Apple supply chain points to "iPhone 4S" in Sept., iPad 3 prototype in early 2012

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
A second investment research firm on Monday cited sources in Taiwan as indicating that Apple's fifth-generation iPhone will hit the market early in the third quarter and also did its part to pour cold water on rumors of an iPad 3 launch prior to next year and a low-cost iPhone in 2011.



iPhone 4S by early October



Pointing to "recent Apple supply chain checks," FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger said production of the company's fifth-generation iPhone has come into view for component suppliers "like Broadcom, Qualcomm, and Omnivision," each of which are indicating "a late September or early October" manufacturing ramp for the handset.



In a note to clients on the matter, Berger identified the new iPhone as going by the code name "N94" and indicated that his sources have referred to the device under the presumed marketing name "iPhone 4S," which would suggest the handset will arrive as an evolutionary upgrade to the existing iPhone 4 rather than a radical redesign like the ones that took place during the transition from the original iPhone to the iPhone 3G and from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4.



No low-cost iPhone model



Berger, who is placing bets on Apple introducing the new handset during its annual post?Labor Day media event in the first half of September, added that his sources "see no near-term plans for a low-end iPhone for emerging markets, or a new iPhone in a transparent case."



First iPad 3 prototype expected early in 2012



Additionally, the analyst pointed to conversations with the same supply chain contacts in reporting that Apple has been "evaluating various touchscreen displays" for its third-generation iPad.



Thought he acknowledged conjecture and speculation over the possibility that such a device could launch later this year, he said his intelligence suggests that the company's progress with display manufacturers indicates a prototype of the next iPad won't be ready until early 2012, implying an announcement would again likely come in the spring.







"This should squarely put to rest any debate about a 2011 launch of the iPad 3 -- after all, Apple is severely supply constrained on the iPad 2, and it is by far the best-performing and functioning tablet in the world," the analyst wrote.



Mixed opinions on low-cost iPhone



Berger is the second analyst for a major investment research firm to issued a report in the past 24 hours citing sources in Taiwan regarding a September launch of a fifth-generation iPhone.



Late Sunday evening, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Hubery pointed to recent meetings with unnamed individuals in the region in boldly stating that, "Apple?s next iPhone will begin production in mid to late August and ramp aggressively" into the calendar fourth quarter.



Unlike Berger, however, she wouldn't completely discount rumors of a low-cost iPhone, stating instead that Apple is forecasting a large iPhone unit increase in 2012 "on the back of new products and potentially lower price points."



Various major news outlets reported this spring that Apple is planning a cheaper iPhone model, which analysts believe would help the company make gains in emerging and prepaid mobile markets.



For his part in the matter, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore proclaimed in his own research report Monday that "It's time for a mid-range iPhone," saying he believes Apple will offer a lower-end iPhone priced between $300 and $500 when paired with a pre-paid voice offering come September.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 32
    Have the iPods become the neglected step children of Apple Insider?



    I don't read many stories about them here. The same goes for the Mac Mini.



    Do analysts just not care about those products? Certainly they add to the Apple bottom line.



    Are there so few innovations in these lines that writing about them isn't interesting? There aren't really any more innovations with phones. They both use similar processors. I'd like to know what types of processors are used in the Shuffle and Nano models. We read so much about what goes into iPhones and Macs yet never read about the technical doohickeys that go into the lower priced products.



    The phones might get new screens, chips, and radios. Don't the iPods get those things too?
  • Reply 2 of 32
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    Even if it's just an iPhone 4S in spirit.... it needs to be called iPhone 5 for one good reason...



    iPhone 5 and iOS 5



    That sounds sooo much better... and much easier to market it.
  • Reply 3 of 32
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    A second investment research firm on Monday cited sources in Taiwan as indicating that Apple's fifth-generation iPhone will hit the market early in the third quarter and also did its part to pour cold water on rumors of an iPad 3 launch prior to next year and a low-cost iPhone in 2011.



    This makes no sense.



