An iPhone 6 concept. (Image credit: Arthur Reis)
This week, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek has said that Apple is set to begin mass production of its next generation iPhone this month, ahead of an autumn launch. Now, further reports have backed up the analyst's claims, citing Apple insiders who are familiar with the company's plans.
The Wall Street Journal's All Things D claims that "sources familiar with the company's plans" have agreed that Apple's manufacturing partners will soon begin production of a new iPhone, dubbed iPhone 5S or iPhone 6.
Misek also suggested that the rumoured low-cost iPhone is already in production, but All Things D's sources didn't provide any feedback about that claim.
Despite these reports, the Commercial Times (via Bloomberg) has suggested that Apple will delay the launch of the next iPhone until the end of the year, rather than the September/October timeframe Misek has predicted, due to the introduction of a 4.3in screen.
We're not convinced that Apple will be making the iPhone 5's screen bigger, though. It's widely expected that the next iPhone will look almost identical to the iPhone 5, with internal improvements acting as the main selling point for the new smartphone.
Additionally, another report this week, this time from DigiTimes, claims that the next iPhone could be delayed due to poor yield rates of the rumoured fingerprint sensor.
