14 DAY TRIAL // Apparently, there’s more to Ming-Chi Kuo’s research note than we had previously thought. The KGI Securities analyst wrote in his analysis on Apple’s 2013 roadmap that the iPhone 5S might also boast fingerprint scanning and an improved camera, in addition to the A7 chip.
For one reason or another, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo with KGA Securities believes Apple won’t wait until the iPhone 6 to introduce an upgraded A7 processor. Instead, the new (yet unconfirmed) chip will make its way into the iPhone 5S, he says.
It’s fairly possible, as every “S” iPhone iteration has been upgraded internally, not externally.
Yet we somehow feel there’s little oomph left for the iPhone 6, should Apple pursue the launch of both the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6 this year, as the humorists have pegged it.
In any case, this is just a rough estimate based on Kuo’s checks with Apple’s suppliers. It’s not necessarily a given, but it’s certainly an informed prediction.
What’s more interesting is that Kuo has also heard that Apple might introduce fingerprint scanning in its next iPhone. This would be the result of Apple’s acquisition of Authentec reported last year, though we’re hearing that the deal is yet to be finalized.
Another hardware improvement in the iPhone 5S, as predicted by Kuo, is an upgraded camera module with an f2.0 aperture and a smart LED flash.
The iPhone 5 already takes crisp photos even in poor lighting conditions so any improvement to the aperture is sure to make the 5S into an even better photography device.
The handset, if confirmed by Apple, could arrive at the company’s annual developer conference in the June-July timeframe. If the Cupertino giant decides not to break tradition, then we should see the iPhone 5S (as the only iPhone refresh this year) emerge in fall 2013.