14 DAY TRIAL // Elegant design means a simpler interface and simpler hardware. Apple has proved that they can make a phone with just one big button and it was a success.
The next logical step would be to make this one even simpler. A new patent describes how the FaceTime Camera and Flash could be hidden inside the Earpiece grille.
According to AppleInsider, the patent application was filed on February 6, 2013, and published today by the US Patent and Trademark office. The invention describes an "electronic device with camera flash structures." We know that the FaceTime Camera does not currently have a flash so this may very well be implemented in the next-generation iPhone.
Apple says the camera flash may provide illumination while capturing images with the camera. This could be formed from light guiding structures that receive camera flash light from a light source.
The camera flash may be located under a speaker port mesh. Also, the camera flash structures may produce light to capture images and can serve as a status indicator to show when a message is received or other state change is detected during operation.
Another way Apple could integrate this is to have all the sensors and cameras on the front of the iPhone included in the speaker grille. That means the light sensor and the proximity sensor could be part of the same ensemble to result in a more simple and elegant hardware solution.