Knowing exploring

One of the things that attracts people to the iPhone is its ease of use and simplicity. However, iOS has barely changed since launch, so Apple could well introduce new ways to interact with its phones in order to stay ahead of the competition.

Patently Apple managed to dig up information on a new patent for a smart bezel. This will use a secondary display system, which could be embedded around the primary Lcd or even on the back of a device to provide new controls that light up when needed.

According to Patently Apple, "Apple intends to use the secondary display to introduce a new set of illuminated indicators that would be able to morph into various controls for work and play. Illuminated gaming and productivity controls could be built into the face-side of the bezel and/or selected back-side areas of iOS devices like the iPad."

With its Retina display, Apple says that you cant see individual pixels on the iPhones Lcd when used at a normal distance. That effectively means that upping the resolution on the same size Lcd makes no sense. The only way to add more pixels, then, is to produce a slightly bigger phone with a bigger Lcd.

Its now thought that the iPhone 6 will have a Sharp IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) Lcd. This new technology allows for Lcds that use less power and are considerably thinner. Rumours certainly picked up when the Sharp IGZO technology was demonstrated at CES 2013.

Reports have appeared that the iPhone 6 will has a Super HD Lcd, but no details of Lcd resolution or size have appeared. Wed assume that the Apple will stick with the new wideLcd format it introduced with the iPhone 5, though.

In terms of storage, 64GB has been the top model for a couple of years, so wed expect the top model to now be 128GB. This has been predicted by Misek, who believes that the iPhone will offer more storage than before. Whether or not this means a new top-end model or whether the entry-level 16GB model hasnt been confirmed, but wed expect Apple to ditch the low-end and stick with its current pricing.

Theres a lot of debate over what the new iPhone will be called. If you follow Apples naming strategy, then the iPhone 5S would be the most likely choice. Typically Apple keeps the same case (or very similar) for two generations, improving the internal specification. So the iPhone 3G was followed by the iPhone 3GS. It was the iPhone 4 that introduced a new design, followed by the improved iPhone 4S. By that regard, the iPhone 5, which introduced the wideLcd display, should be followed by a spec upgrade in the iPhone 5S.

However, things arent quite as clear cut anymore. While Apple used to do yearly (or there about) updates, the iPad 4 was something of a surprise release, coming just six months after the iPad 3. If thats a sign that Apples moving to a six-monthly release schedule, then it could be that the iPhone 5S gets released as a more budget model, while the iPhone 6 is released as a brand-new phone.

Theres plenty to suggest that Apple needs something new, as the iPhone 5 wasnt met with the same rapturous applause of the previous releases, both because of the hardware and the problems with Apple Maps. With the competition getting a lot tougher, such as with the excellent Samsung Galaxy S3 and the soon-to-be-released Samsung Galaxy S4, it could mean that Apple needs to up its game with a brand new phone.