WSJ Confirms iPhone 5 Later This Year - Here Are The Details
July 6, 2011
Apple has placed orders for key components for the iPhone 5, the next-generation handset that should arrive sometime in the third quarter, according to Lorraine Luk of The Wall Street Journal. Although the details of this report are nothing new, it is significant nonetheless and here is why.
According to the report, the next-generation handset is said to be lighter than the iPhone 4 and include an 8-megapixel camera. In addition, it will operate on Qualcomm Inc.’s wireless baseband chips. The current iPhone model operates on memory chips made by Samsung and baseband chips from Infineon Technologies.
The Journal cautions that while the iPhone 5 should be ready for final assembly in late August, a delay is possible since the new iPhone is “complicated and difficult to assemble.”
They state:
"Apple's sales estimates of the new iPhone is quite aggressive. It told us to prepare to help the company meet its goal of 25 million units by the end of the year," said another person at one of Apple's suppliers. "The initial production volume will be a few million units... we were told to ship the components to assembler Hon Hai in August."All this suggests iPhone 5 availability sometime in September. What makes The Journal’s report significant, isn’t so much the news it contains, but rather who is reporting it. In fact, the report itself contains nothing we haven't heard before. However, The Journal (and The New York Times too) typically reports news that seems to directly come from someone “in the know.” In other words, from Apple. Considering The Journal was correct about the iPad 2 and the Verizon iPhone, for example, consider their story today about the iPhone 5 accurate. In other words, the next-generation iPhone will arrive in September and will “be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4 and sport an 8-megapixel camera.” As a reminder, we have a great iPhone 5 rumors roundup that we’re keeping up to date for those interested in more details. Make sure to check it out. What do you think? Leave your comments below. [Photo: iPhone 5 Concept, LivDigital Independent]
