APPLE IPHONE 5 MAY FOCUS ON SOFTWARE FEATURES TO BEAT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY

It’s almost certain, that Apple will release its next-generation iPhone later this year, but it will do so against a remarkably hostile market. Possibly the main rival of the iPhone 5 is Samsung’s Galaxy S3, which looks like a barely-restrained effort to get the best possible current hardware in a smartphone. The Cupertino-based firm could choose to battle Samsung on hardware, but current rumors suggest that it won’t try to combat the Galaxy S3 solely on the basis of its new phone’s internal components.
The most common rumors on the iPhone 5 speak of a 4-inch display in a taller form-factor, a dual-core A5 chipset with support for 4G LTE connectivity, iOS 6, a shrunken dock connector and near-field communication capabilities.
Still, the 4-inch screen might not be enough to win over buyers. Strategy Analytics released a report last month suggesting that buyers in North America and the United Kingdom prefer 4 to 4.5-inch displays on their smartphones. The iPhone 5’s rumored screen just squeaks in, but it could lose points to larger alternatives, especially since users like larger displays when they are browsing the web.

The next-generation iPhone’s expected dual-core processor is also essentially on-par with the North American Galaxy S3’s chipset. However, it doesn’t have the same cachet as the international S3’s quad-core Exynos CPU.
Due to all these, Apple could turn to its expansive software ecosystem to sell the iPhone 5. iOS 6 is rumored to include an all-encompassing iTunes application that will sell all the content and apps that are available on the platform.

The inclusion of NFC and a wireless payment scheme – whether solely by Apple or through a partner – could also be a selling point for the next-gen iPhone. However, despite the rumored inclusion of the appropriate hardware component for this functionality, it isn’t exactly clear if Apple will introduce wireless payments for the iPhone 5 on launch.