Battery life Apple has consistently been aiming for about 7 hours of talk time on the iPhone (and 10 hours on the iPad). Whatever new features are included we believe Apple will ensure that it still has the same amount of battery performance, which seems to be one of the key driving factors in whether people are happy with their phones in day-to-day use.

Shock, drop, and water-proof At CES 2012 two companies, and , made a splash with technology capable of making gadgets completely waterproof. Not in the sense of an old waterproof camera, with it's sealed case, but a regular gadget like an iPhone or iPad, with all the ports open and buttons unsealed. The new technology coats all the inside and outside of your device with a clear "nano" coating that repels water. Apple executives were allegedly impressed with the system and a rumour suggests that retail outlets in the UK are gearing up to change their insurance documents with regard to water damage. Apple has a patent regarding waterproofing the iPhone, so it's clearly thought about it. Apple also has a patent on a system that prevents glass from cracking. The patent explains a inflatable mount between the screen and case that expands if the phone detects that it's being dropped, as well as 'exotic materials' that prevent the glass from shattering (read more at ). Add this to the tougher Liquidmetal case and it could be that the iPhone has a strong case, screen and is waterproof. It could be that the iPhone 5's unique point is its strength and resiliance.

An Apple patent for inhibiting moisture intrusion (or waterproofing devices).

Screen size Oh will the iPhone have a larger screen? Despite the complete lack of any indication, or inclination, patent or - as far as we can see - any reason for Apple to include a larger screen, much of the chatter on the internet seems to suggest that Apple must be working on an iPhone with a 4in screen. Some of this seems to be firming up into fact, however, and that Apple has ordered 4in screens for the next iPhone: bigger is always better, right? We're not 100 per cent convinced but Apple is also apparantly capable of pushing a 4inch display into the same size of the iPhone 4 (the screen would run edge-to-edge across the width of the phone). So it could combine a bigger screen with the same size device.

3D camera and display Apple has been patenting 3D displays, interfaces, and 3D camera systems for a few years now. So it's obviously something the company is interested in. Mind you, so seems to be the entire film and television industry, but not so much - it seems - the general public. While 3D movies are doing reasonably well, the same can't be said of 3D television and every 3D phone and gadget we've used has sported a seriously blurry display. We don't think 3D is the priority it once was, and won't add enough to the iPhone interface to make it worthwhile. Apple did recently file a patent (www.patentlyapple.com) for a 3D interface with eye-tracking technology though, so maybe one day. [image iPhone 3D interface]