Speculation has been mounting over the last few weeks about the possible release date, aesthetics and technical specifications of the next-generation iPhone. Apple will be delighted with the fact that the iPhone 5 proved to be an extremely popular purchase during the festive season, with some analysts predicting that sales will ultimately surpass the company’s top-end predictions. To add to the speculation; new reports are now suggesting that Apple could be planning on pushing out a new iPhone by June of this year, potentially with high-end and low-end model releases.
We have already seen a number of reports suggesting that Apple might be planning on offering the new iPhone in a range of colors like they have done with the fifth-generation iPod touch, as well as some crazy suggestions that Apple should actually pull out of the smartphone market entirely and concentrate on wearable technology. The insight into the potential for a June release has been provided courtesy of Michael Walkley from Canaccord Genuity who also believes the hype surrounding a higher and lower-end iPhone to cater for all markets.
A June iPhone release would fall back in line with Apple’s traditional release schedule for the iPhone and would fit perfectly in with the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), a conference which Apple hosts every year in San Francisco. The thinking behind the lower-end model iPhone is that Apple wants to tap into the budget market consumers who typically prefer to purchase pre-paid type contracts. Walkley believes that a lower specification device of this type would be particularly successful in China, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Additional corners are suggesting that the lower-end iPhone would fall back onto 3G connectivity technologies rather than being LTE compatible. Brian White from Topeka Capital is also floating the idea that the device intended for emerging markets and price conscious consumers could fall back to a smaller 3.5-inch display, with any standard iPhone release feature the 4-inch screen that is seen in the iPhone 5.
All of the speculation that is flying around at the moment is entirely, well, speculation. As we move deeper into the new year, it’s likely that we will see more information emerging about the next-generation iPhone, but it would be very interesting to see how consumers react to a colorful array of iPhones if that particular rumor turns out to be true.
(via BGR)
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