With iPhone 4S on the horizon, Apple to slow iPhone 4 shipments

By on May 18, 2011 at 9:59 AM
mobile May 18, 2011

A report from DigiTimes is suggesting that Apple will begin to slow the production and shipment of the iPhone 4 in preparation for the arrival of the iPhone 4S, which could land as soon as this September. Apple has reportedly dropped its planned shipment volume for the second quarter from 20 million units to 17.5-18 million units. DigiTimes is also reporting that the iPhone 4S will be available in GSM / CDMA flavors and will offer an upgraded 8-megapixel camera — with optics provided by OmniVision Technologies and Largan Precision. Production is expected to begin in August. While Apple may be planning iPhone 4S launches on T-Mobile and Sprint, it appears that a 4G LTE model won’t hit the market until next year.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

Read

Tags:
, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
66 Comments

Related Articles

  • http://profiles.google.com/the1aboveall James Padilla

    I honestly don’t care if its called iPhone 4S or 5 just bring it to Sprint.  My service is great and I very rarely drop a call.  Bring this to SPRINT!!! 

    • http://about.me/brandonmccall brandonmccall

       Please do.

    • UndeadNexus

      Please don’t

  • http://about.me/brandonmccall brandonmccall

     I’m counting on this.

  • Pwaswani

    Bring it on apple. Thanks BGR

  • Anonymous

    And so it begins.  Apple, once the undisputed innovator in the smartphone space has become the also ran.  4G is the new black.  If Apple ships a new phone without a 4G radio they will be making a huge mistake.  You can’t have the leading brand without a cutting edge flagship product.

    • Anonymous

      Verizon has 4G in just over 50 cities. AT&T just over 20 cities. Verizon has had 2 outages so far that lasted days. Tell me again why 4G is a “madatory” thing again?

      • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR6HpRLyzMY Walter Sobchak

        Don’t you use quotations, when you are quoting someone?
        Oh and what’s “madatory” anyways? Does it have to do with bull-fighting?

      • Anonymous

        suck me (_)_)/////////D  

      • numetheus

        Quotes are used like you specified. They are also used for other purposes. As I learned in school, quotes are also used as an expression of sarcasm or incredulity, as well as for other reasons. There are several uses for quotes.

      • Anonymous

        Well, let’s see, by the time Apple rolls out a 4G device it will be everywhere but they will be very late to the party.  Their then new phone will be “old’.  It will be a “me too” device.  But most important, it will not be “cool”.  

        Apple as a brand has always been more about marketing than excellence in innovation.  Their devices have to be “cool”.   If they come late with a 4G phone, at this stage in the cycle, they won’t be cool.  It is pretty hard to market “old” and “me too”.  Apple is in very real danger of becoming Nokia 4-5 years ago.  

      • Anonymous

        The 2007 iphone had the edge(2G) network and 3G was wide spread hell my AT&T samsung flip at the time had 3G. That didn’t hurt them a bit.

      • Anonymous

        Do you understand the difference between the smartphone market now versus
        2007? Do you understand that the market was then in its infancy and, as you
        suggest, choices were limited. That is no longer the case. There are many,
        many choices.

        Apple fans will buy iPhones. They are loyal to the brand. The rest of the
        people will buy other phones and they will be lost.

      • Michael Scrip

        Is every single phone purchased from a Verizon store right now a 4G phone?

        No… Verizon has two 4G phones out of 30 phones.

        I could see your point if 100% of Verizon phones sold were the Thunderbolt and the Charge… and they never sold a 3G phone ever again.

        But, lots of people are happy with “only” 3G. 

      • Anonymous

        Sigh, you’re missing my point.  Apple’s brand is predicated on being “cool”.  4G is the new “cool”.  Apart from the fact that all of the major Apple competitors will have 4G phones at Verizon by the end of the year, you neglect the fact that they will also be able to advertise as being the “fastest”.  For computers, fast is very, very good.  If Apple ceases to be “cool”, the brand is diminished, perhaps irreparably. 

         

      • Michael Scrip

        4G is a spec… just like GHz, ppi, IPS, etc.

        Specs don’t really matter though.

        Hell, how many iPhones did I say Apple sold last quarter? 18 million?

        But, but, but…. the iPhone 4 came out 1 months ago!

        People must really think it’s “cool” in order to get one now…

    • Anonymous

      When were they the undisputed innovator?

