Production of the next iPhone to begin this quarter?
The rumors about the lower cost iPhone just refuse to go away, and Apple will work on the two devices side by side.
If the latest piece of information from the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, Apple will start production of the next iPhone sometime this quarter. They have quoted ‘anonymous sources familiar with Apple’s plans’, stating that the successor to the iPhone 5 will be launched this summer. This comes just days after a Japanese magazine had even pinpointed the date of the launch event.
However, it is anyone’s guess what the follow-up to the iPhone 5 will be like. Usually, Apple puts in a more powerful processor and a better camera, which is again something it is expected to do this time around as well. However, with the kind of competition it faces from the Android rivals, it may just have to do a lot more than incremental upgrades.
Interestingly, the lower cost iPhone rumours just refuse to go away. WSJ reports that Apple will be working with the shortlisted manufacturing partners side by side to ensure that the less expensive version is launched sometime in the second half of the year. This is in line with what the Japanese Magazine, MacFan, had reported some days back.
What no one seems to have any information about is the next version of the iOS operating system. It makes little sense to upgrade bits of the hardware while the OS remains the same. With Sir Jonathan Ive in charge of the iOS development since late last year, it is safe to say that we could see glimpses of the next OS when Apple officially talks about the next iPhone. In order to deal with the competition from Samsung and HTC, the next iPhone will surely not be a refresh of the iPhone 5. As for the lower cost iPhone, it is all about volumes at the end of the day, and that is what Apple has to tap, in order to compete with the slew of affordable Android smartphones.
Source: WSJ