Blog Business Insider has filed a report that states Apple will begin production of its next generation iPhone — oft referred to as the iPhone 5 — beginning this September. Citing a note published by Avian Securities, the iPhone-report du jour states that a “key component supplier” has indicated that the Cupertino company will schedule production in preparation for a “very late 2011 or more likely a 2012” launch event. The same supplier also notes that a “lower-spec/lower-priced iPhone” is in Apple’s device road map — another popular rumor amongst technology sites. Analysts continue to postulate on the release date of Apple’s next smartphone product, with June of 2011 and January of 2012 being the two most popular guesses. The full text of Avian’s speculative statement is after the break.
Supporting out [sic] comments over the last month, conversations with yet another key component supplier indicates that production for iPhone-5 will begin in September. This is consistent with Avian findings in the supply chain in recent months and we believe the consensus view is moving towards this scenario. In addition, our conversations also indicate the existence of a lower-spec/lower-priced iPhone in Apple’s roadmap. However, while our contacts have seen the placeholder in the Apple roadmap, they do not yet have insight into specs or production timing. This leads us to believe that any launch is likely a very late 2011 or more likely a 2012 event. As a reminder, Avian has uncovered several data-points in recent months pointing to the existence of a lower-spec/lower-price iPhone. A lower-spec/lower-price iPhone has also been speculated in the press and gadget blogs, though we do not believe consensus currently discounts the existence of such a model.
