In Depth: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know

iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 5G, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already. Will there be a rush release to erase memories of the iPhone 4's antenna problems?Will the 5th generation iPhone deliver ultra-fast mobile internet? Will it ever end up on Verizon in the US?Let's discover what the rumour mill has to say, and which iPhone 5 rumours are the most convincing.The iPhone 5 release date will be in the summer?Apple's established a rhythm with iPhone releases, with new models appearing in late June or early July each year. It's a safe bet that the iPhone 5 release date will also be late June or early July.?or maybe the iPhone 5 release date will be earlieriLounge says its source reckons Apple will push the iPhone 5 released date forwards - possibly to January 2011 - because of the iPhone 4 antenna problems, although iLounge itself says the claim is "hard to believe". It's unclear whether such a rush release would be an iPhone 4 with a different antenna or something more substantial.The iPhone 5 specs may include a digital walletThere's been some speculation that Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card.However, as Techeye.net notes, "Apple has looked into NFC before" so this might not be imminent. PAY PHONE: Apple patents show how a near field communication-equipped iPhone 5 could act as a kind of credit cardThe iPhone 5 might be on VerizonThe Verizon iPhone rumour has been around forever, and one day it'll come true. Will that day be the iPhone 5 release date? Apple may be using Qualcomm chipsets in the iPhone 5, and Qualcomm created the CDMA network that's used by Verizon and Sprint in the US.That doesn't mean a Verizon phone is imminent, but as Slashgear says, dual-mode chipsets make a Verizon-friendly iPhone 5 a bit more likely.The iPhone 5 specs will be similar to the iPhone 4According to the Chinese Economic Daily News (via AppleInsider), with the exception of Qualcomm chipsets - which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 - Apple's sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5 components.The iPhone 5 specs will be evolutionary, not revolutionaryWe'd expect the basics of the iPhone 5 specs to get a bump - more memory, faster processor, more storage - but DVICE quotes a single insider who claims to have handled Verizon prototypes. The specs? A new antenna, 1.2GHz processor and a larger screen: 3.7" instead of 3.5". The iPhone 5 may also be made from a new kind of alloy, or maybe meat. BETTER SIGNAL: After "antennagate" we're sure Apple's tinkering with the iPhone antenna for the iPhone 5The iPhone 5 specs may include LTE supportAt least one analyst thinks the iPhone 5 will support LTE, super-fast mobile broadband, in the US. That would make the iPhone 5 a 4G phone, which won't be confusing at all. LTE is certainly coming - AT&T plans to roll out its LTE service in 2011 - but an LTE iPhone has been rumoured for a while. USA Today floated the idea of an LTE iPhone on Verizon last year. FASTER PHONE: HTC's Evo takes advantage of 4G mobile broadband in the US. Could the fifth iPhone do the same?The iPhone 5 price won't changeIf the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3 to the iPhone 3GS - and we think it will be - then we'd expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK it might increase slightly due to January's VAT rise. Related StoriesMicrosoft and Adobe have secret meetingApple's new iPhone won't be the iPhone 5Full version of Angry Birds for Android delayedBlackBerry Storm 3 shelved by RIMAmazon planning own Android App MarketCoin Collecting