Will the iPhone 5 resemble its predecessor, the iPhone 4

In a big change from the previous three events, Apple's 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference didn't reveal new iPhone hardware. Sure, attendees got details of iOS 5 at the June 6 keynote address, but true iPhone fans also left the session without any hint of what a new handset might offer or when it would arrive.

With Apple devices in particular, the rumor mill tends to kick into high gear in the absence of any official announcement. And that's certainly been the case with the iPhone 5. The first gossip started to trickle in even as the iPhone 4 went on sale last year, but in the last few weeks that trickle has become a flood. Some of the rumors contradict each other--one camp suggests a minor update with an iPhone 4S, while another predicts a big update with an iPhone 5--but disagreement, after all, often is what the rumor mill is all about. And since conflicting information can be hard to track, we offer this handy timeline of iPhone 5 rumor so far in 2011. We'll add to it as we go along, and please let us know if we've left any juicy tidbits out.

June 22, 2011 Bloomberg reports that the new iPhone will have a faster A5 processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and support for iOS 5. The new handset will sport a design similar to the iPhone 4's and will be released in September to coincide with iOS 5's debut. On a related note, Bloomberg's sources also repeats a rumor that Apple is developing a cheaper iPhone for developing countries.

June 21 The Boy Genius Report predicts that Apple will announce the fully-revamped iPhone 5 in early August with a release date later in the month. If true, that timing would bend from tradition given that Apple usually holds an iPod-themed event in September.

Photos of a band new tapered or "tear drop" design also resurface that day.

May 23 Taiwian's DigiTimes suggests that the iPhone 5 will have a curved glass screen on par with the Samsung Nexus S's "Contour" design. DigiTimes also says that Apple has bought 200 or 300 glass-cutting machines to be used by glass makers.

May 19 While speaking at the Reuters Global Technology Summit, Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo says that Big Red will carry the next iPhone and that it will "operate in as many countries as AT&T's global iPhone." Shammo's comments also suggest that the device won't have LTE.

May 18 DigiTimes chimes in on the iPhone 4S side with a report that Apple will release an upgraded, but not redesigned handset in September.

May 13 Jefferies & Company analyst Peter Misek says the next iPhone will show only incremental changes and will lack support for 4G LTE networks. Besides a few cosmetic tweaks, he predicts better cameras, an A5 dual-core processor, and support for HSPA+ networks. Though he says the new device could land at all four major U.S. carriers beginning in September, Misek likens the upgrade to what we saw from the iPhone 3G to the 3GS.

April 19 Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the device will get an A5 processor and a much-improved 8-megapixel rear camera and that it will be released in Ocotber or November.

Reuters takes a different track with a report that Apple will begin productionof the phone in July for a September release.

April 13 DigitTimes writes that part suppliers in Taiwan still don't know Apple's needs for the handset. What's more, the outlet also says that production of iPhone 4 displays is still going strong.

April 11 AppleInsider quotes an Avian Securities note to investors, which suggests that production will start in September. According to the note, the latest information is "consistent with other findings the organization has heard in recent months." What's more, another rumor mentions that Apple is taking time finding enough part suppliers.

April 7 A new Apple patent application depicts a screen that's built into the area surrounding the traditional touch screen. This could free up space on the main display, and open up new directions for developers.

March 28 A Japanese blog reports that because Apple is behind schedule on securing parts the iPhone 5 launch could be pushed to Ocotber. The blog also says is deciding whether to change the back of the iPhone from glass to metal.

March 22 China Times claims the iPhone 5 will have a slightly larger screen, a Near Field Communications (NFC) chip, an A5 processor, and a tweaked antenna design to address attenuation. The release data is only set as "later this year."

The same day, The New York Times confirms that future iPhones will have an NFC ship.

March 14 The Independent says that NFC won't make it in the new phone. Instead, the newspaper says, Apple plans to introduce its own mobile payment system next year.

March 11 Reseller iDealsChina posts a "mold engineering" drawing that vendors use to develop iPhone accessories. The drawing shows a handset with a iPhone 4-like design but with the larger display.

March 9 In a deep dive of the new iOS 4.3 code Apple developers found signs that Apple may add an A4 dual-core processor in the next iPhone version. That would put the handset on par with the iPad 2's processing power.

March 7 Design is the focus of this rumor, which suggests that Apple will ditch the glass backing on the iPhone 4 for a metal, revamp the antenna, and add tapered ends.

February 28 iDealsChina posts a photo of an iPhone 5 front bezel that shows a larger display.

February 15 The A5 chip rumor is raised again when DigiTimes reports that Apple is outsourcing the production of the processor, which will be based on the ARM Cortex A9 design.

February 14 Speculation builds that the new handset will offer a 4-inch, "edge-to-edge" display. The reports suggest that the move would be a direct response to the display design of many Andorid devices.

We also hear that the iPhone 5 could offer a slide-out keyboard or that it could just offer longer battery life and a better camera.

January 14 An anonymous Apple source told the Boy Genius Report that both the iPad 2 and the next-generation iPhone would lose their home buttons in favor of gesture-based commands that would be part of iOS 4.3.