There have been rumors flying all around the web world about the release of the iPhone 5, the latest ones even hinting at an October 4 showcase by the new CEO Tim Cook. Although, hopes which had risen during this time might now hit a roadblock as the Wedge Partners suggest that the 4s upgrade may be the only new iPhone we will see this year.
The revelation was made in a note by the Wedge Partners to investors on Wednesday. It says that the company is expected to host an event on a date from September 28 to October 5, probably to be presided over by Cook, which will mark the unveiling of several new devices from Apple including a 3G enabled iPod Touch. But the much awaited iPhone 5 fits nowhere in the practical scheme of things.
“We expect the focus of the new iPhone will be iOS 5, a speedier A5 processor and a higher resolution 8 MP camera with a small possibility of a larger 4 inch screen,” wrote Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair as reported by BGR. “We believe the casing will be largely similar to the iPhone with some particular modifications to the antennae [sic]. We don’t expect a second, dramatically different iPhone to accompany this as we don’t think Apple needs to have 3 models in the market to address the high end, mid-tier and low end since the iPhone 4 (with memory lowered to 8 GB) will drop to $99 and effectively attack those markets.”
The analyst also noted that releasing two new iPhones wouldn’t benefit the company in any way. Even if the upgraded model is expected to target at the mid-tier market with the iPhone 4 catering the lower end and the new 5 handset being the most elite, it would not serve any purpose unless a major pricing variation is introduced.
iPhone 5 or not, all the grapevine buzz surely point towards an October 4 or so release of an iOS smartphone, and possibly some more Apple devices.