iPhone 5: the most-wanted features

iPhone 5

Built-in IR

We like the idea of using the iPhone as a universal remote, but we're not so keen on attaching an IR dongle to the phone every time we want to use it as a remote.

Chances of implementation: 2 percent

HD output

Right now, you can't output 720p or 1080i HD video from an iPhone (any iPhone). We hope Apple allows for HD output in the future, particularly when you consider that Sprint's Android-powered Evo has full HD output via HDMI.

Chances of implementation: 50 percent

More memory

A lot of people were disappointed that the iPhone 4 didn't come in a 64GB version (only 16GB and 32GB). Maybe next year we'll get 64GB.

Chances of implementation: 50 percent

Enhanced voice control

We expect that in the the next generation of the iOS, Apple will continue to flesh out the voice controls for the iPhone, but there's always room for more enhancements. It would be cool to be able to compose e-mails or text message by just using your voice, no?

Chances of implementation: 75 percent

Video chat (FaceTime) over 4G network

Currently, on the iPhone 4, FaceTime only works over Wi-Fi and only with other iPhone 4s. We'd like to see an option to use it over a cellular data network, and hope it's supported when AT&T's faster 4G network ramps up in 2011. We'd also like to see the ability to make video calls with PCs.

Chances of implementation: 75 percent

Better cloud-computing support

Setting up an Android phone is dead simple: input your Gmail username and password, and the phone will immediately start pulling your Google-based contacts, calendar, and other info. The iPhone, by contrast, is still a slave to iTunes for activation and media syncing. Whether it's a free version of Mobile Me, or an online version of iTunes powered by Apple's Lala acquisition, cloud-based iPhone syncing can't come soon enough.

Yes, there are some nice apps out there, like Dropbox, that offer "cloud" functionality, but they're not as robust as they could be.

Chances of implementation: 40 percent

Better camera

We certainly appreciate that Apple improved the camera in the iPhone 4 (5 megapixels; LED flash), but we've seen rumors that Sony is developing an even better 8-megapixel camera for the fifth-gen iPhone.

Chances of implementation: 90 percent

Dual-core processor

With Apple's acquisition of PA Semiconductor, it's started designing and churning out its own CPUs. The iPhone 4 has an A4 that runs at 1GHz. However, now that LG, Motorola, and others have unveiled dual-core Android phones, the processor ante has been raised.

Rumor has it that Apple will move to a dual-core processor featuring a pair of 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 cores in both the next-generation iPhone and iPad 2. But that's just speculation.

Chances of implementation: 70 percent

Improved 3D graphics

The A4 CPU has a Imagination PowerVR graphics chip integrated into it. Like the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 uses a PowerVR SGX535 chip. But the iPhone 5 will hopefully get the PowerVR SGX545, which was announced last year.

Chances of implementation: 90 percent

Better battery life

Every time Apple puts out a new iPhone, the battery life gets better, so we expect no less from the fifth-generation iPhone. Apple says the iPhone 4 has 40 percent more talk time than the iPhone 3GS. So, if the past is any indicator, we might see similar gains in next year's model.

Chances of implementation: 90 percent

iOS 5

2. What new features will iOS 5 bring? Who knows, but we look forward to its arrival in June.

Chances of implementation: 99 percent

4G network compatible

The one big thing missing from the iPhone 4 is the lack of next-gen 4G data network support, which is probably why Apple called it the 4 instead of the 4G.

AT&T will reportedly have a 4G network up and running in 2011, whereas Sprint has already rolled out its next-gen network. Verizon has also just deployed its 4G network, but the Verizon iPhone 4 will not support 4G data.

Chances of implementation: 90 percent