“Jeffries analyst Peter Misek has released a new research report indicating that Apple’s iPhone 5S is still in line for a launch in June or July of this year, with production beginning to ramp up in March,” Eric Slivka reports for MacRumors.
“Misek notes that he has been seeing signs of two iPhone 5S prototypes currently in testing, although one could be the cheaper iPhone that has been the subject of a number of rumors in recent weeks,” Slivka reports. “On the topic of that cheaper iPhone, Misek says that the device ‘looks close to being greenlit or may already have been’ and offers some ‘likely specs’ in order to help bring Apple’s costs down: ‘Similar to the iPad mini, we expect a concentrated low-cost iPhone rather than a ‘cheap’ one. Likely specs: polycarbonite case with 4-inch non-Retina display and no LTE. We believe a new low-cost iPhone would increase Apple’s share, decrease [gross margins], but have little impact on [earnings per share].'”
Slivka reports, “Misek also directly addresses the iPhone with a 4.8-inch display mentioned in his earlier report, now saying that he is seeing no further signs of the device. He suggests that the form factor is for the iPhone 6 further down the road.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
“Analcyst” in the headline? Expect BS in the article.
They should reduce the price of the iPhone 5S to something like $500. I can’t see it being worth $650. That should sell more units.
Apparently, every iPhone 5 they make, they sell. Same was with 4S before it, 4 before that one, 3Gs, etc. And each of them started at $650. I see no signs of Apple needing to lower the starting price of their main iPhone model. Perhaps if they ever decide to do this budget device, which I could see starting at $450 (replacing the two-generations-back iPhone; currently iPhone 4), which would then be free with the two-year plan.
Apple makes insane amounts of profit anyway. This makes it cheaper for me to buy. 🙂
So lets see… you want a cheap phone with a big screen…
Sounds like you are really describing a ‘roid phone.
Is that unconsciously explicit or intentionally implicit?
I don’t see them leaving LTE off any new phone sold in the US.
Leave off retina? Maybe. Plastic? Sure.
A non LTE version for the Chinese market and such, sure.
Honestly, doesn’t all this seem so tedious & meaningless ? These rapid-cycle iPhone releases are eroding all that was initially interesting and exciting about it. Where’s this heading – an iPhone the size of an iPad mini? How uncool is this?