Report: iPhone 5 To Roll Out In September

The iPhone 5 will begin production in July of this year, with shipping likely to begin in September, according to unnamed sources cited in a Reuters report on Wednesday.

One of the three unnamed individuals reportedly said the iPhone 5 will have a faster processor than the current model but will largely resemble the iPhone 4.

Launch rumours

These dates are similar to those suggested by an analyst report circulated earlier this month, in which Avian Securities said production could begin as late as September.

Various blogs have also suggested that Apple could delay both the next iPhone and a new iOS veresion until later in 2011. That would represent a break from Apple’s usual pattern, which sees each year’s successive iPhone release take place in the summer timeframe.

According to a March posting on Macotakra, a Japanese blog devoted to everything Mac, itself citing “sources in China”, the iPhone 5 won’t debut until the fourth quarter of 2011. Other websites seemed in agreement at the time that Apple hadn’t yet geared up the necessary parts-ordering to push out an iPhone within the usual timeframe.

It is widely expected that developers and media will have their first glimpse of the next iOS at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), set for 6 to 10 June in San Francisco.

Some bloggers have come to the conclusion that Apple will hold back on announcing a new iPhone or any new hardware at the WWDC. The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple wrote in a 28 March posting: “Apple’s apparent focus on software in its WWDC announcement backs up what my own sources are saying about the annual conference… That is, expect a software show in 2011, not a hardware event.”

Features

Meanwhile, speculation runs rampant over possible features in the iPhone 5. While Sony has never been acknowledged as an Apple component maker, for example, 1 April comments by Sony chief executive Howard Stringer have led some to believe the manufacturer will provide the 8-megapixel cameras for the next iPhone.

In addition to higher-resolution cameras, current rumours suggest that the iPhone 5 could include Apple’s A5 proprietary processor, hardware upgraded to enable 3G FaceTime video conferencing, and NFC (near-field communication) technology, which would enable the smartphone to act as an electronic wallet. Over the summer, Apple hired an NFC expert as the new product manager for mobile commerce, in addition to publishing a number of NFC-related patents.