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iPhone 5 to look more like iPad 2?

The latest rumor out of China has the iPhone 5 getting an aluminum backing and a redesigned antenna.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
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David Carnoy
2 min read
A mock-up of what a more iPad-like iPhone 5 would look like.

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:

Decision to design similar to iPod Touch instead of using glass is supposed that Apple seems to stop problems which are told widely damages from scratching, difficulties of painting white and weight of glass and want to make it more durable instead. Antenna will be designed just behind Apple logo so that cellular and Wi-Fi signal can penetrate easily.

We have no idea how much credence to put into the rumor (no specific source was given), but the big debate right now is whether the iPhone 5 will be more of an upgrade like the 3GS was or a fully redesigned product. Depending on the week, the winds seem to blow one way or another, but recent chatter seems to point to a more extensive redesign.

Some, of course, might think it's a good idea to unite the iPad and iPhone designs, while others may have different views--or not care at all.

(Source: GadgetsDNA via MacRumors.com)

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