Apple, Inc.'s(NASDAQ:AAPL) hardware releases, especially the release of its flagship product, the iPhone, are always watched keenly.
And rightfully so: the iPhone fetches over half of the company's total revenues.
After a new iPhone super-cycle materialized with the launch of the 5G-enabled iPhone 12 series in 2020, all eyes are now trained on the next ace up Cupertino's sleeve.
Although Apple has not divulged any information about the next iPhone iteration, rumors regarding product specifications, nomenclature, pricing, positioning and time of launch are all doing the rounds.
Here are a few rumored and reported iPhone details:
• Apple's new iPhone series will be named iPhone 13 and will have four models, similar to the previous iteration: a 6.7-inch Pro Max, a 6-1-inch Pro and iPhone 13 base models with 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch screen sizes, according to China's Economic Daily News.
• The majority of assembly for the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will be handled byHon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.(OTC:HNHPF).
• Assembly duties for the smaller variant — the iPhone 13 mini — will be shared by Pegatron and Foxconn, according to Digitimes. The mini variant is said to be headed for a phase out out after the iPhone 13 series.
• The case size for the iPhone 13 Pro shows a significantly larger cameral module for the high-end Phone, MacRumors said, citing an image shared on a Weibo account.
• Apple chip suppliers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited(NYSE:TSM), Genesys Logic and Parade Technologies are allworking overtimeto keep up with commitments, Digitimes reported.
• This suggests the new iPhone series remains on track for a September launch. TSMC reportedly started production of Apple's proprietary A15 bionic chip, meant for the iPhone 13, in late May.
• Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives isexpectinga launch timeframe in the third week of September, but suggested continued model tweaks could delay the launch by two or three weeks.
The iPhone 13 will likely have a 1-terabyte storage option, double that of the current highest Pro storage capacity, Ives said.
The upcoming iPhone series, he said, will also include a number of enhancements, with Lidar across all iPhone 13 models.
Citing initial Asia supply chain build data, which numbered about 100 million units in early March compared to 80 million units for the iPhone 12 during the same period, Ives said the 5G-driven product cycle will extend well into 2022 and should also benefit from a post-vaccine consumer reopening environment.