The latest in iPhone 5 rumors comes from a Chinese supply chain. Macotakara.jp has claimed that Apple hasn’t even started ordering components for its next gen iPhone.
We’ve already heard that the iPhone 5 probably won’t be announced this June at WWDC, and that the release date could be pushed back to a fall 2011 date. If Apple hasn’t ordered parts for the iPhone 5, there’s almost no way that we’ll see a new iPhone this year…
AppleInsider reports,
“Citing sources in the Chinese supply chain, Macotakara.jp reported Monday (via Google Translate) that Apple is not yet ordering components for its fifth-generation iPhone. The anticipated device is also not expected to contribute to Apple’s fiscal 2011.
Apple’s fiscal year 2011 concludes on Sept. 24, 2011. If the iPhone 5 were to in fact not contribute to the company’s fiscal 2011 bottom line, the new handset would arrive after Sept. 24, making it a late September or early October launch at the earliest.
Monday’s report indicated that Apple plans to ship the new iPhone in the “first half” of fiscal 2012. However, it is unlikely that Apple would wait until calendar 2012 to release the iPhone 5 and miss out on the strong holiday buying season.”
Apple would need to have Chinese manufacturers already working on new components for a release date in the near future, especially if the iPhone 5 is as significant of a redesign as we think it will be. But the fact that manufacturers aren’t hearing anything from Apple doesn’t bode well for an iPhone announcement this summer.
The iPhone 4 is still an excellent competitor in the smartphone market, but Apple will need to introduce something fresh soon in light of LTE developments. Apple could refresh the iPhone 4 with a white version this summer, but everything’s up in the air until we hear word from Cupertino.
[TUAW]