14 DAY TRIAL // Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White kicks off his predictions for 2013 with a research note on Apple with a particular focus on the rumored iPhone 5S, which the analyst believes will sport multiple variations in screen sizes and color.
Weighing in on the declining AAPL stock price, White says, “We believe tax-related selling was largely to blame for the downward bias in the stock price as we exited 2012 and this created a negative news cycle around Apple that we believe will be broken as we enter 2013.”
The analyst working with Topeka Capital Markets believes that “there is still plenty to look forward to at Apple, including the potential for greater choices (i.e., colors, sizes) around the next iPhone in 2013, combined with accelerating momentum with the iPad mini and continued strength with the iPad franchise at large.”
The next-generation iPhone will represent a big leap from earlier models in terms of technical specifications, according to White, cited by BGR.
“Our checks indicate that the next iPhone will have more choices for customers,” the analyst writes.
He adds, “This entails an expansion in both the color patterns and screen sizes with the next iPhone (i.e., likely called the iPhone 5S) that we currently believe will be launched in May/June with certain supply production starting in March/April.”
Echoing a belief shared by many voices in the tech media, White says that the phone will be available in five different colors: pink, yellow, blue, white & silver and black & slate.
Perhaps more interestingly, the analyst also believes that the iPhone 5S will come in two different screen sizes, a first for Apple.
“Our checks are also indicating that the next iPhone will offer customers more choice in terms of screen size,” he said.
White argues that Apple has never offered multiple screen sizes for a single model, even though the company offers a 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5 and a 3.5-inch display on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4.
“We believe this is about to change with the next iPhone offering different screen sizes that we believe will allow Apple to better bifurcate the market and expand its reach,” he writes.