While we know that the iPhone 5 can’t really be described as delayed since it’s still an unreleased, unconfirmed product, the latest rumour to emerge from China is still worth taking a look at.
Chinese-language tech site Sohu.com claims problems with putting the A5 chip into a smaller package are behind this year’s longer wait for a new iPhone.
Though the suggestions should be treated with a significant pinch of salt, they once again raise the prospect of an iPhone 4S delivering a minor upgrade on the current model in September with the iPhone 5 not arriving until 2012. Read on for full details on this somewhat surprising new theory…
The report argues that Apple is having difficulty keeping the A5 processor cool in the limited space provided by the iPhone chassis. While the chip is fine within the larger casing of the iPad 2, it is allegedly overheating when placed in the more cramped confines of a phone.
The Sohu story posits that Apple will hold off with a major redesign of the iPhone until 2012 when it will be able to use the smaller but more powerful A6 processor. It then goes on to detail the kind of specs for an iPhone 4S we’ve seen reported in previous rumours.
We have to say we’re more than a little dubious about the claims. There are numerous ways Apple could deal with an A5 chip overheating issue, if it exists, including redesigning the case of any iPhone 5 prototype or even underclocking the processor.
While it’s worth considering as a theory, it seems much more likely that time needed to get iOS 5 ready and a desire to move the yearly iPhone launch to September to take advantage of Christmas sales are Apple’s real motivation.
