Could This be The iPhone 5?

KOMPAS.com - The hugely-anticipated launch of the iPhone 5 is only two days away - and speculation is mounting over what the must-have gadget will look like.

Now designers have developed a mock-up, showing a slightly wider device to its predecessor and a four-inch screen covering the whole model. Experts at Giga Netzwerk have compiled leaked hints, hardware components and computer designs to show how they think it will appear.

The iPhone is still the smartphone industry's benchmark after four years and is expected to come out in the U.S. this Tuesday, before the holidays. The Giga Netzwerk mock-up shows a ‘teardrop’ design, aluminium back instead of glass and an oval rather than a circular ‘home’ button.

The mute switch is expected to move to the other side of the phone but the camera placement is likely to remain unchanged from the iPhone 4. A new operating system is expected to have excellent voice recognition software that will allow users to dictate emails or SMS messages.

The device could even be called the ‘iPhone 4S’ instead of the ‘iPhone 5’ when it is launched this week, reported the Huffington Post. The release will be Tim Cook’s first major product launch since taking over from an ill Steve Jobs as Apple’s CEO in August.

The iPhone 5 is already widely expected to have a bigger touchscreen and faster processor than the current iPhone 4. But competition is fierce, as more than 550,000 Google Android-based devices - including tablets-- are activated each day globally.

An insider source said in August that the new model will have a bigger screen, better antenna and an impressive eight-megapixel camera. Apple's iPhone has been a huge success since it debuted in 2007, transforming the firm into one of the world's leading mobile device makers.

It accounts for around 40 per cent of Apple's revenue, with margins estimated at 60 per cent. Meanwhile, the mysterious closure of a number Apple stores in the U.S. has prompted speculation they will re-open as the iPhone 5 launches.