14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has reportedly ordered its Asian manufacturers to make the preparations for producing the next generation of iPhones, with production capacity set at 20 million units per month.
Sources in Taiwan say Apple plans to launch two new iPhone models in the third quarter of 2013, but it might unveil them as soon as June.
“The two new iPhones, to be unveiled in June at the earliest, will include a revised version of the iPhone 5 and another low-cost iPhone model, which will be comparable to the iPhone 4S in hardware specifications but with a lower specification display and processor,” according to the sources cited in the report.
The Cupertino giant has its annual Worldwide Developers Conference lined up for June 10-14. The first day of the conference will feature a keynote presentation by Apple’s executives, as confirmed recently.
In the past, WWDC has been the main Apple event for unveiling new iPhones. And it appears this year the company might push for a summer release yet again.
The same sources pinpointed that “Shipments of new iPhones are expected to start at the end of June and reach a peak in August-September” with 100-120 million units to be shipped in the second half of the year.
At an investor gathering last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook maintained that everyone’s expectations (regarding new products) are to materialize in fall of 2013.
While the company had already confirmed its Worldwide Developers Conference, Cook dropped no hints regarding any potential hardware announcements at this particular event.
WWDC 2013 is expected to yield iOS 7 and OS X 10.9. However, should iOS 7 be a major revision which makes more sense on different hardware (i.e. a larger display), it is fairly possible that Apple will want to launch the software alongside a new iPhone model too.