Edible Apple

Building on the growing number of rumors pointing to a larger screen on the iPhone 5, 9to5Mac cites a reliable source at Foxconn who divulged that the iPhone 5 will soon begin the normal stages of mass production. More tantalizing, though, is that the iPhone 5, while looking similar to the iPhone 4, will come with a larger screen.

This of course echoes a number of reports from varying sources that have intimated the same thing. A little over a month ago came word that Apple was working on an iPhone model with a 4+ inch screen to compete more ably against a growing number of Android devices with screens that dwarf the current iPhones. And sure, one can get into the whole Android vs. iPhone debate but the fact remains that for many consumers, big simply means better. And besides, now that the iPhone is firmly entrenched as the leading smartphone on the market, it may be high time for Apple to fiddle with the form factor and offer varying models much in the same way it grew the iPod line with the iPod Mini and Nano.

And just a few weeks ago an image leaked purporting to show the iPhone 5’s larger screen. While the overall front panel appears to be the same size, the touchscreen portion of the display is stretched further in both directions. If the image below is indeed from the iPhone 5, Apple will be able to increase the device’s screen size while maintaining the current form factor of the iPhone 4.

Following that, and adding more fuel to the fire, purported engineering designs of the iPhone 5 surfaced recently and these too showcased an iPhone with an edge to edge display. Apple rumors by their very nature are a little bit sketchy, but when so many outlets are hearing rumblings of a larger display and photos indicating as much begin to appear, these reports become harder to ignore.

As for other iPhone 5 rumors, it’s been reported that the next-gen iPhone will feature the same A5 chip as the iPad 2 along with a dual GSM/CDMA chipset from Qualcomm. 9to5Mac’s Foxconn source also relays that Apple is abandoning the glass back used on the iPhone 4 and will instead opt for a metal back

Finally, what would an iPhone with a larger screen display actually look like? Well here’s a mockup courtesy of Polish photographer Piotr Spalek.

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