The main buzz around the industry has been a shuffling of Apple’s devices and where they fit into the product cycle with the much touted increase of the iPhone’s screen and change of the dock connector a sign of changes to come. Whether this will effect the portability of the current models and the compatibility with the large range of accessories already available, and in turn sales is yet to be seen. Likely though Apple will settle on around 5 main products ranging from the iPod nano products up to the iPad tablet range with the increased iPhone 5 screen playing akey part in this shuffle.

The new iPhone 5 screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner, one source said. That would represent a roughly 30 percent increase in viewing area, assuming Apple maintains the current aspect ratios. Apple has used a 3.5-inch screen since introducing the iPhone in 2007. Apple have commented for a while they were considering a device smaller than the iPad yet larger than current iPhone models. Some sources are hinting that there may even end up being a larger iPod touch device, a larger iPhone than the current model, and the current iPad as well as a potential device between the iPhone and iPad though this seems less likely the more we learn about the iPhone 5’s final specifications.

The naming convention is also set to follow the recent change back to products simply being know by their name and not version number. Apple have done this for quite a while with their Macbook range and iMac, and re-introduced this with the new iPad 3 which is simply called iPad (with references to 4G removed in Australia). It is widely suspected that the iPhone 5 will thus be known simply as iPhone.

It is likely all three of the Apple’s screen suppliers, Korea’s LG Display Co Ltd, Sharp Corp and Japan Display Inc, will get production orders from Apple, which could begin as soon as June. That would allow the new iPhone to go into production as soon as August, if the company follows its own precedent in moving from orders for prototypes for key components to launch. Assuming no delays in manufacture this would likely allow Apple to plan for an healthy stockpile and marketing campaign centred around the end of year and Christmas gift buying period; always one of the heaviest consumer spending times of the year. Additionally Apple is likely taking into account the increased interest from Apple fans who know that this was likely the last device Steve Jobs had a large influence in before his passing. For Australia this could also line up for an end of year release though depending on stock levels Apple may not release to the Australian market until the first quarter of 2013.