Apple to Begin Trial Production of iPhone 5S for Earlier Than Expected Launch?

[Smallworld69]

Originally Posted by colmaclean

Apple needs to take it to the next level and allow us to download hardware updates through iTunes.

Um.... Hardware changes would be making a change to the internals of the phone, not really possible through the Internet... The iOS updates OTA, and via iTunes update everything possible...

[NOV]

This story make sense, because Apple just did another mess up: they didn't take enough time to do research on how to manufacture the phone. This will lead to disastrous results in sales because people will switch to companies that do not have this kind of trouble going on.

On the other hand they are also heavily neglecting their traditional 'usebase': the professional and prosumer computer users.

Apple's future starts to look bleaker by the day.

[adder7712]

Quad core Swift cores this time?

[ChristianJapan]

Maybe they have a different way to assemble the iPhone and make the front glass a bit stronger. Or produce more colors like iPod ...
End of March would be ok for me ... Together with iPad Mini 2nd gen

[miniroll32]

Originally Posted by Smallworld69

Um.... Hardware changes would be making a change to the internals of the phone, not really possible through the Internet... The iOS updates OTA, and via iTunes update everything possible...

He was joking.

[Shearwater]

It was always going to happen. The iPhone5 is just a stretched iPhone4 in design...it is the operating system that makes the difference.
I never understood why many were 'amazed' by the 'innovation in design' of the 5....it's a few mm longer than a 4.

[DennisD7]

Originally Posted by Smallworld69

Um.... Hardware changes would be making a change to the internals of the phone, not really possible through the Internet... The iOS updates OTA, and via iTunes update everything possible...

I'm pretty sure this was meant to be a joke. However, if they start using FPGA-chips (field-programmable gate array) then they could market it as a downloadable hardware update. You know Apple, they would.

[RoadOfMajor]

Facing low yield rates in the production of iPhone 5, Apple has accelerated the certification processes for related parts and components for the iPhone 5S, the paper revealed.

That makes so much sense!!!

Introducing a new product earlier will fix the problem of low yield rates!!!!!!11111one

[AppleMacFinder]

Originally Posted by colmaclean

Apple needs to take it to the next level and allow us to download hardware updates through iTunes.

You mean, Apple should implement FPGA into their devices?

[DanielCoffey]

This is actually not as unlikely as it sounds...

In the UK, the 4G spectrum auction is underway and the current iPhone5 only supports one carrier's 4G frequency (EE). When the other main carriers such as O2 and Vodaphone get their spectrum allocation early next year, they will be wanting to have an iPhone5 that will work on it.

[H2SO4]

Originally Posted by Advil

I really doubt it, but the sooner we get the 5s out of the way, the sooner we get the 6


I know this is a dead horse, but I'm bummed we never saw the teardrop design that was rumored when the 4s came out.

That's the reason I didn't step on the 5. Had the 4, the 4S faster but the same, the 5.....

[everything-i]

Originally Posted by The Phazer

Well, it might be if you're able to make structural changes on the design that result in much better yields.

"We've changed the shape of the back slightly as Foxcon as the yields are terrible" is a bad news story. "Here's the new iPhone!" is a good news story, broadly.

I don't expect it would be a significant change, but there are surely ways to simplify the assembly, and if you throw in a minor spec bump then you look like the good guy. The computing hardware doesn't seem to be the issue, the case is.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was actually slightly thicker, and there was no black anodised option. If they give it a better battery then it would ward off criticism, but make it *much* easier to make.

If its the 5S then it has to be a reasonably significant update, you can't just tweak the case a bit. More likely would be a reconfiguration of some of the internals to make assembly easier. This could easily be releases as a V2 mod to the 5 rather than calling it a 5S. For a 5S you are going to have to include some new feature to actually make anyone want to buy it. "Buy our new phone because its easier for us to make" is not a good sales pitch and simply upping the processor speed is going to increase battery drain without some re-engineering of the processor, also bringing out a 5S early after the iPad4 earlier than expected release would bring a lot of bad publicity for Apple. If this is indeed the 5S then it is more likely that because of manufacturing problems with the 5 a prototype 5S is going for small scale production runs earlier than its predecessors in order to allow more time to iron out problems and re-engineer production processes before full production begins. This would be the more likely reason if this rumour is even true at all.

The 5S does not necessarily need to be thicker, it would be possible to improve the case by using a much harder grade of aluminium alloy but this would add to weight. It is also possible to use harder anodised coatings though this is likely to alter the shade of black on the black model to some extent. This would make it less likely to get scratched during manufacture too improving yields.

[Futurix]

Perhaps Apple is preparing a new class of iPhones? Now that they have two iPads, perhaps they will introduce second type of iPhone... 5'' 1920x1280 screen iPhone Max or something like that.

[newdeal]

I specifically remember people saying they needed to increase their update schedule to keep up with android so its funny that people are complaining now. They probobly just want to stock pile the 5S so they have enough for their next launch. This will be easy to do since likely the changes will be minimal in design and so they can be assembled along side the 5

[dpcontardi]

Originally Posted by macchrissli

maybe they wanna switch iphone and ipad release frames.
since they now jumped to Q3 with the ipad they might wanna introduce iphones in Q1 from now on... who knows

This is what I thought - targeting iPad sales to the holiday season instead of iPhone

[coffeemadmanUK]

Originally Posted by Stig McNasty

For me (and I imagine a lot of UK users) the need to switch carrier (to EE) in order to benefit from the much vaunted 4G made the iPhone 5 far less compelling than it should be. And I really wanted the 5. If the 5S has the frequencies that the majority of UK carriers will be using for 4G then it can't come soon enough! I don't mind waiting for 4G coverage but I'm not going to spend money on a phone who's key feature I may never be able to use.

