CES 2013 may be in full swing but there’s always time for some new Apple rumours. Two different reports point to Apple possibly offering a number of different iPhone models in 2013. Along with a new low-cost model for emerging markets, the next iPhone, likely to be called the Apple iPhone 5S, could offer users a choice of screen size and colour.
Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White reports that his “checks” with Apple suppliers suggests that Apple will take a different approach with the next iPhone model. He expects “more choices for customers,” including “more color patterns and screen sizes.” Much like the current iPod touch, the new iPhone will come in multiple colours, perhaps as many as eight. “In our view, the iPhone 5 unibody aluminum case is a work of art and we believe it would be even more popular with the ability for consumers to choose from a wide array of vibrant colors that only Apple can deliver,” he writes.
Perhaps more important is the suggestion that Apple will, for the first time, offer different screen sizes for a single model. The move would allow Apple “to better bifurcate the market and expand its reach.” The report adds that one of those sizes would be larger than the iPhone 5’s 4-inch display. Another would be smaller and would allow Apple to grow its reach in emerging markets including China and India.
According to Digitimes and its “supply-chain sources,” Apple will in fact take a different route for the iPhone 5S. They report that the low-cost model would sport a larger display to meet the “prevailing trend for the adoption of 5-inch displays for high-end models” and a new exterior design.
It’s not the first time that there have been rumours about multiple colours for the next iPhone. It was suggested in December that it would come with a “super HD” display and camera, NFC support, and a better battery.