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iPhone 5: 15 most-wanted features

Editors' note: This post was originally published June 9, 2010, and has been updated frequently.

First, an apology to those who've read this article before in its various iterations, you probably have a bad case of deja vu.

Truth be told, I originally published this column shortly after the iPhone 4 came out back in June 2010, which is why you see a lot of dated comments -- but they are fun to read.

Hopefully, this will be the last update, but you never know, considering how long this whole waiting-for-iPhone-5 saga has gone on.

As those of you who've read earlier versions of this column are aware, with the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple did include some features I was hoping would be in the iPhone 5, so the list is now shorter; it's been culled from 20 down to 15 features.

In this update, I haven't thrown in any new items, but I did shift their order a little (I moved "better battery life" up a notch) and added some new information.

As a reminder, the 15 items in the list are ordered from least important to most in a reverse countdown. I've also included what I think are the odds of Apple actually implementing each request.

As always, feel free to agree or disagree with me and make your own suggestions (and to post your own ordered wish list).

Are these iPhone 5 engineering drawings?

The site iDealsChina is at it again, posting what it claims are CAD renderings of the next-generation iPhone, which many presume will be called the iPhone 5.

The site says the "mold engineering" drawings were created to help guide accessory manufacturers in the production of their protective cases. Some similar drawings leaked in advance of the iPad 2 launch and an iPad 2 mockup that was spotted at CES in January ended up looking very similar to the actual iPad 2, which went on sale today.

If the purported renderings are to be believed, the next iPhone will look very more

iPhone 5 to look more like iPad 2?

With the iPad 2 launch in the rear-view mirror, we're back to the iPhone 5 rumors, and this week starts with one out of China by way of Taiwan's Economic Daily News and the Japanese blog Makotakara.

The gist of the talk is that Apple will be abandoning the glass back for an aluminum one, as well as ditching the external antenna, which has been a source of problems for Apple and forced the company to issue free "bumper" guards to prevent signal loss when the iPhone 4 was gripped very tightly.

The loose translation goes like this: more

More rumors of larger iPhone 5 screen

Here we go again with the rumors that the iPhone 5--or whatever Apple chooses to call its fifth-generation iPhone--will have a larger screen. This one comes out of China, where iDealsChina has posted what it claims is a photo of the front bezel or digitizer panel for the iPhone 5.

Here's the long caption that was posted along with the image, which was first noticed by 9to5Mac:

China's 1st iPhone 5 photo has surfaced! From this photo it seems that the screen size will be larger than iPhone 4. There has been a lot of speculation about a

Update, February 26: to reflect the announcement of the iPad 2 on March 2.

Weight. It's something our society tends to dwell on when it comes to physical appearance, but it's also a big factor in today's mobile products.

Like a lot of people, the first time I saw the iPad my eye was drawn to its vibrant screen and those sleek lines that are the signature of Apple products. Yet the one overwhelming thought I had when picking it up for the first time was, "Damn, this is kind of heavy."

No, at around 1.5 pounds, it's not that heavy. And it's obviously lighter than every laptop on the market, including Apple's own MacBook Air, which comes in at 2.3 pounds for the 11.6-inch model (the new $299 HP Mini 1103 Netbook weighs 2.8 pounds). But the iPad ostensibly is a handheld device, and for a lot of folks, holding up a 1.5-pound weight for extended periods is a challenge. more

Rumored iPad 3 really iPad Mini?

Funny how rumors get started.

The blogosphere was buzzing yesterday with rumors that an iPad 3 might be on the way in September. That's right, the iPad 2 hasn't officially been announced (though it is reported to be in production), and already people are talking about an iPad 3.

It all started with a blog post by John Gruber, who writes the popular Daring Fireball blog. In discussing Hewlett-Packard's launch of its iPad competitor, a WebOS tablet called the TouchPad that's scheduled to arrive this summer, Gruber wrote: "Summer feels like a long time away. If more

iPad 2 screen revealed?

Everybody's curious to know what the new display on the next iPad will be, and 9to5Mac claims to know what it is.

We don't know how the screen ended up in the hands of 9to5Mac, but the site says, "We have been able to acquire what we believe is an iPad 2 LCD, fresh out of China. At this point, we cannot tell if the resolution is higher (or "Retina") but it is definitely higher quality in terms of its build. The iPad 2's display is also lighter, and over a mm thinner than the current iPad'more

Rumor: No home button for iPad 2 and next iPhone?

Rumor has it that Steve Jobs didn't want any physical buttons on the original iPad. And, as we know, Steve Jobs tends to get what he wants--eventually anyway.

Which brings us to the latest Apple rumor. This one's courtesy of the Boy Genius Report, which got tipped off that the iPad 2, widely expected to be released in April, will lose its home button in favor of multitouch gestures that are already being incorporated into Apple's upcoming iOS 4.3 update.

The anonymous source told BGR that, "Apple, at some point in time, will remove the home

Is there anything left to announce at PMA?

At noon Pacific time on Sunday, the Photo Marketing Association will kick off its PMA show with a traditional "sneak peek" for the press. But it's also a tradition for most of the companies to make their new-product announcements beforehand, leaving very little sneaky about the peeking.

That holds true again this year: we've already posted previews of models from Canon, Fujifilm, HP(!), Nikon (including a full review of the just-announced Coolpix P100), Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Ricoh, Samsung, and Sony. Companies big in the imaging market, Canon and Adobe, aren't even attending this year's show, though

Rumor: Free Kindles to Amazon Prime customers?

Some banks have given away iPods to new customers for opening checking accounts. So what's so far-fetched about Amazon trying to entice its customers into subscribing to its $79-per-year Amazon Prime service with a free Kindle?

Nothing, according to TechCrunch, which says a reliable source said, "Amazon wants to give a free Kindle to every Amazon Prime subscriber." However, the only problem is that Amazon has to figure out how to do it without losing money.

In case you don't know, Amazon's Prime service allows you to get free two-day shipping on any product in Amazon's more