With so many rumors flying regarding the iPhone 5 and its launch date, it seems they all point in one direction: it’s not happening this summer. Or is it? Of course, we really can’t call it a delay since Apple hasn’t announced it yet – and so many people get their panties in a bunch whenever unannounced products are labeled as “delayed” despite the fact that it’s a semantic argument where meaning isn’t really lost – so who knows what will happen. This time around, word is that Apple hasn’t even laid out a production roadmap for the iPhone 5 yet.
According to DigiTimes, touchscreen panel makers are saying that Apple hasn’t detailed production for the iPhone 5, which leads them to believe it might not be released until next year:
The remarks come amid growing market speculation saying that Apple will delay the launch of the iPhone 5 until September, or even 2012 because of a shortage of upstream components.
There’s that word again — delay. At any rate, nothing is ever official or close to accurate – in most cases, anyway – until Apple says so. That’s always the case with the iPhone maker, anyway. Additionally, touch panel shipments for the iPhone 4 have remained pretty steady, leading manufacturers to believe that Apple may be riding out the demand for the smartphone. After all, it was only recently introduced for Verizon as a CDMA variant. It has also led some to believe that because the Verizon iPhone was launched in February, Apple would give it some time before a new model was released. It would make sense, naturally, if the smartphone wasn’t available worldwide where everyone else is used to a yearly refresh.
All is not lost if the iPhone 5 doesn’t show up until fall this year or early next year. In a discussion with the other editors of this site, I joked that I’d finally get my money’s worth if I hang onto an iPhone for more than a year.
[Via: DigiTimes]