The rumor mill continues to churn out speculations regarding Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5. Though past rumors that it will in fact sport a taser and/or serve as a functioning teleportation device have been debunked, the latest one is almost as cool.
A report from DigiTimes is suggesting that the iPhone 5 may come with a curved glass cover. According to their industry sources, Apple has purchased somewhere between 200 and 300 glass cutting machines for the production of these curved covers.
According to the sources:
Cover glass makers are reluctant to commit investment to the purchase of glass cutting equipment due to the high capital involved, said the sources.
The glass slicing machines are currently being stored at associated assembly plants and will be brought online once yield rates for the production of curved glass reaches a satisfactory level.
It’s looking more and more likely that we will not see the iPhone 5 until sometime in 2012. For awhile, we thought that we would see the 5 ship out in September on 2011, but recent reports suggest that instead, we will get a revamped version of the iPhone 4, the 4S.
The 4S will be a less dramatic update that the suspected iPhone 5, with minor cosmetic changes, an improved camera and possibly a faster processor according to reports.
The iPhone 5, whenever it hits, has a strong possibility of carrying 4G LTE connectivity. Other iPhone 5 rumors suggest a larger screen, possibly over 4 inches, HD video shooting, and the fact that it may be released in separate models. But those reports may have mistaken the differences between the 4S and the 5 as two different iPhone 5 models.
An earlier rumor that the iPhone 5 would contain NFC capabilities for mobile payments has been shot down recently.
Earlier this month, a new patent filed by Apple emerged that suggests that future models of the iPhone may include speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities. No telling whether that will fall on the 4S, the 5, or some model way down the road.
