Apple suppliers will only start shipping next-generation iPhone components at the end of May, with the highly anticipated smartphone arriving sometime in the third quarter, according to Digitimes‘ upstream supply chain sources. The iPhone 5S release date rumour is in line with analyst expectations.
The next-generation iPhone will not feature any major upgrades; instead, it will be a “slightly enhanced version of [the] iPhone 5 (iPhone 5S)” the Digitimes sources said, without specifying any of the possible upgrades.
As the report points out, the related component orders are expected to “enjoy around 30% sequential growth in the second quarter,” with Foxconn’s performance to start picking up at the end of the second quarter, according to its chairman Terry Guo.
So, what can we expect from the next-generation iPhone or iPhone 5S? Sources point to a processor upgrade and a higher-megapixel camera, yet they don’t specify any tech specs.
“The iPhone 5S is expected to feature a higher-end processor as well as higher-megapixel camera modules, the sources said.”
“Apple is expected to ship 25-30 million iPhone 5s in the first quarter, down from 45 million units in the fourth quarter of 2012.”
Apple is also rumoured to be releasing a low-cost iPhone this year, alongside the iPhone 5S, and the estimates point to a third-quarter release in both cases.
