iPhone 5S Reportedly Slated for March Production with June/July Launch

[MacRumors]

Following up on his report from last month, Jefferies 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.

Our checks indicate that preliminary builds for the iPhone 5S will start in March for a launch in June/July. As word of the earlier production schedule starts to spread, we believe we could see a slight slowing of demand CQ1 in anticipation of the new product launch and Apple will likely start curtailing channel inventory.

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. 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" 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].

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, but we remain skeptical about the likelihood of Apple making yet another change to the iPhone's resolution even two generations removed from the iPhone 5.

Finally, Misek comments on recent reports that Apple has slashed component orders for the iPhone 5 nearly in half in the first quarter due to "weaker-than-expected demand". Like a number of analysts, Misek casts significant doubt on the reasons for the dire claims, suggesting that lowered component orders are largely driven by an assembly bottleneck that has resulted in oversupply of components and projected ramping down of production leading into the iPhone 5S.

The original reports from Nikkei and The Wall Street Journal drew suspicion for their claims that Apple was planning to build 65 million iPhones this quarter before slashing its orders, an unrealistically high number considering expectations for sales in the range of 50 million units in the holiday quarter that coincided with the device's launch in most markets. The Wall Street Journal quickly removed the specific 65-million figure from its report, but uncertainty about the sourcing and accuracy of the associated claims persists.

Article Link: iPhone 5S Reportedly Slated for March Production with June/July Launch

[MMOTotal]

So it begins...

iOS 7 is still the thing to watch out for however (for me at least)

[FSMBP]

That means we will have iOS 7 sooner than later! (Based off history that a new version of iOS is released when the new iPhone is released).

[KdParker]

That will work for me.

Guess the 5s will not have any major upgrades.

[jasonxneo]

[Madhawk]

Here we go

[johndoejohndoes]

If there's no innovation this stock will continue to nose dive.

I love my Apple products but I'm hatting AAPL as a stock right now

[840quadra]

Cue the "glad I skipped* 5 Beta posts".

I am happy to hear that they are potentially fast tracking releases of their hardware. I don't think the target should ever be to compete with Android, but simply to challenge themselves. If Apple can push themselves in this way, I am really looking forward to a totally reworked iPhone 6 and other iOS capable hardware in the next 12 - 24 months. Especially with the change in leadership since the release of the 5.

[jamesryanbell]

Interested to see if they up the RAM (probably not), and if the screen size is the same (probably so).

[Alx9876]

4.8 inch display please.

[jvmxtra]

So it's time for apple to step up and move to iphone 6 instead of 5s crap. Look at the stock value. It's time to change things. I don't care what anyone thinks that whatever apple does is always correct.. It clearly is not. Time to shake things up.

[greylee]

Originally Posted by jasonxneo

But I just got my 5!

Image

I know right?!!! I got mine in september and Don't think i will get another upgrade with my phone contract by then......... damn it!! unless Apple can work out a plan with all the carriers for an early upgrade deal. it's very disappointing for shorten the updating cycle right after a major update.

[Andy-V]

So are we presuming the 5S will be a spec bump and little else? If so, what's the point? The iPhone 5 is perfectly fast & powerful already.

[Unggoy Murderer]

Originally Posted by Alx9876

4.8 inch display please.

No, it's tall enough.

[tigres]

let's see...
3g
3gs
4
4s
5
---5s.
(better camera), new chip, Colors- the best iPhone Yet.


Where I sign up to be an analyst?

[Mr. Retrofire]

Bleh.

The (world) market switches to Android smartphones. Thank god!

[aristotle]

I'm glad I skipped the iPhone 5 beta release.
I went from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4S and I'll go for the 5S.

[KdParker]

Originally Posted by greylee

I know right?!!! I got mine in september and Don't think i will get another upgrade with my phone contract by then......... damn it!! unless Apple can work out a plan with all the carriers for an early upgrade deal. it's very disappointing for shorten the updating cycle right after a major update.

This might just a correction back to the June release dates.

I wouldn't expect this to continue with another refresh later in the year.

[Advil]

Don't most carriers offer a "free" iPhone 4S with a 2 year contract? Whats the point of a cheaper phone then?

[Jack97]

Here's hoping it'll have NFC and some funky new features to go with it

[ThatsMeRight]

Yeah, Apple is finally moving back to a June/July launch. I already speculated that Apple would move back to a June launch this year, because of the early log entries of iOS 7.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1517983

Originally Posted by Andy-V

So are we presuming the 5S will be a spec bump and little else? If so, what's the point? The iPhone 5 is perfectly fast & powerful already.

The first generation iPhone also was powerful enough back with the first version of iOS.

And the iPhone 3GS was powerful enough when iOS 3 came out. And the iPhone 4 when iOS 4 came out. Etc.

The thing is: software is getting more complicated and more advanced. That requires extra computing power.

[Leonard1818]

Good! My wife can have a newer phone than me for once lol

[Castiel]

So what should you do when you need to slash orders due to a weak demand for the iPhone 5?
Make an iPhone 5S.

[Jack97]

Originally Posted by Alx9876

4.8 inch display please.

I doubt it - not only would a 4.8 inch display be ridiculous looking and ridiculously awkward to use, but it would completely contradict apple's "thumbs" ad campaign.

I also find it very irritating how, for example, Samsung advertise their Galaxy S III screen to be "true hd" and using it as an excuse to slam apple, completely ignoring the fact that the iPhone's retina display in ppi is superior.

[LastMinuteMike]

I believe an even bigger iPhone display isn't that exotic, however 4.8" seems a bit big to me... Most likely I think would be 4.3" - 4.5".

Since theres obviously a big amount of people who enjoy a smaller screen, it would make sense for Apple to offer two identical iPhones, with the only differentiator being screen size. One 4" and 4"+.