Apple may be moving away from the glass back design of the iPhone 4 in favor of aluminum, much like the original iPhone. If true, the design change would bring the iPhone 5 look in line with the iPad and iPod touch.
News of the alleged design change comes from Economic Daily News via Macotakara’s translation into English.
iPhone 5: New design and new antennas
According the the report’s sources, Apple chose aluminum for the iPhone 5 back because it weighs less than the glass back on the iPhone 4, is less prone to scratches, and doesn’t need to be painted. Painting is apparently a big issue for Apple since it still hasn’t been able to ship a white version of the iPhone 4.
Along with a new case, Apple is said to be changing up the antenna design for the next generation iPhone, too. The antennas in the iPhone 5 will apparently fit behind a radio-transparent Apple logo on the phone’s back, fitting with earlier reports that the company filed a patent for such a design.
The report also claims the iPhone 5 will get the same dual-core A5 processor Apple introduced with the second generation iPad.
Apple hasn’t confirmed any details for the next generation iPhone, so for now reports of design and feature changes should be treated as unconfirmed rumors.