It might do more than help Apple strive towards its goals of ever thinner devices -- there's been unconfirmed rumors of an easy, orientation-independent design and faster speeds.

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The premise is that consistently successful companies start with an external market orientation and vigilantly study customer trends in order to design their strategy.

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No, you're not holding it wrong -- in fact, with Canon's new PowerShot N, any and every orientation is correct, thanks to a unique square design with key controls mounted around the center-positioned lens.

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Accelerometers are used heavily in the design, and this allows the screen to change orientation simply by turning the phone.

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Overall the face design is the same, with four multifunction buttons around the screen adjusting to software and orientation changes.

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