    Assuming that they are talking about calendar quarters, this would mean a July release which does not jibe with other rumors. A July release would be dependent on a manufacturing ramp in June and we haven't heard any supply chain rumors of Apple placing huge orders of components recently.



    Also, it is likely the fifth-generation iPhone would ship with iOS 5, which we know from Apple will not ship until September.



    They cannot be talking about fiscal quarters. Apple's fiscal 2011 ends on Saturday 24 September. Fiscal Q3 ended this past Saturday.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Michael Scrip View Post


    Even if it's just an iPhone 4S in spirit.... it needs to be called iPhone 5 for one good reason...



    iPhone 5 and iOS 5



    That sounds sooo much better... and much easier to market it.



    And we all know what Steve's feelings about simplicity are...
  • Reply 4 of 32
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Smallwheels View Post




    Have the iPods become the neglected step children of Apple Insider?



    I don't read many stories about them here.



    The phones might get new screens, chips, and radios. Don't the iPods get those things too?



    The average selling price for the iPhone 4 is $650



    iPod Touch? $300



    Apple sold 18 million iPhones last quarter... the most ever.



    iPod sales? Down last quarter...



    Apple is doubling-down on phones... and the media reports as such.
  • Reply 5 of 32
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,123member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "... and it is by far the best-performing and functioning tablet in the world," the analyst wrote.



    As opposed to the best-performing non-functional tablet?



    Sounds like a clear b!t<h-slap at Android and RIM...
  • Reply 6 of 32
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    I see no need for a new "low cost" or "mid range" iPhone that breaks the iPhone form factor... the "mid range" iPhone already been addressed by the 3GS.



    As for the iPad 3... who cares when a prototype delivers? Apple had been making prototypes of the iPhone and iPad for years without releasing a product. Products are what affect sales numbers, not protos.
  • Reply 7 of 32
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    Man.



    Everyone is just pulling shit out of their ass now.



    Nobody knows squat.
  • Reply 8 of 32
    paul94544paul94544 Posts: 1,027member
    It may sound better but I think it will make it harder to market.



    Initially yes iPhone5 running iOS5 but that would mean Apple would have to probably link every subsequent iPhone to an iOS number so they match



    In effect, hardwiring or hard coding a physical device name to it's OS, which is fundementally a bad idea because then you can't deliver the next OS until you brand a new physical phone.



    Say for instance the new iPhone comes out with iOS as you suggest then Apple decides that a new OS for mac is needed at some later date and that includes the Mac line say IOS6. But the engineering folks don't have a new phone yet to load it on, so forced to have Iphone 5's running iOS6 , big oops . AND conversely if the physical Iphone 6 came out and the iOS6 isn't ready - hands are tied again



    BAD IDEA yes? Don't want to link software to hardware so drastically, in fact the whole point about having a phone is flexibility - It is normal to upgrade the OS more times than the hardware , the way around the difficulty is to do incremental releases. But sometimes it helps to go up a major release of the OS for marketing and competitive reasons. And then there is the whole 3G - 4G does the G mean generation or bandwidth confusion in mind of consumers.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Michael Scrip View Post


    Even if it's just an iPhone 4S in spirit.... it needs to be called iPhone 5 for one good reason...



    iPhone 5 and iOS 5



    That sounds sooo much better... and much easier to market it.



  • Reply 9 of 32
    jexusjexus Posts: 373member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msantti View Post


    Man.



    Everyone is just pulling shit out of their ass now.



    Nobody knows squat.



    Hit drought. Tis be an ugly beast.
  • Reply 10 of 32
    paul94544paul94544 Posts: 1,027member
    I think it may be neccessary to squat in order to pull shit out of ass? so they do know squat. Better yet try an enema! and as to the suggestion of pouring cold water on it by a previous poster , it's really much more bareable with warm water





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msantti View Post


    Man.



    Everyone is just pulling shit out of their ass now.



    Nobody knows squat.



  • Reply 11 of 32
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paul94544 View Post


    It may sound better but I think it will make it harder to market.



