Could Apple launch the next generation iPhone next month? According to AllThingsD, inside sources are claiming that a September 10 event will serve as the new handset’s unveiling. It could also be the first time that Apple shows off two iPhones at once – a high-spec successor to the current iPhone 5, as well as a budget iPhone with a polycarbonate back casing.
As Android-powered smartphones take a commanding chunk of the global market share – 63 percent compared with Apple’s shrinking 32.5 percent – Apple must release a show-stopping device (or devices) to reclaim lost ground. The Cupertino tech giant’s arch-rival, Samsung, has released several iterations of its best-selling flagship handset, the Galaxy S4, which cater to different tastes and budgets.
Samsung also offers multiple screen sizes – all of which are larger than the iPhone’s comparatively tiny 4-inch display (with the standard S4 being a full inch larger).
“iPhone users have clamored for larger screens to combat their insecurities when sidled next to Samsung phones. The different in screen size has bothered Apple fan boys for a while now. It's one of the most obvious ways Apple phones don't measure up to their counterparts,” said The Atlantic.
In June, supply chain sources connected to Apple claimed that the gadget maker was looking at 4.7 and 5.7-inch display panels – possibly to better compete with the Galaxy S4 and upcoming Galaxy Note III. An improved camera has also been hinted at, to go head-to-head with the S4’s 13MP shooter.
But bigger screens and an improved camera aren’t the only expectations for Apple’s next iPhone event. As far as the future flagship model is concerned, a fingerprint sensor may finally be integrated into the iPhone 5S. Apple bought fingerprint security form AuthenTec for $356 million last year, on top of more recent reports that biometric security data was embedded in the iOS 7 Beta 4 code.
A September 10 launch would make sense – as far as Apple’s usual pattern of past iPhone releases.
“[Apple] typically debuts its software update at its June developer conference, tests it for a couple months, then shows the new hardware a couple weeks ahead of the new phone’s availability,” explained AllThingsD.
The polycarbonate-backed iPhone 5C may debut alongside the 5S at Apple’s purported September 10 event. So far, spy photos from China have shown the 5C back cases in red, yellow, green, blue, and white. International Business Times claims that the “plastic” iPhone could be free with a two year contract and between $450 and $550 without.
Apple is rumored to be working on other gadgets, including a new Apple TV and an iWatch, but AllThingsD said that the September 10 event will be exclusively about the next iPhone. Apple has neither confirmed nor denied the speculation.