Rumor: iPhone 5 to Add New Feature Called AirDrop

There have been a lot of buzz and rumors lately surrounding the possible new features and specs of the upcoming iPhone 5. And the latest rumor about the next version of the iPhone? The next-gen iPhone will add a new feature called AirDrop.

According to a report, the AirDrop feature currently being used in Mac OS X Lion will possibly come to the new iPhone 5.

Some of you may be wondering what AirDrop is and what can it do? Well, AirDrop lets you send files wirelessly to anyone around you without any required set-up or special settings. With AirDrop, your iOS device automatically discovers other people nearby who are also using this feature. You can simply share a file and drag it to someone else's name in your address book, and presto, once accepted, the file transfers directly to the person's downloads folder. You'll even see contact photos for those who are already in your address book.

Furthermore, AirDrop does not even require users to be on the same Wi-Fi network; you just have to be nearby and your iOS device must have a recent or modern Wi-Fi hardware. AirDrop is also perfect for those with more than one iOS device, people working on documents together in an office, and if you need to quickly turn assignments into a teacher in school, for example.

With Apple's easy to understand interface, an iOS AirDrop feature on the new iPhone 5 could make sharing between iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers really simple.

An AirDrop feature on the new iPhone 5 is truly a cool, nifty, and very helpful addition to the said device if the rumor proves to be true because it'll surely take the next version of the iPhone to the next level. So AirDrop on the next-gen iPhone? We can only hope so

iPhone 5 release date, news and rumours

Although widely expected, there was no iPhone 5 in 2011 after all, though the company did announce the iPhone 5

So we'll surely see a total revision of the iPhone during 2012. We've gathered together all the latest iPhone 5 rumours to give us a reasonable picture of what Apple's latest handset might be like.

iPhone 5 release date:

Given the pattern of Apple's iPhone launches, we're expecting the next-gen iPhone 5 release date to be mid to late 2012.

It could possibly be shown off at Apple's Worldwide Developer Event (WWDC 2012), which usually takes place in early June - even if the focus of the 2011 event was software. We are expecting iOS 6 and more on OS X Mountain Lion this time around so it could be that hardware is further down the list again.

We reported in February that the new iPhone would be launched in October, falling into line with the same release schedule from last year, and Macotakara 'sources' confirmed the Cupertino brand would be honouring the same upgrade cycle from now on.

According to analyst Shaw Wu, the Cupertino firm has reduced the number of iPhone orders by 20%-25% for the next quarter ahead of the release.

But rumours have persisted that the iPhone 5 release date is June 2012. It seems Foxconn was even gearing up for that date. Production was reported to be very close in late March 2012

iPhone 5 form factor:

Unlike the iPhone 4S, the new iPhone will be a completely new design from what has gone before, so that means an entirely new casing as we saw with the iPhone 3G and, later, the iPhone 4.

Interestingly, someone who claimed to have seen a larger iPhone 5 prototype said in November 2011 that Steve Jobs canned the new size and opted for the iPhone 4S.According to Business Insider, it was feared that a new size would create a two-tier iPhone ecosystem.

Beatweek also claimed in November 2011 that the 5-inch was scrapped "because Apple wouldn't be able to do it properly" this year. However, the Daily Mail (make of that what you will) then suggested that a four-inch version was likely and that Sony has already shipped top secret demo screens to Apple.

The Taipei Times reported at the end of May 2012 that Stone Wu, senior analyst at IHS Displaybank, reckons Sony began production of in-cell touch panels back in February, as it readied stock for the next generation of iPhone.

iPhone 5 specs:

Based on the roadmap of mobile chip design specialist ARM (of which Apple is a licensee), we'll see a quad-core processor debut in the new iPhone 5 - probably called the Apple A6. We've seen other quad core handsets debut in 2012, so it's not too much of a stretch to say that the iPhone 5 will be the sWe had expected some kind of help in terms of predicting the iPhone 5 CPU from the launch of the new iPad, but the announcement of a slightly tweaked A5X processor really didn't help things there.

In terms of other specs aside from the screen (more on that below), rumours are persisting that the iPhone 5 may have anew dock connector. Well, it had to happen sometime didn't it?

iPhone 5 will have 4G/LTE support:

.After the new iPad's launch brought 4G to an Apple device, it's widely expected that 4G will come to iPhone 5. And with many 4G handsets already announced in the US, it can't be long before the iPhone supports 4G technologies - even if we won't even have a UK spectrum auction until late this year or maybe early next.

Because of the 4G fuss over the new iPad in the UK, we'd expect this to be played down in any UK handset - or the UK might get a different version entirely of course.