14 DAY TRIAL // Cupertino-based Apple is reportedly working on the release on not one, but two new iPhone models, one of which would arrive on shelves at all major wireless carriers in the United States, dubbed iPhone 4S.
Initially expected to arrive on shelves as iPhone 5, the device would actually prove only a small bump for the already available iPhone 4, and would be pushed to the airwaves of Sprint and T-Mobile too.
While iPhone 5 was long rumored to bring into the mix support for LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, the said iPhone 4S model would lack this feature.
The handset would still offer support for the faster HSPA+ technology, but the inclusion of a chip with fourth-generation LTE radios inside the iPhone was postponed, it seems.
“According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support,” Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek writes in a research note, Forbes reports.
This is not the first time Apple is rumored to have in store a new 3G-only iPhone model for its users, in addition to the iPhone 5 version.
However, the iPhone 4S would certainly be marketed as a 4G-capable device at AT&T and T-Mobile, courtesy of enhanced HSPA+ capabilities.
The new model would be announced sometime in September, while the distribution agreements with Sprint and T-Mobile are expected to be unveiled in time for the holiday season, Misek claims.
The analyst's report also points at the possible arrival of the new iPhone at more wireless carriers around the world, with China Mobile expected to start selling it in the next 12 months.
In the United States, the iPhone 4S would offer users the possibility to choose from any of the four largest operators in the country, following the availability of iPhone 4 through Verizon Wireless too starting with February this year.
Until then, AT&T had exclusivity on the distribution of the iPhone, and benefited from impressive growth courtesy of it. However, it appears that sales have been slowing down at this carrier lately.