Rumor: iPhone 5 could adopt iPod Touch style design

By Trevor Mogg April 22, 2011

What’s that noise? Listen carefully. Can you hear it? Do you know what it is yet? Go on, take a guess. That’s right, it’s the sound of the iPhone 5 rumor mill gently creaking back into action.

Former Engadget editor Joshua Topolsky, now part of This is my next, has come out with some interesting revelations, although it should be noted that they’re attributable only to “a variety of sources,” which is a little vague, to say the least. But you never know, they may be bang on the money. Or they could simply be throwing out random iPhone 5 rumors trying to churn up traffic to their new site – Apple related news tends to have that affect.

While many rumors of late have been suggesting a faster processor (the A5) and better camera (8 megapixel) for Apple‘s next iPhone, structural changes were not thought to be likely. This is my next, however, is saying quite the opposite.

The iPhone 5, thought to be preparing for a September release, is said by the unnamed sources to look “more like the iPod touch than the iPhone 4.” That means a thinner design than the current iPhone, and possibly even a teardrop shape akin to that of the MacBook Air.

As you can see from the mock-up image above (based on sketches provided by the sources to This is my next), the screen covers almost the entire front of the phone, expanding the display significantly to 3.7 inches. Another difference you might have noticed is the larger home button, which could mean it’ll be responsive to gestures.

Topolsky also mentions that “while the art we’ve seen shows some form of inductive or touch charging, our sources can’t confirm whether or not Apple’s working on its own version of cable-free juicing.”

With the physical design of the iPhone starting to look a little dated, it’s well within the realms of possibility that Jony Ives and his band of merry men and women have been delving deep into their large bag of technological tricks and pulling out some new features such as an edge-to-edge screen and gesture-responsive home button.

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