Fifth-gen iPhone predicted to 'shatter' Apple's existing sales records
Analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities expects a "media blitz" and "unprecedented demand" after Apple announces its next iPhone on Tuesday, allowing the new model to "shatter" the sales records set by the iPhone 4. He noted that The iPhone is now available on 228 carriers worldwide, compared to 154 during the iPhone 4 launch in 2010, giving Apple an opportunity for even greater sales this year.
With an aggressive roll-out of the so-called "iPhone 5," much like Apple's accelerated international launch of the iPad 2 this year, White believes the company will be able to ramp up sales more quickly. Apple will also be aided by the CDMA iPhone, allowing it to expand to even more carriers worldwide, l">particularly in China
He also thinks this year's iPhone could be a "world phone" compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks. That would allow Apple to build one handset for use on different carriers, such as AT&T and Verizon in the U.S.
Despite continued evidence that Apple's next iPhone will sport an appearance similar to the current iPhone 4, White is still holding out hope that Apple plans to introduce a radically redesigned handset on Tuesday. He predicts that the "iPhone 5" will feature an aluminum unibody design that will be "more aesthetically pleasing but also stronger, lighter, and avoid the back-side 'glass breaks' of last year."
"With this new enclosure, we believe this will provide Apple with the opportunity to expand the display size by at least one half of an inch to 4 inches and hopefully bigger," White wrote in a note to investors on Monday. "Apple will clearly need to upgrade the processor speed to at least a Dual Core 1.2GHz to match the Samsung Galaxy S II, while upgrading to a 8 mega pixel 1080p camera that is now also on the Galaxy S II."
He does not expect that the next iPhone will be compatible with true 4G long-term evolution networks, but does believe that recent evidence of an HSPA+ compatible iPhone is legitimate. While not "true" 4G, HSPA+ has been advertised as having 4G-equivalent speeds, with theoretically downloads of 21Mbps.
A number of third-party cases have shown an iPhone 5 design with a thinner body and tapered sides similar to the iPad 2, but numerous leaked components have shown a device with a design much like the iPhone 4. The similarities between the iPhone 4 and the leaked components have led to rumors referring to the device as an "iPhone 4S," a name that was also discovered in a pre-release beta version of iTunes.
For months there was speculation that Apple would release both a low-cost "iPhone 4S" and a redesigned "iPhone 5" this year, but in recent weeks those claims have died down. But with just a day to go before Apple's keynote, White continues to believe Apple will release two models, with the "4S" geared toward the huge prepaid smartphone market in China.
29 Comments
Damn right, I know a shed load of people waiting for the iPhone 5. Hot cakes.
Not, bad, Considering MS may have only 1,7 million "real" sales of indows 8 the next three years,
This guy is a nut. He doesn't know anything, yet because he is an "analyst" his garbage gets reprinted all over the net.
This guy White is interesting, but i just can't see Apple using an aluminum body because of antenna issues. If they did, they'd have to use a window as is used on the iPad. The problem with that is the window would need to be very large, as the antenna's need to be a certain size.
I'd like to see a different body, and even a 4" screen. But nothing larger. I don't know what his enthusiasm for huge phones is all about. I also don't know where he gets the idea that even a larger body, as shown by these cases that we're seeing, could hold a screen bigger than 4".
He must be on some good stuff.
The debate about whether Apple will launch only a 4s model, or a 4S model plus a 5 is interesting. I don't think Apple can get away with only releasing a mild upgrade to the existing design. As someone who has bought every successive iPhone model, I wouldn't change handsets unless the cost was negligible.
There is pent-up demand for a new iPhone handset, not only because the changeover is three months overdue but also because of the antenna issues of last year. They may have been rectified or even been a non-issue, but the iPhone 4 didn't win the 'mine's better than yours' face-off in bars and clubs of the developed world. I think it allowed Samsung a toe-hold that Apple should be keen to break.
Even without the above concerns, I never liked the glass front and back. The iPhone 4 was the only model I have broken. It simply wasn't as robust as the 3 or original version. I am not alone in thinking this either.
So, I reckon Apple will launch a new model in addition to the 4S. We mustn't forget, however, that the IPhone 3GS was one of the best selling of all iPhone models for Apple. When it was priced for more budget conscious users, it drove a massive uplift in sales. The IPhone 4S could well be targeted as an iPhone 3GS replacement for budget users.
With an iPhone 4S sure, some people will upgrade. But with a completely new model as well, then the chances of existing iPhone users upgrading must surely be much higher? If I wanted to maximise iPhone sales, I'd launch a 4S and a 5.