Rich Fiscus
19 Sep 2011 15:43
The iPhone 5 may have bigger hurdles to overcome than competition from Android. There is a report that significant production problems could force Apple to push back the launch date.
The most credible reports for Apple's planned launch of the next generation iPhone, primarily based on sources inside mobile carriers both in the US and Europe, say it should be here by the middle of October.
A new story from 9to5 Mac says production delays on one assembly line could delay the launch for a short time, and even lead to shortages of the much anticipated phone for a few months.
They say reports that millions of iPhones have already been produced actually refer to a new bargain version of the iPhone 4, which has been rumored for some time.
If accurate, this could be good news for manufacturers of high end Android phones. A shortage of iPhones over the Christmas season could boost their sales significantly.
That could easily be offset by a new, cheaper iPhone. Earlier this year, US market data from The NPD Group showed the iPhone 3GS, which is essentially today's discount iPhone, outselling every other smartphone besides the iPhone 4.
Keep in mind, that was without all the marketing hype surrounding every new iPhone release.