iPhone 5 to pick up metal back, new antenna?

Now that Apple has announced the iPad 2, you can count on months of rumors leading up to a probable summer release of a fifth-generation iPhone. The most recent tidbits suggest that the next version of the device will replace the glass back with an aluminum that is similar to the original iPhone.

Macotakara translated a story that first appeared in Taiwan's Economic Daily News which said complaints of scratching and difficulty painting the glass back prompted Apple to make this change. Additionally, the report said that the weight of the glass added to Apple's rethinking of the back design.

Apple will also abandon the external steel frame that works as the iPhone 4's antenna, according to the report. The external antenna led to a wealth of bad press for Apple when it was revealed that holding the phone in way that covers the anetnna, dubbed the "death grip," could interfere with wireless signals.

Instead, the Apple logo on the back of the iPhone 5 will reportedly be made using a special resin "designed to penetrate cellular and Wi-Fi waves," which will also function as part of the phone's antenna.

The Economic Daily News said there is "no doubt" that the iPhone 5 will employ the same A5 processor as is used newly unveiled iPad 2.

There have been rumors that Apple will unveil different sized iPhones. A recent leaked image from a Chinese iPhone parts supplier show a slightly bigger, 4-inch screen. The iPhone 4 has a 3.5-inch display. There have also been reports that Apple would produce a smaller iPhone, but The New York Times refuted that claim, and said that the main focus is lowering the price on the phone.

This article, written by Leslie Horn, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc..