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Apple’s next-generation iPhones will be called the iPhone 5S and 5C, Japanese Mac blog Macotakara reported Aug. 12. The blog, which cited sources in Asia, has a good record of having its rumors pan out.
Apple is expected to introduce the smartphones at a Sept. 10 event, AllThingsD first reported Aug. 10.
The company introduced iOS 7 at its Worldwide Developers Conference June 10, saying that it would arrive “this fall.”
It’s expected that the iPhone 5C is the long-talked-about “low-cost” device Apple is said to be working on for developing markets, and that “C” stands for “color.”
According to Macotakara, the iPhone 5C will be a composite of fiberglass and polycarbonate and may come in dark gray, white and champagne gold. Others have suggested a wider array of hues.
Macotakara also quoted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who expects that the 5S will have an 8-megapixel camera, like the iPhone 5, but that the “F-stop will be brighter up to 2.0.”
The Daily Mail has reported that code discovered in iOS 7 suggests that the next iPhone will be capable of playing film in slow motion, and will also include a fingerprint reader for faster and extra-secure logins.
The iPhone set to launch Sept. 10 “will be massively successful,” Global Equities Research said in an Aug. 11 report. With these news phones, the report went on, “Apple may declare thermo-nuclear war on Android!”
Analysts with Global Equities expect that the new iPhones will be slimmer, though that the new iOS 7 interface will create the “optical illusion” that the devices are thicker.
The report also cited iOS developers, who believe the Sept. 10 launch date is accurate. Apple has been urging developers to port their applications on iOS 7 by Sept. 22, offering an indication of the sales date.
Lastly, the analysts cited several reasons for why they expect the new iPhone to be “massively successful and one of the most successful launches.”
One reason is that research has found smartphone users in India, Malaysia, Thailand and even parts of the United States still think of Android devices as a “cheaper iPhone.” Literally.
“If Apple launches a cheaper iPhone, Apple will immediately gain market share against Android, as in many parts of the world, consumers are not well informed and are buying Android phones thinking that they are buying a cheaper iPhone,” said the report.
Likewise, they expect the on-going patent battles between Apple and Samsung to make more people aware that Android devices aren’t made by Apple and aren’t cheaper iPhones.
Among those who already understand the difference, the research firm expects the upcoming film “Jobs,” starring Ashton Kutcher as the late Steve, to provide a “massive tail-wind” to Apple and drive adoption of the new phones.
Fox Business reported Aug. 9 that Apple’s board is “worried about what is in the pipeline” and whether it’s innovative enough to keep Apple’s momentum going.
During Apple’s April earnings call, CEO Tim Cook promised that the company has “amazing new hardware, software and services” in the works that he “can’t wait to introduce this fall and throughout 2014.”