4-inch iPhone 5 and thicker iPad 3 tipped for 2012

Apple iPad 3 will gain a little weight to accommodate a higher-resolution display, sources claim, while the iPhone 5 will grow almost a centimeter in length so as to fit in a 4-inch screen for 2012. Whereas previous leaks tipped a teardrop-profile next-gen iPhone as Apple "significant redesign" that concept is believed to be a victim of LTE battery requirements, iLounge trusted insider suggests. Instead, the new iPhone 5 will have a metal casing and be 8mm longer than the current model, on course for a release in summer next year.

As for the third-gen iPad, Apple insistence on using a higher-resolution display than the current 1024 x 768 has supposedly had an impact on the design. A more pixel-dense panel demands stronger backlighting, and Apple will increase the thickness of the iPad 3 by a minor 0.7mm in order to fit a second light bar.

That fits with previous leaks that indicated the iPad 3 would run at a whopping 2048 x 1536 resolution, Acer is believed to be readying a 1920 x 1200 Iconia Tab A700 running NVIDIA quadcore Tegra 3, but even that would be out-pixeled by the Apple rumored iPad3.