Feb 22, 2011 15:25 GMT  ·  By

FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger said in a note today that Apple is forced to delay the planned summer launch of its fifth-generation iPhone, citing suppliers’ inability to produce the necessary parts in time.

Quoted by the Business Insider’s SAI branch, Berger said "For the iPhone 5, we continue to hear that a July launch is unlikely.”

He claims that “various casing suppliers and touch suppliers [are] still ramping up, with some chip vendors not having yet received firm iPhone 5 orders, and with other sockets like the image sensor (most likely going to Omnivision exclusively, but with some potential for Sony to split that socket) still in flux.”

Berger pinpoints that, “Given these factors, we think a September launch is more likely, off from Apple's traditional iPhone launch schedule, but giving the firm more time to enhance its next-generation instant communications on the phone."

According to the analyst, who cites its own “contacts,” Apple is planning to build 100 million iPhones during calendar year 2011 - a "much stronger" estimate than that of Wall Street analysts who anticipated a production of 75 million units.

Berger also claims to have heard that Apple has increased its iPad target to 45 million units, up from a previously noted 38 million, Business Insider reports.

For calendar year 2011, Apple is expected to make at least three major announcements, the first of which may be revamped MacBook Pro computers with Light Peak technology, Intel Sandy Bridge processors, and new storage options, including internal SSD (solid state drives).

A second announcement would be the iPad 2. According to various sources, the second-generation of Apple tablets should also emerge soon, though recent reports indicate this product has been delayed as well, due to similar reasons as the ones mentioned by Berger for the iPhone 5.

Finally, the third major announcement constitutes the iPhone 5.

Recent reports indicate Apple is already building the white version of the handset, though such claims remain unverified to say the least.