t the screen itself, but the packaging. It seems to suggest that instead of the device being called the iPhone 6 or even the iPhone 5S, it will be the iPhone 5G. The label on the package reads: “5G LCD / digitizer white original.”
This name certainly seems to be out in left field, although we should note that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s second generation handset was the iPhone 3G, while the third generation was the iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 3G was quite similar to the previous model, although it had a number of new hardware features like 3G data and tri-band UMTS / HSDPA. There were also some significant software enhancements with iOS 2.
The next iPhone is said to have a fingerprint scanner, so this would be in line with a major new hardware feature. And then of course there’s the iOS 7 upgrade, which is the most significant one in years. uSwitch speculates that there’s a slim chance that the 5G name indicates that the device supports 4G LTE-A technology, which is the new fast 4G standard that could be marketed by some carriers as 5G.
If not iPhone 6 what about the iPhone 5C?
Don’t forget we’ve also seen packaging for the alleged iPhone 5C, which some speculate may stand for “color.” But regardless of the device’s actual name, we could see the next iPhone as early as September, so until then, we just won’t know. And Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been known to throw up smokescreens before so that it can surprise later.
