iPhone 5S

iPhone 5S rumoured to be announced on June 20

Anupam Saxena, May 01, 2013

The next generation iPhone could be announced as soon as June 20 if a new report is to be believed.

French publication NoWhereElse.fr (via UberGizmo) claims to have got access to a document from Japanese mobile carrier, KDDI, which mentions that Apple's next iPhone, iPhone 5S, will be announced on June 20 and will go on sale by July.

The document also suggests that the phone will run iOS 7 (of course), the next iteration of Apple's mobile operating system and feature an upgraded 13-megapixel camera lens.
 
We'd advise you to take this information with a heap of salt as it's difficult to authenticate the reliability of the document.

While earlier rumours had suggested that we could see a summer announcement for the iPhone, new reports point towards a late release. Just a few days back, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo came out with a new research report that said that the Phone 5S, low-cost iPhone and iPad mini 2 will begin shipping later than what was previously expected. Ming-Chi Kuo had not shared any specific time frame for the new iPhone's launch. 

Recently, iMore's Rene Ritchie also said that the next iPhone, iPhone 5S, is likely to release in August. But John Gruber of Daring Fireball had mentioned that iOS 7 was running behind. 

Prior to that Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty had released a report, in which she predicted that Apple will launch the new iPhone in September 2013 after previewing the iOS 7 in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

The only thing that goes in favour of the report is that the alleged announcement date is pretty close to the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). Apple is widely expected to showcase iOS 7 at WWDC, which will be held between June 10 and 14 at its usual venue, Moscone West in San Francisco, California. 

It's worth noting that Apple had shipped its last two phones, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, in fall. Apple CEO Tim Cook also stressed the fall period of this year during a Q&A after this quarter's earnings call,saying,  "I'm just saying we've got some really great stuff coming in the fall and across all of 2014."

cheaper iPhone's plastic

Purported pictures of cheaper iPhone's plastic rear shell surface

Anupam Saxena, April 19, 2013

Case manufacturer Tactus has shared purported pictures of the rear shell of Apple's much rumored lower-cost iPhone. The rear shell is White in colour and appears to have been made from plastic polycarbonate. This could also open the possibility of the phone coming in multiple colours, as reported earlier. The case maker also informs that the device will be available in Black, White, Blue, Red and Yellow colours, citing the ' factory producing this secretive project' as a source.

Posting an image of the shell on its blog, Tactus informs that the actual phone might be around 9mm thick, 120mm in height and around 62-65mm in width, making it both taller and wider than the iPhone 4 and 4S.

It's difficult to verify the credibility of the image of the case. Accessory makers have produced mock-up cases in the past that have at times turned out to be accurate.

The case maker goes on to report that the budget iPhone will be powered by an A5 processor similar to the iPad Mini with a 32nm diecast and that it will have a 3.5-inch retina screen, like the iPhone 4S. The phone is expected to sport a 5-megapixel rear camera.

It even mentions that the budget iPhone would go on sale October 15th for $300. However, we'd take it with a grain of salt as an accessory maker or anyone part of Apple's supply chain is unlikely to have accurate information of Apple's exact device plans.

Just a few days back KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo came out with a new research report that said that the Phone 5S, low-cost iPhone and iPad mini 2 will begin shipments later than its previous expectation. He had also confirmed a plastic shell for the budget iPhone and had said that Apple was finding it difficult to keep the plastic shell of the low-cost iPhone as thin as it would like.

iPhone 5S

iPhone 5S, cheaper iPhone and new iPad mini reportedly delayed

Surbhi Chawla, April 12, 2013

In the recent months there has been a lot of speculation regarding the tentative launch dates for the next generation iPhone, the 'supposedly' low-cost iPhone and the next generation iPad mini.

As per a recent report by Mac Rumours, Apple is facing a lot of challenges in producing its forthcoming line-ups and these challenges may delay the launch of the new iPhone and iPad mini models.

The website is quoting KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who till a month ago was expecting Apple to launch a new iPhone model by June or July. However, on Thursday he came out with a new research report that cites the company may not be as busy as he had earlier predicted.

Earlier we estimated that shipments of the new iPhone would begin in July (FDD version) and September (TDD version), while iPad mini 2 would hit the market in August. Currently, market consensus for shipments of iPhone 5S, low-cost iPhone and iPad mini 2 is July, July, and August, respectively. But in light of publicly available information and our knowledge of technological trends, we now think all three products will begin shipments later than our previous expectation and market consensus.

Ming-Chi Kuo in his research note has not shared any specific time frame by when Apple may launch its new iPhone, the low cost iPhone or the new iPad mini Furthermore, Mac rumours via KGI Securities notes that Apple is currently facing three major challenges that is causing the delay. The first being production difficulties for the 'retina display for iPad mini'. Kuo believes that the next generation iPad will come with a Retina display, and the company is facing various and technical challenges related to its design and manufacturing.

The second challenge is being cited as 'colour coatings for lower-cost iPhone'. As per Kuo, the economically priced iPhone is likely to come with plastic shell, which will be available in numerous colour options. He opines that Apple is finding it difficult to keep the plastic shell of this iPhone as thin as it would like.

Lastly, Kuo notes that Apple is finding it challenging to manufacture iPhone 5S because of its purported fingerprint sensor. He further states that finding the right colour coatings to prevent interference with the sensor is proving to be a big challenge.

This news report by Mac Rumours comes a day after DigiTimes reported that Apple will be commencing production of its fifth generation iPad in July or August. DigiTimes news report was based on the information that the website had garnered from its sources in the Taiwan-based supply chain.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty has released a report, in which she predicted that Apple will launch the new iPhone in September 2013 after previewing the iOS 7 in June at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). This is in contradiction to what we had heard days earlier, when a report indicated Apple will launch the iPhone 5S in August in more than two colour options.