iPhone 5 Getting Aluminum Back, Internal Antenna

Now that Apple has officially announced the iPad 2, attention has shifted to the next anticipated Apple release -- the iPhone 5.

If the latest round of rumors surrounding the iPhone 5 is any indication, Apple may finally be taking to heart much of the criticism of the current generation of iPhone.

One rumor, reported originally Japanese Mac blog MacoTakara, suggests that Apple is intent on not recreating its famed Antennagate controversy. Since the iPhone 4's release many users noticed that they were unable to get reception if they held the phone in a certain way. Dubbed the death grip, it caused reception issues in the iPhone largely because of the antenna's location on the outside edge. In response, Apple is said to be considering a redesign of the antenna, which will be placed under the Apple logo on the iPhone's backside.

The second rumor concerns the iPhone 5's casing. According a report by China's Economic News Daily, Apple may be dropping the glass casing present in the current iPhone in favor of an aluminum one, which can more easily be colored white. An aluminum-backed phone would also be more resistant to scratches.

While the veracity of both rumors is debatable, they do make sense in light of previous versions of the iPhone. Up until the iPhone 4, all iPhone models featured internal antennas. Likewise, the original iPhone was equipped with the same aluminum back rumored to be featured in the iPhone 5.

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