Apple is expected to start production of the iPhone 5S this month and could have already started manufacturing low-cost iPhones, an analyst has claimed. Peter Misek, an analyst from Jefferies has claimed that Apple will start making the iPhone 5S by the end of July, and will launch the phone either in September or October. Misek has also claimed that low-cost iPhones are already being produced and should cost around $300-$400 (Rs. 17,800 – Rs. 23,750 approx.) without carrier subsidies.
At the price that Misek claims, it looks like the low-cost iPhones won’t exactly be budget but will instead compete with mid-range phones like the Nokia Lumia 720, the Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. Misek has also claimed that Apple will order around 50 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2013, an order that will comprise 25 million units of the iPhone 5S, 20 million units of the low-cost iPhone and 5 million units of the iPhone 4S.
Since the the annual iPhone launch event is just around the corner, predictably, the iPhone 5S has been the center of plenty of rumours in the last couple of months. In May, images of what was claimed to be the iPhone 5S’ motherboard hit the Internet. The images hinted at an updated camera module on the iPhone 5S with both the flash and the camera moulded to form one piece instead of two separate pieces. The rumour that the iPhone 5S was already under production had started as early as March of this year with a Japanese tech blog claiming that Foxconn had started ‘partial production’ of the iPhone 5S. No doubt, we will see the number of rumours only increase as we countdown to the launch of the next iPhone.
Source: Business Insider via Cult of Mac