Analyst: iPhone 5 sales decelerating, iPhone 5S enters manufacturing in March

iPhone 5S (Martin uit Utrecht 001)

According to one analyst, Apple’s suppliers are getting ready for iPhone 5S manufacturing, which should commence in March with a likely summer introduction in mind.

With the next-gen iPhone just a few months away, Apple is apparently winding down some iPhone 5 manufacturing as sales of the handset are “decelerating faster than expected”.

Per the rumor-mill, the iPhone 5S will be a mid-cycle specs upgrade sporting a faster CPU/GPU (likely a new A7 chip). Rumors are also suggesting a higher-resolution camera (possibly a 13-megapixel sensor). Some think Apple will for the first time offer the iPhone in a range of colors, though the handset is expected to retain the current two-tone industrial design…

BusinessInsider relays a note by Jefferies analyst Peter Misek where he claims that Apple has cut its build orders to thirty million iPhones, down from forty million units. The analyst warns that “suppliers seem to be prepping for iPhone 5S builds to start in March.”

iPhone sales are typically on the rise in the first two quarters of availability before dropping off significantly in the next two quarters ahead of a new model launch.

In addition to the iPhone 5S, a set of conflicting rumors previously mentioned a larger 4.8-inch iPhone, though it’s not clear whether Apple will launch that device this year or in 2013