Tuesday Apple Rumors: Foxconn to Ship Two iPhones in Sept.

by Christopher Freeburn | August 20, 2013 12:27 pm

[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Coming Soon: Insider sources tell the Wall Street Journal that Apple (AAPL[3]) has instructed a major supply chain partner to begin shipping two new iPhone models next month[4]. Foxconn will ship both a new high-end Apple handset — expected to be the iPhone 5S — and a lower cost version, likely the iPhone 5C. The shipping schedule supports widely circulated rumors that Apple will debut both iPhones at a special media event on September 10. If Apple follows its usual launch schedule, the iPhones would go on sale within a week or so of their unveiling. The iPhone 5S is expected to retain the iPhone 5’s general appearance and screen size, but feature a fingerprint sensor embedded under the home button. Recent rumors suggest it may also offer up to 128GB of storage and come in gold, in addition to the usual black and white. The iPhone 5C is expected to feature a plastic casing, possibly in multiple colors, but is otherwise expected to resemble the iPhone 5. Recent reports indicate that the iPhone 5 may be dropped from the iPhone lineup after the launch of the new iPhones.

Slide: A report from market research firm NPD indicates that Mac sales declined in July[5], CNET notes. Overall Mac sales for the current quarter are forecast to fall 5% compared to the same time last year. That would match the year-over-year Mac sales drop reported during the previous quarter. Personal computer sales have been declining sharply for several years, dented by rising sales of tablet computers like the iPad, which may be cannibalizing Mac sales. Apple is expected to introduce a fifth-generation iPad and a Retina iPad Mini this fall. Rumors suggest the company may also be exploring the launch of an iPad with a 12-inch screen.

Made Where?: While most people think that Apple’s iPhones are made in China, they mostly aren’t[6], the Times of India notes. Apple’s manufacturing partners do assemble iPhones at Chinese factories, but they contain components produced in Germany, the U.S., Japan, South Korea and other countries. According to an analysis by economists William Milberg and Deborah Winkler in their book Outsourcing Economics, Chinese assembling accounts for just 4% of the overall production cost of each iPhone. If economic activity were measured in those terms, China would generate a trade deficit instead of a surplus from iPhone shipments.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[7] stories.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2013/08/tuesday-apple-rumors-foxconn-to-ship-two-iphones-in-sept/

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