Apple iPhone 5 to hit production in September

Apple's iPhone 5 will feature "slight modifications" from its predecessor, including an 8 megapixel rear camera and will go into production in September, according to a Concord Securities report.

According to Apple Insider, Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a note offering alleged details of the next iPhone. His checks with supply chain sources indicate that the next handset from Apple will not feature an all-new-design, but rather only "slight modifications" from the iPhone 4.

Kuo has reportedly heard that the iPhone 5 will share iPad 2's A5 processor. He has also been told that Apple will switch to a Qualcomm baseband for both GSM and CDMA models, along with an improved antenna design.
In his note, Kuo also notes that the new iPhone will go into trial production in August and mass production in September, allowing Apple to reach shipment volumes of between 28 million and 32 million units this year.

The earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan is likely to hit Apple's supply chain. As a result of component shortages, Kuo said that a new fifth-generation iPod touch may not be announced as usual in September this year.

Kuo's report also presumes that Apple will unveil its fifth-generation iPhone at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, scheduled for June 6 in San Francisco.
According to Apple Insider, Kuo said that he believes that the "main selling point" of iPhone 5, due to its similar design to iPhone 4, will be the new iOS 5 mobile operating system. Kuo expects the company to give a more dramatic hardware change to the iPhone in 2012 when the presumed sixth-generation model will arrive.
Kuo note also mentions that Apple plans a new design and greatly improved hardware specifications for the sixth-generation iPhone.