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iPhone 5 - What will the shock be?

With Apple's expected iPhone 5 announcement around the corner, Grizzly Analytics wants to join the predictions game. Apple is brilliant at misdirection, with a flair for announcing features that noone expected.

Here are some predictions that we haven't seen floating around:

  1. Waterproof: Apple was rumored to be in talks with HzO, maker of thin-film nanotechnology for device waterproofing.  We saw several waterproofing technologies at MWC (HzO's is shown here), and HzO appears to be most oriented towards waterproofing entire product lines during manufacturing. That said, Apple could also work with P2i, Liquipel, Ross, or others.
  2. NFC: This is an obvious one - 'nuff said.
  3. Projector: This is a far-out prediction, but Apple wants to gamble on a potential revolution, as it used to, this is one way to. If they come out with an iPhone with a projector, within 4 months, we'll either see teenagers watching movies together on buses and under trees, giving Apple a huge market boost, or we'll see Apple losing market share to Samsung. This is the kind of gamble the company used to make. See here and here for more on what's coming in smartphone projectors, and see here for an example of Apple research in iOS projectors.
  4. Flexible phone materials:  We actually don't expect this one yet, but it would be cool.  See here for what it might look like.
  5. ADDED: Stylus input, for the kind of precise needs that the Samsung Note tries to address. Or for FedEx signatures.  See here for the evidence we have of Apple's interest in the area, despite the famous "who wants a stylus" line.

Of course, with Apple, we'll need to wait until the announcement to see what's coming.  Stay tuned......

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