AppleInsider is reporting that analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has doubled down on his prediction that Apple will release a low-cost iPhone 5 later this year. Kuo believes that Apple will retain the 4-inch display of the current model, but the new entry will feature a plastic casing mixed with glass fiber that is incredibly thin, something we had heard earlier this year. This new iPhone 5 will sit aside an updated flagship, the iPhone 5S, which Kuo had suggested earlier would include a fingerprint scanner embedded into the home button, which may be suppled by Chipbond.
In addition to the lower cost, the budget iPhone 5 would come in assortment of colors, with anywhere from four to six options. Think iPod touch colors, but for the iPhone and to include both black and white among the options.
This report from Kuo doesn’t provide any new details as to when we can expect these new iPhones, other than to say ‘later this year’. This is in stark contrast to Kuo’s quotes earlier this month, claiming Apple would announce the new iPhone 5S in June for a July launch. iMore sources say the iPhone 5S is coming in August. If they were to wait any longer, they would bump up against Labor Day on September 2nd, a major holiday in the US, making that week an unlikely target. Last year, the iPhone 5 release date was September 21st. An earlier release date would help sure up any supply issues before the start of the 2013 holiday season.
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