A new iPhone, one that looks the same as the iPhone 5, may be released this summer.
Apple plans to start production on the new phone in the second quarter of this year, said The Wall Street Journal, citing “people familiar with the device’s production.”
The phone — presumably the “iPhone 5S” — could be ready in time to be available in the summer, the time of year used to launch the original iPhone in 2007, and the three subsequent models from 2008 through 2010. The iPhone 4S was released in October 2011, and the iPhone 5 in September 2012, a move some thought was timed to better position sales to holiday shoppers.
Apple also may have a less-expensive iPhone available that “could be launched as soon as the second half of this year,” the Journal said, citing the same sources.
Apple declines to comment on reports about future products.
There has been speculation for a few years that Apple would come out with a cheaper iPhone. It would make more sense now than ever for the company to do so with the continuing success of Android phones, available from a variety of manufacturers and with a range of prices.
However, Android fans also speak of the appeal of larger screen sizes; yet even the high-end iPhone will likely have the same 4-inch screen, small compared to the Samsung Galaxy S 4’s 5-inch screen.
