Apple Looking to Simplify iPhone 5 with Aluminum Body, Internal Antenna?

  • Share
  • Read Later

The above image is not the iPhone 5! It is, however, a mock-up from a Japanese website that cites a Taiwanese source that says Apple’s next iPhone will apparently feature an aluminum casing and an antenna that’s been moved back inside the shell.

It’s a lot of dots to connect—don’t put too much stock into this information, in other words. Apple’s expected to announce the iPhone 5 in early June at its Worldwide Developers Conference, so we’ve got roughly three months of rumors barreling down on us between now and then.

The idea of Apple moving the antenna back inside the phone (as opposed to the external antenna design found on the iPhone 4) isn’t too much of a stretch seeing as though the iPhone 4’s external antenna has been the subject of plenty of controversy. The company likely wants to avoid colorful descriptors like “Antennagate” and “Death Grip” from now on.

And rumors of the glass-backed iPhone 4 suffering from scratches and cracking may lend credence to the idea of an aluminum-clad iPhone 5, too.

Both design changes would be throwbacks to previous iPhone models—the first iPhone had an aluminum back and all models previous to the iPhone 4 sported internal antennas.

As with anything that says “iPhone 5” anywhere on the entire internet until Apple actually announces the thing, take this news with a grain of salt.

[via MacRumors]

More on TIME.com:

Apple in a ‘Quiet Panic’ Over iPhone 4 Cases Cracking Glass?

Consumer Reports Cites Verizon iPhone Reception Woes, Won’t Recommend

The Next iPhone: 4-inch Screen? Keyboard? Time Travel?