“Apple Inc. plans to begin production of a new iPhone similar in size and shape to its current one in the second quarter of the year, according to people familiar with the device’s production, teeing up a possible summer launch for the next version of its flagship device,” Lorraine Luk, Jessica E. Lessin and Eva Dou report for The Wall Street Journal.
“Apple continues to work with its manufacturing partners in Asia on a less expensive iPhone that could be launched as soon as the second half of this year, these people said,” Luk, Lessin and Dou report. “The 4-inch device will likely use a different casing from the higher-end iPhone.”
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“Tuesday’s report doesn’t offer any surprising details, but does corroborate with what earlier reports have claimed about Apple’s 2013 plans for the iPhone lineup,” AppleInsider reports. “Parts claimed to be from the ‘iPhone 5S’ were spotted last month, providing further evidence that Apple’s next handset could be nearing production.”
“As for a cheaper iPhone, speculation has grown that Apple is interested in addressing the low-end smartphone market, particularly in developing countries where customers prefer to purchase unsubsidized handsets without a service contract,” AppleInsider reports. “It’s believed that such a device would be targeted at China and Brazil, in particular.”
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