    They already do this with the iPhone 4. iOS 4 is a separate tab at www.apple.com/iphone



    It is likely that each new iPhone will have a new operating system to fully exploit the new hardware's features. From a software development standpoint, it makes more sense building in that hardware support into the upcoming release.
  • Reply 12 of 32
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paul94544 View Post


    It may sound better but I think it will make it harder to market.



    Initially yes iPhone5 running iOS5 but that would mean Apple would have to probably link every subsequent iPhone to an iOS number so they match



    In effect, hardwiring or hard coding a physical device name to it's OS, which is fundementally a bad idea because then you can't deliver the next OS until you brand a new physical phone.



    Say for instance the new iPhone comes out with iOS as you suggest then Apple decides that a new OS for mac is needed at some later date and that includes the Mac line say IOS6. But the engineering folks don't have a new phone yet to load it on, so forced to have Iphone 5's running iOS6 , big oops . AND conversely if the physical Iphone 6 came out and the iOS6 isn't ready - hands are tied again



    BAD IDEA yes? Don't want to link software to hardware so drastically, in fact the whole point about having a phone is flexibility - It is normal to upgrade the OS more times than the hardware , the way around the difficulty is to do incremental releases. But sometimes it helps to go up a major release of the OS for marketing and competitive reasons. And then there is the whole 3G - 4G does the G mean generation or bandwidth confusion in mind of consumers.



    In case you haven't noticed, every iOS and iPhone refresh has been tied together.
  • Reply 13 of 32
    cloudgazercloudgazer Posts: 2,161member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paul94544 View Post


    In effect, hardwiring or hard coding a physical device name to it's OS, which is fundementally a bad idea because then you can't deliver the next OS until you brand a new physical phone.



    Of course you can - that's what minor version numbers are for
  • Reply 14 of 32
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paul94544 View Post


    It may sound better but I think it will make it harder to market.



    Initially yes iPhone5 running iOS5 but that would mean Apple would have to probably link every subsequent iPhone to an iOS number so they match



    In effect, hardwiring or hard coding a physical device name to it's OS, which is fundementally a bad idea because then you can't deliver the next OS until you brand a new physical phone.



    Say for instance the new iPhone comes out with iOS as you suggest then Apple decides that a new OS for mac is needed at some later date and that includes the Mac line say IOS6. But the engineering folks don't have a new phone yet to load it on, so forced to have Iphone 5's running iOS6 , big oops . AND conversely if the physical Iphone 6 came out and the iOS6 isn't ready - hands are tied again



    BAD IDEA yes? Don't want to link software to hardware so drastically, in fact the whole point about having a phone thats is flexible - We normally upgrade the OS more times than the hardware , the way around the difficulty is to do incremental releases. But sometimes it helps to go up a major release of the OS for marketing and competitive reasons. And then there is the whole 3G - 4G does the G mean generation or bandwidth confusion in mind of consumers.



    True... but iPhone 4S just sounds pitiful. The iPhone 3G to 3GS was fine in 2009... but do you know what superphones Apple is going up against these days?



    I'm saying... market the hell out of it this time. Sell people on iOS 5 and the iPhone 5... we know they're both coming in a couple months.



    You're right... tying the software version number to the hardware might be trouble. But for now... it makes sense.



    Who knows... iPhone 6 might be called iPhone Pro or something... or if Apple makes a 2nd new model the naming won't match anymore either.



    But for this year? Rock it Apple... 5 all the way!



    BTW... every iPhone has had a new version of iOS...
  • Reply 15 of 32
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Michael Scrip View Post


    The average selling price for the iPhone 4 is $650



    iPod Touch? $300



    Apple sold 18 million iPhones last quarter... the most ever.



    iPod sales? Down last quarter...



    Apple is doubling-down on phones... and the media reports as such.



