(Image source: 9to5Mac )

 

BY EVAN THOMAS

 

You’ll need precisely one grain of salt for this rumor, and no more —  9to5Mac says it’s obtained some curiously specific new info on the next-gen iPhones.

 

iPhone prototypes are reportedly floating around Apple’s HQ, wearing bulky armor to disguise their actual designs. They’re said to have new displays — 3.999 inches diagonally, compared to the current iPhone’s 3.5-inch display.

 

The end result will be basically 16:9, says VentureBeat. That’s close enough for media at native resolution.

 

“By elongating the screen, the next iPhone could have a resolution much closer to the 16×9 movie format, which means it’ll be even easier to watch widescreen films.”

 

But ZDNet worries about real estate for the sake of real estate.

 

“A bigger phone is not necessarily better — sorry, Android fans — and pocketability remains important. On the other hand, a slight increase could relieve a few nagging issues… with the smaller format without turning the thing into an iPad-like device…”

 

Any screen expansion would be mostly vertical. The Next Web suggests app designers wouldn’t need to immediately rework their interfaces.

 

“This means that a large portion of the apps in the App Store will work on day one, but that many others, especially those that use custom graphics, will have to be pillar-boxed or letter-boxed depending on orientation.”

 

But overhaul will have to happen eventually. The Examiner points out Apple tends to do what it wants — and developers will have to fall into line if they want to stay on board.

 

“When Apple changes things, it's because: 1. It's good for Apple, 2. It's good for users, 3. It's good for Apple's bottom line. In other words, if this change is going to happen, Apple doesn't really care that much how it affects developers - or at least, third party developers.”

 

Chances are the world won’t see the next iPhone until late in the year. But Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is coming up in June, where it’s said we’ll hear more about iOS 6.