14 DAY TRIAL // A research note issued by Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair paints a new scenario for Apple’s forthcoming event, reportedly scheduled for October 4. The researcher sees only an iPhone 4S launching this year, alongside an iPod touch that accepts SIM cards for 3G wireless, much like the iPad.
Blair’s research note was issued this week, with the analyst expressing quite a bit of confidence in the scenario set forth by him and fellow analysts at Wedge Partners.
The firm believes that Apple will introduce only the rumored iPhone 4S next month, not the much more exciting (though also rumored) teardrop-shaped iPhone 5.
As most rumors peg the device, the iPhone 4S will act as a mere speed bump, said the analyst, whereas the centerpiece of Apple’s fall event will actually be the software:
“We expect the focus of the new iPhone will be iOS 5, a speedier A5 processor and a higher resolution 8 MP camera with a small possibility of a larger 4 inch screen,” Blair wrote, according to BGR.
“We believe the casing will be largely similar to the iPhone with some particular modifications to the antennae [sic]. We don’t expect a second, dramatically different iPhone to accompany this as we don’t think Apple needs to have 3 models in the market to address the high end, mid-tier and low end since the iPhone 4 (with memory lowered to 8 GB) will drop to $99 and effectively attack those markets.”
Blair wondered: “Why would Apple bump up only the processor specs of the iPhone 4 in addition to a newly designed iPhone 5 if the goal is to sell it into the pre-paid market at a lower cost?”
“A 4S would simply cost more and a 4S itself wouldn’t create a mid-tier market unless it was priced at $99 and the iPhone 4 went to $49 with the new iPhone at $199. We see this scenario as unlikely,” he wrote.
But Blair wasn’t done painting Apple’s future. His research note added that a 3G iPod touch should also be announced this year. It would work much like the iPads that do both WiFi and 3G, according to his estimates.