      • Anonymous

        They were with iPhone and 3G for sure.  They were with iPod and iPad.  Apple has a tendency to rest on their laurels.  They’re in real danger of becoming an also ran smartphone as the Android phones leapfrog them in terms of hardware and software integration.  They should be more concerned about letting that happen.

      • Michael Scrip

         – “They’re in real danger of becoming an also ran smartphone as the Android phones leapfrog them in terms of hardware and software integration.”

        Apple sold 18 million iPhones last quarter alone… despite all the other rockstar Android phones out there.

        Which Android manufacturer was behind them?  Samsung with 10 million smartphones.  Whoops…

        Also… I chuckle at “software integration” when talking about Android.  You’ve got Google making the OS… the manufacturer making the hardware and attempting their own skin on top of it… and the carriers adding their bullshit apps to the mix.

        Yeah…. that’s really integrated… how about OS updates delivered to every Android handset at once?  

        Android is about as dis-integrated as you can be… 

      • Anonymous

         ”Apple sold 18 million iPhones last quarter alone… despite all the other rockstar Android phones out there.”

        And your point is exactly what?  Do you understand that once upon a time there was a vertically integrated cell phone maker that reigned supreme over all others?  All of their stuff was proprietary and like Apple they too rested on their laurels.  That company is Nokia.  Here is a fact you will not like.  Android is growing faster than Apple in EVERY metric.

        “Also… I chuckle at “software integration” when talking about Android.  You’ve got Google making the OS… the manufacturer making the hardware and attempting their own skin on top of it… and the carriers adding their bullshit apps to the mix.
        Yeah…. that’s really integrated… how about OS updates delivered to every Android handset at once?  ”
        Apparently you don’t understand.  The skins are what distinguishes one Android phone from the next.  It is — wait for it — CHOICE.  People will always choose choice over, well no choice.  And, just so you know, the Android phones are better than iPhone.  Almost everything is better on Android already.  Email, browsing the web, media playback (no iTunes, multiple file formats), notifications, voice activation, maps etc.  I would hate to think what it will be like in 1-2 years.

        “Android is about as dis-integrated as you can be…”

        And yet it is growing four times as fast as Apple.  

    • Anonymous

      Apple as with all things, won’t add a feature to their devices until they can figure out how to work around the battery issue and 4G. They made a mistake in the past on the 1st available iPhone with 3G that won’t be repeated.

      • Anonymous

         Okay, I gotta say this because this myth that Apple iPhones have great battery life is just that, a myth.  I have an iPhone.  Many of my friends have iPhones.  EVERY single one them (and me) say that the battery life sucks!  It really does.  The phones need to be charged every day just like every other smartphone.  I wish Apple would find some other excuse for leaving their devices without features other than “battery life” because, well, the battery life on their phones suck.

      • Anonymous

        I’m with you. But coming from an EVO 4G where the battery life with normal use is 3-4 hours, I can appreciate only having to charge my phone once a day. Like my iPad, if only having to put my device on the charger before hitting the sac, I’ll take it. If you think about it, how often do you find yourself needing to rely on multiple day battery leniancy? And if you did, you would make adjustments to elongate the battery life. Just saying…

      • Anonymous

        From what I have been told (I did not own one), battery life on the Sprint
        4G was terrible but I have seen many, many other newer 4G phones reviewed
        and the battery life was not an issue. So, why is it that Apple can’t
        do whatever these manufacturers have done?

        in my opinion, the reason Apple is not implementing 4G radios is not
        thickness or battery life. It’s cost… to them. They are in the business
        of making money and the current radios will hurt their profit margins. It’s
        like putting the crap cameras in the iPad 2. They put them in because they
        were cheap and the people who buy their devices don’t care. They’re just
        buying the brand.

        My point is people will care going forward. The smartphone market is
        maturing. Players are establishing footholds. People are going to find
        that they get better devices for less money than Apple devices. It’s Toyota
        (Android) versus Mercedes (Apple). Eventually the Toyotas get better and
        better because they continually innovate (faster hardware ad software
        integration). They become Lexus. People will always buy Mercedes but
        market share will shrink.

        What bothers me about Apple is that they ALWAYS do this. Its like some
        giant flaw everyone sees except them.

      • Anonymous

         Yeah, but 4G currently makes things worse. Battery life is already too short.

