The iPhone 5
wasn’t released all that long ago, but increasingly reports are saying a
follow-up could come sooner rather than later. Today, Jeffries analyst Peter
Misek said in a report that his supply chain checks anticipate a
launch in June/July with a March production start date. The report backs up an earlier claim from Topeka analyst Brian White, who said at
the start of January that an iPhone 5S will begin production in March or April
for a May/June launch.
These reports
are still just analyst predictions, based on research culled from supply chain
sources and other channels but generally not sourced from Apple directly, but
the fact that they agree so closely on the anticipated timeframe for launch is
an indicator that there could be more here than just idle speculation. Misek
had previously predicted that an iPhone 5S could launch sometime in mid-year
2013, though at the time he didn’t discuss any more specific timeframe than
that. Misek added that he has seen info that points to two iPhone 5S prototypes
being tested, but thinks that one could in fact represent a new low-cost
device, like the one that was reported as in development by the Wall Street Journal last
week.
In terms of
device specific, Misek didn’t have much to add, except to clarify that he’s no
longer seeing evidence of a 4.8-inch screen on the upcoming device, as he
mentioned in his report last month. It’s probably a safe bet to assume that if
Apple is planning a mid-year refresh, it won’t go messing around with screen
resolution, if only to make the issue of developer fragmentation less acute
than it already is.
Analyst
predictions are far from consistently accurate, but the fact that at least two
are now receiving similar info about a potential iPhone 5S is noteworthy. As
I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the yearly update cycle might no longer be an
adequate way to operate in the smartphone market, given the increase in
competition from Samsung and its much more varied product line. A
mid-season update makes a lot of sense, but it’s early days yet to be counting
any chickens. [TechCrunch]
You can follow me on Twitter, add me to your
circles on Google+ or Subscribe to
me on FaceBook or YouTube. You can also
check my Website and Blog to keep yourself
updated with what is happening in the ever changing world of technology
