14 DAY TRIAL // After telling the press that iPhone manufacturers are to receive GM builds of the new iOS 5, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also reinforces claims that there will be little to no aesthetic changes in the iPhone 5 (compared with the current-generation hardware).
Kuo specifically outlined in a research note sent to the technology media today that his industry checks have churned up no evidence of a redesigned "iPhone 5".
Rather, his findings in the supply chain point to the "N94" iPhone that has been dubbed by the media as "iPhone 4S".
Kuo stresses that this is the iPhone model Apple plans to ship and that there will be 30 million units manufactured until year’s end.
He adds that Apple partners have also been ordered to assemble an extra 5 million iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS units to smooth out the transition to the next-gen iPhone.
According to MacRumors, the analyst cannot stress enough that there has been no indication of a completely revamped iPhone, though he did obtain some technical specifications for what’s under the hood.
The N94 iPhone, Kuo says, will have 512 MB of RAM (double compared to the current hardware), a camera module whose height is "almost [the] same" as in the iPhone 4, a 3.5-inch display, and a glass front and back.
He also corroborates reports of Foxconn having been tapped to produce 85% of the iPhone 5 load, whereas Pegatron will be assembling 15%. It has been said that Pegatron will only begin to produce next-gen iPhones in 2012.
Now, before signing off, I’d like to point out that Kuo may be onto something here.
Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves also noted in a research note today that the next breed of iPhones will have a 3.5-inch display - exactly like the iPhone 4.
Is it too far fetched to assume there’s chance Apple has been more careful this time around not to leak any iPhone 5 parts, and instead diverted attention with iPhone 4 prototype hardware?