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The next Apple iPhone might be the iPhone 6 not the iPhone 5S

Apple’s next iPhone might be called the iPhone 6 after all as its alleged to have shown up in a UK network’s inventory listings.

Tech publication Stuff reports it received a photo showing a Vodafone inventory listing the ‘4G iPhone 6’ rather than the expected iPhone 5S, suggesting Apple may be skipping the ‘S’ naming convention this time around.

Admittedly, there are a few holes here. For one thing it’s not at all unusual for networks and retailers to pre-emptively list expected devices under placeholder names, so it could still be the iPhone 5S. Vodafone knows it’s going to get a new Apple model when it comes out regardless of what it’s called. Secondly, Stuff hasn’t actually shown the picture, so this is all hearsay for now.

The fact that the listing is there at all suggests Apple’s next iPhone might be arriving earlier than expected. It was previously thought Apple would not release a new device until the Autumn, following comments from company CEO Tim Cook. Rumours say the next iPhone will go into production in June and could arrive in August or September.

The next iPhone, whether it’s the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6, is thought to have the same 4-inch display as the iPhone 5 and it’s said a number of Japanese display makers have already begun production of these panels or are scheduled to being production shortly.

Some sources suggest we won’t see a new A7 processor chip until 2014, which could mean the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 will have an existing A6X chip currently only found in the iPad 4.

A significant chunk of current rumour claims the next iPhone will have a fingerprint scanner and some onboard remote payment facilities designed to work with it. It’s also been noted that Tim Cook has had conversations with the head of Beats Audio, leading some to believe a music streaming collaboration could be on the way.

It’s known that Jony Ive, Apple’s chief designer and the man responsible for the company’s iconic exterior aesthetic, has been put in charge of the re-design of Apple’s iOS 7 software, expected to debut on the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6. According to reports we’re in for a much flatter, cleaner and more refined design which will fit more closely with the iPhone’s look.