Wednesday Apple Rumors: Slimmer iPhone 5, Better Cameras

Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today.

Next iPhone Will Feature Slimmer Design, Improved Cameras: KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will increase the aperture of the�rear camera of its next iPhone in order to slim the device’s thickness, MacRumors reports. The rear camera will remain at 8 mega-pixels, but will adopt a f/2.2 aperture, compared to a f/2.4 aperture in the iPhone 4S. Kuo also says the front facing camera on the new iPhone will feature HD quality picture and video capture, MacRumors notes.

Apple Remains a King of the Hill

Google Brings 3D Maps to iOS and Android: With rumors abounding that Apple with drop Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Maps in favor of an in-house mapping program�in iOS 6, Google announced today that it would bring a new 3D version of its mapping program to iOS and Android devices soon, 9to5Mac says. Apple is widely expected to debut its new mapping program at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference next week. Google could attempt to put its 3D maps into its Google Earth app for iOS and “shout ‘anti-competitive’” should Apple try to block the app, 9to5Mac speculates.

Apple Hits 29 HTC Devices with Patent Complaints: Apple has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging that 29 HTC mobile devices infringe on its data detectors patent, Apple Insider says. Similar data detectors patent complaints produced an injunction against HTC Android devices last year, forcing HTC to find a workaround while U.S. Customs held its phones pending a review. Apple claims that HTC is infringing on a patent that allows mobile devices to automatically detect phone numbers, e-mail addresses and hyperlinks and which first appeared in the Mac OS in the 1990s, Apple Insider says.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.