There's also the resale issue: The original iPhone 5 will never be of any use to Vodafone, O2 and their various virtual carriers' (Virgin, GiffGaff, Tesco etc) customers, so will have a lower resale value.

You can use Three's 4G network when it launches - they bought spectrum from EE.

[The Phazer]

Originally Posted by everything-i

If its the 5S then it has to be a reasonably significant update, you can't just tweak the case a bit. More likely would be a reconfiguration of some of the internals to make assembly easier. This could easily be releases as a V2 mod to the 5 rather than calling it a 5S.

This is actually pretty much what I meant. I don't think they would actually name it the iPhone 5s, that may well be commentary by the rumourmonger.

For a 5S you are going to have to include some new feature to actually make anyone want to buy it. "Buy our new phone because its easier for us to make" is not a good sales pitch and simply upping the processor speed is going to increase battery drain without some re-engineering of the processor.

Given demand it's questionable if they actually do need to. But I didn't mean a processor upgrade, more along the lines of a quiet bump to the camera to improve the fringing issues, faster or more storage memory (where Apple has been enjoying insane margins that they may have to accept aren't really sustainable if they need to sweeten a deal), the updated Qualcomm chipset in order to give more 4G bands support. Apple are very good at selling improvements in experience over "raw" specs.

If this is indeed the 5S then it is more likely that because of manufacturing problems with the 5 a prototype 5S is going for small scale production runs earlier than its predecessors in order to allow more time to iron out problems and re-engineer production processes before full production begins. This would be the more likely reason if this rumour is even true at all.

Entirely possible.

The 5S does not necessarily need to be thicker, it would be possible to improve the case by using a much harder grade of aluminium alloy but this would add to weight. It is also possible to use harder anodised coatings though this is likely to alter the shade of black on the black model to some extent. This would make it less likely to get scratched during manufacture too improving yields.

Agreed. But I think if they're going to go up in weight and change the colour, they might well bite the bullet and address the battery issue.

[coffeemadmanUK]

Originally Posted by DanielCoffey

This is actually not as unlikely as it sounds...

In the UK, the 4G spectrum auction is underway and the current iPhone5 only supports one carrier's 4G frequency (EE). When the other main carriers such as O2 and Vodaphone get their spectrum allocation early next year, they will be wanting to have an iPhone5 that will work on it.

Another one

Three will use the same spectrum as EE, so the iPhone 5 will work on their network.

[Glassed Silver]

Originally Posted by photographypro

I've owned every iPhone except for the current 5. That's only because I moved to Italy and I don't want to pay $1100 for the latest top-of-the-line (that's the price in Italy for the 64 GB iPhone 5). I was going to wait until June when I return to the United States for a month.

Anyway, I got used to buying a new iPhone every June, until the 4S. This article doesn't say the phone is coming out in January, but maybe June instead of September. That's just like the iPad 4 versus the 3. If Apple has new innovations to put into their products, why not bring them to market sooner?
No one is putting a gun to your head to buy these products! When you buy any product, you make a decision that the product is worth more than your money. You want it, now! There'll always be a better phone down the road. So you either choose to wait forever, or you buy the current top-of-the-line.

That's all true and good, but you're forgetting Apple's love to limit new main features to the latest generation sometimes.
Or some of their apps. (Like iPad 1 cannot run iPhoto... Yeah, right... totally not an artificial limitation)

So the faster a new generation pops up, the more there will be until you can upgrade on a regular 2 year contract again, which essentially means that you're going to get left behind with new software stuff more often.

Hooray?

That's really the only thing that bugs me about all that.
I'd be cool if Apple let me have all their latest apps and all their latest features during those regular 2 years, which - let's be honest - most of us are stuck in that scheme.

I'm totally okay with buying a new iPhone every 2 years Apple, most of us are, or at least many.
Just don't give me the finger after one year.

Glassed Silver:mac

[mccldwll]

Originally Posted by arctic

In other news, the iPad Mini 2 is set to release for Black Friday taking advantage of the holiday shoppers.

The only people surprised or angry by these kinds of news are the newbies.

The only people who believe or try to push these kinds of bogus rumors are the "newbies" (often trolls).

[Rogifan]

Why do people believe anything that comes from DigiTimes?

[iapplelove]

wow. I'm starting to think. **** apple

[Abazigal]

If they start production now, how relevant is the 5s going to be if it does launch next June?

Does anyone think this is just going to be an incremental update to fix what was wrong with the iPhone5, just like what the ipad4 was to the ipad3?

So perhaps a more scratch-resistant casing, faster processor, purple flare issue fixed?

[Moshe1010]

Originally Posted by Macman45

I hate to admit it, but you are probably going to be proved right...BUT...If they do double up on GPU / CPU then surely they would have to call it the 6? I don't think Lithium Polymer technology has caught up far enough to do much more. If Apple stick to the battery life expectancy, then we may have to wait until battery capacity and size catch up.

With their own processor now, they are not limited for anything except for display production. I think they already working on the 6 iPhone, and the 5S is in its final touch-ups.

[wizard]

However nothing has been said about a simple screen update to Sharps new technology. A screen with a 30% power draw drop is really all the excuse they need to introduce am iPhone 5S.

As to the black finish they could always go camo. Sure it would still scratch but it would be much harder to notice or could just be seen as part of he effect. In any event most of this noise about scratching surface finish is just that, metal surface finishes scratch, there is no way around it. People that don't realize that are simply uneducated imbeciles.