iPhone 5 Production To Start In September?

According to research firm Avian Securities, production for the iPhone 5 should start in September. The firm issued a note to clients today stating their prediction is based on conversations with key Apple component suppliers. This means that the iPhone 5 wont be available until end of this year or early next year.

The research firm also noted that they believe a lower-spec and lower price iPhone is in the works. Over the last several months, the firm collected various data-points to suggest this to be the case.

If their predictions are true and the iPhone 5 doesn't reach the market until Q1 of the next year, that could give rival Android devices plenty of time to hone in on the market during the summer and winter holiday seasons. Unless of course Apple has something else up its sleeves to be revealed in the coming months, such as a white iPhone 4—although recent rumors say its been canceled—or a low-spec/low-price iPhone?

The Avian Securities note reads:

Supporting out comments over the last month, conversations with yet another key component supplier indicates that production for iPhone-5 will begin in September. This is consistent with Avian findings in the supply chain in recent months and we believe the consensus view is moving towards this scenario. In addition, our conversations also indicate the existence of a lower-spec/lower-priced iPhone in Apple's roadmap. However, while our contacts have seen the placeholder in the Apple roadmap, they do not yet have insight into specs or production timing. This leads us to believe that any launch is likely a very late 2011 or more likely a 2012 event. As a reminder, Avian has uncovered several data-points in recent months pointing to the existence of a lower-spec/lower-price iPhone. A lower-spec/lower-price iPhone has also been speculated in the press and gadget blogs, though we do not believe consensus currently discounts the existence of such a model.

[via Business Insider]