Following their recent surprise decision to delay the release of the iPhone 5, Apple have revealed that they are likely to now launch the product during ‘Summer 2012′. Alongside this news comes Apple’s disclosure that the product will have a real sentimental value, as it was influenced heavily by their late founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, who is said to have overseen the development process ”from concept to final design.”

That would of course have also been the last product that Jobs was fully involved in, and while it could have begun sales this month, Apple made the move to only sell their ‘in-between product’, the iPhone 4S, to give their latest innovation a little more time to develop.

The 4S, meanwhile, is advertised as an update of the previous iPhone 4 (which has been out for 15 months now), and includes updates such as a new A5 dual-core processor, full HD video display quality, an 8-megapixel camera, and the much talked-about ‘voice control assistant’ app ’Siri’. So far, this interim handset is performing well in its solo-launch, following reported sales figures of 4 million units during its first weekend.

Rumours suggest that the delay of the iPhone 5 is down to a number of issues in the production process, problems that are seen to be too much to deal with to stay on track for a release before Christmas. This has left it likely that Apple will reveal and launch the iPhone 5 next summer at the annual ’Apple Developer’s Conference’, often used as the time and place for Apple to showcase their new models of iPhone products.

A source said of Jobs’ involvement with the upcoming product: ”[He] dedicated all of his time [to iPhone 5] and was not that involved in the 4S because his time was limited.”

Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar added that the iPhone 5 project, which he tips to become a big seller due to its circumstances, was: “…the last project that Steve Jobs was intimately involved with from concept to final design.”

Current planned features for the iPhone 5 include the new ‘tear-drop’ design on a larger screen, alongside ’4G connectivity’, and an enhanced version of the Siri voice control programme. This particular update does seem an interesting one, as demonstrated by Siri’s potential uses in the advert below. While it might end up following the typical voice control route of being frustrating and unresponsive in real life, could a smartphone become man’s new best friend?

Latest TV searches:

apple iphone 5, iphone logo, iphone 5 features, apple iphone logo, apple iphone 5 release, iphone5, iphone 5 news, iphone 5 next summer, iphone 5 logo, launch of iphone 5

Related News:

1. iPhone 5 Set Reveal Date
2. Best Buy Reveal iPhone 5 October Release
3. iPhone 5 Launch Becomes iPhone 4S Disappointment
4. BBC iPlayer App For iPad Tablet And iPhone Gets Closer To Launch
5. Apple Visionary Steve Jobs Dies