It's been a barnstormer of a year for Apple already, with huge profits and new product launches dominating headlines.

The third-generation iPad, Retina-equipped MacBook Pro laptops and the unveiling of iOS 6 have all contributed to Apple's bottom-line. However, the company still has one ace up its sleeve in the form of a new iPhone, iPhone 5 or whatever it is they decide to call it.

The iPhone 4S is still a pretty excellent smartphone, featuring the Siri voice assistant, a dual-core A5 processor and a great eight-megapixel camera. But it's inevitable that we'll see a new iPhone this year, with plenty of supposed leaks and speculation to be had.

The all-important display

Unarguably the biggest claim surrounding the next-generation iPhone is that it'll feature a larger screen, measuring up to four inches according to the latest Reuters report.

Along with a corresponding bump in screen size, Apple is widely expected to bump up the resolution too, much like their MacBook Pro and iPad.

Another rumour, by Dow Jones Newswires, claims that the screen itself will be thinner than before, with the touch sensors forming part of the screen rather than being a separate overlay.

Horsepower

The iPhone and iPad share plenty of similarities when it comes down to their innards, with the iPhone 4 and iPad 1 using the A4 chipset and the A5 chipset being shared by the 4S and iPad 2.

So it's a fair assumption that the new iPhone will make use of the A5X chip, currently used in the 2012 iPad. The A5X consists of a dual-core processor, but it's the graphics chip that stands out, being a quad-core processor.

Connectivity

One of the biggest features surrounding the new iPad was the ability to connect to high-speed LTE networks (albeit in North America only).

High-speed downloads come at a price though, with the battery life usually suffering as a result. The iPad solved this with a bigger battery, with the end-result being a device that still had roughly the same battery life as an iPad 2.

Either way, local owners of the new iPhone will be stuck with the usual HSPA+ connectivity - unless SA networks launch LTE before then.

Design

Rumours have also been swirling about the look and feel of the device itself, with the material used being one focal point too.

News stories have been surfacing with the claim that the new iPhone will be made out of a cutting-edge alloy called "LiquidMetal".

Combining titanium, zirconium, nickel, copper and more, the alloy is reportedly "smooth like liquid".

Extras

One of the biggest stories is that the new iPhone will ditch the standard 30-pin connector cable for a smaller one, with TechCrunch confirming this.

The change means that legacy accessories won't work on the device, such as car adaptors and the like. Additionally, it remains to be seen what will be done for European consumers, where micro-USB connections are compulsory - perhaps a dongle as with previous handsets?

NFC technology is another rumour surrounding the next iPhone, with both the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy SIII featuring the standard.

According to Cult of Mac, the new iPhone will feature an NFC chip for transactions, enabling payments with a swipe of the phone. The report also claims that the technology will be used for remote computing, letting users carry their Mac desktop data and settings with them.

Release date

A look at previous launches shows that iPhones up to the iPhone 4 were released in the months of June or July.

However, with the iPhone 4S, the company bucked the trend, opting for an October/November launch instead.

Now, iMore.com has claimed that the latest iPhone will be announced on 12 September, with a 21 September launch incoming, citing "sources who have proven accurate in the past".