It’s rumors that make technology interesting.

Per the Wall Street Journal, Sony CEO Howard Stringer has sparked speculation that the iPhone 5 will have an 8-megapixel camera after making some unguarded comments in an interview.

In the interview, Stringer said that Sony’s camera sensor plant in Sendai had been affected by the recent earthquake and that shipments of sensors to Apple would be delayed.

However, Sony isn’t Apple’s regular camera sensor supplier (this task generally falls to Omnivision).

In February this year it had been suggested that Omnivision might not be able to make 8MP sensors in large enough volumes in time for the iPhone 5′s launch and that Apple may turn to Sony instead. Sony makes 8MP sensors for smartphones such as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo.

Apple-watchers are expecting an iPhone 5 announcement at the WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC) in early June, though it isn’t clear if the next-generation iPhone will actually be available to buy at the time.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.