iPhone 4S to be Announced Next Week at WWDC

While there have been many whispers about a possible iPhone 5 launch sometime this summer or autumn, there has yet to be any confirmation from Apple about what’s in the pipeline – until now.

Rumors are circulating that Apple has reached out to journalists in an attempt to persuade them to attend the technology and consumer electronics giant’s Worldwide Developer Conference, set to begin on June 6th in San Francisco. While some suspect this is simply to cover the conference and related iOS or other announcements, hints are starting to pop up that Apple may be set to show off an updated model of the iPhone 4 – dubbed the iPhone 4S – as opposed to the iPhone 5, which analysts believe will be delayed until the fall or into 2012.

Sources have indicated that Apple’s UK media relations team dedicated to the iPhone has been approaching journalists from a variety of major publications, news outlets and blogs to convince them to fly in for the WWDC. It’s unlikely that Apple would press those from as far as the UK to come all the way to San Francisco for minor reasons, leading many to speculate there will be some new hardware shown off during one of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ iconic keynotes.

According to many different rumors, the iPhone 5 is said to be sporting a new, thinner profile and an all-aluminum backing, which would be a departure from the all-glass iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S, on the other hand, is largely expected to have minor cosmetic changes, such as a separation of the rear camera lens and flash, the faster “A5” processor that launched in the iPad 2, and possibly more memory and additional “world phone” support.

Earlier this month, news broke that Apple had drastically slowed production of the iPhone 4, leading to suspicions that there was refreshed hardware on the way. However, with no physical leaks as of yet, no news sites or blogs have been able to determine what the new iPhone hardware might entail.

It’s currently unknown whether or not Steve Jobs himself will be on hand to give the keynote speech and announce any new hardware and software changes that might be arriving to the iPhone lineup. Regardless, many expect that iOS 5, the next major update to the iPhone and iPad’s operating system, will be announced, along with many new innovations and changes. Of course, until June 6^th it will all remain rumor and speculation.