Details about Apple’s newest smartphone may be less than a month away. The company is planning an iPhone launch for September 10, according to All Things Digital. The big question is whether Apple will focus on new innovations in an effort to encourage upgrades, or whether it will launch a midrange iPhone in an effort to attract new smartphone users and win over Android users. Of course Apple could do both of these things this fall. There have been plenty of rumors during the summer about a “budget iPhone,” as well as about the next generation of the iconic device.
A September 10 launch date would have the newest iPhone launching almost exactly a year after the iPhone 5. The new model is expected to be called the 5S, and many have predicted a larger screen size. Most of the high end Android phones launched during the past six months have displays of 4.3 – 5.0 inches. The iPhone 5 has a 4-inch screen, and Apple has reportedly decided to increase the screen size for the next generation.
Another expected innovation for the next generation iPhone is a sensor that would identify the phone’s owner by using his/her fingerprint as a password. Last summer, Apple purchased sensor chip designer AuthenTec, which specializes in fingerprint recognition technology. The technology is used for secure mobile payments; even before the Apple acquisition, AuthenTec’s technology was used to authenticate payments made by mobile phones in Japan. Fingerprint recognition technology also appeared last week in Pantech’s new Vega LTE-A smartphone.
Peter Misek of Jefferies & Company estimates that Apple’s Asian manufacturing operations are ramping up to produce up to 15 million units of the new iPhone, and an equal number of a less expensive model. Misek expects the “budget” iPhone to be priced between $300 and $400 without a subsidy.
As U.S. carriers and their customers focus increasingly on prepaid plans and on service plans that allow more frequent device upgrades, a midrange iPhone may struggle to find its niche. Consumers may find it much more economical to buy a used iPhone from a third party and purchase a SIM card from their carrier than to pay for a “budget iPhone.”
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