Quoting a trio of individuals with ‘direct knowledge of the company’s supply chain’, the report says production of the iPhone5 won’t begin until July or August, leading to a September shipping date.This ties in with the previous rumors suggesting a Q4 release for the phone, which given Apple’s preference for short lead times indicated a late Q3/early Q4 announcement. Why they’ve decided to extend the life of the iPhone 4 this time isn’t known, but it could be down to many things:
- The White iPhone 4. It’s still supposed to be on its way, don’t forget!
- iOS 5. Perhaps the new software isn’t quite ready?
- Supply Problems. Touchscreens, new camera lenses etc.
- A change in Apple’s release structure across the board.
Reuter’s sources also say the iPhone 5 won’t look all that different to the iPhone 4, something many have also suspected. If the design doesn’t change, the good news is all those iPhone 4 cases won’t be useless; unlike any iPad 1 cases you may have…
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference will take place between the 6th and 10th June 2011.