Multiple reports today have posted different rumors about the upcoming iPhone 5, which still remains unconfirmed but is expected to launch during the summer, one year after the release of the iPhone 4.
Apple will move the iPhone to a 4-inch screen and use a dual-core A5 processor, likely running at 1.2GHz.
The reports come from Taiwanese component suppliers.
Samsung will provide brand new Super PLS (Plane-to-Line Switching) displays to Apple for the iPhone 5, with Apple having purchased a rumored whopping $7 billion worth of the component for the year.
As compared to the IPS displays seen in the iPad/iPhone 4, the Super PLS screens are brighter, have better viewing angles and are cheaper to produce.
Result for: component suppliers
According to sources at Taiwan handset component suppliers, Nokia is moving to replace the resistive touch panel used in the popular 5800 handset with a capacitive touch panel. The change is being made in order to compete more effectively with the products from Apple, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics on the market.
The initial orders from Nokia are enough for two million 5800 handsets, and shipments of the new version are expected to begin in May-June this year. Nokia’s design and pricing strategy for the 5800 handset have been very successful, leading to sales of over three million units so far since the device was launched in November 2008.
Availability for the Nokia N97 handset is expected in the second quarter, while Nokia is also expected to roll out more models with capacitive touch panels, QWERTY keyboards and with ultra-thin designs during the third quarter.
Result for: component suppliers
According to a new report coming from Asia, current iPhone builder Foxconn Electronics has been selected by Apple to produce the upcoming 3G iPhone model and that shipments will begin in June.
Citing “component suppliers as well as foreign institutional investors,” the report says Foxconn was “recently instructed by Apple to begin procuring component materials for the next-generation touch-screen handsets for an initial test build no later than the end of May.”
Apple expects to ship 3 million units in June and hopes to ship a total of 25 million over the product’s life cycle, added the report.
The company has so far sold 6 million current-generation iPhone units worldwide but sales have been somewhat stifled by exclusive contracts with carriers. That should change with the upcoming generation however, as Apple hopes to expand to additional European nations and portions of Asia.
