Considering the iPhone 5 was launched all the way back in September, I don’t think it’s unreasonable we begin talking about its eventual successor. The analysts certainly don’t mind, having speculated about the “iPhone 5S” for at least a month now, and one such analyst – Peter Misek of Jefferies – has been at the heart of it. Today, he’s chimed into the argument once more, noting to investors that two iPhone prototypes are currently being tested by the Cupertino company.
Of the two alleged prototypes, one is thought to be the hotly rumored “iPhone 5S,” but perhaps even more interesting is the the second, which is reckoned by Misek to be a low-cost iPhone to hit the economic budget at the entry level of the smartphone market. It’s not the first time we’ve heard this rumor of course – it’s been about as long as talk of iWatch, iTV, and other products which, as yet, haven’t reached fruition. However, considering Apple heavy Phil Schiller strongly refuted the speculation of a lower-cost iPhone very recently, it did seem as though he was being sincere.
Then again, Apple has gone back on it word several times, and it will certainly be interesting to see whether – if Apple does decide to ship a cheaper iPhone – it takes a similar respective shape to the iPad mini. The smaller slate disappointed many in the fact that it was missing key features such as Retina display, and was considered grossly expensive compared to similar spec tablets on the market.
The low-cost iPhone is said to be a pawn in Apple’s plan to woo emerging markets such as China – a nation which Tim Cook has pointed to as a key component in his company’s quest for world domination continued exponential growth. Misek believes the device will be:
Similar to the iPad mini, we expect a concentrated low-cost iPhone rather than a ‘cheap’ one. Likely specs: polycarbonate case with 4-inch non-Retina display and no LTE.
Meanwhile, the so-called iPhone 5S will included incremental, quintessentially-Apple upgrades to keep the punters happy; so a faster processor, improved general performance, and an a couple of Siri-level implementations to see users through until the iPhone 6 – which Misek believes will offer a 4.8-inch display.
The two devices could be set for a June / July release frame, although given Misek’s previous record for getting it spectacularly wrong, we’ll hold out for some more concrete evidence.
(via AppleInsider)
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