‘iPhone 6’ May Hit the Shelves Sooner than Expected, says Analyst

Mizuho Securities analyst Abhey Lamba has said that his supply chain checks suggest Apple’s yet to be announced ‘iPhone 6’ is going to hit the shelves much sooner than expected. According to StreetInsider, the analyst’s checks in Asia and Japan indicate that a July introduction of the Cupertino giant’s ‘game changing’ device is highly possible, even though it is still too early to be certain.

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Lamba notes that supply chain vendors are getting ready for an earlier ramp up of production as compared to prior years. In addition to an earlier release of iPhone’s next iteration, he is also speculating multiple models of the device. His checks indicate that Apple could introduce multiple models of the phone with display sizes varying from 4.7″ to 5.5″ versus current size of 4″. He also suggested that Touch ID will be enhanced to support more apps and it may be introduced in the next generation iPads as well.

“Recently, the company has been introducing new lineup in September time frame whereas the next generation phones could come out in July this year,” he said. “The earlier launch will be helpful for Apple as it will ensure significant availability and distribution of the new device during the holiday season.”

In addition, checks also indicated that the company seems to be gearing up to launch a watch and next generation Apple TV later this year. ” While the timing of the launches is uncertain, we would expect these products to be introduced in 2H14,” he said.

While noting that the introduction of a new product category and buzz around the iPhone 6 should help move Apple’s stock to the high $500s in the next one year, he reiterated an ‘Outperform’ rating price target of $575 on AAPL.

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