Apr 12, 2011 07:58 GMT  ·  By

Back-and-forth rumors relating to the plausible timeframe for Apple’s iPhone 5 launch culminate this week with a research note dished out by Avian Securities whose analysts told investors on Monday that production on the new handset is not slated to commence until September.

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (scheduled to kick off June 6 this year) has generally been the time and place to unveil new iPhone hardware since 2007.

"Supporting out comments over the last month, conversations with yet another key component supplier indicates that production for iPhone-5 will begin in September,” reads the note.

Apple’s fiscal 2011 ends around that time, which pushes the iPhone 5 into the company’s fiscal year 2012 - quite disruptive for the annual refresh cycle Apple fans have grown accustomed to.

The researchers outline that this is “consistent” with their findings in the supply chain in recent months.

Based on this, “we believe the consensus view is moving towards this scenario,” the note says.

Avian also resurrects older rumors of an iPhone mini or iPhone nano, saying “In addition, our conversations also indicate the existence of a lower-spec/lower-priced iPhone in Apple's roadmap.”

“However, while our contacts have seen the placeholder in the Apple roadmap, they do not yet have insight into specs or production timing,” Avian Securities adds.

“This leads us to believe that any launch is likely a very late 2011 or more likely a 2012 event.”

Avian outlines for skeptical investors that its analysts have been able to obtain “several data-points in recent months pointing to the existence of a lower-spec/lower-price iPhone.”

The research firm acknowledges the media’s interest in covering stories about “a lower-spec/lower-price iPhone […] though we do not believe consensus currently discounts the existence of such a model."