So, what could the iPhone 5 possibly have to offer?

[BernDog]

The more I think about it, I disagree on the larger screen. We all know Apple tried many, many different concepts in their quest for the perfect phone. I strongly feel that the 3.5 screen was deemed to be the absolute best compromise between software and hardware useability (software would dictate that the screen should be as large as possible, but hardware would dictate the screen should be as small as possible).

Do you really think that once other manufacturers started coming out with larger displays (primarily do differentiate themselves from the iPhone in the first place), the team at Apple said, "Hey, that's a pretty good idea. We should do that too."?

I think that Apple feels that 3.5" is the perfect size, or they wouldn't have chosen it in the first place. One could certainly make the argument that there's something to be said for providing the consumer with options (iMacs come in two sizes, for example), but I don't think adding a half inch appreciably does that, and it adds more confusion and fragmentation to the product lineup. Doesn't seem very Apple to me (unless you're talking about Apple from the mid-nineties).

In the future, I see hardware and software upgrades, but really, other than that, what more can you do when you've already essentially only got a display in your hands, and not much more. Thinner, lighter, more powerful, easier to use, better battery, etc..., but still just a display.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

All my ideas have already been mentioned.

The cell companies seem to be having a race to see who comes in last at providing a big speed improvement with no data cap at a reasonable price. Apple has to play along unless they want to start another cell company on their own, which would scare the others so much there is no way it would ever happen.

[Lew Zealand]

The 4s got a lot of upgrades but the pundits feel they deserve more for it to be a satisfactory iPhone:

4" screen
4G
noticeably different shape/form factor

that is all.

[NewtonMP2100]

.....all that.....AND......a bag of chips.......???

[Chakravartin]

> So, what could the iPhone 5 possibly have to offer?

Probably a faster CPU, faster GPU, larger screen, more RAM, more flash-memory and maybe LTE support.

[tenders]

Mind control, food replicator, transporter, phaser, beer goggles mode

Warp drive will be the 5S

Photon torpedoes will have to wait for the 6 due to ongoing royalty negotiations with Starfleet

Simultaneous surf and talk on Verizon will be the 7

[sekker]

Inductive (cordless) charging.

BT connectivity to a wristwatch iPod nano for notifications.

[Kate]

Re the larger screen.

I'm on a 3s, and often find the screen hard to read with my aging eyes. Or maybe I'm just used to the larger screen on the iPad.

That said, when I look at Terry's iPhone4, the screen is much easier to read.

Maybe when I get my 4s with the retina display, I'll once again be happy with the size of the iPhone.

And boy do I hope the next iPad has the retina display.

Kate

[Mac1337]

Jerry® wrote:
it seems to me at least there's no room for improvement.

That's the difference between you and I and Steve Jobs. We probably would have said the same thing about flip phones before iPhone came out.

[PeterB]

How about:

1) No (or fewer) dropped calls? That's a real problem for me with iP4.

2) FaceTime over the network, rather than just wireless.

3) Synching/transfer of data via wireless or BT, rather than USB.

4) Universal charging, not just by the proprietary cables -- how many times have you seen the "charging is not supported by this cable" message?

These are all basic issues of functionality, NOT "bells and whistles"... just in the same way that the Finder needs a major overhaul in OS X (and no, I haven't made the jump to Lion yet-- but from what I've heard, Lion doesn't fix many of the Finder problems, and introduces new ones), the iPhone has certain basic usability issues that need to be fixed.