Glass and steel really give a product a premium feel. I can't imagine Apple giving that up.
However, despite the amazing iconic design of iPhone 4/4s it is ergonomically less pleasant to use then the older iPhone 3/3GS. iPhone 4/4s has a lot of hard, sharp edges that give it a gorgeous look, but render it a bit uncomfortable in a soft fleshy hand!
Obviously Apple is aware of this as they introduced their vision of the proper case for iPhone, the Bumper. It is actually shocking how drastic a difference there is going from using a bumper to a naked iPhone and back again. That little strip of rubber makes a big difference.
I think Apple's evolution of the design will bring in a few elements:
- Steel and glass of course
- a 'bumper style' element
- curves
So how will it look? Curved glass over a metal frame with low profile rubber edges over external antennas.
Apple is very proud of the work they have been doing in curved glass, why not bring it to their flagship product line and maintain the premium feel of glass while returning to a more hand friendly shape? In true Apple fashion noone else in the industry will be able to reply as I am sure Apple will have manufacturing capacity and tooling for their method locked up for years.
External antennas are here to stay due to the dramatic internal space savings they allow, especially now that the reception issues have been solved with iPhone 4s.
A rubber bumper element not only protects the antennas it also allows for a much more secure grip on the device and provides some additional drop protection.
The N9/Lumia 800 should be a wake up call to Apple. Nokiasoft can not touch the iPhone for marketshare or functionality right now, but the Lumia 800 was a shot across Apple's bow proving that there are other companies out there that can take function, design and software integration to the highest of levels. I expect Apple to blow us away with their response and change the game just as much as the original iPhone 4 did.