    Incomplete Facts.



    iPod Touch Sales were stronger last quarter than year ago same quarter. The old iPod is the one losing steam, not the Touch.



    http://files.shareholder.com/downloa...193/filing.pdf



    Excerpts from the 10-Q 2011 Q2:



    Quote:

    Net sales of iPod decreased $261 million or 14% during the second quarter of 2011, and decreased $227 million or 4% during the

    first six months of 2011 compared to the same periods in 2010. Similarly, iPod unit sales decreased by 17% and 11% in the second

    quarter of 2011 and first six months of 2010, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2010. However, net sales per iPod unit

    sold increased from $171 in the second quarter of 2010 to $177 in the second quarter of 2011, and increased from $165 for the first

    six months of 2010 to $177 for the first six months of 2011. The increases in net sales per iPod unit sold resulted from a shift in

    product mix toward iPod touch.
    Net sales of iPod accounted for 6% and 10% of the Company?s total net sales for the second quarter

    of 2011 and first six months of 2011, respectively.



  • Reply 16 of 32
    cloudgazercloudgazer Posts: 2,161member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    iPod Touch Sales were stronger last quarter than year ago same quarter. The old iPod is the one losing steam, not the Touch.



    Kinda sad that we'll probably never see another iPod Classic refresh, especially as we're still years away from a Touch having the same kind of storage.
  • Reply 17 of 32
    pokepoke Posts: 506member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Michael Scrip View Post


    Even if it's just an iPhone 4S in spirit.... it needs to be called iPhone 5 for one good reason...



    iPhone 5 and iOS 5



    That sounds sooo much better... and much easier to market it.



    Plus it makes no logical sense. The iPhone 3GS was the 3rd iPhone and was followed by the iPhone 4. If the "S" meant a incremental improvement not worthy of a new version number then the iPhone 4 would be the iPhone 3 and we'd be talking about the upcoming 3S.
  • Reply 18 of 32
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paul94544 View Post


    I think it may be neccessary to squat in order to pull shit out of ass? so they do know squat. Better yet try an enema! and as to the suggestion of pouring cold water on it by a previous poster , it's really much more bareable with warm water



    Me, reading this:







    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Robin Huber View Post


    Just want iWeb users to be heard, see signature.



    Thanks for adding absolutely nothing to this thread. Because Internet petitions are worth less than the code used to create them.
  • Reply 19 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    A second investment research firm on Monday cited sources in Taiwan as indicating that Apple's fifth-generation iPhone will hit the market early in the third quarter and also did its part to pour cold water on rumors of an iPad 3 launch prior to next year and a low-cost iPhone in 2011.





    ....





    Of course this would add weight to the earlier story and pour some more cold water to the rumour, when, they have been talking to the same source*. I imagine AppleInsider would go as far as confirm the whole story as definitive and a done deal once there are enough quotes from these 'analyst' and their confidential meetings.



    Next!







    *(I'm assuming, since there was no source mention)
  • Reply 20 of 32
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post




    Incomplete Facts.



    iPod Touch Sales were stronger last quarter than year ago same quarter. The old iPod is the one losing steam, not the Touch.



    http://files.shareholder.com/downloa...193/filing.pdf



    Excerpts from the 10-Q 2011 Q2:



    Net sales of iPod decreased $261 million or 14% during the second quarter of 2011, and decreased $227 million or 4% during the

    first six months of 2011 compared to the same periods in 2010. Similarly, iPod unit sales decreased by 17% and 11% in the second

    quarter of 2011 and first six months of 2010, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2010. However, net sales per iPod unit

    sold increased from $171 in the second quarter of 2010 to $177 in the second quarter of 2011, and increased from $165 for the first

    six months of 2010 to $177 for the first six months of 2011. The increases in net sales per iPod unit sold resulted from a shift in

    product mix toward iPod touch. Net sales of iPod accounted for 6% and 10% of the Company’s total net sales for the second quarter

    of 2011 and first six months of 2011, respectively.



    If I'm reading that document correctly... Apple did make more money from the iPod on average because people are buying the more expensive iPod Touch...



    BUT they still sold fewer units and made less money overall...



    In other words... iPod sales did go down.



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