iPhone 5 delayed by processor problems?

The delay to the iPhone 5 has been caused by overheating issues, reports suggest, as Apple looks to avoid the unwelcome prospect of another antennagate-style PR disaster.

The next-gen iPhone was widely expected to drop back in June at the WWDC showcase, but failed to show. That prompted speculation that Apple was forced to postpone the launch due to component supply shortages stemming from the Japanese earthquake disaster.

However, according to Chinese site Sohu, whose story was picked up on by 9 to 5 Mac, that’s not the reason at all. Citing shadowy unnamed sources (aren’t they always?), it’s claimed that Apple has postponed the handset after discovering that the on board, dual core A5 processor overheats.

Apparently, the issue stems from the device’s compact dimensions which make it harder to keep the chip cool. Although the A5 is used in the iPad 2, the comparative hugeness of the device meant that the problem never came to light.

News of developments comes after Apple came in for unprecedented levels of criticism last year after a flaw in the iPhone 4’s design led to dropped calls and the coining of the term ‘antennagate’.

A second snafu on that scale could cause huge damage to the reputation of a phone maker. Not least its much-trumpeted claim that Apple kit ‘just works’.