Apple Planning Completely Redesigned iPhone for Fall 2012 Launch [Rumour]

Jonathan S. Geller of BGR is reporting that Apple plans to launch a redesigned iPhone in the fall of 2012. The release is said to be around the same time that the iPhone 4S launched this year. The report goes on to detail that the next iPhone will utilize an aluminum back panel and use a rubber or plastic bezel to protect the device’s antennas from direct skin contact.

We have also learned that Apple is planning to use a rubber or plastic material — similar to the material used in the company’s bumper cases — that will be built into the new iPhone case. In all likelihood, this material will be used as a bezel surrounding the front edge of the phone (like the iPhone 3GS bezel) and it will serve two purposes. First, it will join the glass iPhone face with a new aluminum back plate. It will also cover a redesigned antenna system that surrounds the device, allowing Apple to build the rear case out of aluminum without having to use a large plastic insert above the antennas as the company does on its iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G.

Commenting on the report, 9to5Mac writes that “[t]he last we’d heard from our contacts at Foxconn was that the iPhone 5 would be delivered in the summer of 2012 along with a slightly bigger screen with the same resolution, faster processor and redesigned form factor.”

BGR has a mixed track record when it comes to hardware rumours.

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