Apple's iPhone 5S to Adopt iPad Design, May Raise Pixels to 1.5 Million

When Apple's next iPhone is released later this year, the product is expected to adopt a key design feature of the iPad Mini. According to tech blog Unwired View, the iPhone 5S (or whatever it may be called) will mimic the company's previous designs by employing the narrower bezel that is featured in the iPad Mini. Previous rumors have indicated that a similar design adjustment will be made to the fifth-generation iPad when it is released sometime in the fall. Apple is also expected to more than double the pixel count of the iPhone's display without adjusting the size. The iPhone 5's four-inch screen features somewhere around 730,000 pixels. The next handset could contain approximately 1.5 million pixels. Apple's policies prohibit company execs from talking about rumors, so neither claim will be confirmed (or shot down) until the next iPhone is officially unveiled. It is not yet known when the iPhone 5S will be unveiled, but many analysts believe that the device will debut in September. If the launch occurs in the first week of the month, the iPhone 5S should be unveiled at the end of August. If the launch is more toward the middle or end of September, then the product will likely be unveiled around September 12 -- the same time as the last model. Thus far, no new Apple products have been unveiled in 2013, but the company did release a 128GB version of the fourth-generation iPad. Apple also launched its digital bookstore in Japan and announced that it had sold 50 billion apps on the App Store. Going into 2013, Apple was expected to update Apple TV and various Mac units by the end of the second quarter. Now many are expecting the firm to make a few big announcements in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. In addition to iOS 7 (the obvious announcement) and a few tweaks to OS X, rumors suggest that Apple will also unveil its long-awaited music service. Sony SNE, one of three key companies that Apple needs to partner with in order to launch a music service, could prevent that from happening. At the very least, Sony may delay the launch of iRadio (the rumored title for Apple's new music venture). Apple may also use WWDC to introduce the next MacBook Air and MacBook Pro upgrades. Neither item is expected to receive a massive overhaul, primarily because the Pro models were already upgraded with Retina Displays, solid state drives and other high-end features last year. The MacBook Air already uses solid state memory, but it is unlikely to receive a Retina Display due to the added expense. Before releasing the iPad Mini 2, rumors claim that Apple will release a cheaper model or lower the price of the current model to as low as $200. This would be vastly different from Apple's previous strategy, which has been to lower the price of its iDevices only after the latest models are in stores. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