Apple's new iPhone: A SIM-less 'world phone' with 8MP camera and ARM Cortex-A9 processor

If rumors are to be believed, the next generation Apple iPhone will have a SIM-less design, an 8 mega pixel camera and an ARM Cortex-A9 processor. And its release date is round the corner, probably by end of July or early August!

The next generation Apple iPhone will have 3-4 internal antennas that will allow the device to serve as a world phone compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks, as AppleInsider puts it. It will also have a Qualcomm chipset.

Overall, the modifications on the previous model will not be large scale, and the iPhone will retain the form factor of iPhone 4. According to the report, it can’t be confirmed if the latest iPhone will have single CPU or dual CPUs.

And importantly, the fancied device will be released during end of July to early August. It also says Apple's next major hardware launch will be that of iPhone 5 handset. The device, which is under development, will be released in 2012 spring, it says.

All these new revelations about the next generation iPhone has come from tech website Macotakara. It's hard to ascertain the authenticity of this report and that of a multitude of rumors floating around on the Internet. But this time the revelation has come from someone who has hit the nail on its head in the past. Macotakara had earlier made some accurate predictions regarding Apple iPad features and launch date.

If the latest buzz turns out to be true, iPhone 5 will arrive only next spring. That's quite some change in the release schedule, albeit the unofficial one, based on rumors and leaks. Earlier, it was reported widely that Apple would begin production of iPhone 5 in July and that the product could hit stores in September. Before that, the date was sometime in June this year!

However, the consolation would be that the iPhone 4 S will be released in July or August, as reported by Macotakara. There is no consensus as to why Apply is delaying the launch of its iPhone 5. However it would be safe to conclude that from a strategic point of view, two phone launches, spaced only by a few months, won’t be a good strategy. This could be the case if one assumes that reports of iPhone 4 S arrival in July turn out to be correct.

Earlier, a series of image leaks and source-based reports had ‘revealed’ a slew of possible next generation iPhone features. While none is confirmed, a lot fall into the 'possible or probable' category.

Here's a quick snapshot of some such iPhone features leaked on the Internet.

A video that circulated on the Internet a month back showed a white iPhone 5 running on an updated version of iOS. The voice in the video, which originated from Vietnam, said what was shown was “a test version of next-generation iPhone with the new iOS that Apple plans to release this year.” The voice behind the camera said the model has a 64GB capacity.

In March this year, iDealsChina showed in its website what it said was a leaked image of the iPhone 5 phone. The handset's screen looked larger and the hardware was bigger overall.

In January, Chinese technology website Zol posted some details of the rumored iPhone 5. According to it, the iPhone 5 would get a new exterior and upgrades like an A4 chip, an 8 mega-pixel camera and a new version of iOS.

Again, an image published by a Chinese reseller of Apple parts showed what looked like the digitizer panel of iPhone 5. If the image is authentic then the new iPhone will have a 4 inch display but within the same encasement, made possible by a technology that extends display over to the edges of the phone.

It had also been reported that Apple is letting select developers play around with an iPhone 4 which is implanted with an A5 chip rather than the A4 in order that they can bring out the full gaming prowess on the upcoming iPhone 5.

AppleInsider reported in April that Apple may have selected Sharp to create next-generation low-temperature poly-silicon LCD display, citing reports in Japanese newspaper Nikkan.

The liquid crystal display on the anticipated iPhone 6 is said to feature low-temperature poly-silicon technology, a next-generation display format that allows for thinner and lighter screens that consume less power than traditional LCD screens, the report said.