The Apple rumor mill has begun to swirl with a flurry of rumors suggesting that we may see both the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6 before the year’s out. According to a new report, the iPhone 5S release date could be slated for as soon as August.
iPhone 5S Release Date
Last year, rumors were circulating that the iPhone 5S release date may be announced as early as late February, but this was always unlikely. Apple shys away from making significant product announcements at trade shows such as the recent Mobile World Conference or Consumer Electronics Show, preferring to launch new products close to the company’s HQ in Cupertino or near-by San Francisco.
It’s possible that Apple could try to take some steam out of the impending Samsung Galaxy S4 launch by announcing the iPhone 5S release date on March 14th, or by sending out invites to an Apple press event.
Chinese-language site EMSOne has reported that the iPhone 5S will be launched alongside a cheaper iPhone, which will be targeted primarily at developing markets, citing analysis from Barclay’s Capital. Both the iPhone 5S and its more affordable counterpart are expected to be produced by Foxconn, Apple’s principal manufacturing partner.
The iPhone 5S is rumored to be a true “world phone”, compatible with China Mobile – the world’s largest mobile carrier. Analysts have been predicting that Apple’s lagging share price will not make a turn-around unless the Cupertino-based electronics giant is able to make inroads in to China, which has over 700 million mobile customers – almost double that of the entire United States market. Despite Apple’s iPhone 5 sales continuing to grow, the company’s stock is now down 19% in this year-to-date.
iPhone 5S Price
This report about a cheaper iPhone and iPhone 5S release date comes just days after a separate rumor from Japan stated that Apple was looking at producing an iPhone from polycarbonate to reduce production costs. That particular report put a price-tag of $330 on the much-rumored “cheap” iPhone. When the iPhone 5S hits stores this year, it’s more than likely that the iPhone 5S price will be about the same as the current iPhone 5 (from $199 on contract).
Do you think that an August iPhone 5S release date is likely? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.