iPhone

Half a dozen mainstream news organizations have reported that Apple plans to launch a new entry-level iPhone to compete at the low end, and now the plastic outer shell of the handset may have been pictured for the first time. Case maker Tactus has published a photo of what it claims to be the polycarbonate shell from Apple’s upcoming budget smartphone. It also claims to have some details about the device, which will supposedly feature a smaller 3.5-inch display, an Apple A5 processor and the same 5-megapixel camera as the iPhone 4. Tactus also claims the phone will be available in black, white, blue, red and yellow. Apple’s low-end iPhone is expected to launch around the same time as the iPhone 5S in the late summer or early fall.

With Apple increasingly unlikely to release a new version of its iPad until the fall, at least one analyst is worried that it will spell trouble for sales of the iPhone 5 this spring. Per Barron’s, R.W. Baird analyst William Power projects “a sharper fall-off in iPhone sales due in part to heightened competition, and the lack of a March/April iPad refresh to depress this year’s sequential comparison relative to a year ago” when Apple released its third-generation tablet. Power’s remarks come amid reports that Foxconn earnings have been hurt by “disappointing” iPhone 5 sales over the past couple of months despite the fact that the iPhone 5 has been the best-selling smartphone in the world since its launch last fall.

The first photographic evidence of an upcoming new entry-level iPhone from Apple (AAPL) may have just been revealed. Japanese Apple blog Macotakara on Thursday published a photo of a dual-head vibration motor that has not previously been used in any iPhone model. According to “iLab factory,” the source of the image, the part will be included in Apple’s upcoming low-end iPhone. Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone 5S later this year as well as an entry-level iPhone that the company will use to bolster its market share in emerging regions. The photo of the leaked low-end iPhone part follows below. More →

A recent job posting suggests that Apple (AAPL) is interested in incorporating new display technology in its future products. The company is looking for a display specialist to improve the overall optical performance of its devices and “lead the investigation on emerging display technologies such as high optical efficiency LCD, AMOLED and flexible display.” The employee will also be required to “analyze the trade-offs between design, process, optical performance, and implementation feasibility.” An earlier rumor suggested that Apple was interested in using a curved glass display in its iWatch device. A number of rival companies, such as Samsung (005930) and LG (066570), have been experimenting with flexible touch screens in recent years. Filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have also shown Apple’s interest in flexible display technologies over the past few years.