There’s not a whole lot here that we haven’t heard before, but today Nikkei Asian Review reports
that orders into component suppliers indicate Apple’s next-gen iPhone
will debut as early as September in two new screen sizes.
As reported previously by
Bloomberg,
WSJ, and
others,
Nikkei says Apple will introduce a new 4.7-inch iPhone alongside a
larger 5.5-inch model. The report’s cites sources in Apple’s supply
chain and says Apple’s display suppliers– Sharp, Japan Display, &
LG– plan mass production of LCD panels sometime between April-June:
Manufacturers have apparently begun making such components
as fingerprint sensors and chips for liquid-crystal drivers… Mass
production of LCD panels will start as early as the April-June quarter
at Sharp’s Kameyama factory, Japan Display’s Mobara plant, and at other
facilities, according to sources. LG Electronics will supply panels as
well. The new handset’s display resolution is expected to be
significantly higher than that of current models.
The first part of the report is a given: if Apple follows
its past release schedules we’d expect to see a new iPhone unveiling in
September. That being said, the publication has correctly predicted some
dates in the past, like the September 20th launch of the iPhone 5S and
iPhone 5c.