iPhone 5 Release Date: Next Generation iPhone Last Designed Under Steve Jobs
Apple founder and former CEO Steve Jobs passed away on Oct. 5, just one day after the unveiling of the iPhone 4S, the first iPhone released without Jobs as head of the company.
Analysts have deduced that the next generation of iPhone will be the last Apple smartphone to be released that has a major influence from Jobs.
The successor to the iPhone 4S, "was the last project that Steve Jobs was intimately involved with from concept to final design,” Rodman & Renshaw analyst, Ashok Kumar wrote in a research note last week.
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“For that reason...this product will establish the high water mark for iPhone volumes.”
Other sources have detailed that Jobs had a significant role in the development of the next iPhone, for which enthusiasts can expect a “complete redesign.”
Having limited time due to his illness, pancreatic cancer, Jobs dedicated most of his time to the next project instead of the iPhone 4S, they note, which could account for why the 4S has retained the chassis for the iPhone 4 and only saw software updates.
CNET speculates that if the next iPhone will be a whole new smartphone, both external and internal redesigns could be expected, perhaps, iOS 6 and Siri 2.
Currently, the virtual personal assistant, Siri is exclusive to the iPhone 4S.
There is debate over whether the next iPhone will be called iPhone 5 or iPhone 6. Many suggest it should be called iPhone 6 in order to match up with its sixth-generation place in the iPhone line.
However, since the release of the iPhone 4S, much of what is known about the next iPhone remains in the realm of rumors.
Some speculate that the next iPhone will have 4G LTE capability a wider screen and a curved, tear drop design, which has been previously rumored.
Analysts have also projected that the next iPhone will debut anywhere between summer 2012 and summer 2013.
Kumar expects the next iPhone to be a "cult classic" because of Jobs' influence.