      • Anonymous

        I have seen many, many 4G phones reviewed and apparently, battery life is
        NOT an issue. Samsung has a number of these devices.

  • DonRSD aka PSN DonVCorleone

    no need for 4G, yet…..its a battery killer and as widely available as 3g.

    as far as the iPhone 4s, its mine on day 1!!!

     

  • Anonymous

    4 inch screen, 4G, please and thank you. Oh yea, make mine silver like the MB Air.

  • MrJobsLiver

    ooooh ahhhhh 8 mp camera…. revolutionary.

    • DonRSD aka PSN DonVCorleone

       APPLE 5MP CAMERA DESTROYS MY OLD SPRINT EVO 8MP CAMERA.
      I CAN ONLY INAGINE WHAT AN IPHONE 8MP CAMERA WILL BE LIKE :)

      • Anonymous

        Yeah so maybe their camera is better than the 8mp camera in all my android phones, but can it predict the future like my phones do? I take a pic with any of my 20 phones and thru the power of android I can see the next hour before it happens! That, is the power of openness and freedom!

      • http://twitter.com/MrKow84 Kyle

        You Sir/Ma’am are an Idiot..
        That is all..

      • Anonymous

        @twitter-152648821:disqus 

        Oh, did I offend the pretty little Apple Fanboy???  Did I?  Did I?  Well, take it like a man!  This is the way Goofans (aka Apple Haters) are!  We are MEN!

      • MrJobsLiver

        Kyle,

        Another symptom of ingesting magical unicorn semen is putting two periods at the end of a sentence. Today is a sad day for magical unicorn semen ingestion ;(

      • Michael

        I need one good phone, that i know he’s the one of the best phone in the world and undoubtedly one of the most Beautiful, Than 20 other phones that no one needs.
        Take that……A ndroid MAN …….lol.

      • MrJobsLiver

         well duh… the magical unicorn semen used to make your phone has magical picture clarity properties. Did you know that ingesting magical unicorn semen also makes you type in all capital letters…. uh oh ;-/

      • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR6HpRLyzMY Walter Sobchak

        Can’t hear you. What?

      • Aaron

        an increase in megapixels will not result in an increase in quality.

    • Anonymous

      Dude the 5mp camera on the iphone 4 kills any 8-10mp camera on any phone today. So ya….

      • MrJobsLiver

        duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh    

         

      • Anonymous

         Complete nonsense.  The hardware on Sony phones is better and yes, they take better pictures.  The software on Samsung phones is better and yes, they too take better pictures.

  • Homer

    So basically it’s an iPhone 4 with an 8 megapixel camera… then they’ll take the same phone and add 4G next year? Classic Apple, always about a year and a half behind… but people will mindlessly line up to buy each of these, even though 8 megapixel cameras and 4G radios are readily available in devices AS WE SPEAK!!

    I swear if Apple put their logo on a standard DVD player and people would line up to over pay for it as if it was actually a new technology.

    • http://about.me/brandonmccall brandonmccall

      Haters talk so much but rarely ever say anything. Write that bulls— down in your diary or something. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/applelover Tim Meesseman

      They don’t always uses the newest tech because they don’t believe it’s ready for primetime. For example, a 4G chip is too thick and drains battery life, so they want it thinner and batteries to be better before implementing it. Not to mention the fact that 4G is barely even available in most of the US, so why raise costs just to support *maybe* 5% of their customers?

      They also realize, unlike you, that megapixels aren’t what makes a good camera. The lens and chip are MUCH more important. The iPhone 4 camera takes much better photos than any 8mp camera phone out there right now. There comes a point where it’s a bad idea to sacrifice what made your product so good in the first place just so you can have the latest tech. And 4G is that line right now.

      But don’t bother listening to me… you’ll just hate on them no matter what.

      • Anonymous

         ”The iPhone 4 camera takes much better photos than any 8mp camera phone out there right now”

        That is absolute nonsense.  The Sony camera sensors are widely considered the best on the market.  Their phones take FAR superior photos to iPhone.  Why do yo make-up stuff?  If yo like Apple products fine… but suggesting that Apple has the best camera on the market is just ridiculous..

      • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

        I will take any DROID with an 8MP camera over the iPhone simply because it’s a higher number and that is really all that matters to me and most DROID-nation.

      • bigbudha

        wow you are so wrong.  any other manufacturer that comes close to the quality of the iphone camera
        is Nokia.  better hardware specs does not necessarily make it better.  

