The camera will remain at 8 megapixels but Apple will increase the aperture size from f/2.4, on the iPhone 4S, to f/22, according to Kuo. We even learn that CCM refers to "compact camera module," a unit that contains the parts making up the digital camera assembly.

According to Slivka, Kuo argues that Apple's move to a 16:9 aspect ratio in a 4-inch diagonal display for iPhone 5 (vs 4:3 in the current iPhone's VGA-quality front camera) is what's causing the HD upgrade to the front camera: so that Apple can fully exploit the added pixels.

Flip-chip? Slivka's got that covered, too: It's a packing approach for silicon components, in this case comprising the new camera assembly, "that will result in a thinner assembly and simplify lens production by moving the blue glass filter to the camera module itself."

Sprint subsidiary Virgin Mobile USA that it will offer starting June 29 the iPhone 4 and 4S to prepaid customers, who buy minutes in blocks based on what they think they'll use in the next month.