      • Anonymous

        I’m not really sure what you’re talking about. I have an iPhone. The
        picture quality is not great at all. That aside, read the reviews of the
        Sony Xperia phones. Almost everyone agrees they take better pictures
        because they have better sensors.

      • Homer

        How the hell was that implying that I didn’t know anything about megapixel/quality BS? An 8 megapixel camera on a phone is pretty much pointless unless you are blowing pictures up beyond the size of an 8×10…. An 8 megapixel camera on a phone for most people is nothing more than a spec to brag about, and with that being said… What is the point of putting out a product that only upgrades the camera from 5-8 megapixels? ESPECIALLY a year and a half AFTER 8 megapixel cameras have been in phones.

        And 4G is available in many larger cities in the US, and most major cities should be covered by years end… last time I checked cities tend to be more populated than rural areas. I’m pretty sure that more than “*maybe* 5%” of Apple’s iPhone customers lives in a city.

    • Anonymous

      Almost right. iPhone will never support 4G LTE networks, at least, not anytime in the near future since it will greatly affect their much marketed and overly hyped battery life. Until crApple designs an interchangeable and removable battery for that sorry excuse of a “Smartphone”, iPhone will remain 3G (or, really, 2G).

      • bigbudha

        Wow, A tech TROLL from Washington heights. 

  • Anonymous

    4S, 4G, 5, Whatever it is I really don’t see it coming to sprint. I can understand the T-Mobile bands because of the merger. But lets be real here. Apple gets a portion of the data revenue from the iphone that VZW/ATT generate. Sprint on the other hand is barely staying profitable with their $69.99 plan. They would have to raise their rates to offset apple! I dont see and i am sorry but the iphone could save sprint if they raise their rates. 

    • bigbudha

      Apple stopped that a long time ago. They no longer  get a piece of the data revenue. 

    • Anonymous

      Last I checked Verizon and ATT are STILL data profit share! This is coming from me a verizon employee.  

      • bigbudha

        apple is taking a bigger upfront payment form the carriers instead of a piece of the data pkg.  Thats why the carriers increased ETF’s. 

  • Cer

    The iPhone 4GS: So innovative, we couldn’t even give it its own number.

    • Anonymous

      What about….iPhone 4STD??

      Has a certain ring to it.

      • Cer

        I like it.

        The iPhone 4STD: Faster, Tougher, and more Durable.

  • Anonymous

    The average smartphone consumer such as myself doesn’t care about 4G. Apple will always do well because they are the only manufacturer that understands the importance of battery life. I like Android…I purchased the Thunderbolt and used it for about two weeks. However, the battery life is horrible. Too many times I was left without a phone in the evenings because my battery was dead. I’m a businessman and I cant afford to be worrying about charging my phone when I’m entertaining my clients. I now own the iPhone 4 and I am extremely happy. I go to bed at night with about 20% battery life left without having to charge it once during the day. 

    Apple will release a 4G iPhone when they have solved the battery issue that 4G phones experience. That is something worth waiting for…regardless of how many super-computer Android phones are released between now and the release of a 4G iPhone. Keep in mind that smart-phones are supposed to be a mobile phone first, then a computer. 

    Lastly, wifi connections are available just about everywhere these days…so 4G is not a necessity a this point. 

    • Petey

      I don’t know why people are so concern about it not having LTE… the network hasn’t really mature yet.

  • Jstew

    Come on everyone. Apple makes great products the iPhone 4s or whatever will be no exception. An 8 megapixel camera will make a great addition to iOS 5, new hardware, and clou connectivity.

    • Anonymous

      keep it – not interested 

  • http://twitter.com/iAmMrHD Mr. HD

    Love how so many people said it would be called the iPhone 5. Knew that they were going with iPhone 4S. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rusty-Harris/1057067818 Rusty Harris

     Well DUH!  That’s how Apple operates, good or bad, it’s called business.  Dribble out a few, create a hype for something an VOILA!  Instant mass hysteria and long lines in front of Apple stores.

  • Anonymous

    No interest in a “4″ with lipstick – not when there are better devices out there now.  Keep it. 

  • Reditalian

     I can’t find an Ipad 2 anywhere and people are talking about the next iphone really. We can’t wait a year for another phone. Stop it people.

blog comments powered by Disqus